Comparison

Paint Play vs AR Studio

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

Head to head
About

Paint Play

Features
Read full description

PaintPlay combines drawing, animation and short-video creation on iPhone and iPad. Sketch with Apple Pencil or touch, organize your artwork in layers, and bring your drawings to life. DRAW AND ORGANIZE Use native PencilKit brushes, erasers, colors, image layers, a ruler, a protractor and canvas guides. Arrange layers and adjust their visibility and opacity. Available brushes depend on your system version. FOUR WAYS TO ANIMATE Writing: reveal strokes over time. Motion: arrange positions, rotations and scales with keyframes. Physics: create falls, bounces and swings in a shared environment. Frame by frame: draw changing poses with onion skin and adjustable frame timing. EDIT THE TIMELINE Combine animation across layers. Move, trim and split clips, refine motion keyframes, select a playback range, and preview the whole work. KEEP AND SHARE Save editable projects, open compatible .pskt and .bskt documents, and export PNG images, animated GIFs or MP4 videos. Some Windows-specific tools and effects may differ on iPhone and iPad. PRACTICE YOUR DRAWING Warm-up drawing exercises remain available for practicing stroke control and building confidence. FREE ACCESS AND VIP Free features include PencilKit drawing, erasers, pan, basic colors, up to two layers, Writing and frame-by-frame animation. Existing artwork can still be opened, played and exported at standard resolution, up to 1280 pixels on the longest edge. The first five app launches include full-access app trial sessions. This is not a paid subscription trial and does not charge automatically. VIP adds motion and physics animation editing, selection and transforms, stroke editing, shapes, more layers, extended color tools and high-resolution export, including 1920 and 3840 pixel presets. Monthly and yearly subscriptions provide the same VIP features. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled in App Store account settings. Prices and billing periods are shown before purchase. Restore purchases from the VIP screen using the same Apple Account. Requires iOS 18 or iPadOS 18 or later. Privacy policy: https://yu-weiz.github.io/www/SketchingTech_Privacy-Policy Terms of use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

AR Studio

Learn and practice drawing using your device's camera to trace images onto paper. Import your own photos or choose from various categories to sketch with guided overlays and adjustable settings. Ideal for beginners and hobbyists looking to improve their line quality and sketching confidence.

Highlights
  • AR camera tracing
  • Photo to sketch reference
  • Adjustable overlay controls
  • Template library
  • Grid guidance
  • Video recording of drawing process
Features
Read full description

AR Studio: Draw, Trace & Paint helps you learn and practice drawing with AR camera tracing, photo-based sketch guides, and simple tools built for daily use. Place your phone over paper, choose an image, and trace with a stable AR overlay. Import your own photos or use ready-made categories like anime, portraits, animals, flowers, vehicles, and more. Adjust visibility and alignment so lines are easier to follow in different lighting conditions. Whether you are a beginner starting from zero or a hobby artist improving line quality, this app helps you sketch faster and more confidently. Key Features : • AR camera tracing for real-paper drawing • Photo to sketch reference support • Opacity, contrast, and brightness controls • Zoom, rotate, and positioning tools • Grid guidance for better proportions • Template library across popular categories • Flashlight support for low-light tracing • Record drawing process with video/timelapse • Save and share your artwork Best For • Beginners learning how to draw • Daily sketch and line-art practice • Anime and portrait drawing • Tattoo and design draft tracing • Students improving hand control and proportion Practice consistently, track your progress, and turn ideas into cleaner sketches with AR Studio: Draw, Trace & Paint.

Screenshots

Paint Play3 screens
AR Studio4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Paint Play at none against AR Studio's shown. AR Studio's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 7 months) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 18.0). On price, 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Paint Play ships an update every 7 months, AR Studio fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 9, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 6 level
Paint Play versus AR Studio: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPaint PlayAR Studio
PriceFreeFree
Rating—4.8 (9 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—9 — better
Update frequencyEvery 7 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
Monetization—Ad-supported
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.015.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size11 MB48 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperWeiRong YuMILANKUMAR HIMMATBHAI KACHHADIYA

In-app purchases

None

Paint Play

No in-app purchases

None

AR Studio

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Paint Play free?
Paint Play is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is AR Studio free?
AR Studio is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Paint Play or AR Studio have ads?
AR Studio shows ads; Paint Play does not.
Which is updated more often, Paint Play or AR Studio?
Paint Play ships an update every 7 months, and AR Studio fortnightly. Most recently, Paint Play was updated on November 9, 2026 and AR Studio on October 31, 2026.

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