ZBrush vs VirtualTablet
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
ZBrush
Create professional 3D models and digital sculptures on your iPad. This app offers advanced sculpting, painting, and modeling tools with desktop-quality performance, ideal for artists on the go. Seamlessly integrate with desktop workflows for a complete creative experience.
- Pressure-sensitive sculpting with Apple Pencil
- 200+ digital sculpting brushes
- Advanced 3D modeling tools
- Seamless desktop-iPad workflow
- High-resolution polygon support
- 3D painting without UV setup
Read full descriptionHide full description
ZBrush for iPad. Create stunning 3D models, digital sculptures, concept art, and detailed characters with ZBrush for iPad—the award-winning, industry-leading digital sculpting app trusted by professional artists across film, AAA games, collectibles, toy design, jewelry, illustration, and 3D design. ZBrush for iPad brings unrivaled desktop-grade digital sculpting and 3D painting power into an intuitive, touch-first mobile environment optimized for Apple Pencil. Take complete creative freedom on the go with high-poly mesh density, proprietary digital clay brushes, procedural detailing, and seamless cross-platform interoperability. Subscribers to Maxon One or ZBrush desktop can download the iPad app and sign in to activate full access instantly. A comprehensive free tier is also available to start sculpting immediately. NEW FOR IPAD • Spotlight Integration: Seamlessly load reference images directly onto the canvas, apply projection painting and texture mapping across complex mesh surfaces, and extract custom 3D geometry from 2D source imagery. • 3D Layers: Store high-resolution sculpting details, PolyPaint color channels, and masking non-destructively. Effortlessly toggle layer visibility, blend sculpt deformations, and refine feature intensity with precise slider controls. CORE SCULPTING & MODELING FEATURES • 200+ Sculpting Brushes: Pressure-sensitive digital brushes engineered for Apple Pencil and Apple Pencil Pro, supporting squeeze, roll, hover, double-tap gestures, and haptic feedback. • Sculptris Pro & Dynamic Tessellation: Add local mesh detail on the fly without manual topology management. • DynaMesh Digital Clay: Re-topologize mesh density evenly during early concept exploration. • ZRemesher: Industry-standard automatic retopology for clean, optimized edge flow. • Live Boolean: Non-destructive real-time union, subtraction, and intersection modeling. • PolyPaint: High-resolution 3D painting directly on vertex geometry without preliminary UV unwrapping. • Advanced Detailing: VDM Brushes, Surface Noise, Retopo Brush, Subdivision Modeling, NanoMesh, and ArrayMesh. DESKTOP INTEROPERABILITY & EXPORT • One-Click GoZ: Seamless transfer of ZTool and ZProject files between iPad and desktop ZBrush. • 3D Print Hub: Direct export for additive manufacturing and 3D printing workflows. HIGH-PERFORMANCE HARDWARE OPTIMIZATION Handles up to 90+ million polygons per mesh on M4 iPad hardware. Optimized for multi-touch gestures, custom hotkey bars, rapid undo/redo touch shortcuts, and real-world photogrammetry base mesh imports for high-end digital asset creation. TARGET CREATIVE USE CASES 1. Game Developers: Hero character modeling, creature design, and environment asset creation. 2. Collectibles & Toy Designers: High-detail prototyping and precise 3D print preparation. 3. Film & VFX Artists: Production-grade concept sculpting and digital asset creation. 4. Industrial & Jewelry Designers: Precision organic detailing for consumer products, apparel, and hardware. 5. 2D Illustrators & Concept Artists: Fast 3D block-outs and visual design expansion. LANGUAGE SUPPORT English, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Spanish, German, French, and Portuguese (BR).
VirtualTablet
Transform your iPad or iPhone into a wireless pen tablet for your computer. Draw, write, and control your PC with precise input, ideal for digital artists and gamers. Supports Apple Pencil features like pressure sensitivity and tilt.
- Wireless pen tablet functionality
- Apple Pencil pressure and tilt sensitivity
- Screen mapping and mouse modes
- Draw directly into desktop creative apps
- Control PC cursor with touch
- Low-latency input for rhythm games
Read full descriptionHide full description
Turn your iPad or iPhone into a wireless pen tablet for your computer! Draw, write, and control your PC with Apple Pencil—just like a professional graphic tablet. VirtualTablet lets you use your iOS device as a high-precision input tablet for desktop apps. It’s perfect for digital artists, osu players, and anyone who needs accurate cursor control without buying expensive hardware. WHAT YOU CAN DO • Draw directly into desktop creative apps • Control your computer cursor with Apple Pencil or touch • Annotate PDFs, slides, and documents for teaching or presentations • Play rhythm games like osu with precise, low-latency input ------- CHOOSE YOUR SETUP: SCREEN MAPPING OR MOUSE MODE VirtualTablet lets you decide how your cursor moves on your device. • Screen Mapping (Absolute Positioning) Your iPad maps directly to your computer display, similar to a traditional pen tablet. Ideal for artists and osu players. • Mouse Mode (Relative Positioning) Use your iPad like a large trackpad. Cursor movement follows your hand regardless of position. ------- APPLE PENCIL SUPPORT • Pressure and tilt sensitivity • Double-tap gesture support • Hover cursor control on supported Apple Pencil models Finger or passive stylus input is supported with basic functionality. ------- WORKS WITH YOUR FAVORITE APPS Compatible with popular desktop software such as Photoshop, Affinity, Krita, Clip Studio, Illustrator, and more. ------- GETTING STARTED WITH VIRTUALTABLET • Download VirtualTablet on your iPhone or iPad • On macOS, download the companion agent from https://www.sunnysidesoft.com/virtualtablet-bluetooth/download • No extra agent required for Windows and Linux. • Launch the app and follow the on-screen instructions • Connect your device via Bluetooth • Use Apple Pencil or touch to control your computer Need help? Visit our website or contact support from the app. https://www.sunnysidesoft.com/support/ ------- Stop paying for expensive drawing tablets. Use the device you already own—download VirtualTablet and start creating. HELP • Support page: https://www.sunnysidesoft.com/support/ • Email us: support@sunnysidesoft.com • Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: ZBrush at 85% against VirtualTablet's 0%. ZBrush also leads on rating (4.1 vs 2.3) and monetization model (freemium vs subscription). VirtualTablet's advantage is update cadence (every 9 days vs monthly) and device support (3 vs 1). On price and in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. ZBrush sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and VirtualTablet sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
ZBrush holds the better App Store score, 4.1 against 2.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ZBrush has 255 ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 85% of ZBrush's written reviews are positive against 0% of VirtualTablet's.
ZBrush ships an update monthly, VirtualTablet every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 23, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | ZBrush | VirtualTablet |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.1 (255 ratings) — better | 2.3 (8 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 85.0% of reviews — better | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 255 — better | 8 |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Every 9 days — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Freemium — better | Subscription |
| Devices | iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 15.6 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 1.1 GB | 88 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | MAXON Computer GmbH | Eunjin Joo |
Customer experience
ZBrush
VirtualTablet
In-app purchases
ZBrush
- ZBrush Monthly$9.991 Month
- ZBrush Annual$89.991 Year
VirtualTablet
- Pro Subscription (Monthly)$1.991 Month
- Pro Subscription (Annual)$11.991 Year
- Pro Lifetime Access$29.99









