RoughAnimator vs ArtDen
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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
ArtDen
This app connects artists with art enthusiasts, serving as a marketplace for digital art commissions. Artists can showcase their work and find clients, while buyers can discover new talent and commission unique pieces. It fosters a community for creators and art lovers to connect.
- Showcase digital art
- Commission custom art
- Discover new artists
- Connect with buyers
- Art community forum
- Discord integration
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WHO WE ARE ArtDen is a marketplace app for digital art commissions where artists can showcase, share, and be commissioned (or hired) to create unique and amazing pieces. ArtDen is not just for artists; anyone with a passion for art can explore our platform, and discover new talents. Join us at ArtDen, where creativity has no limits! NEW ART COMMUNITY Join our brand new art community to post your art, find artists, and connect with buyers! We are excited to be here and hope you discover new art and artists, as well as find customers if you're an artist! DISCORD Join our Discord server to connect and communicate with others on the platform.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: ArtDen at Free against RoughAnimator's $7.99. RoughAnimator's advantage is rating (4.6 vs 4.2) and ratings volume (3K vs 12). On review sentiment, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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
ArtDen is free to download; RoughAnimator costs $7.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
RoughAnimator holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: RoughAnimator has 3K ratings behind it against 12, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 79% of RoughAnimator's written reviews are positive against 75% of ArtDen's.
RoughAnimator ships an update fortnightly, ArtDen every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | RoughAnimator | ArtDen |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $7.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.6 (3K ratings) — better | 4.2 (12 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 78.6% of reviews — better | 75.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 3K — better | 12 |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly — better | Every 4 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Ad-supported — better |
| Best chart rank | #10 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13 — better | 14.0.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 31 MB | 71 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Jacob KAFKA | Brianna Norwood |
Customer experience
RoughAnimator
ArtDen
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 moreShow fewer
- Implement a tween/animation feature
- Add layer grouping and organization tools
- Provide a dark mode option
ArtDen
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
RoughAnimator
No in-app purchases
ArtDen
No in-app purchases
