Comparison

Tattoo Stencil Lab vs TheStencilMaker

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

Head to head
About

Tattoo Stencil Lab

Create professional tattoo stencils from photos with precise control over line work and tone. This app allows artists to experiment, refine, and save custom settings for their unique style and printer. Images remain private and on your device, with offline functionality for studio use.

Highlights
  • Create tattoo stencils from photos
  • Adjustable edge detection
  • Control fine detail and texture
  • Adjust line thickness
  • Pull in tonal information
  • Save and reuse custom presets
  • Export stencil-ready images
Features
Read full description

Tattoo Stencil Lab is a professional stencil maker for tattooers, painters, and graphic designers. Create clean, black-and-white stencils from photos, with precise control over line work, detail, and tone. Designed for real workflows, this app helps you experiment, refine, and save stencil settings that work best for your style and printer. Key Features • Create tattoo stencils from photos • Adjustable edge detection for clean outlines • Control fine detail and texture • Thicken or thin lines for better stencil transfer • Pull in tonal information for shading reference • Blur the original image to reduce noise • Save and reuse custom stencil presets • Export stencil-ready images for printing Built for Tattooers and all Artists. Every photo, body, and tattoo is different. Tattoo Stencil Lab is designed to let you test settings, make adjustments, and dial things in... instead of forcing a single look. Save presets once you find what works, then apply them again anytime. Simple and Private • No accounts • No subscriptions • No image uploads • Images stay on your device Tattoo Stencil Lab works offline and is built for speed and reliability in the studio. Who It’s For Tattoo Stencil Lab is made for tattooers, painters, designers and all artists who want more control over their stencil process... and understand that better stencils lead to better final products.

About

TheStencilMaker

This app transforms any image into a clean, transfer-ready black-line tattoo stencil using AI. It offers multiple styles and direct printing capabilities, designed specifically for professional tattoo artists.

Highlights
  • AI-powered stencil generation
  • Multiple studio-grade styles
  • Instant compare view
  • Auto background removal
  • Direct Bluetooth printing
  • Cloud gallery for saved stencils
  • High-resolution output
Features
Read full description

StencilMaker turns any reference photo, existing tattoo, or sketch into a clean, transfer-ready black-line stencil — built for working tattoo artists. Drop in an image, pick a style, generate. That's it. No tracing, no light box, no Photoshop. WHAT YOU GET - Eleven studio-grade styles: Traditional, Fine Line, Minimalist, Geometric, Tribal, Japanese, Blackwork, Neo-Traditional, Dotwork, Realism, plus a Standard general-purpose style - Server-side AI prompt engineering tuned per style — no prompt fiddling required - Instant compare view — swipe between source and stencil before you commit - Auto background removal toggle on every generation - Direct Bluetooth printing to thermal transfer printers — available on every tier - Cloud gallery — every stencil saved, searchable, and synced to your devices - Built-in AI disclosure on every generation so clients see exactly what is AI-assisted PRO - All eleven styles, PNG + PDF + SVG export, permanent cloud gallery, and offline access to cached stencils - Pro Monthly ($7.99): 5 generations per day - Pro Yearly ($59.99 with a 7-day free trial): 10 generations per day — about $5/month billed annually FREE TO START - One generation per day, ten total free generations before you subscribe - Four core styles: Standard, Traditional, Fine Line, Minimalist - PNG export, Bluetooth thermal printer, 24-hour cloud gallery DESIGNED FOR ARTISTS - Photo, existing tattoo, and hand-drawn sketch input modes — each tuned to the source - Sharp 4096px+ output suitable for full back pieces - No watermark on Pro exports - Skin-safe transfer-ready line work, not flat traces PRIVACY FIRST - No cross-app tracking, no advertising IDs, no data sold - Uploaded images are used only to generate your stencil - Crash + performance data is captured anonymously to keep the app stable QUESTIONS support@thestencilmaker.com Free forever for casual use. Pro Monthly $7.99 or Pro Yearly $59.99 with a 7-day free trial. Subscriptions auto-renew unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. TERMS Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://thestencilmaker.com/privacy

Screenshots

Tattoo Stencil Lab4 screens
TheStencilMaker4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: TheStencilMaker at Free against Tattoo Stencil Lab's $8.99. Tattoo Stencil Lab's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 5) and update cadence (every 3 days vs every 10 days). On rating, ratings volume, ads 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

TheStencilMaker is free to download; Tattoo Stencil Lab costs $8.99 up front. TheStencilMaker sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. Tattoo Stencil Lab asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Tattoo Stencil Lab against 5.0 for TheStencilMaker. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 3 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Tattoo Stencil Lab ships an update every 3 days, TheStencilMaker every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Tattoo Stencil Lab versus TheStencilMaker: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTattoo Stencil LabTheStencilMaker
Price$8.99Free — better
Rating5.0 (4 ratings)5.0 (3 ratings)
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings4 — better3
Update frequencyEvery 3 days — betterEvery 10 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFreemium — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.115.1
Further details — not scored
Size37 MB53 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperInner Circlecoexius

Customer experience

Tattoo Stencil Lab

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

TheStencilMaker

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Tattoo Stencil Lab

No in-app purchases

5 purchases

TheStencilMaker

Subscriptions2
  • Pro Monthly$7.991 Month
  • Pro Yearly7 Days trial$59.991 Year
One-time3
  • Starter Pack$4.99
  • Popular Pack$9.99
  • Pro Pack$24.99

Questions

Is Tattoo Stencil Lab free?
Tattoo Stencil Lab costs $8.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is TheStencilMaker free?
TheStencilMaker is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Tattoo Stencil Lab or TheStencilMaker?
Tattoo Stencil Lab and TheStencilMaker are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 4 and 3 ratings respectively.
Do Tattoo Stencil Lab or TheStencilMaker have ads?
Neither Tattoo Stencil Lab nor TheStencilMaker shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Tattoo Stencil Lab or TheStencilMaker?
Tattoo Stencil Lab ships an update every 3 days, and TheStencilMaker every 10 days. Most recently, Tattoo Stencil Lab was updated on October 11, 2026 and TheStencilMaker on October 19, 2026.

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