# SketchApp vs Charcoal

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Charcoal at 77% against SketchApp's 20%. Charcoal also leads on ratings volume (144 vs 4). SketchApp's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.5) and iOS requirement (7.0 vs 15.0). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

SketchApp holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Charcoal has 144 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 20% of SketchApp's written reviews are positive against 77% of Charcoal's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

SketchApp ships an update every 4 months, Charcoal every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | SketchApp | Charcoal |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sketchapp/id603249566/reviews)** | [4.5 (144 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/charcoal/id1490279484/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 4 | **144** |
| Positive reviews | 20.0% of reviews | **76.9% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Every 2 months** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 4 MB | 29 MB |
| Requires iOS | **7.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Vision Pro** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Extroverted Developer, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/879103427) | [Lars Augustin](https://appshunter.io/developer/1806278075) |

## What reviewers say

### SketchApp

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sketchapp/id603249566)

Capture your thoughts and drawings with a digital sketchbook. Customize brushes, colors, and opacity to create unique artwork. Easily share your creations across social media and save them directly to your device.

**Highlights:** Digital sketching and note-taking, Customizable brush size, opacity, and color, 6 standard color pencils, Social media sharing, Save drawings to camera roll, Special pen support for enhanced drawing

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Charcoal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/charcoal/id1490279484)

This app offers a simple yet powerful sketching experience with rich tools and beautiful color palettes. Easily create and export your artwork for use in other graphics programs. It supports modern iOS features like multiple windows and dark mode for enhanced productivity.

**Highlights:** Simple sketching interface, Rich drawing tools, Beautiful color palettes, Export sketches, Multiple window support, Dark mode

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Simple and intuitive
- 👍 Great for quick sketching
- 🎨 Aesthetically pleasing design
- 💰 Free with no ads

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🎨 Limited color palette
- 🎨 Lack of customization options
- 🎨 Missing advanced drawing tools
- 🐛 Occasional bugs and crashes

**Reported bugs**

- Saved sketches lose quality
- Palette colors change unexpectedly
- Freezing when opening color palette

**Requested features**

- Ability to change brush/pen size
- Layers and blending tools
- Color wheel and custom color selection
- Import/export options


## Frequently asked questions

### Is SketchApp free?

SketchApp is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Charcoal free?

Charcoal is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, SketchApp or Charcoal?

SketchApp is rated higher. SketchApp averages 5.0 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while Charcoal averages 4.5 from 144 ratings.

### Do SketchApp or Charcoal have ads?

Neither SketchApp nor Charcoal shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, SketchApp or Charcoal?

SketchApp ships an update every 4 months, and Charcoal every 2 months. Most recently, SketchApp was updated on October 21, 2026 and Charcoal on October 17, 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.*