Comparison

Lightbox Trace vs TraceLock

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

Head to head
About

Lightbox Trace

Transform your device into a portable tracing pad. Easily trace images, practice sketching, and improve your drawing skills with a digital lightbox and projector. Offers over 300 templates for inspiration and guided practice.

Highlights
  • Digital lightbox for tracing
  • Easy image tracing
  • Drawing projector tools
  • 300+ practice templates
  • Grid projector overlay
  • Convert photos to line art
  • Lock screen while drawing
Features
Read full description

Lightbox Tracing tool is an easy to use drawing and image tracing app that transforms your phone or tablet into a portable lightbox and tracing pad. Whether you want to trace on paper, practice sketching, or improve your pencil drawing skills, the app gives you a simple and accurate way to create artwork anywhere. Use your device like a digital drawing projector to follow outlines, copy images, and sketch with confidence. From beginners learning the basics to experienced artists working on detailed designs, Lightbox Draw helps make drawing more enjoyable, creative, and precise. With powerful image tracing tools and a smooth tracing experience, Lightbox Draw makes it easy to practice daily drawing exercises or work on detailed art projects. The built-in drawing projector and grid projector features help you trace more accurately and improve proportions while drawing. The app includes over 300+ ready-to-use drawing templates for daily practice and creative inspiration. Explore categories like anime, portraits, flowers, animals, tattoos, cartoons, calligraphy, and more. Main Features: ▶ Digital Lightbox Turn your screen into a bright and stable lightbox for tracing and sketching directly on paper. ▶ Easy Image Tracing Import any image from your gallery and start image tracing in just a few seconds with smooth controls and accurate positioning. ▶ Drawing Projector Tools Use your phone or tablet as a simple drawing projector to create outlines, sketches, and detailed artwork with confidence. ▶ 300+ Practice Templates Choose from a large collection of templates designed to help improve drawing techniques, tracing skills, and pencil control. ▶ Grid Projector Overlay Enable an adjustable grid projector for better proportions, positioning, and tracing accuracy while sketching. ▶ Convert Photos to Line Art Transform pictures into clean outlines that are easier to trace and draw using advanced image tracing tools. ▶ Lock Screen While Drawing Keep your image steady while tracing without accidental movement or touch interruptions. ▶ Precision Adjustment Controls Move, resize, rotate, and align images exactly the way you want before you begin. ▶ Smooth Tracing Experience Designed to make tracing on paper feel natural and comfortable for both beginners and experienced artists. How It Works: • Select a template or upload your own image. • Adjust the image to fit your paper and drawing style. • Use the grid projector if needed for extra accuracy. • Lock the screen position. • Place paper over your device. • Trace every detail with your pencil using smooth, PRO-level precision. Great For: • Learning how to draw • Pencil sketch practice • Image tracing and outlining • Tattoo and stencil design • Calligraphy exercises • DIY art and craft projects • Using a digital lightbox for tracing • Artists, students, and hobby creators Lightbox Draw combines the convenience of a tracing pad with powerful lightbox and drawing projector features in one simple app. Whether you are practicing image tracing, creating detailed sketches, or using the grid projector for better accuracy, Lightbox Draw helps you draw naturally and improve your artistic skills at your own pace. Download Lightbox Draw today and start bringing your ideas to life. Privacy Policy - https://lightboxtool.com/#/privacy-policy Terms of Conditions - https://lightboxtool.com/#/terms-of-use Contact - Hej@dybtgodnat.dk

About

TraceLock

Transform your device into a portable tracing lightbox. Easily convert photos to line art, adjust composition, and trace with a pencil on paper. Offers various filters, guides, and templates for artists of all levels.

Highlights
  • Full-screen touch lock
  • Smart line-art filters
  • Free composition tools
  • Eye-comfort backlight options
  • Built-in sketch templates
  • Showcase camera for progress
  • Printable practice sheets
Features
Read full description

Turn your iPhone or iPad into a professional tracing lightbox. TraceLock is built for beginners, anime sketching, journaling, calligraphy practice and kids' drawing drills — no bulky, expensive light table required. The workflow is simple: import a photo, convert it to clean line art in one tap, adjust the composition, then lock the screen. The display stays awake at full brightness; lay paper on top and trace with a pencil. Core features • Full-screen touch lock: palm and paper contact are intercepted so the image never shifts. Hold for 2 seconds to unlock safely, or press a hardware volume button. • Five smart line-art filters — Sketch, Outline (noise-free DoG edges), Comic, B&W and High Contrast — with a floating slider for real-time line weight and depth, even through thick paper. • Free composition: pinch to zoom, drag, rotate 90°, mirror horizontally. Rule-of-thirds grid, 1cm physical grid and diagonal guides, plus accurate mm/cm rulers along the top and left edges. • Eye-comfort backlight: Cool White, Warm White, High-Contrast Green and Amber Night. • 385 built-in sketch templates across 9 categories: animals, plants, people, vehicles, buildings, food, cartoons and more. • Showcase camera: a semi-transparent overlay aligns your paper drawing with the digital original, then creates a side-by-side progress poster. A4 printable practice sheets — the 1.2.2 focus • Three layouts: 1-Up full page, 2-Up split and 2x2 grid. Line opacity 15% / 35% / 70% / 100% for faint tracing guides that never hide real pencil strokes. • Pinch to zoom and drag images inside the sheet. In multi-up layouts, adjusting one panel updates the others in sync; a zoom indicator and double-tap reset keep it under control. • Landscape and foldable layouts now use a left control sidebar plus a full-height sheet on the right — the paper no longer shrinks to a sliver, and the background fills the screen without black bands. • AirPrint and high-resolution PDF export for home, classroom or craft groups. Privacy All image processing happens on your device. No photo uploads, no tracking, no ads, no account. TraceLock does one job and stays out of your way.

Screenshots

Lightbox Trace4 screens
TraceLock4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: TraceLock at 5.0 against Lightbox Trace's 4.1. TraceLock also leads on monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). Lightbox Trace's advantage is ratings volume (7 vs 1). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. Lightbox Trace sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per 7 days and TraceLock sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

TraceLock holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Lightbox Trace has 7 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Lightbox Trace ships an update every 11 days, TraceLock weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Lightbox Trace versus TraceLock: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLightbox TraceTraceLock
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.1 (7 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings7 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 11 daysWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.6 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size112 MB12 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperWebdwarf帅 王

Customer experience

Lightbox Trace

All ratings5 ratings
Positive80.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative20.0%

TraceLock

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Lightbox Trace

Subscriptions3
  • LightBox Weekly3 Days trial$9.997 Days
  • LightBox Yearly$39.991 Year
  • LightBox Discount Yearly1 Year trial$39.991 Year
1 purchases

TraceLock

One-time1
  • Lifetime Unlock$7.99

Questions

Is Lightbox Trace free?
Lightbox Trace is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is TraceLock free?
TraceLock is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Lightbox Trace or TraceLock?
TraceLock is rated higher. Lightbox Trace averages 4.1 out of 5 from 7 ratings, while TraceLock averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Lightbox Trace or TraceLock have ads?
Neither Lightbox Trace nor TraceLock shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Lightbox Trace or TraceLock?
Lightbox Trace ships an update every 11 days, and TraceLock weekly. Most recently, Lightbox Trace was updated on October 31, 2026 and TraceLock on November 6, 2026.

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