# VanillaPen vs Spotiplus

The clearest difference is ads: VanillaPen at none against Spotiplus's shown. VanillaPen also leads on ratings volume (3.5K vs 272) and iOS requirement (10.0 vs 13.0). Spotiplus's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 6 weeks) and review sentiment (77% vs 61%). On price, rating, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. VanillaPen sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Spotiplus sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $1.49 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for VanillaPen against 4.5 for Spotiplus. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: VanillaPen has 3.5K ratings behind it against 272, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 61% of VanillaPen's written reviews are positive against 77% of Spotiplus's.

VanillaPen ships an update every 6 weeks, Spotiplus weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | VanillaPen | Spotiplus |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (3.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/vanillapen-design-studio/id866563170/reviews)** | [4.5 (272 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spotiplus-cover-maker/id1543389877/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **3.5K** | 272 |
| Positive reviews | 60.7% of reviews | **76.9% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 344 MB | 40 MB |
| Requires iOS | **10.0** | 13.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [RoadRocks](https://appshunter.io/developer/1295007260) | [Reda Benmoussa](https://appshunter.io/developer/1689484897) |

## What reviewers say

### VanillaPen

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/vanillapen-design-studio/id866563170)

Create professional artwork, stories, and designs with a vast library of over a million elements. This powerful studio offers advanced editing tools and a user-friendly workflow, making design accessible to everyone, regardless of experience.

**Highlights:** Over 1 million design elements, Advanced editing tools, User-friendly workflow, Design stories and posts, Create logos and artwork, Album and movie poster design

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly subscription | $4.99 | per month |
| Vanillapen yearly subscription | $49.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🎨 Variety of design elements
- 💡 Helpful for creating posters and graphics
- 🎨 Great for small jobs

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and glitches
- 🔒 Limited access to features without subscription
- 🔒 Paid version doesn't transfer across devices
- 📵 Inability to save work in progress

**Reported bugs**

- Text formatting issues
- Distortion of designs when saving
- Disappearing text and elements
- Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions

**Requested features**

- Add ability to import custom images
- Improve text editing functionality
- Provide more free design elements
- Add option to lock layers and elements in place
- Implement auto-save feature


### Spotiplus

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spotiplus-cover-maker/id1543389877)

Effortlessly create professional-looking cover art for your music playlists and albums.  Choose from a variety of styles and templates, or design your own.  Enhance your music's visual appeal and attract more listeners.

**Highlights:** Create cover art for playlists, tracks, albums, and podcasts, No design skills required, Import custom images, Export high-quality JPEG, Diverse built-in styles, Customizable fonts, colors, and alignment

**In-app purchases (7)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 Week | $1.49 | per 7 days |
| 1 Month | $2.99 | per month |
| 1 Year subscription | $19.99 | per year |
| Remove Ads | $0.99 | one-time |
| Premium version | $1.99 | one-time |
| Promote your playlist | $4.99 | one-time |
| Forever - One time purchase | $37.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🎨 Customizable playlist covers
- 🔍 Easy to use
- 💻 Seamless Spotify integration
- 🎨 Variety of templates and backgrounds
- 👍 Helpful for organizing playlists

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 💸 Paid subscription issues (ads still show up)
- 🔍 Limited customization options
- 🔍 Difficulty accessing playlists at the bottom of the list
- 🗣 Poor customer support

**Reported bugs**

- Paid subscription not working properly
- Covers not updating on Spotify
- App crashing on launch
- Inability to move text vertically
- Constant ads even with paid version

**Requested features**

- More font and text customization options
- Ability to create covers for Spotify folders
- Color picker tool instead of scrolling color options
- Option to save custom templates
- Sticker/clipart library for covers


## Frequently asked questions

### Is VanillaPen free?

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

### Is Spotiplus free?

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

### Which has better reviews, VanillaPen or Spotiplus?

VanillaPen is rated higher. VanillaPen averages 4.5 out of 5 from 3.5K ratings, while Spotiplus averages 4.5 from 272 ratings.

### Do VanillaPen or Spotiplus have ads?

Spotiplus shows ads; VanillaPen does not.

### Which is updated more often, VanillaPen or Spotiplus?

VanillaPen ships an update every 6 weeks, and Spotiplus weekly. Most recently, VanillaPen was updated on October 20, 2026 and Spotiplus on October 13, 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.*