Comparison

BeadCanvas vs Tracer

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

Head to head
About

BeadCanvas

Features
Read full description

BeadCanvas turns photos and ideas into clear, practical fuse bead patterns. Shape the design, refine every bead, prepare the right colors, and carry a project from inspiration to a useful making guide. Create from any idea Start with a photo, a blank grid, or a built-in design. Adjust the grid, color range, blending, and level of detail while the preview helps you find the right balance between a recognizable image and a pattern that is comfortable to build. Work with real bead palettes Choose a bead brand, series, and size before generating. Palette entries keep their documented color codes, so the pattern, material summary, and exported files stay aligned. A universal palette is also available when you want to explore freely. Perfect every bead Draw, erase, fill areas, pick colors from the canvas, move around the pattern, and undo or redo changes. Color search and clear bead codes make detailed corrections manageable even in dense designs. A cleanup tool can consolidate near-duplicate stray colors while preserving important outlines. Plan before you make See the finished size estimate, bead totals, color quantities, coverage, and pegboard layout in one place. Sort the materials by code and use the production view as a practical reference while assembling the design. Export useful guides Create pattern images and print-ready PDF guides with optional grids, bead codes, project details, and a color legend. Export the shopping list as an image, PDF, spreadsheet-friendly CSV, or plain text for planning and sharing. Keep every project organized Search and sort your library, rename or duplicate a design, and reopen it whenever inspiration returns. Export a complete backup, then restore or safely merge the verified data later, so your collection remains portable and under your control. From the first photo to the final bead, BeadCanvas keeps the creative process focused, accurate, and enjoyable. Subscription terms: BeadCanvas offers an optional auto-renewing subscription. The price and billing period are shown in the app before confirmation. It renews automatically for the same period unless canceled at least 24 hours before the current period ends. You can manage or cancel it at any time through your app store account. --- Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://getflutterapp.web.app/pixel/privacy.html

About

Tracer

Features
Read full description

Tracer turns your iPhone into a tracing tool. Pick any image, anchor it onto a real surface in augmented reality, and trace over it by hand β€” on paper, on canvas, or on a wall. No projector. No light box. No printing and taping. Your first 5 images are free. After that, Tracer unlocks with a Tracer Yearly subscription β€” $9.99/year, auto-renewing, cancel anytime in Settings. HOW IT WORKS Point your iPhone at the surface you want to draw on. Pick a reference image from your photos. Tap the surface to anchor it in place. The image stays locked to that exact spot in the real world while you draw. DIAL IN THE OPACITY Slide from barely-there to fully opaque. Keep it faint to check your proportions, or bring it up to follow every line. You see exactly what you're tracing, and exactly what you've already drawn. POSITION IT EXACTLY Pinch to scale, twist to rotate, drag to move. Once it's where you want it, lock it β€” your hand can rest on the phone without knocking the reference out of alignment. BUILT FOR LONG SESSIONS The screen stays awake while you trace, so it won't sleep mid-drawing. Close the app and come back later: Tracer remembers your reference, its position and your opacity setting, and puts everything back where you left it. Working in low light? There's a built-in flashlight. MADE FOR β€’ Illustrators working from reference β€’ Tattoo artists placing a stencil β€’ Muralists scaling a design up to a wall β€’ Lettering and calligraphy β€’ Anyone learning to draw PRIVACY Tracer has no servers, no analytics, no accounts and no ads. The camera feed is processed on your device and never recorded. Your reference image never leaves your iPhone. Tracer doesn't even ask for photo library permission β€” it uses Apple's system picker, which hands over only the single image you choose. Requires an ARKit-capable iPhone running iOS 16 or later. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://tracer-privacy.vercel.app

Screenshots

BeadCanvas4 screens
Tracer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Tracer at none against BeadCanvas's shown. BeadCanvas's advantage is device support (4 vs 1). On price, in-app purchases 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. BeadCanvas sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and Tracer sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $9.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Scorecard2 real differences Β· 3 level
BeadCanvas versus Tracer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBeadCanvasTracer
PriceFreeFree
AdsYesNo β€” better
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac β€” betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.0 β€” better16.0
Further details β€” not scored
Size83 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperεΊ†ιΈΏ ζž—Facundo De Lima

In-app purchases

3 purchases

BeadCanvas

Subscriptions2
  • BeadCanvas Plus Monthly$0.991 Month
  • BeadCanvas Plus Yearly$4.991 Year
One-time1
  • BeadCanvas Plus Lifetime$9.99
1 purchases

Tracer

Subscriptions1
  • Tracer Yearly$9.991 Year

Questions

Is BeadCanvas free?
BeadCanvas is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Tracer free?
Tracer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do BeadCanvas or Tracer have ads?
BeadCanvas shows ads; Tracer does not.

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