Comparison

Pixel Beader vs Pixmint

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

Head to head
About

Pixel Beader

Create custom bead patterns from scratch or by converting photos. Refine designs with drawing tools, layers, and reference images. Preview your creations in 3D and AR, and organize or share your projects.

Highlights
  • Bead-by-bead pattern design
  • Photo to pattern conversion
  • Interactive pattern previews
  • 3D and AR visualization
  • Pattern organization and sharing
  • Layer and reference image support
Features
Read full description

Design your own bead patterns. Follow them as you make. Pixel Beader is a bead pattern design and editing tool. Start with a blank pegboard or convert a favorite photo, then refine the shapes and colors to create something of your own. DESIGN AND EDIT Draw bead by bead, replace colors, pick colors, and erase. Use rectangular selection, lasso, and undo to refine your pattern. Layers, underlays, and floating reference windows help you work with reference images. Draw with Apple Pencil on a compatible iPad. TURN PHOTOS INTO PATTERNS Import a photo and adjust the grid size, sampling method, and color count. Check color codes and bead quantities, then continue editing your pattern. FOLLOW WHILE YOU MAKE Use interactive patterns to check color codes and highlighted rows and columns while placing physical beads. Interactive patterns require membership. PREVIEW IN 3D AND AR Simulate the fused finish and explore your creation from different angles in 3D. On supported devices, use AR to preview it in your surroundings. ORGANIZE AND SHARE Organize patterns in folders, save favorites, and recover deleted work from Recently Deleted. Export pattern images and 3D snapshots, or share project files that can be imported and edited again. FREE AND MEMBERSHIP The free version supports boards and patterns up to 104×104. Optional monthly or lifetime membership unlocks projects up to 208×208 and interactive pattern previews. PRIVACY AND DEVICE SUPPORT Photo processing and project data stay on your device and are not uploaded to a server. Apple Pencil features require a compatible iPad and Apple Pencil. AR requires an ARKit-compatible device. Support: missouryy@icloud.com Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ © 2026 Yu Yan

About

Pixmint

Features
Read full description

Pixmint is a professional pixel art studio and frame-by-frame animation editor for iPhone and iPad. Built for indie game devs, digital artists, and retro fans—create pixel-perfect sprites, seamless tilesets, and animations anywhere. Desktop precision with touch-first speed: multi-layer editing, colored onion skinning, Lospec palettes, and native Aseprite file interchange. Download free and start your canvas in seconds! PRECISION PIXEL TOOLS • Pixel-Perfect smoothing: removes double edges and L-corners • Pencil, Eraser, Line, Rectangle & Ellipse shapes • Flood Fill & Color Replace across the active layer • ColorDrop: drag color swatches to instantly fill areas • Real-time Loupe: floating magnifier shifts to keep touch visible • Dithering brush: classic retro shading and textures • Alpha Lock: paint strictly within existing pixels • Symmetry: Horizontal, Vertical, and Dual-Axis • Adjustable brush sizes (1px–16px) and opacity ANIMATION & ONION SKIN • Frame-by-frame timeline: add, duplicate, reorder, and remove frames • Canvas playback with adjustable frame rate (1–60 FPS) • Advanced Onion Skin: colored previous and next frames • Build walk cycles, attack combos, and smooth loops LAYERS & IPAD WORKSPACE • Multi-layer editing per frame with opacity sliders and layer lock • Duplicate, Merge Down, Clear, and drag reorder • Multi-Project Tabs: keep multiple canvases open on iPad • Apple Pencil ready: palm rejection & Pencil-only mode • 2-finger zoom, pan, rotate, and Virtual Joystick panning LOSPEC PALETTES & TILESET WRAP • Direct Lospec integration: import iconic retro palettes • Color picker with Hex, RGB, and HSV inputs • 3x3 Tileset Wrap: design seamless repeating game tiles in real time SELECTION & TRANSFORM • Freehand Lasso, Rectangular Selection, and Select All • 1-pixel precision Nudge arrows for micro-adjustments • Flip Horizontal/Vertical, Fill, Outline Stroke, and Clear EXPORT & IMPORT • Export images: PNG (transparent), JPG, WebP, HEIC • Export animations: Animated GIF and MP4 video • Game Atlases: Sprite Sheets with JSON metadata • Pro formats: Native .ase / .aseprite and MP4 timelapse recording • Upscaling: crisp nearest-neighbor from 1x to 32x (2048px+) • Import: Aseprite (.ase), Piskel (.piskel), Pixilart, GIFs, and photos OPTIONAL SMART ASSIST • Text to Pixel: generate sprite ideas in 8-bit, 16-bit, or Isometric • Photo to Pixel: convert photos with before/after split slider • Sprite Sheet Generator: generate multi-frame motion sequences • Magic Cut: separate artwork into transparent PNG layers PRICING & ORGANIZATION • Custom folders with batch move, delete, and sample templates • Free tier: 2 artworks, 1 layer/frame, standard exports • Pixmint Pro: Unlimited artworks & layers, all pro exports (GIF, MP4, Sheet, Aseprite, Timelapse), and 32x upscale (Monthly, Yearly, or Lifetime) Pixmint is made for creators. Pick up your pencil and start crafting today!

Screenshots

Pixel Beader4 screens
Pixmint4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Pixmint at weekly against Pixel Beader's every 2 months. Pixmint 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 · 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. Pixel Beader sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and Pixmint sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pixel Beader ships an update every 2 months, Pixmint weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 6 level
Pixel Beader versus Pixmint: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPixel BeaderPixmint
PriceFreeFree
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS26.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size15 MB30 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperYu YanLoi Nguyen

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Pixel Beader

Subscriptions1
  • Pixel Beader Pro Monthly$0.991 Month
One-time1
  • Pixel Beader Pro Lifetime$9.99
8 purchases

Pixmint

Subscriptions2
  • MONTHLY$4.991 Month
  • Yearly Plan$19.991 Year
One-time6
  • Basic Credits$1.99
  • Starter Credits$4.99
  • Pro Credits$9.99
Show 3 more
  • Mega Credits$19.99
  • LIFETIME ACCESS$29.99
  • Ultra Credits$49.99

Questions

Is Pixel Beader free?
Pixel Beader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Pixmint free?
Pixmint is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Pixel Beader or Pixmint have ads?
Neither Pixel Beader nor Pixmint shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Pixel Beader or Pixmint?
Pixel Beader ships an update every 2 months, and Pixmint weekly. Most recently, Pixel Beader was updated on October 21, 2026 and Pixmint on October 3, 2026.

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