# RoughAnimator vs Adobe Illustrator

RoughAnimator and Adobe Illustrator both sit at 4.6 stars, but that hides the real split: 79% of RoughAnimator's written reviews are positive against 13% of Adobe Illustrator's. RoughAnimator also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 4) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months). Adobe Illustrator's advantage is price (Free vs $7.99) and ratings volume (38K vs 3K). On rating, ads and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Adobe Illustrator is free to download; RoughAnimator costs $7.99 up front. Adobe Illustrator sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. RoughAnimator asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for RoughAnimator against 4.5 for Adobe Illustrator. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Adobe Illustrator has 38K ratings behind it against 3K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 79% of RoughAnimator's written reviews are positive against 13% of Adobe Illustrator's.

RoughAnimator ships an update fortnightly, Adobe Illustrator every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | RoughAnimator | Adobe Illustrator |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $7.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.6 (3K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/roughanimator-animation-app/id954718244/reviews)** | [4.5 (38K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/adobe-illustrator-graphic-art/id1018784575/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 3K | **38K** |
| Positive reviews | **78.6% of reviews** | 13.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Best chart rank | **#8** | — |
| Size | 31 MB | 856 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13** | 14.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Jacob KAFKA](https://appshunter.io/developer/954718243) | [Adobe Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/331646274) |

## What reviewers say

### RoughAnimator

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/roughanimator-animation-app/id954718244)

**Currently charting:** #8 Top Paid · Graphics & Design (US App Store)

Create traditional hand-drawn, frame-by-frame animations on your iPad. This app offers professional-grade tools like unlimited layers, onion skinning, and audio import, making it suitable for both beginners and experienced animators. Export your work in various formats or import it into professional animation software.

**Highlights:** Timeline with unlimited layers, Onion skinning, Audio and video import, Custom brushes, Apple Pencil support, Export to video, GIF, image sequence, Import to professional software

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Smooth animation
- 💡 Useful features like camera and audio
- 👍 Intuitive interface
- 👍 Great for beginners

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes when importing video/audio
- 🐛 Laggy performance with larger projects
- 🐛 Pixelated/blurry drawings when playing animation
- 🐛 Onion skin not working
- 🐛 Brush issues like splotchy lines

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes when importing audio
- Onion skin not working
- Pixelated drawings when playing animation
- Laggy performance with larger projects

**Requested features**

- Add transparency support for exports
- Implement a text tool
- Provide more brush options and customization
- Add a ruler/shape tool
- Improve audio handling (record, import, sync)


### Adobe Illustrator

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/adobe-illustrator-graphic-art/id1018784575)

Create logos, illustrations, and graphics on your iPad with intuitive Apple Pencil support. Design vector art, manipulate type, and create patterns on the go, even offline. Seamlessly sync your work across devices and other Adobe apps.

**Highlights:** Vector drawing with Apple Pencil, Advanced typography tools, Pattern creation, Image vectorization, Cross-device syncing, Gradient and color tools

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Illustrator on iPad : Monthly | $9.99 | per month |
| Adobe Design Mobile: Monthly | $14.99 | per month |
| Illustrator on iPad : Yearly | $79.99 | per year |
| Adobe Design Mobile: Yearly | $149.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Smooth and intuitive
- 👍 Great for on-the-go vector work
- 🚀 Seamless sync with desktop Illustrator
- 👍 Useful for quick sketches and illustrations

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezes
- 🔍 Missing key desktop features
- 🔍 Buggy layer and selection handling
- 🔍 Limited export options and quality
- 🔍 Unintuitive interface in some areas

**Reported bugs**

- Layers disappearing or not updating properly
- Eraser tool behaving inconsistently
- Pasting content causing unexpected issues
- Frequent crashes when working on complex files

**Requested features**

- Ability to rotate canvas
- More brush and stroke customization options
- Implement Gaussian blur and other effects
- Add support for keyboard shortcuts
- Improve file management and cloud sync


## Frequently asked questions

### Is RoughAnimator free?

RoughAnimator costs $7.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Adobe Illustrator free?

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

### Which has better reviews, RoughAnimator or Adobe Illustrator?

RoughAnimator is rated higher. RoughAnimator averages 4.6 out of 5 from 3K ratings, while Adobe Illustrator averages 4.5 from 38K ratings.

### Do RoughAnimator or Adobe Illustrator have ads?

Neither RoughAnimator nor Adobe Illustrator shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, RoughAnimator or Adobe Illustrator?

RoughAnimator ships an update fortnightly, and Adobe Illustrator every 2 months. Most recently, RoughAnimator was updated on October 29, 2026 and Adobe Illustrator 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.*