Comparison

Pixel Art Maker vs 8

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

8

Create authentic chiptune music with a pocket synthesizer. Features NES-style synthesis, an intuitive grid sequencer, and offline WAV export. Perfect for game developers, musicians, and retro enthusiasts.

Highlights
  • Authentic NES-style synthesis
  • Dual audio engines (Retro/Modern)
  • Intuitive grid sequencer
  • Offline .WAV export
  • Multiple waveforms
  • Save and load patterns
Features
Read full description

Unleash your inner retro composer with **8-Bit Music Maker**, the ultimate pocket synthesizer for creating genuine chiptune music! Whether you're a professional game developer looking for retro sound effects, a musician exploring vintage waveforms, or just someone who loves the nostalgic sounds of classic 8-bit consoles, this app provides all the tools you need to create amazing tracks right on your device. **AUTHENTIC NES-STYLE SYNTHESIS** Toggle our custom "Retro" audio engine to hear your music exactly as it would sound on classic 1980s hardware! We’ve painstakingly recreated authentic 32-step staircase triangles, meticulously quantified pulse waves (12.5%, 25%, 50%), and genuine LFSR noise sequences. Want a smoother sound? Just switch back to the "Modern" engine for pure mathematical synthesis. **INTUITIVE GRID SEQUENCER** Building melodies has never been easier. Tap out notes on an intuitive visual grid sequencer. Compose intricate multi-instrument patterns, adjust tempo on the fly, and string everything together into a masterpiece. **OFFLINE .WAV EXPORT** Finished with your track? Hit the Record button to seamlessly render your exact loops to a studio-quality 16-bit .WAV file in seconds! You can instantly play back your exports from the built-in menu, or share them to use in your own game engines, videos, or music productions. **FEATURES:** - Multiple Waveforms: Square, Triangle, and Noise generators - Dual Audio Engines: Authentic Retro (Hardware Accurate) and Smooth Modern - Intuitive Touch-Grid Sequencer - Offline rendering to genuine .WAV files - Save and load your grid patterns instantly - Expandable sequences (add as many columns as you need!) - Pre-loaded retro samples to inspire you (Mario, Mega Man, Tetris, Zelda, and more!) - Beautiful dark-mode neon interface inspired by classic arcade cabinets Dive into the nostalgic world of 8-bit music. Download **8-Bit Music Maker** today and start creating the soundtrack to your own retro adventure!

Screenshots

Pixel Art Maker4 screens
83 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Pixel Art Maker at 91% against 8's 25%. Pixel Art Maker also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.0) and ratings volume (11K vs 9). 8'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. 8 asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Pixel Art Maker holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pixel Art Maker has 11K ratings behind it against 9, 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 25% of 8's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pixel Art Maker ships an update every 9 days, 8 every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Pixel Art Maker versus 8: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPixel Art Maker8
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (11K ratings) — better4.0 (9 ratings)
Positive reviews91.0% of reviews — better25.0% of reviews
Number of ratings11K — better9
Update frequencyEvery 9 days — betterEvery 4 weeks
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.515.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size15 MB30 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNekomimimiLe Hung

Customer experience

Pixel Art Maker

All ratings10,642 ratings
Positive95.4%
Neutral2.3%
Negative2.3%
Written reviews379 reviews
Positive91.0%
Neutral4.2%
Negative4.7%

8

All ratings6 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral33.3%
Negative16.7%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive25.0%
Neutral50.0%
Negative25.0%

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

8

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Pixel Art Maker

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$1.99
None

8

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Pixel Art Maker free?
Pixel Art Maker is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is 8 free?
8 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Pixel Art Maker or 8?
Pixel Art Maker is rated higher. Pixel Art Maker averages 4.8 out of 5 from 11K ratings, while 8 averages 4.0 from 9 ratings.
Do Pixel Art Maker or 8 have ads?
Pixel Art Maker shows ads; 8 does not.
Which is updated more often, Pixel Art Maker or 8?
Pixel Art Maker ships an update every 9 days, and 8 every 4 weeks. Most recently, Pixel Art Maker was updated on October 31, 2026 and 8 on October 24, 2026.

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