Comparison

1BitPencil vs Micapaint

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

1BitPencil

This high-resolution monochrome drawing app offers a realistic pencil tool for creating illustrations, manga, and notes. It supports large canvas sizes and exports in single-color PNG, with features for essential editing and animation video creation.

Highlights
  • High-resolution 1-bit canvas
  • Realistic pencil drawing tool
  • Supports A3 size at 2400 dpi
  • Exports single-color PNG files
  • Animation video creation
  • Essential editing functions
  • Timelapse recording
Features
Read full description

***This app requires an Apple Pencil or a compatible stylus.*** **About “1BitPencil”** 1BitPencil is all about a **high-resolution 1-bit (black & white) canvas**. Even the ultra-realistic pencil tool draws in pure black and white. It’s a high-resolution monochrome drawing app, perfect for **illustration, manga, animation, and school notes**. With a uniquely realistic pencil tool, 1BitPencil aims to recreate the feeling of drawing on paper in a fully digital environment. You can flip through pages and switch between files quickly, just like turning pages in a sketchbook. The app supports work up to **A3 size at 2400 dpi**, and exports your artwork as **single-color PNG files**. There are no layers, but you can use tracing, clean-up, and merge functions for essential editing. If you’re looking for a **simple yet high-quality drawing environment**, 1BitPencil offers a fresh and focused creative experience. **Brush tools** * Pen * Pencil * Mechanical pencil * Lasso pen * Lasso pencil * Smudge * Dot shading * Tone lasso * Tone pen **Eraser tools** * Eraser * Kneaded eraser * Lasso eraser * Lasso kneaded eraser * Dot kneaded eraser **Selection tools** * Rectangular selection * Lasso selection **Canvas navigation** * Move * Rotate * Zoom in / out **Sharing features** * Paste from Photos * Share * Copy to clipboard and paste **Trace box** * Change drawing color and background color * Load an underdrawing * Merge and save **Other features** * Create animation videos (.mp4, .gif, .apng) * Export to PDF * Timelapse recording * Snap to straight line * Stroke stabilization * Pen tilt sensitivity * Smudge or eraser with touch * Display gamma adjustment **File management** * Create new folders * Rename multiple files with sequential numbers * Duplicate multiple files

About

Micapaint

This drawing application prioritizes a smooth and intuitive artistic experience with high-performance brushes and a clean interface. It offers a robust set of free tools for sketching and painting, with advanced features available through an optional Pro plan.

Highlights
  • 120fps smooth brush performance
  • Slime Brush for region filling
  • Workspace-first UI
  • Unlimited layers
  • Filter layers
  • PSD import/export
  • Timelapse recording
Features
Read full description

Made with a love of painting, Micapaint puts a delightful drawing experience above everything else. Key Features - Smooth brush performance at 120fps: even 1000×1000 blending brushes run fluidly. - "Slime Brush" that fills regions without spilling outside broken lines. - A simple, workspace-first UI that maximizes your canvas. - No ads. Use most tools without limits, for free. Free Features - Pencil, G-pen, watercolor blending, blur - Lasso fill - Unlimited layers (as long as memory allows) - Layer folders - Clipping masks (yes, even for folders!) - Canvas flip for preview - Alpha lock - Filters (Noise, Hue/Saturation/Lightness, Tone Curve, Noise, Dither, Gradient Map, Blur, Chromatic Aberration) - Filter Layers (Non-destructive adjustment layers) - Saturation adjustment that preserves perceived brightness - Selection & transform - Liquify (push, expand, pinch, rotate, reset) - Paint bucket fill - Image import - Standard blend modes - Mini canvas view - Reference images displayed over the canvas - PSD import / export - Undo / redo - Adjustable stabilizer strength - Barrel roll support - Customizable toolbar (button count & layout) - Color history and swatches - Timelapse recording - Crop / resize the canvas you're editing (free up to 5 times) Pro Features (available with in-app purchase) - Canvas reordering - Brush export and import - Unlimited canvas crop / resize

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Micapaint at Free against 1BitPencil's $6.99. Micapaint also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 69%) and ratings volume (6 vs 1). 1BitPencil's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.3) and in-app purchases (none vs 1). On update cadence, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Micapaint is free to download; 1BitPencil costs $6.99 up front. Micapaint sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. 1BitPencil asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

1BitPencil holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Micapaint has 6 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 69% of 1BitPencil's written reviews are positive against 100% of Micapaint's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

1BitPencil ships an update every 8 days, Micapaint every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 3, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
1BitPencil versus Micapaint: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
Parameter1BitPencilMicapaint
Price$6.99Free — better
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better4.3 (6 ratings)
Positive reviews69.2% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings16 — better
Update frequencyEvery 8 days — betterEvery 9 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPadiPad
Requires iOS16.6 — better17
Further details — not scored
Size30 MB13 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHALVAL Ltd.SHOGO SEKI

Customer experience

1BitPencil

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews13 reviews
Positive69.2%
Neutral7.7%
Negative23.1%

Micapaint

All ratings6 ratings
Positive83.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative16.7%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

1BitPencil

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Micapaint

One-time1
  • Micapaint Pro (Lifetime)$11.99

Questions

Is 1BitPencil free?
1BitPencil costs $6.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Micapaint free?
Micapaint is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, 1BitPencil or Micapaint?
1BitPencil is rated higher. 1BitPencil averages 5.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Micapaint averages 4.3 from 6 ratings.
Do 1BitPencil or Micapaint have ads?
Neither 1BitPencil nor Micapaint shows ads.
Which is updated more often, 1BitPencil or Micapaint?
1BitPencil ships an update every 8 days, and Micapaint every 9 days. Most recently, 1BitPencil was updated on October 3, 2026 and Micapaint on October 1, 2026.

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