Comparison

Image Tracing vs TraceOverlay

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

Head to head
About

Image Tracing

Features
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Image Tracing turns your phone into a simple lightbox: point your camera at a surface, overlay any reference photo on top, and trace directly onto paper, canvas, or a screen β€” no tracing table, no window, no guesswork. FEATURES β€’ Add any photo from your library as a reference image β€’ Adjust image opacity to match your lighting and paper β€’ See your live camera feed right through the image for precise placement β€’ Pinch to zoom and drag to position your reference exactly where you need it β€’ Lock the image in place, then pinch and pan to zoom into the frozen view for fine detail β€’ Built-in flashlight toggle for tracing in low light

About

TraceOverlay

Features
Read full description

Trace images onto paper with the camera you already carry. TraceOverlay places a reference over your live camera view, turning your iPhone or iPad into a practical tracing lightbox for drawing, painting, lettering, murals, and art study. TRY THE INCLUDED DEMO TraceOverlay includes a Mona Lisa tracing demo so you can use the live camera and every precision tool without an account or purchase. TRACE WITH PRECISION β€’ Move, scale, and rotate the reference over your drawing surface β€’ Adjust image and camera opacity independently β€’ Lock the layout to prevent accidental movement β€’ Use the alignment grid to check proportions β€’ Mirror a reference when needed β€’ Hide the controls for a clean tracing view FIND THE LINES THAT MATTER Use edge detection, grayscale, contrast, brightness, saturation, and invert controls to create a clearer guide. UPGRADE FOR YOUR OWN REFERENCES The optional one-time Unlock upgrade adds personal photo import and a private on-device reference shelf. It is not a subscription and does not renew. The App Store shows the localized price before purchase. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Camera frames and selected reference images are processed on your device and are not uploaded to TraceOverlay. No TraceOverlay account is required. MADE FOR CREATIVE WORK TraceOverlay is designed for artists, illustrators, lettering practitioners, muralists, art students, and hobbyists who want a portable tracing aid without extra projection hardware. Open the included demo, frame your paper, and start tracing.

Screenshots

Image Tracing4 screens
TraceOverlay4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Image Tracing at none against TraceOverlay's 1. TraceOverlay's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, device support and iOS requirement 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. TraceOverlay sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Image Tracing asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard2 real differences Β· 4 level
Image Tracing versus TraceOverlay: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterImage TracingTraceOverlay
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyβ€”Every 4 days
AdsYesNo β€” better
In-app purchasesNo β€” betterYes
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad β€” better
Requires iOS16.4 β€” better17.0
Further details β€” not scored
Size61 MB10 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperVLADISLAV SIDORENKOThoughtBubble Development, LLC

In-app purchases

None

Image Tracing

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

TraceOverlay

One-time1
  • Unlock$6.99

Questions

Is Image Tracing free?
Image Tracing is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is TraceOverlay free?
TraceOverlay is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Image Tracing or TraceOverlay have ads?
Image Tracing shows ads; TraceOverlay does not.

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