8bit Painter vs smART pixelator 2.0
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
8bit Painter
Create pixel art and 8-bit style graphics with intuitive tools. Perfect for beginners, it allows for easy creation of social media icons, game skins, illustrations, and patterns. Import photos to convert them into pixel art, remove backgrounds, and export transparent PNGs.
- Intuitive pixel art creation tools
- Photo import and conversion to pixel art
- Background removal for imported images
- Stylus support for precise drawing on iPad
- Multiple canvas sizes
- Transparent PNG export
- Artwork data import/export
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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!
smART pixelator 2.0
This companion app uses light technology and step-by-step instructions to help children create 2D and 3D pixelated designs using beads or pegs. It encourages creativity, fine motor skills, and spatial awareness, allowing users to customize colors and sizes for endless crafting activities.
- Step-by-step pixel art instructions
- 2D and 3D project creation
- Use with beads or pegs
- Photo import and pixelation
- Customizable colors and sizes
- Bluetooth connectivity
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Please note this App is a companion App to the smART Pixelator® 2.0 device. It is not compatible with previous generation smART Pixelator® device. Pixelate any design with the smART Pixelator® 2.0 and this FREE APP. Light technology, step-by-step instructions, and a variety of craft materials guide kids through endless activities to create 2D and 3D projects. It takes creativity to a new level! Use beads or pegs for endless pixelated play! smART Pixelator® 2.0 encourages creativity, fine motor development, and spatial awareness. It’s the smART way to play. Pick your Pixels! Use smART pixel beads or pixel pegs to create different kinds of activities. Choose a design! Take a picture or download any photo from your mobile device. Pixelate it on the smART Pixelator® 2.0 using Bluetooth connectivity. Light technology shows you exactly where to place your pixels. Engineer 3D projects with snap-together pixel Bead designs. Customize it! Change the color. Change the size. Bring finished projects to life with light. Create your own original projects using a smart device and the FREE APP. Note: You need a smART Pixelator® 2.0 device to use this app. smART Pixelator® is a trademark of Flycatcher Toys INC © 2025. All rights reserved.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: smART pixelator 2.0 at none against 8bit Painter's 1. smART pixelator 2.0 also leads on ads (none vs shown) and rating (5.0 vs 4.6). 8bit Painter's advantage is ratings volume (6.7K vs 1). On price, update cadence and 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
Both are free to download. 8bit Painter sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. smART pixelator 2.0 asks for nothing beyond the download.
smART pixelator 2.0 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 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.
8bit Painter ships an update every 3 weeks, smART pixelator 2.0 every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 9, 2026 and November 4, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | 8bit Painter | smART pixelator 2.0 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (6.7K ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 85.1% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 6.7K — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Every 6 weeks |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 30 MB | 69 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Takayuki Miyagawa | FlyCatcher Inc. |
Customer experience
8bit Painter
smART pixelator 2.0
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
smART pixelator 2.0
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
8bit Painter
- Remove Ads$5.99
smART pixelator 2.0
No in-app purchases









