Comparison

RoughAnimator vs Pixel Studio PRO

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

Head to head
About

RoughAnimator

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
Read full description

A fully featured hand drawn animation application for iPad. Made by an animator, for animators. Powerful enough for professionals, simple enough for beginners. Everything you need to create traditional hand drawn frame-by-frame animation, anywhere you go! Features: - Timeline with unlimited layers and easily adjustable exposure length of individual drawings, for pose-to-pose or straight-ahead animating - Onion skinning - Preview playback - Scrub along timeline - Import audio for lip syncing - Import video for rotoscoping animation - Custom brushes - Supports Apple Pencil, Logitech Crayon - Control framerate and resolution - Export animation to Quicktime video, GIF, or image sequence - RoughAnimator projects can be imported to Adobe Flash/Animate, After Effects, and Toon Boom Harmony - Also available on desktop See a short film animated with RoughAnimator: https://youtu.be/vaHuJNNPoMM

About

Pixel Studio PRO

This app is a powerful yet user-friendly pixel art editor designed for artists and game developers. It offers a comprehensive suite of tools for creating detailed pixel art, including support for layers, animations, and custom palettes. Seamlessly sync your work across devices and share your creations with a vibrant community.

Highlights
  • Layers for advanced editing
  • Frame-by-frame animation
  • MP4 video export with music
  • Google Drive sync
  • Customizable palettes
  • Cross-platform compatibility
Features
Read full description

Create pixel art, animated sprites and game assets on iPhone and iPad. Draw with layers, animate frame by frame, and export your work as images, GIFs or sprite sheets. Start with a small character or build a detailed scene. Pixel Studio PRO brings drawing, animation and color tools together, with Apple Pencil support and a customizable workspace. Get PRO features with a one-time purchase, including an ad-free workspace, Google Drive sync and advanced creative tools. DRAW PIXEL ART • Work with layers, built-in and custom brushes, shapes and gradients • Draw symmetrically and add shading with the Dithering Pen • Use Dot Pen for precise drawing with a cursor • Customize your grid, background and toolbar • Resize and rotate your canvas, with pixel art scaling and rotation tools • Create seamless textures with Tile Mode ANIMATE YOUR SPRITES • Create frame-by-frame animations with Onion Skin • Export animations as GIFs or sprite sheets • Add music and export videos to MP4 without limits WORK WITH COLOR • Create your own palettes with up to 256 colors or use built-in palettes and palettes from Lospec • Pick colors with RGBA and HSV controls • Extract palettes from images and apply palettes to your artwork • Adjust hue, saturation and lightness without limits SAVE AND SHARE • Use autosave and backups to help protect your projects • Sync your work between supported devices and platforms with Google Drive • Work with PNG, JPG, GIF, BMP, TGA and Pixel Studio Project files • Import Aseprite files • Share your artwork with the Pixel Network community PRO FEATURES INCLUDED • No ads • Google Drive sync across supported platforms • Dark theme • 256-color palettes • Tile Mode for seamless textures • Extended maximum project size • Unlimited color adjustments and MP4 exports • Additional format support • Extended Pixel Network storage Sample images by lorddkno, Redshrike, Calciumtrice, Buch and Tomoe Mami are used under CC BY 3.0. Privacy Policy: https://github.com/hippogamesunity/PixelStudioHub/wiki/Privacy-Policy Terms of Use: https://github.com/hippogamesunity/PixelStudioHub/wiki/EULA

Screenshots

RoughAnimator1 screens
Pixel Studio PRO4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: RoughAnimator at none against Pixel Studio PRO's 5. RoughAnimator also leads on ads (none vs shown) and price ($7.99 vs $12.99). On rating, review sentiment and device support 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

RoughAnimator costs $7.99 and Pixel Studio PRO $12.99 up front. Pixel Studio PRO sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. RoughAnimator asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for RoughAnimator against 4.5 for Pixel Studio PRO. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: RoughAnimator has 3K ratings behind it against 74, 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 85% of Pixel Studio PRO's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

RoughAnimator ships an update fortnightly, Pixel Studio PRO every 2 months. Both last shipped on November 13, 2026.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
RoughAnimator versus Pixel Studio PRO: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRoughAnimatorPixel Studio PRO
Price$7.99 — better$12.99
Rating4.6 (3K ratings) — better4.5 (74 ratings)
Positive reviews78.6% of reviews84.6% of reviews — better
Number of ratings3K — better74
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank#9 — better#93
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size31 MB144 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperJacob KAFKAFarida Yarullina

Customer experience

RoughAnimator

All ratings2,936 ratings
Positive92.5%
Neutral3.3%
Negative4.2%
Written reviews852 reviews
Positive78.6%
Neutral9.4%
Negative12.0%

Pixel Studio PRO

All ratings74 ratings
Positive87.8%
Neutral5.4%
Negative6.8%
Written reviews91 reviews
Positive84.6%
Neutral6.6%
Negative8.8%

Bugs and requests

RoughAnimator

Reported bugs

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

Requested features

8 requests
  • 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)
Show 3 more
  • Implement a tween/animation feature
  • Add layer grouping and organization tools
  • Provide a dark mode option

Pixel Studio PRO

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

RoughAnimator

No in-app purchases

5 purchases

Pixel Studio PRO

Subscriptions1
  • PREMIUM subscription$3.991 Month
One-time4
  • PROMOTION IN PIXEL NETWORK$0.99
  • EXTRA STORAGE IN PIXEL NETWORK$3.99
  • PRO CROSS GIFT -50%!$8.99
Show 1 more
  • PRO CROSS$17.99

Questions

Is RoughAnimator free?
RoughAnimator costs $7.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Pixel Studio PRO free?
Pixel Studio PRO costs $12.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, RoughAnimator or Pixel Studio PRO?
RoughAnimator is rated higher. RoughAnimator averages 4.6 out of 5 from 3K ratings, while Pixel Studio PRO averages 4.5 from 74 ratings.
Do RoughAnimator or Pixel Studio PRO have ads?
Pixel Studio PRO shows ads; RoughAnimator does not.
Which is updated more often, RoughAnimator or Pixel Studio PRO?
RoughAnimator ships an update fortnightly, and Pixel Studio PRO every 2 months. Most recently, RoughAnimator was updated on November 13, 2026 and Pixel Studio PRO on November 13, 2026.
Which is more popular, RoughAnimator or Pixel Studio PRO?
RoughAnimator currently peaks at #9 in the App Store charts, and Pixel Studio PRO at #93. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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