Comparison

8bit Painter vs Pixilart

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

Head to head
About

8bit Painter

Create fun and easy pixel art with intuitive controls. Perfect for beginners, this app lets you design SNS icons, game assets, or craft patterns. Import photos to pixelize them and export your creations as transparent PNGs.

Highlights
  • Beginner-friendly interface
  • Essential pixel drawing tools
  • Photo to pixel art conversion
  • Customizable color palettes
  • Transparent PNG export
  • Multiple canvas sizes
Read full description

Over 6 million downloads! An easy-to-use app for creating pixel art and 8-bit style artwork. 8bit Painter is a simple pixel art drawing app that beginners can start enjoying right away. With intuitive controls, you can easily create pixel art for social media icons, game skins, illustrations, patterns, and more. It is also great for making designs for Perler beads, cross-stitch, knitting, and other handmade projects. Key Features - Simple controls that are easy for anyone to use - Clear, focused tools for creating pixel art - Perfect for beginners - Great for making social media icons and game skins - Import photos and convert them into pixel art - Remove photo backgrounds and import just the subject - Draw with Apple Pencil or a compatible stylus using a stylus-only setting on iPad - Choose colors intuitively with a color wheel, sliders, and palettes - Export transparent images in PNG format - Export and import your artwork data Canvas Sizes 16x16 / 24x24 / 32x32 / 48x48 / 64x64 / 96x96 / 128x128 / 160x160 / 192x192 Choose the right canvas size for your project, from small social media icons to detailed pixel art and craft patterns. Image Import Import your favorite photos and automatically convert them into pixel art. Keep the background or remove it to import just the subject. You can refine the cutout by cropping to a smaller area, or undo the last cutout. Great for creating social media icons, game skins, and pixel art assets. Drawing with a Stylus on iPad Turn on “Draw with a Stylus Only” to edit the canvas using Apple Pencil or a compatible stylus that your iPad recognizes as a pen. This prevents accidental marks from your fingers while still letting you use them to zoom, pan, and tap buttons. Color Selection Choose a base color with the color wheel, then fine-tune it with sliders or HEX input. You can also pick colors quickly from preset palettes, or save frequently used colors to your custom color palette for reuse. Artwork Data Management Export artwork data saved in your Gallery from the Settings screen, and import it again when needed. This is helpful for keeping your pixel art safe, preparing for a device change, or reinstalling the app. Artwork Storage - The initial artwork storage limit is 30 artworks - Expand the limit up to 600 artworks by watching rewarded video ads or purchasing the Remove Ads add-on Image Export - Choose from 3 export sizes - Supports transparent PNG images - Useful for social media posts, game skins, and exporting assets Remove Ads Add-On - Hides all ads - Expands the artwork storage limit to 600 artworks - Can be restored after reinstalling the app - One-time purchase How to Expand Your Storage Limit - Each rewarded video ad you watch increases your artwork storage limit by 5 artworks, up to 600 - Purchasing the Remove Ads add-on expands your artwork storage limit to 600 artworks Recommended For - Anyone who wants to start creating pixel art - People who want to make their own social media icons - Anyone who wants to create game skins easily - People making designs for Perler beads or cross-stitch - People designing knitting patterns or handmade projects - Anyone who wants to turn photos into pixel art - People looking for a simple pixel art editor - Anyone who wants to manage their artwork data and keep using the app over time Enjoy creating pixel art and 8-bit style artwork with 8bit Painter!

About

Pixilart

Create and share pixel art with a vibrant community. Easily design pixel art, animate GIFs with layers, and connect with other artists. Upload your creations, receive feedback, and discover new art on the go.

Highlights
  • Easy-to-use pixel art drawing
  • GIF creation with layers and frames
  • Cloud profile for cross-device access
  • Public and private drawing uploads
  • Social sharing and feedback
  • Follow artists and activity feeds
Read full description

Create pixel art on the go. Pixilart is a community of passionate art enthusiasts who enjoy pixels. Easily make pixel art, and then share your art and even follow others who have created their own pixel art creations. Become part of the largest pixel art community and understand why Pixilart is a growing community for feedback, sharing, art and more! It's fun and easy to create pixel art on the go with Pixilart. KEY FEATURES • Create pixel art on the go with our easy-to-use drawing feature • Create GIFs with layers & frames • Push Notifications • Create from bases or blank canvases • Create profiles to upload drawings in the cloud for easier access on different devices • Upload drawings in private, or in public so others can see • Share drawings with others for feedback or simply to show off! • Receive notifications from likes, comments, mentions, and new followers • Follow your favorite artists on activity feeds PARENT INFORMATION Pixilart is a social platform for everyone. There is no private messaging system. All conversations are public. Swearing filters are enabled by default. Spam filters are enabled by default. Users can easily block/un-follow others. All drawings are monitored. SUBSCRIPTIONS There are no subscriptions

Screenshots

8bit Painter4 screens
Pixilart4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Pixilart at none against 8bit Painter's 1. Pixilart also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs monthly) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 18.6). 8bit Painter's advantage is review sentiment (85% vs 55%) and ratings volume (6.7K vs 2.2K). On price, rating, ads and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. 8bit Painter sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Pixilart asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

8bit Painter holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 6.7K and 2.2K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 85% of 8bit Painter's written reviews are positive against 55% of Pixilart's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

8bit Painter ships an update monthly, Pixilart fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
8bit Painter versus Pixilart: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
Parameter8bit PainterPixilart
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (6.7K ratings) — better4.4 (2.2K ratings)
Positive reviews85.1% of reviews — better54.6% of reviews
Number of ratings6.7K — better2.2K
Update frequencyMonthlyFortnightly — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.613.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size30 MB32 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperTakayuki MiyagawaBryan Ware

Customer experience

8bit Painter

All ratings6,702 ratings
Positive91.0%
Neutral4.2%
Negative4.8%
Written reviews336 reviews
Positive85.1%
Neutral6.5%
Negative8.3%

Pixilart

All ratings1,850 ratings
Positive86.2%
Neutral5.1%
Negative8.7%
Written reviews326 reviews
Positive54.6%
Neutral17.2%
Negative28.2%

User reviews

8bit Painter

From 6.7K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🥰 Fun and addictive
  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 🎨 Great for pixel art
  • 💡 Helpful for crafting projects
  • 🤩 Awesome app overall

Room to improve

  • 🤬 Annoying ads
  • 🔒 Limited canvas sizes
  • 🎨 Lack of color customization
  • 🐛 Occasional bugs and glitches

Pixilart

From 2.2K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 🚀 Convenient mobile access
  • 💡 Good for pixel art
  • 👍 Chill community

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Bugs and glitches
  • 🔍 Limited features compared to website
  • 💰 Too many ads
  • 🎨 Limited color palette and tools

Bugs and requests

8bit Painter

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Freezing and crashing issues
  • Distortion when importing images
  • Inability to delete saved artworks

Requested features

5 requests
  • Custom canvas sizes
  • More color options and palettes
  • Ability to delete or rearrange colors
  • Layers and animation support
  • Copy/paste and selection tools

Pixilart

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App freezes on login
  • Drawings not saving properly
  • Buttons and tools not working as expected
  • Inconsistent behavior when navigating

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add color wheel
  • Increase canvas size options
  • Implement undo/redo functionality
  • Allow importing images
  • Add layers and animation tools

In-app purchases

1 purchases

8bit Painter

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$5.99
None

Pixilart

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is 8bit Painter free?
8bit Painter is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Pixilart free?
Pixilart is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, 8bit Painter or Pixilart?
8bit Painter is rated higher. 8bit Painter averages 4.6 out of 5 from 6.7K ratings, while Pixilart averages 4.4 from 2.2K ratings.
Do 8bit Painter or Pixilart have ads?
Both 8bit Painter and Pixilart show ads.
Which is updated more often, 8bit Painter or Pixilart?
8bit Painter ships an update monthly, and Pixilart fortnightly. Most recently, 8bit Painter was updated on November 1, 2026 and Pixilart on October 29, 2026.

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