# Pixel Art Maker vs Pencil Sketch 2

The clearest difference is rating: Pixel Art Maker at 4.8 against Pencil Sketch 2's 3.8. Pixel Art Maker also leads on review sentiment (91% vs 59%) and update cadence (every 9 days vs every 4 months). Pencil Sketch 2's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.5). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Pixel Art Maker sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Pencil Sketch 2 sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Pixel Art Maker holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pixel Art Maker has 11K ratings behind it against 704, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 91% of Pixel Art Maker's written reviews are positive against 59% of Pencil Sketch 2's.

Pixel Art Maker ships an update every 9 days, Pencil Sketch 2 every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Pixel Art Maker | Pencil Sketch 2 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (11K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pixel-art-maker/id897806469/reviews)** | [3.8 (704 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pencil-sketch-2-draft-effects/id1051985070/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **11K** | 704 |
| Positive reviews | **91.0% of reviews** | 59.2% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 9 days** | Every 4 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 15 MB | 105 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.5 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Nekomimimi](https://appshunter.io/developer/382809814) | [云涌 段](https://appshunter.io/developer/1080185389) |

## What reviewers say

### Pixel Art Maker

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pixel-art-maker/id897806469)

Create and animate pixel art with a user-friendly drawing tool. Convert photos into pixel art, customize color palettes, and export your creations as GIFs. Offers both free and premium features for enhanced capabilities.

**Highlights:** Pixel art drawing up to 256x256, Photo to pixel art conversion, Animated pixel art creation, Customizable color palettes, Export as animated GIF, Scalable artwork export

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove Ads | $1.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Helpful for making mods
- 🚀 Great for pixel art and animations
- 🚀 Intuitive and practical
- 🚀 Lots of customization options

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes or save issues
- 🐛 Difficulty moving or selecting specific pixels
- 🐛 Limited color palette options

**Reported bugs**

- Exported images not retaining transparency
- Color picker not working as expected

**Requested features**

- Add a redo button
- Implement layers and better color management
- Increase maximum canvas size
- Add a paint bucket tool
- Allow importing/exporting of animations


### Pencil Sketch 2

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pencil-sketch-2-draft-effects/id1051985070)

Transform your photos into unique sketches and cartoon avatars with over 100 artistic effects. This app offers an easy-to-use interface and new drawing board functionality to make your images stand out.

**Highlights:** 100+ sketch and cartoon effects, Pencil drawing board, Partial effect enhancement, Easy-to-use interface, Convert photos to sketches, Create cartoon avatars

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pro Version | $1.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great app for sketching photos
- 👍 Easy to use with lots of customization options
- 🎨 Fantastic for creating artistic renditions of photos
- ❤️ Loved by many users

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and bugs after paid upgrade
- 🙄 Excessive ads in free version
- 🤔 Paid version not as good as free version
- 😤 Poor customer support

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes when trying to open photos
- Paid version not functioning as expected
- Incompatibility issues with newer devices
- Inability to save edited photos

**Requested features**

- More sketch styles and filters
- Improved stability and reliability
- Better instructions and tutorials
- Ability to save edited photos to camera roll


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Pixel Art Maker free?

Pixel Art Maker is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Pencil Sketch 2 free?

Pencil Sketch 2 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Pixel Art Maker or Pencil Sketch 2?

Pixel Art Maker is rated higher. Pixel Art Maker averages 4.8 out of 5 from 11K ratings, while Pencil Sketch 2 averages 3.8 from 704 ratings.

### Do Pixel Art Maker or Pencil Sketch 2 have ads?

Both Pixel Art Maker and Pencil Sketch 2 show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Pixel Art Maker or Pencil Sketch 2?

Pixel Art Maker ships an update every 9 days, and Pencil Sketch 2 every 4 months. Most recently, Pixel Art Maker was updated on October 26, 2026 and Pencil Sketch 2 on October 24, 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.*