Comparison

Pixel Art Maker PixelCanvas vs Simple Pixel Art Maker

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

Head to head
About

Pixel Art Maker PixelCanvas

Features
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Create pixel art with ease. Pixel Art Maker PixelCanvas is a pixel art editor that lets you draw on grids from 8x8 to 128x128. With 5 drawing tools, a 64-color palette, and up to 3 layers, you can create everything from retro game sprites to modern pixel art. FLEXIBLE CANVAS SIZES Choose from 8x8, 16x16, 32x32, 64x64, or 128x128 grids (128x128 is unlockable). Pick the right size for tiny icons or detailed pixel art. 5 DRAWING TOOLS Pencil, eraser, flood fill, line, and rectangle tools. Intuitive controls let you draw exactly what you envision. COLOR PALETTE 64 built-in colors plus custom color support. Find the perfect shade for your creations. LAYER SUPPORT Up to 3 layers for separating elements like backgrounds and characters. Enables professional pixel art workflows. SYMMETRY MODES Horizontal and vertical mirror modes for efficient symmetric designs. Perfect for characters and patterns. TRANSPARENT PNG EXPORT Export finished art as transparent PNG files with adjustable scale. Use them as stickers, icons, social media avatars, and more. REFERENCE IMAGE IMPORT Import images as underlays for tracing. Easily convert your favorite illustrations into pixel art. GALLERY MANAGEMENT Save your artwork to the gallery for easy access, editing, and sharing. PINCH ZOOM & PAN Two-finger zoom and pan for precise dot placement on any canvas size.

About

Simple Pixel Art Maker

Features
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Pixel art, made simple. Simple Pixel Art Maker is a clean, fast drawing studio for iPhone and iPad — designed for the way pixel art actually works: a precise grid, a tight set of tools, and colors that snap to curated palettes. Tap a square. Pick a color. Build a tiny world, one pixel at a time. EVERYTHING YOU NEED, NOTHING YOU DON'T • Pencil, Eraser and Fill — the three tools you actually use • Adjustable brush size from 1 to 8 pixels • Eyedropper to sample any pixel on the canvas • Pixel-perfect Line, Rectangle and Circle tools • Move tool to nudge layer pixels around • Unlimited Undo and Redo CANVAS SIZES FROM 8Ɨ8 TO 128Ɨ128 Pick a preset — 8, 16, 32, 64, 128 — or set a custom width and height up to 256 px. Lock the 1:1 aspect or go rectangular. Pixel grid lines and a checkerboard background are toggles, not requirements. LAYERS Build sky, mountains and the cactus on separate layers. Hide them, lock them, and reorder them as you sketch. The free version supports a comfortable starting stack; Pixel Pro unlocks unlimited layers for more ambitious scenes. CURATED COLOR PALETTES Swipe through Basics, Beach, Forest, Sunset, Retro and more — each carefully picked so your art looks intentional from the first pixel. Or use the eyedropper to grab any color already on the canvas. MIRROR MODE Horizontal, vertical, or both. Perfect for sprites, faces and symmetrical icons — every stroke mirrors instantly. EXPORT TO PHOTOS Save your art to the Photo Library as a PNG at 1Ɨ, 2Ɨ, 4Ɨ or 8Ɨ scale, with an optional transparent background. Your pixel art stays crisp at every size. PIXEL PRO — $2.99, ONCE Simple Pixel Arts Maker is free to download with non-personalized ads. A single in-app purchase unlocks Pixel Pro for $2.99: • Unlimited Layers — build complex scenes with as many layers as you need • Unlimited Projects — the free version keeps 4 recent projects; Pixel Pro removes that ceiling • No Ads — no banners, no interstitials, ever • One-time purchase. No subscriptions. Yours forever. QUIETLY PRIVATE No account. No sign-up. No analytics. Your pixel-art projects are stored locally on your device and are never uploaded anywhere. The free version uses Google AdMob to serve ads; if you choose "Ask App Not to Track," only non-personalized ads are served. PERFECT FOR • Game designers prototyping sprites and tile art • Kids and beginners discovering pixel art for the first time • Logo, icon, and emoji designers who want pixel-perfect output • Anyone who finds drawing on a grid relaxing

Screenshots

Pixel Art Maker PixelCanvas4 screens
Simple Pixel Art Maker4 screens

Verdict

The call

Pixel Art Maker PixelCanvas and Simple Pixel Art Maker are too close to call on the numbers: across 5 compared parameters — price, ads, in-app purchases and device support among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS

CostPrice Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Ads Ā· Monetization

Both are free to download. Pixel Art Maker PixelCanvas sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Simple Pixel Art Maker sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
Pixel Art Maker PixelCanvas versus Simple Pixel Art Maker: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPixel Art Maker PixelCanvasSimple Pixel Art Maker
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 months—
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size8 MB6 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNotake ShojiChaleepa Mallawa

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Pixel Art Maker PixelCanvas

One-time1
  • Hide Ads & Support$1.99
1 purchases

Simple Pixel Art Maker

One-time1
  • Pixel Pro$2.99

Questions

Is Pixel Art Maker PixelCanvas free?
Pixel Art Maker PixelCanvas is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Simple Pixel Art Maker free?
Simple Pixel Art Maker is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Pixel Art Maker PixelCanvas or Simple Pixel Art Maker have ads?
Both Pixel Art Maker PixelCanvas and Simple Pixel Art Maker show ads.

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