# PIS vs A Design Kit

The clearest difference is monetization model: PIS at free with in-app purchases against A Design Kit's subscription. PIS also leads on review sentiment (96% vs 85%) and iOS requirement (10.0 vs 14.0). A Design Kit's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. PIS sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and A Design Kit sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for PIS against 4.7 for A Design Kit. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3.9K and 5.7K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 96% of PIS's written reviews are positive against 85% of A Design Kit's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 6 weeks. Both last shipped on November 1, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | PIS | A Design Kit |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (3.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pis-picture-collage-studio/id897430250/reviews)** | [4.7 (5.7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/a-design-kit-collage-maker/id1292829069/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 3.9K | **5.7K** |
| Positive reviews | **96.1% of reviews** | 84.8% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | Every 6 weeks |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Subscription |
| Size | 153 MB | 132 MB |
| Requires iOS | **10.0** | 14.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [妙英 张](https://appshunter.io/developer/897430253) | [Midtone LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1015059174) |

## What reviewers say

### PIS

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pis-picture-collage-studio/id897430250)

This app is an all-in-one photo editor and collage maker. It offers tools for photo enhancement, creating picture-in-picture effects, designing posters, and adding text and stickers. Users can easily edit, beautify, and combine photos to create various artistic outputs.

**Highlights:** Photo enhancement and beautification, Collage grid modules, Picture-in-picture effects, Poster design templates, Text and sticker add-ons, Drawing and painting tools, Filter effects

**Features:** Family Sharing, iMessage stickers, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Picture Collage Editor Pro | $1.99 | per month |
| Remove Ads | $0.99 | one-time |
| Unlock all frames | $0.99 | one-time |
| Unlock all backgrounds | $0.99 | one-time |
| Unlock black emoticons | $0.99 | one-time |
| Unlock hat decorations | $0.99 | one-time |
| Unlock alphabet symbols | $0.99 | one-time |
| Unlock blossom stickers | $0.99 | one-time |
| Unlock celebration stickers | $0.99 | one-time |
| Upgrade to Pro | $6.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 💡 Lots of editing features
- 🎨 Fun and creative
- 📷 Great for photo editing
- 🤩 Nostalgic and enjoyable

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔒 Locked features require payment
- 🐛 Occasional crashes or bugs
- 💸 Premium content is expensive
- 🙄 Forced 5-star reviews to unlock features

**Reported bugs**

- Blurred 'Pic in Pic' feature
- Subscription issues with unlocking content
- Ads still shown even with paid subscription

**Requested features**

- More free editing options
- Ability to rearrange collage layouts
- Animated stickers or effects
- Wider range of fonts and text tools


### A Design Kit

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/a-design-kit-collage-maker/id1292829069)

Create visually appealing social media content with a wide array of design tools. Add unique textures, fonts, stickers, and collage elements to enhance your stories and feed posts.

**Highlights:** 200+ collage scans, Realistic drawing brushes, 60+ modern fonts, 200+ pre-made designs, Large sticker library, Textured backgrounds

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| ADK+ Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| ADK+ Yearly | $24.99 | per year |
| Valley Cruise | Free | one-time |
| More Food | $0.99 | one-time |
| Painted | $1.99 | one-time |
| Feelings | $1.99 | one-time |
| Hobbies | $1.99 | one-time |
| Editorial | $2.99 | one-time |
| Notebook | $2.99 | one-time |
| Lettering | $3.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 💫 Fun and creative features
- 👍 Easy to use and intuitive
- 🎨 Wide variety of fonts, brushes, and design elements
- 🔗 Seamless integration with A Color Story app
- 🤩 Excellent for making visually appealing social media content

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and loss of work
- 💰 Many features and design elements locked behind paywall
- 🔀 Cumbersome navigation between editing tools
- 🔍 Lack of zoom functionality for precise editing
- 📏 Issues with cropping for Instagram stories

**Reported bugs**

- App crashing and losing work in progress
- Inconsistent behavior when toggling between apps
- Text resizing causing displacement of elements
- Brush tools not responding as expected
- Incorrect cropping for Instagram story dimensions

**Requested features**

- Ability to save and re-edit designs
- More free design elements and fonts
- Option to add custom photos as layers
- Smoother brush stroke functionality
- Improved stability and auto-save feature


## Frequently asked questions

### Is PIS free?

PIS is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is A Design Kit free?

A Design Kit is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, PIS or A Design Kit?

PIS is rated higher. PIS averages 4.8 out of 5 from 3.9K ratings, while A Design Kit averages 4.7 from 5.7K ratings.

### Do PIS or A Design Kit have ads?

PIS shows ads; A Design Kit does not.

### Which is updated more often, PIS or A Design Kit?

PIS ships an update every 6 weeks, and A Design Kit every 6 weeks. Most recently, PIS was updated on November 1, 2026 and A Design Kit on November 1, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*