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 offers a smooth and fluid painting experience with advanced brush technology and a user-friendly interface. It provides a wide array of free tools and features for digital art creation, with optional pro features available for purchase.

Highlights
  • Smooth 120fps brush performance
  • Slime Brush for precise filling
  • Workspace-first UI
  • Unlimited layers
  • Filter layers for non-destructive adjustments
  • Liquify tools
  • PSD import/export
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 (Hue/Saturation/Lightness, Brightness & Contrast, 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 (11 vs 1). 1BitPencil's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.4) 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 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Micapaint has 11 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 30, 2026 and November 5, 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) — better4.4 (11 ratings)
Positive reviews69.2% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings111 — 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 ratings11 ratings
Positive90.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative9.1%
Written reviews4 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 4.4 from 11 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 30, 2026 and Micapaint on November 5, 2026.

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