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Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
Head-to-head

ibis Paint X vs Sketchbook®

ibis Paint X 4.7★ · Free + IAP 75
Winner ibis Paint X
Sketchbook® 4.8★ · Free + IAP 60

For most users, ibis Paint X offers a more feature-rich and accessible experience, despite recent negative updates, while Sketchbook® struggles with usability and perceived feature limitations.

Full reviews: ibis Paint X · Sketchbook®

ibis Paint X is generally praised for its extensive features and ease of use for digital art, though recent updates removing the in-app browser and increasing ads have caused significant user frustration. Sketchbook® is appreciated for its ad-free experience and wide range of brushes, but many users find its interface confusing and report missing essential features like blending, lasso tools, and animation.

Head to head

Features edge: ibis Paint XR1R4R7R11
ibis Paint X ibis Paint X is lauded for its wide array of brushes, tools, and styles, making it suitable for various art forms including comics and Roblox clothes R11R14R35. Users appreciate features like layers, undo buttons, and the lasso fill tool R43. However, recent updates have removed the in-app browser, making it difficult to access custom fonts and the online gallery R1R4R7R12. Some users also note missing simple tools like a flip function for selections and the ability to add audio to animations .
Sketchbook® Sketchbook® offers a variety of brushes, markers, and erasers, and the ability to insert and draw over images . However, users frequently report a lack of crucial features such as blending tools , Alpha Lock , liquify , curve line options , and animation on mobile . There are also complaints about not being able to change canvas size or import multiple images . Some users feel that many useful tools are locked behind a premium bundle .
Ease of Use edge: ibis Paint XR9R16R17R27
ibis Paint X Many users find ibis Paint X easy to learn and use, even for beginners or those drawing with a finger on a phone R17R43R51. However, some recent updates have made the process of adding fonts more complicated R16R27, and some users describe the app as confusing or glitchy, leading to crashes R9.
Sketchbook® Sketchbook® is described as easy to use by some, especially for beginners R83. However, a significant number of users find the app confusing and hard to navigate, particularly its interface and layer settings . Issues like the fill bucket tool being annoying and delayed effects when drawing or erasing also contribute to a less smooth experience.
Reliability edge: ibis Paint XR1R9R12R15
ibis Paint X While many users praise ibis Paint X for working great , there are reports of the app crashing frequently R9 and sometimes deleting or corrupting drawings R15. Some users also experience bugs with photo uploads and the online gallery not working as expected R1R12R15.
Sketchbook® Sketchbook® users report significant reliability issues, including frequent crashes , the app stopping working , and not saving work . Some users also mention bugs happening every few minutes and the app freezing, requiring a reload .
Price/Value edge: Sketchbook®R3R6R10R15
ibis Paint X ibis Paint X is a free app with in-app purchases, but users frequently complain about an excessive number of ads, especially when not paying for premium R3R6R10R15. Some feel that too many essential features and brushes are locked behind a paywall or require watching ads for limited access R3R6.
Sketchbook® Sketchbook® is also a free app with in-app purchases. Many users praise it for having no ads and offering all brushes for free, with premium only adding features like favorites . However, some users report being charged after a free trial or feeling that useful tools are only available with the premium bundle, making the free version feel limited . There's also confusion about whether it's truly ad-free, with one user reporting ads every 3 minutes .
Support tieR1R4R7R13
ibis Paint X Users express frustration with recent updates, particularly the removal of the in-app browser, and frequently request that developers revert these changes R1R4R7R13. There are also unanswered questions about how to fix issues like the online gallery not working R15.
Sketchbook® Users frequently request new features like Alpha Lock , liquify , animation on mobile , color jitter in brush settings , clipping layers , curve line options , and the ability to make custom brushes and color palettes . There are also calls for better cloud saving options .
Pick ibis Paint X if

Pick ibis Paint X if you are a beginner or experienced artist looking for a feature-rich drawing app with a wide variety of tools and brushes, and you don't mind dealing with ads or the recent changes to font and gallery access R17R43. It's particularly good for those who draw on mobile devices with a finger R43R51.

Pick Sketchbook® if

Pick Sketchbook® if you prioritize an ad-free experience and a wide selection of free brushes, and you are comfortable with a potentially less intuitive interface or are willing to explore its features extensively . It might also appeal to those who prefer a simpler, more focused drawing experience without many advanced features .

Evidence note: Recent reviews for ibis Paint X are heavily skewed negative due to a specific update removing the in-app browser and changing font access. This has significantly impacted user perception despite the app's generally high lifetime rating. Sketchbook® has some conflicting reports regarding ads, with most users stating it's ad-free, but one review explicitly mentioning ads.

Frequently asked

Which app is better for beginners?
ibis Paint X is generally recommended for beginner artists due to its ease of learning and use, even when drawing with a finger on a phone R17R43R51. Sketchbook® also has users who find it easy for beginners, but others find its interface confusing R83.
Do these apps have ads?
ibis Paint X has frequent and often intrusive ads for non-paying users, appearing every few seconds or when exiting projects R3R6R10R25. Sketchbook® is largely praised for being ad-free, with many users highlighting this as a major positive, though one review reported ads every 3 minutes .
Can I get custom fonts in these apps?
In ibis Paint X, recent updates have removed the in-app browser, making it significantly harder to access and download custom fonts, often requiring users to go to external browsers or files R1R4R16R19. Reviews for Sketchbook® do not mention font customization, focusing more on drawing tools.
Which app has more features?
ibis Paint X is generally considered to have a wider range of features and tools, including various brushes, layers, undo functions, and a lasso fill tool, making it versatile for different art styles R11R14R35R43. Sketchbook® offers many brushes and layers, but users frequently report missing advanced features like Alpha Lock, liquify, curve lines, and animation on mobile .

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 120 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.

  1. [R1] ibis Paint X 1/5 · US Uhmmmm why??: I would’ve rated this a 5 but ever since ibis paint x took away the google feature I can’t get the fonts I want to. Please bring that back. I also don’t really know why but it won’t let me view the online gallery. Please fix this and thank you. (This update honestly sucks tho plz bring back the google feature and online gallery)
  2. [R4] ibis Paint X 1/5 · US new update: this new update sucks for like half the people that use your app. a lot of us are minors without web browsers and now we can't access our comics. please bring back the in app web browser. idk who told you guys that this was a good idea
  3. [R7] ibis Paint X 1/5 · US Dawg: Brochacho bring back the browser 👅 I am not researching about my oc lore on safari anyway stream Mitski 🗣️🔥🔥🔥🔥
  4. [R11] ibis Paint X 5/5 · US love the app: This app is so good I draw good and the inequality is really good too. I hope this app never gets deleted or hacked because it’s really good and I can get good at my drawing styles
  5. [R9] ibis Paint X 3/5 · US I geniuanlly don’t know: So this app made me crash out a lot of times and it’s so confusing but overall I still like it
  6. [R16] ibis Paint X 1/5 · US the new update: in my opinion, the new update just adds more steps to upload new fonts into Ibis Paint. Hopefully it’s reverted back to it’s previous version
  7. [R17] ibis Paint X 5/5 · US Best drawing app ever!: Ok so I’ve had this app the minute I found out about digital art. If you’re a beginner artist then I recommend this app 100%! This app is the best app on my iPad (other then TikTok and Roblox) love you ibis paint X!
  8. [R27] ibis Paint X 3/5 · GB I can’t download fonts: Ok so basically i opened ibis and i wanted to get a new font but for some reason its telling me to DOWNLOAD IT FROM A FILE LIKE NO I AINT DOING THAT!! I WANT THE EASIER WAY NOT THE HARDER WAY! if u dont fix this ur only getting 3 stars
  9. [R12] ibis Paint X 3/5 · US stop taking me to the website: The app is good in general but when I updated it to the new version my account (okay@art NOT SELF PROMO) when I go to the online gallery it keeps taking me to the website (If yall don’t fix it im gonna die :P)
  10. [R15] ibis Paint X 3/5 · US What??!!: I actually love the app but there are a good amount of adds that are annoying and there are times when it just deletes something that I had just drawn and I cannot undo it! I also have been having a problem where over the last couple of days I haven’t been able to get on the community page at all like when I press the button it just doesn’t work??!! How do I fix this??
  11. [R3] ibis Paint X 3/5 · US Eh: Good but not good. Too many ads and most good stuff you gotta pay for. Just make it a paid app at this rate.
  12. [R6] ibis Paint X 3/5 · US All the pop up adds make the app more difficult, though it’s easy and decent making digital art.: I don’t like all the pop ups and adds it ruins the experience and makes it hard to use, also you cannot use all brushes and tools sadly. But aside that, it’s great for making digital art!
  13. [R10] ibis Paint X 1/5 · US I hate it: I will admit it’s very good for making Roblox clothes ON IMAC but on iPad or mobile it’s so freaking anyit gives you ads every 2 secs unless you pay I hate it so much they need to fix the ads too because I put myself as 13-16 and it was giving me ticktock ads when ticktock is 17+ and like it was giving me a ton PLEASE DO NOT RECOMMEND
  14. [R13] ibis Paint X 1/5 · US Bro: I can’t goon no more bring the browser back✌️
  15. [R43] ibis Paint X 5/5 · US IbisPaint is useful!: IS THE BEST this app is really easy for me and I’m literally doing it on a phone with a finger but I like how you can do layers and have undo buttons and different types of brushes And this app is very useful
  16. [R51] ibis Paint X 5/5 · US Perfect: I LOVE this app so much I usually am bad at finger drawing but this CHANGED my finger drawing I improved so much I really recommend this if you are bad at finger drawing TIP: you can press the lock on the brush your want and at the very bottom of it it say watch ad or smthn I have NO problems with it and I hope you do too
  17. [R83] Sketchbook® 5/5 · US It’s perfect!!: As a beginner (and watching tutorials ofc) I can draw realistic eyes, lips, and noses!! I love this app, and it’s very easy to use. My lip designs are pretty cute, and I love the blending tool! This app is so useful, however using it on a phone is a bit hard, but that’s ok!!
  18. [R25] ibis Paint X 1/5 · US This has to stop: I keep getting ads every time I exit off a project so stop giving me so many ads Edit: how much storage does this thing need?! Edit: omg I got an inappropriate ad about webtoons as soon as my mom responded to me yesterday, remove all of the inappropriate ads Edit: no new update in a month, you should improve the app instead of making it disappointing Edit: soooooooo many ads.
  19. [R19] ibis Paint X 1/5 · US 😡👿: ADD BACK THE FONT BROWSER IN THE APP
  20. [R14] ibis Paint X 5/5 · US YOU SHOULD GET THIS APP😍: THIS APP IS SO GOOD. ITS LITERALLY THERAPY AND IT'S SUCH A GOOD DRAWING WPP
  21. [R35] ibis Paint X 5/5 · US 🐳: i love this app so much! so much styles u can do on this app and it’s amazing! many colors/ brushes! i love this app a lot

Synthesized from 120 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store