Comparison

TatToolkit vs Stencil AI

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

Head to head
About

TatToolkit

This app provides tattoo artists with a suite of tools to streamline their design and stencil creation process. It offers features for image enhancement, color palette generation, and seamless workflow integration, helping artists create precise tattoos more efficiently.

Highlights
  • Multiple stencil creation methods
  • Image enhancement and refinement
  • Color palette generation with ink matching
  • Layer management for composition
  • High-resolution export for printing
  • Background removal
Features
Read full description

TATTOOLKIT: THE ALL-IN-ONE STUDIO FOR TATTOO ARTISTS Everything between a client's idea and a finished stencil, in one app: Stencils, references, drawing and printing. TatToolkit is built for the way tattoo artists actually work, so you spend less time on your iPad and more time tattooing. STENCILS IN SECONDS - Classic stencil methods: QuickLine, Sketchy, and Trace - API-powered TrueLine and PowerLine for clean, accurate linework - Stack and combine stencil layers over your reference to get exactly the look you want - Adjust levels, add noise, and draw or erase directly on the stencil A REAL DRAWING & PAINTING ENGINE - Custom engine built for tattoo design, made for Apple Pencil - Brush Yard: build, organize and import custom brushes and brush sets - Smudge, Wet Mix, Dodge, Burn and Blur tools LAYERS & PROJECTS - Start from a blank canvas at any size, or from a photo - Groups, blend modes, clipping masks, merge, duplicate, rename and reorder - Projects save automatically, so you can pick up right where you left off TRANSFORM & SELECT - Move, Select and Auto-Select - Scale, rotate, distort and warp one layer or many at once - Guides and grids for precise placement PERFECT YOUR REFERENCES - Filter gallery with fast filters - Curves, Color Balance, Colorize, Temperature & Tint, brightness, contrast and more - Gaussian, Motion and Radial Blur, plus Depth of Field - Remove backgrounds in one tap - Convert to grayscale with custom channel controls COLOR PALETTES - Generate palettes from any reference - Find the closest ink matches for each color - In-cap mixing suggestions to hit the exact tone you need PRINT-TO-SIZE - Print at the exact dimensions you need, even across multiple sheets for large pieces - Export stencils and references in high resolution, straight to your printer FAST, NATURAL GESTURES - Pinch, rotate, three-finger tap to redo - Radial menus for quick tools like copy, cut and paste - Quick shape corrections and color sampling with a long press SUBSCRIPTION & CREDITS TatToolkit requires a monthly subscription of $9.99 to access all features, with a 1-week free trial for new subscribers. Your subscription automatically renews each month until canceled. The subscription includes 50 credits per month for API-powered cloud stencils; additional credit packs are available as in-app purchases. ABOUT US TatToolkit is built by a working tattoo artist who knows the challenges of the craft firsthand. We keep improving the app based on feedback from the artists who use it. Questions, ideas or feedback? Reach us at support@tattoolkit.com. Whether you're a seasoned artist or just starting out, TatToolkit gives you the tools to design, stencil and print with confidence. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.tattoolkit.com/pages/tracerTOS

About

Stencil AI

Transform photos into high-resolution tattoo stencils with advanced AI. Offers various styles for different techniques and features like 4K export and team collaboration. Streamline your design process and save time.

Highlights
  • AI-powered stencil generation
  • Multiple stencil styles (Outline, Simple, Detailed)
  • 4K resolution and upscaling
  • Studio dashboard for team collaboration
  • Universal image format support
  • Cross-platform synchronization
Features
Read full description

STENCIL AI - THE ULTIMATE TATTOO STENCIL GENERATOR Stop wasting hours on manual tracing. Stencil AI is engineered specifically for professional tattoo artists to transform any photo, portrait, or complex concept into a precise, high-resolution stencil in seconds. Unlike generic photo filters, our advanced AI understands line weights, skin tonal mapping, and the intricate details required for a perfect thermal transfer. --- PRO-GRADE STENCIL STYLES --- Choose the perfect look for your specific tattooing technique: • OUTLINE: Ideal for bold, simplified designs that rely on clean outlines. Perfect for tribal patterns, lettering, minimalist symbols, geometric motifs, and small tattoos where clarity and boldness matter most. • STANDARD: Good for basic realism. This style groups shaded areas together for efficient sessions, making it suitable for designs with simple shading that don't require the most precise tracking of light and form. • HATCHING: The most precise shadow tracker for realism and hyperrealism. Captures every subtle shadow and texture with extreme accuracy, perfect for very complex designs and the most demanding professional work. --- POWERFUL ARTIST FEATURES --- • TATTOO MODE: A fullscreen reference viewer built for the chair. Your screen stays awake for the whole session while you flip between stencil, photo, and overlay with one hand — with per-layer brightness, contrast, and opacity that are remembered for every stencil. • RETOUCH STUDIO: Fine-tune any stencil right in the app — erase, lighten or darken lines, remove solid fills with a tap, and trace over the original photo. Great with Apple Pencil. • TRUE-TO-SIZE PRINTING: Print your stencil at its exact real-world size. Place, rotate, mirror it and fit several stencils on one sheet, then print with AirPrint or export a size-accurate PDF for any other printer. Every stencil remembers its own print setup. • BIG PIECE PRINTING: Designs bigger than one page print across several sheets at true size, with trim lines and alignment marks so the parts line up exactly when you tape them together. • WARP TO THE BODY: Drag grid points to bend the stencil along shoulders, arms and other curves, then print it exactly that way so it lies flat on skin. • MEASURE ON SKIN: On LiDAR-equipped iPhones, measure point to point right on the body and use the result as your stencil's exact print size. • 4K RESOLUTION & UPSCALING: Export designs that stay crisp even when resized for full-sleeve or back pieces. • STUDIO DASHBOARD: Built for team collaboration. Manage multiple artist seats, track usage, and centralize your shop's workflow. • UNIVERSAL COMPATIBILITY: Full support for JPG, PNG, WEBP, and TIFF. Process images up to 10MB instantly. • CROSS-PLATFORM SYNC: Your account and stencils stay synced across iPhone, iPad, and the Web. --- PERFECT FOR ALL ARTISTS --- • Fine Line & Micro-realism • Black & Grey Realism • Color Realism • Traditional & Neo-Traditional • Illustrative & Anime • Geometric --- STOP TRACING. START CREATING. --- Join 5,000+ artists who have revolutionized their prep-work. Stencil AI gives you back the time to focus on what matters most: the ink. --- GOOD TO KNOW --- Photos of celebrities, copyrighted characters and film stills are declined by our content filter. A declined attempt never uses a credit. Your own photos, client references, animals, objects and original artwork work great. --- SUBSCRIPTION & PURCHASE --- Hobby, Pro, and Studio monthly/yearly plans, plus one-time credit packs for top-ups. Payment will be charged to your Apple ID account at confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions automatically renew unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage your subscription in your App Store Account Settings. Privacy Policy: https://stencilai.app/app-privacy Terms of Service: https://stencilai.app/app-terms EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

TatToolkit3 screens
Stencil AI4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Stencil AI at 4.7 against TatToolkit's 3.0. Stencil AI also leads on monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription) and ratings volume (299 vs 3). TatToolkit's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs weekly) and review sentiment (50% vs 40%). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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

Both are free to download. TatToolkit sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $9.99 per month and Stencil AI sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $13.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Stencil AI holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Stencil AI has 299 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 50% of TatToolkit's written reviews are positive against 40% of Stencil AI's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

TatToolkit ships an update every 2 days, Stencil AI weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and November 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
TatToolkit versus Stencil AI: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTatToolkitStencil AI
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.0 (3 ratings)4.7 (299 ratings) — better
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews — better40.0% of reviews
Number of ratings3299 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 days — betterWeekly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscriptionFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank—#143 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.716.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size224 MB91 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJonathan HolbertSimon Turkovic

Customer experience

TatToolkit

All ratings3 ratings
Positive33.3%
Neutral33.3%
Negative33.3%
Written reviews8 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral25.0%
Negative25.0%

Stencil AI

All ratings274 ratings
Positive91.2%
Neutral1.8%
Negative6.9%
Written reviews20 reviews
Positive40.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative60.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

TatToolkit

Subscriptions1
  • TatToolkit Standard Monthly7 Days trial$9.991 Month
7 purchases

Stencil AI

Subscriptions5
  • Hobby Plan$13.991 Month
  • Pro Plan$29.991 Month
  • Studio Plan (2 Artists)$69.991 Month
Show 2 more
  • Studio Plan (3 Artists)$94.991 Month
  • Pro Plan$299.991 Year
One-time2
  • 5 Stencil Credits$0.99
  • 10 Stencil Credits$4.99

Questions

Is TatToolkit free?
TatToolkit is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Stencil AI free?
Stencil AI is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, TatToolkit or Stencil AI?
Stencil AI is rated higher. TatToolkit averages 3.0 out of 5 from 3 ratings, while Stencil AI averages 4.7 from 299 ratings.
Do TatToolkit or Stencil AI have ads?
Neither TatToolkit nor Stencil AI shows ads.
Which is updated more often, TatToolkit or Stencil AI?
TatToolkit ships an update every 2 days, and Stencil AI weekly. Most recently, TatToolkit was updated on November 8, 2026 and Stencil AI on November 9, 2026.

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