Comparison

Pixel Art Maker vs OpenMoji

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Pixel Art Maker

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
Read full description

"Pixel Art Maker" is a drawing tool for pixel art like retro games. ◇ Easy to use You can start drawing pixel art immediately after launching the app. The canvas can also be resized while drawing. ◇ Import a photo Convert photos into pixel art. ◇ Create animated pixel art Draw one pixel art image, duplicate it, and create animations. Features: - Draw pixel art on canvases from 1×1 up to 256×256 pixels. - Change the color palette (up to 256 colors). The basic palette includes 32 colors. The free version supports up to 65 colors. *Each palette color can be set to transparent or opaque. - Save your color palettes and reuse them in other artworks or when importing photos. - Watch an ad to temporarily unlock: • 256-color palette • Canvas size up to 1024×1024 - Premium Removes ads and permanently unlocks the full 256-color palette and canvas sizes up to 1024×1024. - Zoom in and out with two-finger pinch. - Save, load, and delete your drawings. - Import photos and animated GIFs. APNG animation is not supported; only the first frame is imported. - Import photos with built-in retro-style palettes and adjustable dithering. Indexed PNG files keep their original palette. - Import images from other apps via the Share sheet. - Export with transparency. - Scale your artwork on export from 1× to 64×, depending on canvas size, up to 4096×4096. - Save to Photos. - Share with other apps. - Create and export animated GIFs. *GIFs may not animate in Photos. - Finger Mode Draw directly with your finger. - Cursor Mode Move a cursor and place pixels with the "PIXEL" button. (Menu → Settings → Change Drawing Mode) * On Apple Silicon Macs (iPad version), animated image import may be limited, and photos may be imported at reduced resolution.

About

OpenMoji

Access a vast collection of over 4,292 open-source emojis, compliant with the latest Unicode standards. This app offers consistent design, multiple color versions, and skin tone variations, perfect for designers, developers, and anyone seeking creative emoji options for various projects.

Highlights
  • 4,292+ emojis
  • Unicode 16.0 compliant
  • Consistent style guide
  • Colored & outlined versions
  • Skin tone variations
  • 270+ flags
  • Special interest categories
Features
Read full description

OPENMOJI 16.0 – 4,292+ OPEN-SOURCE EMOJIS FOR DESIGNERS, DEVELOPERS, AND EVERYONE WHO LOVES CREATIVE, CONSISTENT EMOJI DESIGN. Created by students and professors at HfG Schwäbisch Gmünd, with many external contributors, OpenMoji delivers free, handcrafted emojis you can use anywhere. Use the APP and STICKER PACK to share emojis instantly in Messages, social media, or design projects. Search, choose skin tones, and find the perfect emoji for any moment. FEATURES • 4,292+ EMOJIS across all categories • UNICODE EMOJI V16.0 compliant • CONSISTENT STYLE GUIDE – all icons match perfectly • COLORED & OUTLINED versions for any project style • SKIN TONE VARIATIONS with Fitzpatrick scale and multiple combinations • 270+ FLAGS – countries, regions, and special flags • SPECIAL INTEREST CATEGORIES beyond standard Unicode, including technology, design, and climate • HANDCRAFTED & REVIEWED for quality and clarity WHY OPENMOJI? • 100% OPEN SOURCE – free to use under CC BY-SA 4.0 • Perfect for UI/UX DESIGN, social media, presentations, and stickers • Works for DESIGNERS, DEVELOPERS, EDUCATORS, and EMOJI LOVERS DOWNLOAD OPENMOJI NOW and enjoy the world’s most consistent, open-source emoji set – perfect for your messages, designs, and creative projects.

Screenshots

Pixel Art Maker4 screens
OpenMoji4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Pixel Art Maker at 91% against OpenMoji's 14%. Pixel Art Maker also leads on rating (4.8 vs 3.7) and update cadence (every 9 days vs every 10 months). OpenMoji's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Pixel Art Maker sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. OpenMoji asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Pixel Art Maker holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pixel Art Maker has 10K ratings behind it against 15, 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 14% of OpenMoji's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pixel Art Maker ships an update every 9 days, OpenMoji every 10 months. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 14, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Pixel Art Maker versus OpenMoji: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPixel Art MakerOpenMoji
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (10K ratings) — better3.7 (15 ratings)
Positive reviews90.9% of reviews — better14.3% of reviews
Number of ratings10K — better15
Update frequencyEvery 9 days — betterEvery 10 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.514.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size15 MB87 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNekomimimiHochschule fur Gestaltung Schwabisch Gmund

Customer experience

Pixel Art Maker

All ratings10,494 ratings
Positive95.4%
Neutral2.3%
Negative2.3%
Written reviews375 reviews
Positive90.9%
Neutral4.3%
Negative4.8%

OpenMoji

All ratings15 ratings
Positive53.3%
Neutral20.0%
Negative26.7%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive14.3%
Neutral42.9%
Negative42.9%

Bugs and requests

Pixel Art Maker

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Exported images not retaining transparency
  • Color picker not working as expected

Requested features

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

OpenMoji

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Pixel Art Maker

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$1.99
None

OpenMoji

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Pixel Art Maker free?
Pixel Art Maker is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is OpenMoji free?
OpenMoji is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Pixel Art Maker or OpenMoji?
Pixel Art Maker is rated higher. Pixel Art Maker averages 4.8 out of 5 from 10K ratings, while OpenMoji averages 3.7 from 15 ratings.
Do Pixel Art Maker or OpenMoji have ads?
Pixel Art Maker shows ads; OpenMoji does not.
Which is updated more often, Pixel Art Maker or OpenMoji?
Pixel Art Maker ships an update every 9 days, and OpenMoji every 10 months. Most recently, Pixel Art Maker was updated on September 25, 2026 and OpenMoji on September 14, 2026.

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