# RoughAnimator vs Mental Canvas Draw

The clearest difference is price: Mental Canvas Draw at Free against RoughAnimator's $7.99. RoughAnimator's advantage is rating (4.6 vs 3.8) and review sentiment (79% vs 42%). On ads there is nothing between them.

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

RoughAnimator holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3K and 673 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 79% of RoughAnimator's written reviews are positive against 42% of Mental Canvas Draw's.

RoughAnimator ships an update fortnightly, Mental Canvas Draw every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | RoughAnimator | Mental Canvas Draw |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $7.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.6 (3K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/roughanimator-animation-app/id954718244/reviews)** | [3.8 (673 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mental-canvas-draw/id1462179740/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **3K** | 673 |
| Positive reviews | **78.6% of reviews** | 42.4% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 5 weeks |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Best chart rank | **#11** | — |
| Size | 31 MB | 43 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13** | 16.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Jacob KAFKA](https://appshunter.io/developer/954718243) | [Mental Canvas](https://appshunter.io/developer/965277578) |

## What reviewers say

### RoughAnimator

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

**Currently charting:** #11 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)


### Mental Canvas Draw

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mental-canvas-draw/id1462179740)

Explore ideas and communicate concepts in a new dimension with this spatial drawing application. Create on infinite canvases, navigate your creations from any perspective, and easily edit and share your work.  It's ideal for designers, artists, and storytellers.

**Highlights:** Infinite spatial canvases, Freely navigate perspectives, Unlimited canvases and layers, Import images and drawings, Create animated flythroughs, Projection tools for stroke reinterpretation, Interactive web experience sharing

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

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Mental Canvas Pro (Monthly) | $9.99 | per month |
| Mental Canvas Premium (Month) | $59.99 | per month |
| Mental Canvas Pro (Yearly) | $89.99 | per year |
| Mental Canvas Premium (Annual) | $569.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Extremely unique
- 🚀 Nothing else like it
- 👍 Wonderful, creative app
- 👍 Brings creations to a new level
- 👍 Great for storyboarding and animation

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and loses work
- 🐛 Drawing tools don't work properly
- 🔒 Requires Apple Pencil, no finger drawing
- 💰 Overpriced subscription plans
- 👎 Confusing and unintuitive to use

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes when trying to save large files
- Drawing tools stop working randomly
- Imported images don't maintain transparency
- Depth/3D tools suddenly stop functioning

**Requested features**

- Add finger/stylus drawing support
- Improve layer and canvas management
- Implement basic drawing tools like lines, shapes
- Allow exporting layers separately
- Provide more brushes and blending options


## Frequently asked questions

### Is RoughAnimator free?

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

### Is Mental Canvas Draw free?

Mental Canvas Draw is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, RoughAnimator or Mental Canvas Draw?

RoughAnimator is rated higher. RoughAnimator averages 4.6 out of 5 from 3K ratings, while Mental Canvas Draw averages 3.8 from 673 ratings.

### Do RoughAnimator or Mental Canvas Draw have ads?

Neither RoughAnimator nor Mental Canvas Draw shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, RoughAnimator or Mental Canvas Draw?

RoughAnimator ships an update fortnightly, and Mental Canvas Draw every 5 weeks. Most recently, RoughAnimator was updated on November 11, 2026 and Mental Canvas Draw on November 3, 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.*