Comparison

8bit Painter vs Beadle

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 pixel art and 8-bit style illustrations with intuitive tools. Easily design social media icons, game skins, patterns, and even patterns for crafts like Perler beads. Import photos to convert them into pixel art, with options to remove backgrounds.

Highlights
  • Intuitive pixel art drawing tools
  • Photo import and conversion to pixel art
  • Background removal for imported images
  • Stylus support for precise drawing on iPad
  • Multiple canvas sizes
  • Export transparent PNG images
  • Artwork data import/export
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

Beadle

Transform any image into a bead art masterpiece. Select from popular bead brands or use generic colors. Combine multiple pegboards for larger designs and remove unwanted colors. Print or export your creations for sharing.

Highlights
  • Image to bead art conversion
  • Supports multiple bead brands
  • Combine multiple pegboards
  • Color removal
  • Printable patterns
  • Export as image
Features
Read full description

Turn any image into fused bead art! Select from common bead art brands, or use generic colours. Combine up to 5x5 pegboards to create a bead art masterpiece Remove bead colours you don't have or don't like. Zoom in to get a detailed view with grid lines Print your bead art pattern with each pegboard on a seperate page so you can easily slide it underneath your pegboard. Export as an image to save for later or share with friends. Also works well for cross stitch, diamond art, and other forms of pixel art. Supported Brands: Nano, Perler, Hama, Artkal, Generic colours for use with other brands.

Screenshots

8bit Painter4 screens
Beadle4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: 8bit Painter at Free against Beadle's $0.99. Beadle's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ads (none vs shown). On device support 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

8bit Painter is free to download; Beadle costs $0.99 up front. 8bit Painter sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Beadle asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

8bit Painter ships an update monthly, Beadle fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
8bit Painter versus Beadle: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
Parameter8bit PainterBeadle
PriceFree — better$0.99
Rating4.6 (6.7K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews85.1% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings6.7K — better—
Update frequencyMonthlyFortnightly — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.612.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size30 MB36 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTakayuki MiyagawaCC APPS PTY LTD

Customer experience

8bit Painter

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

Beadle

Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

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

Beadle

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

8bit Painter

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$5.99
None

Beadle

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is 8bit Painter free?
8bit Painter is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Beadle free?
Beadle costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do 8bit Painter or Beadle have ads?
8bit Painter shows ads; Beadle does not.
Which is updated more often, 8bit Painter or Beadle?
8bit Painter ships an update monthly, and Beadle fortnightly. Most recently, 8bit Painter was updated on November 1, 2026 and Beadle on October 24, 2026.

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