# Thisissand vs 8bit Painter

The clearest difference is ads: Thisissand at none against 8bit Painter's shown. Thisissand also leads on iOS requirement (8.0 vs 17.6). 8bit Painter's advantage is ratings volume (6.5K vs 1.5K). On price, rating, review sentiment and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Thisissand sells 7 one-off in-app purchases and 8bit Painter sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for Thisissand against 4.6 for 8bit Painter. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.5K and 6.5K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 83% of Thisissand's written reviews are positive against 85% of 8bit Painter's.

Thisissand ships an update every 2 months, 8bit Painter every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Thisissand | 8bit Painter |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (1.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/thisissand/id569414555/reviews) | **[4.6 (6.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/8bit-painter-pixel-art/id894301273/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 1.5K | **6.5K** |
| Positive reviews | 83.3% of reviews | **85.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 5 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 47 MB | 29 MB |
| Requires iOS | **8.0** | 17.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Beige Elephant](https://appshunter.io/developer/569414558) | [Takayuki Miyagawa](https://appshunter.io/developer/894301276) |

## What reviewers say

### Thisissand

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/thisissand/id569414555)

Create and share mesmerizing sand art with this therapeutic app. Watch vibrant sand layers form, relax to soothing sounds, and explore a variety of color tools to design unique sand pictures. Join a community of artists and showcase your creations.

**Highlights:** Sand art creation, Relaxing soundscapes, Color Palette tool, Color Shifter tool, Color Picker from camera, Photo Sand feature, Save custom colors

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (7)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Color Palette | $0.99 | one-time |
| HD Sand | $0.99 | one-time |
| My Colors Expansion | $0.99 | one-time |
| Color Picker | $0.99 | one-time |
| Color Shifter | $0.99 | one-time |
| Toolkit (reduced price) | $0.99 | one-time |
| Toolkit | $1.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 💎 Relaxing and calming experience
- 🎨 Allows for creative expression
- 🔒 No ads or distractions
- 🤩 Satisfying sand effects
- 🤗 Supportive and friendly community

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Many features locked behind paywall
- 🐛 Occasional glitches and bugs
- 🔍 Difficult to find/access previous creations
- 🖌️ Limited color customization options

**Reported bugs**

- Screen going black after selecting photo sand
- Inability to post/share creations at times
- Inconsistent performance and loading issues
- Camera/microphone activation without user consent

**Requested features**

- Undo/erase functionality
- Ability to follow and comment on other users' creations
- More free color and sand options
- Improved search and organization of user content
- Save/resume unfinished creations


### 8bit Painter

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/8bit-painter-pixel-art/id894301273)

Create fun and easy pixel art with intuitive controls. Perfect for beginners, this app lets you design SNS icons, game assets, or craft patterns. Import photos to pixelize them and export your creations as transparent PNGs.

**Highlights:** Beginner-friendly interface, Essential pixel drawing tools, Photo to pixel art conversion, Customizable color palettes, Transparent PNG export, Multiple canvas sizes

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove Ads | $5.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🥰 Fun and addictive
- 👍 Easy to use
- 🎨 Great for pixel art
- 💡 Helpful for crafting projects
- 🤩 Awesome app overall

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🤬 Annoying ads
- 🔒 Limited canvas sizes
- 🎨 Lack of color customization
- 🐛 Occasional bugs and glitches

**Reported bugs**

- Freezing and crashing issues
- Distortion when importing images
- Inability to delete saved artworks

**Requested features**

- Custom canvas sizes
- More color options and palettes
- Ability to delete or rearrange colors
- Layers and animation support
- Copy/paste and selection tools


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Thisissand free?

Thisissand is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is 8bit Painter free?

8bit Painter is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Thisissand or 8bit Painter?

8bit Painter is rated higher. Thisissand averages 4.5 out of 5 from 1.5K ratings, while 8bit Painter averages 4.6 from 6.5K ratings.

### Do Thisissand or 8bit Painter have ads?

8bit Painter shows ads; Thisissand does not.

### Which is updated more often, Thisissand or 8bit Painter?

Thisissand ships an update every 2 months, and 8bit Painter every 5 weeks. Most recently, Thisissand was updated on October 16, 2026 and 8bit Painter on October 19, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*