Comparison

Trace Drawing vs Tracer

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

Head to head
About

Trace Drawing

Transform your device into a drawing aid. Practice tracing and painting using photos, grids, templates, and augmented reality. Offers various modes to help beginners and experienced artists improve their sketching and accuracy.

Highlights
  • Camera Trace
  • AR Trace
  • Light Table mode
  • Grid assist
  • Outline conversion
  • Perspective guides
  • Template library
Features
Read full description

Turn your iPhone or iPad into the ultimate drawing assistant. Practice drawing, tracing, and painting directly on paper using pictures, grids, templates, outlines, and AR. Modes included: • Camera Trace – Overlay any picture with your phone’s camera and trace it step by step. Perfect for portraits, sketches, and objects. • AR Trace – Anchor images in real space using AR for hands-free drawing and painting. • Light Table – Place paper on your screen and trace images just like a real light box. • Grid – Improve proportions by copying drawings accurately with customizable grids. • Outlines – Automatically turn photos into bold outlines, making it easier to trace and paint. • Perspective – Learn perspective drawing with guides and lines to improve accuracy. • Templates – Start practicing with included drawings of animals, objects, and more. Why choose DrawLens? • Easy for beginners: Learn to draw by tracing pictures and drawings with simple tools. • Great for practice: Improve skills in sketching, outlining, perspective, and painting. • For all artists: Customize opacity, grids, outlines, perspective, and more tools. Perfect for anyone who wants to: • Learn to draw portraits, animals, cartoons, and everyday objects. • Use tracing, grids, templates, outlines, and AR to practice drawing faster. • Turn any picture into a guide for sketching and improve drawing accuracy. A DrawLens Pro subscription is required to import and trace your own photos. Download now and start your journey to better drawing and painting today. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Tracer

Transform your phone into a digital tracing tool to practice drawing and recreate images. Import photos, adjust opacity, and trace directly onto paper. Features step-by-step tutorials to help beginners learn drawing.

Highlights
  • Import images from photo library or camera
  • Adjust image opacity for tracing
  • Trace directly onto paper
  • Step-by-step drawing tutorials
  • Practice tracing characters, logos, and sketches
Features
Read full description

Tracer turns your phone into a digital tracing tool that helps you practice drawing and recreate images step by step. Import any image, adjust its opacity, place your phone over paper, and trace the lines to create your own drawings. Whether you're a beginner or just want to improve your sketching skills, Tracer makes drawing easier and more fun. Create Your Own Projects Import any image from your photo library or capture one with your camera. Adjust the image opacity and trace it directly on paper to recreate drawings. Tracer includes built-in project management to organize and manage your work: • Create and manage multiple drawing projects • Keep your imported images and sketches organized per project • Easily switch between ongoing projects without losing progress Tracer also includes two modes to fit different workflows: • Classic Mode – a simple and focused tracing experience • AR Mode – overlay images in real-world space for more accurate tracing Advanced tools to improve your tracing sessions: • Zoom to focus on details and extend image reach • 0.5x zoom for a wider field of view • Flashlight option for low-light drawing sessions • Smart alignment for better positioning accuracy • Grid overlays to help structure and align your drawings Perfect for tracing: • Characters • Illustrations • Logos • Tattoos • Sketches • Any image you want to learn to draw Learn With Step-by-Step Guides Use the Learn tab to follow ready-made tutorials. Each guide breaks down drawings into simple steps so you can understand how they are built from basic shapes to finished sketches. Great for beginners who want to start drawing. Support: support@pullapps.app Privacy Policy: https://pullapps.app/privacy-policy-tracer Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Trace Drawing4 screens
Tracer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Tracer at 4.6 against Trace Drawing's 3.9. Trace Drawing's advantage is monetization model (freemium vs subscription) and iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and update cadence 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. Trace Drawing sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days and Tracer sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Tracer holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.9. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 32 and 71 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 67% of Trace Drawing's written reviews are positive against 69% of Tracer's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Trace Drawing ships an update every 5 days, Tracer every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on September 14, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Trace Drawing versus Tracer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTrace DrawingTracer
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.9 (32 ratings)4.6 (71 ratings) — better
Positive reviews66.7% of reviews68.8% of reviews — better
Number of ratings3271 — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 days — betterEvery 9 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemium — betterSubscription
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size19 MB45 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperEnid HadajPull Apps

Customer experience

Trace Drawing

All ratings32 ratings
Positive71.9%
Neutral3.1%
Negative25.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%

Tracer

All ratings71 ratings
Positive90.1%
Neutral4.2%
Negative5.6%
Written reviews16 reviews
Positive68.8%
Neutral6.3%
Negative25.0%

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Trace Drawing

Subscriptions3
  • Pro Weekly$1.997 Days
  • Pro Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Pro Yearly$19.991 Year
One-time1
  • Pro Lifetime$49.99
2 purchases

Tracer

Subscriptions2
  • Weekly$3.997 Days
  • Yearly7 Days trial$49.991 Year

Questions

Is Trace Drawing free?
Trace Drawing is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Tracer free?
Tracer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Trace Drawing or Tracer?
Tracer is rated higher. Trace Drawing averages 3.9 out of 5 from 32 ratings, while Tracer averages 4.6 from 71 ratings.
Do Trace Drawing or Tracer have ads?
Neither Trace Drawing nor Tracer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Trace Drawing or Tracer?
Trace Drawing ships an update every 5 days, and Tracer every 9 days. Most recently, Trace Drawing was updated on September 14, 2026 and Tracer on September 24, 2026.

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