Comparison

SketchSurf vs Drawluma

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

Head to head
About

SketchSurf

Transform your photos into easy-to-follow, step-by-step drawing guides. Break down complex images into manageable stages to learn and improve your sketching skills. Save your progress and revisit your drawing projects anytime.

Highlights
  • Photo to drawing guide conversion
  • Multi-stage drawing breakdown
  • Outline, structure, and detail stages
  • Save and revisit drawing projects
  • Adjustable drawing projects per subscription
Features
Read full description

Turn any photo into a drawing you can actually follow. SketchSurf makes drawing easier by transforming your photos into clear, step-by-step visual guides. Instead of staring at a finished image and wondering where to begin, SketchSurf breaks the drawing process into manageable stages that help you understand the shapes, structure, details, and final sketch. Whether you're learning to draw or simply want a better way to sketch the photos you love, SketchSurf gives you a visual path from the original image to the finished drawing. HOW IT WORKS Choose a photo and SketchSurf creates a multi-stage drawing guide: • Outline — See the essential shapes and contours • Structure — Understand how the major parts fit together • Detailed — Add the features that bring the drawing to life • Finished — See the complete pencil-style drawing Zoom in and use each stage as a reference while you draw at your own pace. YOUR DRAWINGS, SAVED SketchSurf automatically keeps your generated drawing guides in My Drawings, so you can return to them whenever you want to practice or continue a sketch. DRAW MORE WITH SKETCHSURF PLUS & PRO Choose the plan that fits how often you draw: • SketchSurf Plus — 15 drawing projects per subscription period • SketchSurf Pro — 40 drawing projects per subscription period Each project creates the complete multi-stage drawing guide for one photo. You don't have to be great at drawing to start. Pick a photo, follow the stages, and start sketching with SketchSurf. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Drawluma

Features
Read full description

Drawluma is a drawing assistant that lets you draw on real paper while following a reference. Import your photo, let the app turn it into a clean contour drawing, then draw it on your own paper. THREE WAYS TO DRAW • Draw with Camera Rest your phone on a glass, tripod, or stack of books. The template overlays the live camera feed; you watch the screen and draw on paper. This is the most stable method. • Draw with AR Hold your phone. The template is anchored to the paper on your table and stays in place as you move. • Draw with Screen No camera at all. Lay your phone flat, place thin or tracing paper directly on the screen. The screen works like a light box and you trace the glowing lines. This mode asks for no permissions. PHOTO TO LINE ART Import your own photo and the app extracts a traceable contour using edge detection. Adjust detail, threshold, contrast, line weight, and noise reduction live — see the change instantly. Presets for portrait, general, and graphic subjects. WHILE YOU DRAW • Drag the template with one finger, pinch and rotate with two • Lock it once aligned — your hand can rest on the screen without shifting it • Set opacity so you can see both your paper and your hand • In camera mode: toggle the torch, switch to 0.5x ultra-wide, lock focus and exposure • True size: draw at an exact centimetre width • Change the line color — red reads far better over an existing pencil sketch • Left-handed mode moves the controls out of your drawing hand's way DON'T LOSE YOUR WORK Every drawing is saved. A portrait can take days; resume from your gallery whenever you want. ADS AND DRAWLUMA PRO Drawluma is free and the number of drawings is unlimited. In the free version you see one full-screen ad after you finish a drawing and leave the canvas — never while you are drawing. Drawluma PRO removes the ads. It locks nothing else: all three drawing methods, unlimited drawings and every setting are open in the free version. • Drawluma PRO — $0.99 per month (charged in your local currency) • Auto-renews; it renews unless you cancel before the period ends • Cancel in iPhone Settings → Apple Account → Subscriptions • Payment is charged to your Apple Account on confirmation Terms of Use (Apple standard EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://alperensaglam.github.io/drawluma-site/privacy.html PRIVACY Your photos and the line art you create stay on your device — they are never sent to a server. No account needed. The app itself collects nothing. Google AdMob, which serves the ads, processes a device identifier, advertising data and coarse location derived from your IP in order to show them. Before the advertising identifier (IDFA) is accessed, the app asks for your permission through App Tracking Transparency: if you allow it, ads are personalised; if you don't, you see non-personalised ads and nothing else changes. You can change your choice anytime in Settings → Privacy & Security → Tracking. Going PRO disables the ad layer entirely. NOTES • AR mode requires an ARKit-capable device. On unsupported devices, camera mode gives the same result. • In screen mode, don't press hard on the display; use thin or tracing paper.

Screenshots

SketchSurf1 screens
Drawluma4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Drawluma at none against SketchSurf's 2. Drawluma also leads on iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.5). SketchSurf's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price 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. SketchSurf sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Drawluma asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard3 real differences · 6 level
SketchSurf versus Drawluma: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSketchSurfDrawluma
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (3 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings3 — better—
Update frequency—Every 8 days
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS26.517.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size9 MB5 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFrederick SchmitzAlperen Saglam

In-app purchases

2 purchases

SketchSurf

Subscriptions2
  • SketchSurf Plus$4.991 Month
  • SketchSurf Pro$9.991 Month
None

Drawluma

No in-app purchases

Questions

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

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