8bit Painter vs BattleMapper
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Beginner-friendly interface
- Essential pixel drawing tools
- Photo to pixel art conversion
- Customizable color palettes
- Transparent PNG export
- Multiple canvas sizes
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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!
BattleMapper
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BattleMapper is a fast, lightweight tactical map editor built for tabletop RPG Game Masters and players. Whether you are sketching a quick impromptu dungeon during a live session or prepping your next encounter on the go, BattleMapper lets you create clean, professional grid maps on your iPhone in seconds. TACTICAL DRAWING TOOLS Smart Walls: Single-tap to toggle wall segments, or drag across orthogonal paths with live dotted previews to build corridors and rooms effortlessly. Merged Doors: Place doorways along grid lines that automatically merge into unified, continuous entryways matching your walls. Secret Passages: Hidden doors rendered with distinct theme accents and vertical S glyphs. Stairs: Place tiered staircases inside individual grid cells, complete with directional up and down badges that toggle with a tap. Windows and Pillars: Add dashed window apertures and toggle circular or square stone pillars at grid intersections. 2D Drag-to-Erase: Tap individual items to erase, or drag a selection box to clear entire rooms, interior elements, and stairs in one motion. VISUAL THEMES Match your campaign atmosphere with multiple vector-rendered aesthetic styles: Pen and Paper: Classic hand-drawn graph paper with ink lines and warm wooden accents. Parchment: Antique fantasy parchment with rich earthen hues. Blueprint: High-contrast technical grid with crisp cyan and white lines. Dark Dungeon: Atmospheric low-light stone aesthetic for underground exploration. GRID CUSTOMIZATION Flexible Dimensions: Configure custom map sizes from 10x10 up to 60x60 squares. Major Grid Accents: Highlight every 5 or 10 squares for rapid movement and spell range estimation. Coordinate Headers: Optional alphanumeric labels (A-Z columns, 1-N rows) for precise player positioning and callouts. Measurement Units: Customize grid scale labels to match your system (5 ft, 1.5 m, 1 sq, 10 ft, or custom). Viewport Navigation: Smooth two-finger pan, pinch-to-zoom, and automatic initial camera centering. MAP LIBRARY AND BACKUPS Continuous Auto-Save: Every stroke, element placement, dimension change, and rename persists instantly in the background. Map Library: Organize, search, rename, and manage all your encounter maps.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: BattleMapper at none against 8bit Painter's 1. BattleMapper also leads on ads (none vs shown). On price, device support and iOS requirement 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. BattleMapper asks for nothing beyond the download.
| Parameter | 8bit Painter | BattleMapper |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (6.7K ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 85.1% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 6.7K — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | — |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 | 17.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 30 MB | 2 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Takayuki Miyagawa | Thomas Charles Walford |
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
BattleMapper
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
8bit Painter
- Remove Ads$5.99
BattleMapper
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is 8bit Painter free?
Is BattleMapper free?
Do 8bit Painter or BattleMapper have ads?
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