# PaintBox Basic vs AR Ruler

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: PaintBox Basic at none against AR Ruler's 10. PaintBox Basic also leads on iOS requirement (12.0 vs 26.0). AR Ruler's advantage is update cadence (every 2 months vs every 7 months). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. AR Ruler sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. PaintBox Basic asks for nothing beyond the download.

PaintBox Basic ships an update every 7 months, AR Ruler every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | PaintBox Basic | AR Ruler |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[2.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/paintbox-basic/id737396215/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **1** | — |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 7 months | **Every 2 months** |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | — |
| Size | 17 MB | 11 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 26.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Kouichi Hayashi](https://appshunter.io/developer/1809037541) | [Sandeep Bhandari](https://appshunter.io/developer/794284640) |

## What reviewers say

### PaintBox Basic

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/paintbox-basic/id737396215)

This is a basic paint application offering various brushes and auto-save functionality. Users can easily share their creations via email or social media platforms. It includes banner ads and lacks advanced features like undo/redo.

**Highlights:** 8 types of brushes, Auto save image, Transfer to Mac via iTunes file sharing, Share images via email, Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, Banner ads displayed

**In-app purchases:** none


### AR Ruler

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ar-ruler-distance-and-area-tool/id6761403349)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Weekly Subscription | $1.99 | per 7 days |
| AR Ruler Pro — Weekly | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Monthly Subscription | $4.99 | per month |
| Yearly Subscription Discount | $14.99 | per year |
| Yearly Subscription Sale | $14.99 | per year |
| Yearly Subscription Special | $19.99 | per year |
| AR Ruler Pro — Yearly | $29.99 | per year |
| Yearly Subscription | $29.99 | per year |
| Forever Pro Discount | $79.99 | one-time |
| Pro Unlock: Lifetime | $99.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is PaintBox Basic free?

PaintBox Basic is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is AR Ruler free?

AR Ruler is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do PaintBox Basic or AR Ruler have ads?

Both PaintBox Basic and AR Ruler show ads.

### Which is updated more often, PaintBox Basic or AR Ruler?

PaintBox Basic ships an update every 7 months, and AR Ruler every 2 months. Most recently, PaintBox Basic was updated on October 11, 2026 and AR Ruler on October 7, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*