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Best Sketching Apps Art

240+ iOS apps & games curated and reviewed

4.4 avg rating
20 free apps & games
Updated August 2026

Paper is the household name in sketching apps art, but it's far from the only option. We track 240+ alternatives and competitors on iOS — many free, many higher-rated than you'd expect.

Compare top Sketching Apps Art (August 2026)

#AppPriceRatingAdsIn-App PurchasesUpdated
1Paper: Sketch, Draw & CreatePaper: Sketch, Draw & CreateFree4.6★ (72K)NoYesAug 2026
2Drawing Desk: Sketch Paint ArtDrawing Desk: Sketch Paint ArtFree4.3★ (15K)YesYesAug 2026
3Art Drawing 3DArt Drawing 3DFree4.7★ (42K)YesYesAug 2026
4Art Projector App: AR TracingArt Projector App: AR TracingFree4.0★ (4)NoYesAug 2026
5Doodle Buddy Paint Draw AppDoodle Buddy Paint Draw AppFree4.7★ (16K)YesYesAug 2026
6Sketchbook®Sketchbook®Free4.8★ (220K)NoYesAug 2026
7Drawsy: AR Draw for SketchingDrawsy: AR Draw for SketchingFree4.7★ (2.5K)YesYesAug 2026
8Tayasui SketchesTayasui SketchesFree4.5★ (54K)NoYesAug 2026

Top Picks for Sketching Apps Art

Paper: Sketch, Draw & Create#1

Paper: Sketch, Draw & Create by Evernote Corporation

Sketch with confidence
Editor's Choice
📊 Productivity
4.6😐(72K ratings)
FreeIn-App Purchases
Paper: Sketch, Draw & Create screenshot 1
Paper: Sketch, Draw & Create screenshot 2
Paper: Sketch, Draw & Create screenshot 3
Paper: Sketch, Draw & Create screenshot 4

This app offers an immersive sketching experience with intuitive tools and gesture-based controls. Easily create collages, paintings, and drawings without distracting menus. Organize your creations into journals and sync them across devices.

What We Love

  • 🚀 Fantastic drawing experience
  • 👍 Intuitive and user-friendly
  • 💡 Unique journal-like format
  • 🎨 Great for sketching and doodling

Room to Improve

  • 🔒 Subscription model for basic features
  • 🐛 Bugs and glitches after updates
  • 📥 Limited image import/export options
Drawing Desk: Sketch Paint Art#2

Drawing Desk: Sketch Paint Art by Farida Afrose

Learn How To Draw,Step-by-Step
Strong Contender
🎨 Graphics & Design
4.3😐(15K ratings)
FreeAdsIn-App Purchases
Drawing Desk: Sketch Paint Art screenshot 1
Drawing Desk: Sketch Paint Art screenshot 2
Drawing Desk: Sketch Paint Art screenshot 3
Drawing Desk: Sketch Paint Art screenshot 4
Drawing Desk: Sketch Paint Art screenshot 5
Drawing Desk: Sketch Paint Art screenshot 6

Unleash your creativity with a comprehensive digital art studio. Explore a vast array of tools for drawing, sketching, painting, and pixel art. Create masterpieces, relax with coloring, or design intricate mandalas.

What We Love

  • 👍 User-friendly
  • 🎨 Good for beginners
  • 💡 Variety of tools and colors
  • 🚀 Efficient for quick illustrations

Room to Improve

  • 💰 Too many paid features
  • 📢 Excessive ads
  • 🐛 Glitchy performance
Art Drawing 3D#3

Art Drawing 3D by Supercent, Inc.

ASMR art simulation game
Worth Considering
🎮 Games
4.7😐(42K ratings)
FreeAdsIn-App Purchases
Art Drawing 3D screenshot 1
Art Drawing 3D screenshot 2
Art Drawing 3D screenshot 3
Art Drawing 3D screenshot 4
Art Drawing 3D screenshot 5
Art Drawing 3D screenshot 6

Create stunning 3D art with satisfying gel, neon, and glitter pens. Explore diverse typographies, graphics, and calligraphies with simple tap controls. Enjoy a relaxing art simulation experience.

What We Love

  • 🚀 Satisfying drawing experience
  • 👍 Fun and relaxing game
  • 💡 Helpful for learning to draw
  • 👍 Great for all ages

Room to Improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and glitches
  • 💰 Too many ads
  • 🚫 Limited drawing capabilities

More Sketching Apps Art apps to explore

4
Art Projector App: AR Tracing
Art Projector App: AR Tracing
Art Projector App: AR Tracing
Draw, sketch, paint on paper
Free

This app uses augmented reality to project images onto any surface, allowing you to trace and draw them. It offers various drawing styles and topics, with tools to help you achieve perfection and unlimited inspiration from your own photos or a gallery.

AR projection for tracing on any surfaceMultiple drawing styles (pencil, ink, watercolor)Diverse drawing topics (people, architecture, animals)
🎨 Graphics & Design
(4)
free with in-app purchases
5
Doodle Buddy Paint Draw App
Doodle Buddy Paint Draw App
Doodle Buddy Paint Draw App
Sketch, Smudge & Draw on Pics
Free

Unleash your creativity by drawing on photos or pre-made backgrounds. Decorate your creations with over 1400 stamps, use smudge tools for unique effects, and stencils for perfect shapes. This app makes art accessible and fun for all skill levels.

Draw on photosIncluded backgrounds1400+ stamps
🎨 Graphics & Design
(16K)
free with in-app purchases
6
Sketchbook®
Sketchbook®
Sketchbook®
Draw, paint, & sketch anywhere
Free

This app provides a professional-grade drawing and painting experience for artists and illustrators. It offers a natural drawing feel with customizable tools, layers, and guides for precision. Unlock advanced features like custom brushes and canvas resizing with an optional premium purchase.

Full complement of brush typesHighly customizable brushesGuides, rulers, and stroke tools
🎨 Graphics & Design
(220K)
free with in-app purchases
7
Drawsy: AR Draw for Sketching
Drawsy: AR Draw for Sketching
Drawsy: AR Draw for Sketching
Tracing and drawing pictures
Free

This app uses augmented reality to project images onto your paper, allowing you to trace them with precision. Select an image, position your paper, and then use your phone's camera to overlay the image for easy tracing. You can also record your drawing process and share your creations.

AR image projection for tracingBuilt-in image galleryPaper detection and alignment
🎨 Graphics & Design
(2.5K)
subscription
8
Tayasui Sketches
Tayasui Sketches
Tayasui Sketches
Digital Drawing: Draw & Paint
Free

This app offers a realistic and versatile digital drawing experience with a wide array of tools, including watercolor brushes and a brush editor. It supports layers, cloud sync, and pressure stylus input for enhanced creativity on mobile devices.

Realistic drawing toolsWatercolor wet brushesBrush editor
🎨 Graphics & Design
(54K)
freemium
9
MediBang Paletta：Drawing App
MediBang Paletta：Drawing App
MediBang Paletta：Drawing App
Sketching, Drawing, Painting
Free

This painting app offers a user-friendly interface with world-class brushes and nuanced layering for digital art creation. Enjoy customizable brushes, creative effects, and professional finishing touches without subscription fees. Save and export your masterpieces in various formats, including PSD.

User-Friendly InterfaceWorld-Class BrushesNuanced Layering
🎨 Graphics & Design
(1K)
free with in-app purchases
10
ibis Paint X
ibis Paint X
ibis Paint X
High-performance painting app
Free

This versatile drawing application offers a professional-grade digital art experience on mobile devices. It provides an extensive library of brushes, materials, and fonts, along with advanced layer management and drawing tools. Users can also record their creative process and share it with a community of artists.

Over 47,000 brushesUnlimited layersDrawing process recording
🎨 Graphics & Design
(294K)
free with in-app purchases
11
Infinite Painter
Infinite Painter
Infinite Painter
Painting, drawing, & sketching
Free

Create stunning digital art with a powerful painting, sketching, and drawing app. It offers a vast array of brushes, intuitive tools, and advanced features for artists of all skill levels. Share your creations with time-lapse recordings and enjoy a seamless creative workflow.

Hundreds of built-in and custom brushesIntuitive and customizable interfaceAdvanced layer management
🎨 Graphics & Design
(10K)
free with in-app purchases
12
Drawing Pad -
Drawing Pad -
Drawing Pad -
Easy Sketch, Draw, Digital Art
Free

Create sketches, doodles, and digital art with a variety of brushes, stamps, and effects. Features include a coloring book, video recording of your drawing process, and photo editing tools. Export your creations to physical products.

Sketching and doodling toolsDigital art creationColoring book with multiple categories
🎨 Graphics & Design
(99K)
free with in-app purchases
13
AR Drawing: Trace to Sketch '
AR Drawing: Trace to Sketch '
AR Drawing: Trace to Sketch '
Paint: Camera to Draw on Paper
Free

Transform your device into a tracing tool. Project any sketch onto any surface using your phone's camera and trace it onto paper or walls. Customize your drawing experience with adjustable transparency, a flashlight, and the ability to scale and lock sketches.

Project and trace sketches onto any surfaceUpload custom images for tracingAdjust sketch transparency
🔧 Utilities
(562)
subscription
14
AR Drawing Studio - Sketching
AR Drawing Studio - Sketching
AR Drawing Studio - Sketching
Trace & Draw picture on paper
Free

Transform your phone into a drawing assistant using augmented reality to trace images onto paper. Access a library of designs or upload your own, with tools to perfect your sketches. Share your creations with friends and family.

Trace with AR technologyCustomizable sketch libraryUpload own images
🎨 Graphics & Design
(2)
free with in-app purchases
15
Draw: Step-by-Step Art Guide
Draw: Step-by-Step Art Guide
Draw: Step-by-Step Art Guide
Easy Drawing Lessons
Free
🎬 Entertainment
(0)
16
Drawing Pad - draw & paint art
Drawing Pad - draw & paint art
Drawing Pad - draw & paint art
Painting drawing & sketching
Free

This app provides a responsive drawing experience with flexible brush sizes. It's a digital canvas for creating art and sketches.

Responsive drawingFlexible brush sizesDigital art creation
🎬 Entertainment
(245)
free with in-app purchases
17
AR Drawing Sketch: Trace Draw
AR Drawing Sketch: Trace Draw
AR Drawing Sketch: Trace Draw
Simple AR Draw & Art Projector
Free

This app uses augmented reality to project images onto paper for tracing, offering guided lessons and real-time feedback to improve drawing skills. It's designed for artists of all levels, from beginners building fundamentals to experienced artists refining their techniques.

AR tracing projectionGuided drawing lessonsReal-time feedback
🎨 Graphics & Design
(1.2K)
free with in-app purchases
18
Photo To Sketch - Drawing book
Photo To Sketch - Drawing book
Photo To Sketch - Drawing book
Pencil Sketchbook Painting Pad
Free

Transform your photos into pencil sketches with a single tap. This app also offers a vast collection of coloring pages for all ages, with daily updates. Enhance your creations with adjustable contrast and brightness, and share your artwork instantly.

Convert photos to pencil sketchesMultiple sketch stylesAdjustable contrast and brightness
📷 Photo & Video
(12K)
free with in-app purchases
19
Tayasui Memopad - Notes & Draw
Tayasui Memopad - Notes & Draw
Tayasui Memopad - Notes & Draw
Sketch, Scribble, Create
Free
$4.99 | 100% OFF

Unleash your creativity with this intuitive drawing and note-taking app. Perfect for both kids and adults, it offers realistic tools, layers, and vibrant colors. Capture thoughts, sketch ideas, and express yourself effortlessly.

Realistic drawing toolsPressure support for Apple PencilLayers
📊 Productivity
(896)
subscription
20
Trace Studio: Draw & Sketch
Trace Studio: Draw & Sketch
Trace Studio: Draw & Sketch
Drawing Projector for Tracing
Free

Learn to draw and sketch with guided tracing tools. Transform photos into traceable art using AI. Explore a library of over 500 images or import your own for practice.

AR TracingCamera OverlayLightbox mode
🎨 Graphics & Design
(61)
free with in-app purchases

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FAQ about Sketching Apps Art

What are the best sketching apps art for iPhone?
Paper: Sketch, Draw & Create tops our sketching apps art ranking as of August 2026, with a 4.6-star average from 72K App Store ratings, and it's free to download.
Yes — 20 of the top sketching apps art we rank are free to download, including Paper: Sketch, Draw & Create and Drawing Desk: Sketch Paint Art.
Paper: Sketch, Draw & Create has no ads and offers in-app purchases, according to its App Store listing as of August 2026.
We track 240+ sketching apps art on the iOS App Store as of August 2026, ranked by rating, recency, and analysis of real user reviews.
Paper is an immersive sketching app designed to help users set their ideas free. It offers intuitive tools for sketching, drawing, and creating collages without distracting menus, allowing for a natural creative flow.
Key features include perfectly-tuned tools for sketching and painting, gesture-based controls for a distraction-free experience, the ability to add multiple photos to a single page for collages, and organization of pages into journals that sync across devices.