Comparison

Drawlio vs YaYDraw

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

Head to head
About

Drawlio

Features
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Turn any photo into a step-by-step drawing guide, right on your paper. Drawlio uses AR to project outlines onto real paper β€” or onto your phone screen β€” so beginners create stunning artwork from day one. MAGIC AR MODE (Advance AR technology) Point your camera at your paper and the artwork locks in place on it. Move your phone freely β€” the image stays perfectly aligned on the page. No more printouts, no more light tables, no grid paper. CANVAS MODE Place your phone over paper (use a stand, glass, or holder) and trace directly from the screen. Works in any room, any lighting. STEP-BY-STEP LESSONS Learn to draw from the very first stroke. Each lesson breaks a finished artwork into clear, manageable steps β€” from proportion guides to refined lines to a colored reference at the end. Pick how much help you want at any time: * Guided β€” every step is traced for you * Balanced β€” start traced, finish freehand * Challenge β€” minimal guides, maximum confidence Use AR Trace to project the lesson onto real paper, or Canvas Trace to follow it on the screen. When you're done, snap a photo of your drawing and watch your gallery of completed lessons grow. Curated across Animals, Anime, Cute, Anatomy, People, and Kids β€” with new lessons added regularly. 100+ READY-TO-TRACE ARTWORKS Cute animals, anime characters, food, vehicles, portraits, and more. Hand-picked across difficulty levels so there's always something next to draw. SEARCH MILLIONS OF ARTWORKS Looking for something specific? Search millions of free images directly inside Drawlio and instantly turn them into traceable artwork. From anime and animals to vehicles, landscapes, and more, you'll never run out of ideas. SHARE ANY IMAGE INTO DRAWLIO Found an image you love on Pinterest, Safari, Photos, or another app? Simply tap Share and open it in Drawlio to instantly convert it into a traceable drawing guide. TURN YOUR PHOTOS INTO LINE ART Upload any photo and Drawlio's on-device AI converts it into a traceable sketch. Choose from anime, contour, cartoon, line art, and more styles. TIME-LAPSE RECORDINGS Capture your whole drawing session and share the finished video. Screen or camera mode, your choice. STEP-BY-STEP LESSONS Learn to draw - one stroke at a time, with the image guiding every line. WHO DRAWLIO IS FOR β€’ Beginners learning to draw β€’ Kids and parents drawing together β€’ Artists who need a reference β€’ Anyone who wants to create something beautiful without the intimidation FREE VS DRAWLIO PRO Drawlio is free to start with 40+ artworks, 3 photo uploads, and more. Upgrade to Drawlio Pro to unlock: β€’ All 100+ artworks (more added regularly) β€’ Unlimited photo uploads β€’ All AI styles including Starry Night, Anime Hayao, Candy Art β€’ Unlimited HD time-lapse recordings β€’ No watermarks β€’ Step-by-step lessons SUBSCRIPTION DETAILS β€’ Weekly (3-Day Free Trial): free for 3 days, then $7.99/week β€’ Weekly (Intro Offer): $0.99 first week, then $7.99/week β€’ Lifetime Pro: $39.99 one-time, no recurring charges Payment is charged to your Apple ID on confirmation. Subscriptions auto-renew unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the current period ends. Manage or cancel anytime in your Apple ID settings. PRIVACY & TERMS Privacy Policy: https://www.drawlio.app/privacy Terms of Service: https://www.drawlio.app/terms Email us: ebitsapps@gmail.com

About

YaYDraw

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PHOTO AND VIDEO STORAGE Choose a folder on this device, an external drive or a cloud service. Videos record to the selected folder. Keep external drives connected until saving finishes. Changes apply to the next capture. β€’ Retry or export pending local captures if saving fails Cloud folders such as iCloud may fail to save or sync due to network conditions. Writing a file does not confirm cloud sync; cloud services may still use device storage. Applies to AR photos and videos. Scan exports keep their existing save location. Turn your iPhone or iPad into a practical drawing companion. YaYDraw helps drawing enthusiasts place a reference image over the live camera view, adjust it to fit the page, keep it locked while drawing, and return to an unfinished artwork after moving the phone. You can also import your own photos, explore built-in references, and scan finished artwork into a clean digital copy. STUDY LIGHT AND SHADOW β€’ Switch between the original reference and 2, 3, 5 or 7 grayscale levels β€’ Simplify fine details to see the main light and dark shapes β€’ Adjust with compact controls while keeping your artwork visible β€’ Keep the original reference, position and scale when switching effects DRAW AT A COMFORTABLE ANGLE β€’ Position the phone between you and the paper β€’ The phone does not need to be perfectly vertical above the canvas β€’ Adjust the reference to match the page from your working angle FIT, ADJUST, AND LOCK β€’ Move, rotate, and scale the reference image β€’ Adjust opacity, brightness, grid, and line-art tools β€’ Lock the reference to prevent accidental movement while drawing PAUSE AND CONTINUE LATER β€’ Before moving the phone, tap the photo button to save a local recovery point β€’ When you return, first align the reference manually with the lines already on the paper β€’ If a small difference remains, use Fine-Tune for a final correction β€’ Recovery information stays on your device USE YOUR OWN REFERENCES β€’ Import from Photos or Files β€’ Take a new photo and use it as a drawing reference β€’ Browse the built-in reference gallery SCAN FINISHED ARTWORK β€’ Capture drawings and paintings directly in the app β€’ Detect artwork edges and correct perspective β€’ Crop the surrounding background β€’ Choose from 15 frame styles, including 5 without the YaYDraw logo, or keep the scan unframed. β€’ Add an optional personal signature, created in Settings by drawing or importing one β€’ Adjust the signature’s position, size, and angle before saving β€’ Save a framed image and optionally save the original corrected scan to Photos SUBSCRIPTION YaYDraw requires an auto-renewable subscription after the introductory trial. Monthly and yearly options unlock all app features. Payment is charged to your Apple ID after confirmation. Subscriptions renew automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can manage or cancel your subscription in your Apple ID subscription settings. Privacy Policy: https://yaydraw.app/privacy Terms of Use: https://yaydraw.app/terms

Screenshots

Drawlio4 screens
YaYDraw4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: YaYDraw at weekly against Drawlio's every 3 weeks. YaYDraw also leads on iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

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

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

Both are free to download. Drawlio sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per 7 days and YaYDraw sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Drawlio ships an update every 3 weeks, YaYDraw weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences Β· 4 level
Drawlio versus YaYDraw: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDrawlioYaYDraw
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksWeekly β€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad β€” better
Requires iOS26.017.0 β€” better
Further details β€” not scored
Size83 MB27 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJayod Kavinda Jayasekara Kankanam ArachchigeZentura Labs LLC

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Drawlio

Subscriptions2
  • Drawlio Pro - Weekly (Free Trial)3 Days trial$7.997 Days
  • Drawlio Pro - Weekly (Intro Offer)7 Days trial$7.997 Days
One-time1
  • Drawlio Pro - Lifetime$39.99
2 purchases

YaYDraw

Subscriptions2
  • YaYDraw Premium Monthly7 Days trial$3.991 Month
  • YaYDraw Premium Yearly7 Days trial$34.991 Year

Questions

Is Drawlio free?
Drawlio is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is YaYDraw free?
YaYDraw is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Drawlio or YaYDraw have ads?
Neither Drawlio nor YaYDraw shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Drawlio or YaYDraw?
Drawlio ships an update every 3 weeks, and YaYDraw weekly. Most recently, Drawlio was updated on October 28, 2026 and YaYDraw on October 29, 2026.

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