Comparison

8bit Painter vs Prolog Retro Notes

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

Prolog Retro Notes

This app offers a unique note-taking experience with a retro 8-bit aesthetic. It allows users to record memos, track editing time, and even attach photos, all within a nostalgic, game-like interface. Level up your notes and enjoy a blast from the past.

Highlights
  • Retro 8-bit graphics
  • Memo recording
  • Playtime tracking
  • Level-based text progress
  • Photo attachment
  • Passcode lock (premium)
Features
Read full description

_______________________________ Do you like retro graphics? ▼ Yes No _______________________________ For those who answered yes! Annotepad app that incorporates the nostalgic feeling of those days and reproduces the world has been born!! It's an app to remember the excitement of that day when your heart swelled with adventure into an unknown world. Today as well, let's choose a save data and head to the forest of sentences... In this memo app, you can record: - Memos - Playtime (editing time) - Level (varies depending on the amount of text) - Photos Let's level up and create great save data!! We paid special attention to the world view. We hope it can be of some use in your memo life. [Premium Service] ■ Unlocked Features - Hide in-app ads - Record photos - Unlock the record limit - Passcode lock function ■ Duration It will automatically renew every month starting from the application date. It will be charged to your iTunes account. ■ About Automatic Renewal You can stop automatic renewal if it is more than 24 hours before the end of the registration period. Automatic renewal procedures will be conducted from 24 hours before the end of the registration period. ■ Confirmation and Cancellation App Store App -> User icon at the upper right of the ToDay tab -> Subscription You can unsubscribe and set automatic renewal and check the update date here. ■ Notes - Automatic renewal of the premium plan cannot be canceled from within the app. - You will be charged to your iTunes account. - Cancellation for the current month is not accepted. ■ Terms of Use and Privacy Policy We will not provide information that can identify individuals to third parties. We manage personal information with great care and handle it as follows. - Support Correspondence No information that can identify individuals will be sent in support emails. - Details Link https://note.com/kojiro79/n/n7c8899db1c9b ■ Disclaimer We will do our best to support any problems or inconveniences in use, but the developer will not be held responsible for any damages caused by the user through this app. ----- Thank you for reading to the end! All reviews are read by the developer himself, and I always get energy from them. I also think about functions based on what you write in your review, so I would be happy if you could write a review when you have time! We will continue to update the app to make it comfortable for everyone, so please support us!

Screenshots

8bit Painter4 screens
Prolog Retro Notes1 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: 8bit Painter at monthly against Prolog Retro Notes's every 9 months. 8bit Painter also leads on ratings volume (6.7K vs 4). Prolog Retro Notes's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.6) and review sentiment (100% vs 85%). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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 and Prolog Retro Notes sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Prolog Retro Notes holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: 8bit Painter has 6.7K ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 85% of 8bit Painter's written reviews are positive against 100% of Prolog Retro Notes's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

8bit Painter ships an update monthly, Prolog Retro Notes every 9 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
8bit Painter versus Prolog Retro Notes: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
Parameter8bit PainterProlog Retro Notes
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (6.7K ratings)5.0 (4 ratings) — better
Positive reviews85.1% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings6.7K — better4
Update frequencyMonthly — betterEvery 9 months
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS18.614.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size30 MB38 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTakayuki Miyagawayasuhiro kojima

Customer experience

8bit Painter

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

Prolog Retro Notes

All ratings5 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews4 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

Prolog Retro Notes

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

8bit Painter

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$5.99
1 purchases

Prolog Retro Notes

Subscriptions1
  • Premium plan$0.991 Month

Questions

Is 8bit Painter free?
8bit Painter is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Prolog Retro Notes free?
Prolog Retro Notes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, 8bit Painter or Prolog Retro Notes?
Prolog Retro Notes is rated higher. 8bit Painter averages 4.6 out of 5 from 6.7K ratings, while Prolog Retro Notes averages 5.0 from 4 ratings.
Do 8bit Painter or Prolog Retro Notes have ads?
Both 8bit Painter and Prolog Retro Notes show ads.
Which is updated more often, 8bit Painter or Prolog Retro Notes?
8bit Painter ships an update monthly, and Prolog Retro Notes every 9 months. Most recently, 8bit Painter was updated on November 1, 2026 and Prolog Retro Notes on October 30, 2026.

Other comparisons