# Sketchbook® vs Doodle Magic

The clearest difference is ads: Sketchbook® at none against Doodle Magic's shown. Sketchbook® also leads on ratings volume (221K vs 12K) and chart position (#33 vs unranked). Doodle Magic's advantage is update cadence (monthly vs every 2 months) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15). On price, rating, review sentiment and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Sketchbook® sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Doodle Magic sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Sketchbook® against 4.7 for Doodle Magic. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Sketchbook® has 221K ratings behind it against 12K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 77% of Sketchbook®'s written reviews are positive against 81% of Doodle Magic's.

Sketchbook® ships an update every 2 months, Doodle Magic monthly. Both last shipped on November 12, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Sketchbook® | Doodle Magic |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (221K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sketchbook/id883738213/reviews)** | [4.7 (12K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/doodle-magic-draw-paint/id1195301052/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **221K** | 12K |
| Positive reviews | 76.6% of reviews | **81.1% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Monthly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#33** | — |
| Size | 144 MB | 108 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Sketchbook, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1569383806) | [炳甲 梁](https://appshunter.io/developer/1157827144) |

## What reviewers say

### Sketchbook®

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sketchbook/id883738213)

**Currently charting:** #33 Top Free · Graphics & Design (US App Store)

This app provides a professional-grade drawing and painting experience for artists and illustrators. It offers a natural drawing feel with customizable tools, layers, and guides for precision. Unlock advanced features like custom brushes and canvas resizing with an optional premium purchase.

**Highlights:** Full complement of brush types, Highly customizable brushes, Guides, rulers, and stroke tools, Layers with blend modes, Clean and unobtrusive interface, Custom brush creation (premium), Canvas resizing (premium)

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium Bundle | $2.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Amazing, free, and no ads
- 👍 Lots of brushes and customization options
- 👍 Intuitive and easy to use
- 👍 Great for beginners and professionals
- 👍 Smooth performance and no lag

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional freezing and crashing issues
- 🐛 Blurry or corrupted images when saving or copying
- 🐛 Glitches with color selection and layers
- 🐛 Inability to rotate canvas or access gallery easily
- 🐛 Lack of blurring and clipping mask tools

**Reported bugs**

- Layers randomly deleted or corrupted
- Freezing when using certain tools like the eyedropper
- Saving issues leading to loss of progress
- Incompatibility with newer iPad Pro devices

**Requested features**

- Add blurring and clipping mask tools
- Improve gallery and canvas rotation functionality
- Allow custom font import
- Add effects like glow, stroke, and drop shadow
- Implement layer grouping and organization


### Doodle Magic

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/doodle-magic-draw-paint/id1195301052)

Unleash your creativity with a magical doodle game. Replay your drawings as animated cartoons and explore a variety of colorful brushes and patterns. This app offers a simple yet imaginative way to create unique artwork and relive your artistic process.

**Highlights:** Cartoon playback of doodle process, Magical paintbrushes (rainbow, neon, pearl), Random color variations, 10+ doodle patterns, My Gallery for saved drawings, Mandala and kaleidoscope creation

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove Advertisement | $1.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🎨 Relaxing and creative drawing experience
- 👍 Easy to use and intuitive interface
- 🌈 Vibrant and colorful designs
- 💡 Unique and satisfying drawing patterns
- 🤩 Helps users feel like an artist

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🙄 Excessive advertisements
- 🎨 Limited color options
- 🔍 Difficult to save or share drawings
- 🐛 Occasional crashes or freezing issues

**Reported bugs**

- Controls stop working after purchasing ad-free version
- Drawings disappear or cannot be accessed after exiting the app

**Requested features**

- Allow users to choose their own colors
- Expand drawing tools and brush options
- Improve saving and sharing functionality
- Reduce the frequency of advertisements


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Sketchbook® free?

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

### Is Doodle Magic free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Sketchbook® or Doodle Magic?

Sketchbook® is rated higher. Sketchbook® averages 4.8 out of 5 from 221K ratings, while Doodle Magic averages 4.7 from 12K ratings.

### Do Sketchbook® or Doodle Magic have ads?

Doodle Magic shows ads; Sketchbook® does not.

### Which is updated more often, Sketchbook® or Doodle Magic?

Sketchbook® ships an update every 2 months, and Doodle Magic monthly. Most recently, Sketchbook® was updated on November 12, 2026 and Doodle Magic on November 12, 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.*