Artist Tools vs StencilStack
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Artist Tools
This app provides objective tools to analyze reference images for drawing. It helps artists improve tonal accuracy, check proportions, and understand value structures using traditional art school techniques. Features include value studies, color simplification, and various drawing guides.
- Value study analysis
- Color simplification
- Black mirror tool
- Invert and flip reference
- Line and plumb line guides
- Grid overlay (rule of thirds, golden ratio)
- Offline functionality
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Artist Tools is the missing piece that will take your drawing to the next level. Import any reference image and instantly see its true value structure, check your proportions, and train your eye using the same techniques taught in traditional art schools. Run a value study on any reference and instantly see where your darks, midtones, and lights actually are — not where you think they are. Your tonal accuracy improves the moment you start using it. Your eyes lie to you. Artist Tools gives you objective tools to catch what your perception misses — the same methods classically trained artists rely on every day. VALUE TOOLS • Value Study Analyze the tonal values in your reference. See exactly which areas are light, mid-tone, and dark. Tap individual values to highlight where they appear in the image. • Simplify Reduce your reference to fewer colors. Strip away detail to see the essential value structure — just like squinting at your subject. • Black Mirror Compress the value range to see subtle value relationships more clearly. A digital version of the traditional artist's black mirror. • Invert Flip values to check your work from a fresh perspective. • Flip Mirror your reference horizontally to spot mistakes and asymmetry. DRAWING TOOLS • Line Tool Draw straight lines at any angle. Perfect for measuring proportions and finding alignments in your reference. • Plumb Line Vertical and horizontal guides that help you check alignment. Essential for accurate figure drawing and portraiture. • Box Tool Create rectangles to frame compositions, measure proportions, or isolate areas of your reference. • Envelope Tool Draw multi-point shapes around complex forms. Trace the outer contour of any subject to understand its basic shape. • Grid Tool Overlay rule-of-thirds, golden ratio, or custom grids for composition and proportion checking. BUILT FOR ARTISTS • Works completely offline — no internet required • Built-in tutorial to learn each tool • Organize guides in layers — toggle visibility, delete, rearrange • Auto-saves your work as you go • Export finished studies to your gallery • Dark interface that won't strain your eyes in the studio • Clean, minimal design that stays out of your way WHO IS THIS FOR? • Figure drawing students learning proportion and anatomy • Portrait artists checking alignments and value structures • Plein air painters simplifying complex scenes • Students practicing classical drawing techniques • Anyone serious about improving their observational drawing skills These are the same tools hanging on the wall of every traditional art school — the plumb line, the measuring stick, the black mirror, and the squinted eye. Now they fit in your pocket. Study any reference with precision. See values clearly. Draw with confidence. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
StencilStack
Transform photos into multi-layer stencil artwork for printing, cutting, and spray painting. Generate scalable designs for murals, posters, and large creative projects, with options for combined or separate layer exports and tiling for large-scale production.
- Generate scalable layered stencil artwork from photos
- Create organised stencil layers for multi-colour projects
- Separate or combined stencil exports
- Hatch Mode for planning and cutting guides
- Automatic tiled PDF export for large-scale printing
- Registration targets for accurate alignment
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Turn any photo into a stencil built to make an impact. StencilStack is made for graffiti writers, street artists, mural makers and anyone who wants to move from phone to paint without spending hours in design software. Take a photo or choose one from your library. For the strongest results, use a clear, well-lit image with one distinct subject, strong contrast and good separation from the background. Choose Standard for more detail or Bold for a harder graphic hit. Cut a quick one-layer stencil or build a full three-layer piece with separate light, shadow and black plates. Preview the finished artwork and inspect every layer before exporting. StencilStack keeps printing practical. Cut areas use thin diagonal hatch lines instead of ink-heavy blocks of solid black, so you can see exactly what needs cutting without draining your printer cartridge. Choose a finished width from 10 to 100 cm in precise 5 cm steps, select A4 or Letter paper and let StencilStack build the print-ready PDF. Make something small on one sheet or scale it across multiple pages for a larger wall piece. Larger stencils come ready to assemble: • 10 mm overlap for a strong join • Clear CUT and GLUE guides • Matching alignment marks on every seam • Page names showing where each sheet belongs • Registration marks that keep all three layers locked together • A clear border that keeps registration marks away from the artwork Print at 100% or Actual Size - never Fit to Page or Scale to Fit. Automatic scaling changes the finished dimensions and can throw out page and layer alignment. Trim the sheets, match the marks, tape everything down and get the cans out. Want the artwork without the cutting? Save the combined image or black Layer 1 directly to Photos. No subscription. No account. No ads or tracking. From a fast single-layer hit to a full multi-page stencil, StencilStack handles the fiddly setup so you can spend more time designing, cutting and spraying.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Artist Tools at Free against StencilStack's $3.99. StencilStack's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and update cadence (every 4 days vs every 11 days). On 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
Artist Tools is free to download; StencilStack costs $3.99 up front. Artist Tools sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. StencilStack asks for nothing beyond the download.
Artist Tools ships an update every 11 days, StencilStack every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and November 10, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Artist Tools | StencilStack |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $3.99 |
| Rating | 4.7 (3 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 3 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 11 days | Every 4 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Freemium — better | Paid |
| Best chart rank | — | #23 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 — better | 17.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 34 MB | 2 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Hessam Emami | Steve Mitchell |
In-app purchases
Artist Tools
- Premium Subscription$1.991 Month
- Monthly Premium - Promo$2.991 Month
- Yearly Subscription - Promo7 Days trial$24.991 Year
- Unlock Full App$8.99
StencilStack
No in-app purchases









