# Ukiyo vs Backdrops

Ukiyo and Backdrops both sit at 4.9 stars, but that hides the real split: 93% of Ukiyo's written reviews are positive against 60% of Backdrops's. Backdrops's advantage is update cadence (every 2 months vs every 8 months) and ratings volume (1.6K vs 498). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Ukiyo sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Backdrops sells 16 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Ukiyo holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 498 and 1.6K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 93% of Ukiyo's written reviews are positive against 60% of Backdrops's.

Ukiyo ships an update every 8 months, Backdrops every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Ukiyo | Backdrops |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.9 (498 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ukiyo-e-wallpapers-hd-nihonga/id835559799/reviews)** | [4.7 (1.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/backdrops-wallpapers/id1500143735/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 498 | **1.6K** |
| Positive reviews | **93.5% of reviews** | 59.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 8 months | **Every 2 months** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 47 MB | 64 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 15.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Masaki Hirokawa](https://appshunter.io/developer/617664044) | [Christopher Morales](https://appshunter.io/developer/1500143734) |

## What reviewers say

### Ukiyo

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ukiyo-e-wallpapers-hd-nihonga/id835559799)

Discover a vast collection of over 1000 Ukiyo-e masterpieces for your iPhone. These high-resolution wallpapers, inspired by renowned Japanese artists, are optimized for iOS parallax effects. Easily save, set, and share your favorites to personalize your device.

**Highlights:** 1000+ Ukiyo-e wallpapers, Optimized for iOS parallax, Save and set as home/lock screen, Favorites folder, Slideshow function, Share via social media and email, Categorized by artist and era

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove Ads | $6.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🎨 Beautiful and stunning artwork collection
- 👍 Intuitive and seamless user interface
- 🖼️ High-quality Ukiyo-e prints and images
- 💰 Worth the price/good value
- 🎯 Easy navigation and organization

**What reviewers complain about**

- 📢 Obnoxious advertising
- 🐢 App performance not smooth
- 🧩 Confusing panel-to-panel navigation
- 📐 No clear borders between images
- 🗂️ Poor organization and categorization

**Reported bugs**

- Navigation between panels is confusing
- Messy layout due to lack of image borders
- App performance/smoothness issues

**Requested features**

- Artist names displayed on images
- Additional category filters (Geisha, Warriors, snow scenes, mountains, water, animals)
- Unformatted image saving to camera roll
- Better organization system
- More kanji and older version photos


### Backdrops

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/backdrops-wallpapers/id1500143735)

Discover and download unique, original wallpapers designed in-house or contributed by the community. Explore daily new designs, save your favorites, and sync them across devices. Unlock premium collections and an ad-free experience with a Pro upgrade.

**Highlights:** Original hand-crafted wallpapers, Community submissions, Daily featured wallpapers, Variety of styles and themes, Premium and Pro collections, Ad-free experience (Pro), Favorites and sync across devices

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (16)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Acid Pop Collection | $1.99 | one-time |
| 10 Coins - Starter Pack | $1.99 | one-time |
| Horizon Vice Collection | $2.99 | one-time |
| Macro Mode Collection | $2.99 | one-time |
| Elevations Collection | $2.99 | one-time |
| Animal Riot Collection | $2.99 | one-time |
| Optic Odysseys Collection | $2.99 | one-time |
| Synth Wavez Collection | $2.99 | one-time |
| Lost in the Void Collection | $2.99 | one-time |
| Shades of Saturn Collection | $2.99 | one-time |
| Dunes Day Collection | $2.99 | one-time |
| 25 Coins - Deluxe Pack | $3.99 | one-time |
| Backdrops Pro | $4.99 | one-time |
| Backdrops Pro + Big Tip | $6.99 | one-time |
| Backdrops Pro + Huge Tip | $8.99 | one-time |
| 100 Coins - Ultimate Pack | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 High quality wallpapers
- 🚀 Simple and intuitive interface
- 💰 Free with optional paid pro version
- 🎨 Variety of wallpaper styles and themes

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔒 Forced to watch ads to download wallpapers
- 🔒 Pro version has limited additional content
- 🐛 Occasional app crashes and loading issues
- 🔋 High battery consumption

**Reported bugs**

- Sign in with Apple not working
- Paid pro version not recognized
- Unable to return to main menu after viewing wallpaper

**Requested features**

- Full-screen wallpaper preview
- Landscape support for iPad
- More frequent updates to pro wallpapers
- Dark mode icon


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Ukiyo free?

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

### Is Backdrops free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Ukiyo or Backdrops?

Ukiyo is rated higher. Ukiyo averages 4.9 out of 5 from 498 ratings, while Backdrops averages 4.7 from 1.6K ratings.

### Do Ukiyo or Backdrops have ads?

Both Ukiyo and Backdrops show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Ukiyo or Backdrops?

Ukiyo ships an update every 8 months, and Backdrops every 2 months. Most recently, Ukiyo was updated on November 1, 2026 and Backdrops on November 3, 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.*