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

Tayasui Sketches vs Drawing Desk

Tayasui Sketches 4.5★ · Free + IAP 65
Winner Tayasui Sketches
Drawing Desk 4.3★ · Free + IAP 40

Tayasui Sketches is the better choice for artists seeking a more robust drawing experience, despite its aggressive monetization, while Drawing Desk struggles with core functionality and an equally frustrating paywall.

Full reviews: Tayasui Sketches · Drawing Desk

Tayasui Sketches offers a more feature-rich drawing experience, praised for its tools and creative output, but faces significant backlash for its shift to subscription models and paywalls. Drawing Desk, while also free with IAP, is plagued by critical issues like crashing, non-functional features, and an even more restrictive paywall that limits basic drawing functions.

Head to head

Features and Tools edge: Tayasui SketchesR7R11R13R30
Tayasui Sketches Tayasui Sketches users appreciate the variety of tools and brushes, with some calling it 'awesome' and 'fundamental' for their sketches R41R53R59. However, a major point of contention is that many desirable brushes and features, including basic pens and the ability to rotate the canvas, are now locked behind a paywall or subscription R7R11R13R30.
Drawing Desk Drawing Desk users are frustrated by the severe limitations on tools and features in the free version, with many basic functions like brushes, shapes, and coloring pages requiring payment R62. Some users also report that advertised features like AR drawing or tracing on paper do not work .
Ease of Use edge: Tayasui SketchesR21R35R60R84
Tayasui Sketches Users generally find Tayasui Sketches easy to navigate and use, with a clear UI and good tutorials R21R35. However, some recent updates have made navigation more cumbersome, requiring users to click through folders one at a time R60.
Drawing Desk Drawing Desk receives mixed feedback on ease of use. While some find it helpful for learning to draw , others report difficulty with tracing features and a lack of proper lessons, especially for specific drawing styles R84.
Reliability and Performance tieR4R6R21R24
Tayasui Sketches Tayasui Sketches has significant issues with crashing and lagging, particularly on older devices R4R6R21R24. Users also report problems with saving artwork and needing to reinstall the app to get it to open R24.
Drawing Desk Drawing Desk also suffers from reliability issues, with users reporting the app crashing frequently and deleting their work . Some users experience a black screen upon opening or when trying to use AR features, making the app unusable . It also has issues with features not working as advertised .
Price and Value tieR1R3R4R7
Tayasui Sketches Tayasui Sketches users are highly critical of the app's monetization strategy, especially recent changes that put previously free features behind new paywalls or subscriptions R1R3R7R10. Many feel it's a 'cash grab' and a 'scam' R4.
Drawing Desk Drawing Desk users are equally frustrated by the extensive paywalls, with almost everything requiring payment or a subscription . Users also complain about frequent ads, even when a 'no ads' feature is implied R70.
Pick Tayasui Sketches if

Pick Tayasui Sketches if you are an artist who values a clear UI, good tutorials, and a wide range of drawing tools, and are willing to pay for a subscription to access all features R21R35R41R53. It's also suitable if you've used it before and found its core drawing experience superior, despite recent monetization changes R4R24.

Pick Drawing Desk if

Pick Drawing Desk if you are looking for a very basic drawing app and are prepared to encounter significant paywalls for almost all features, or if you are interested in its specific (though sometimes non-functional) AR drawing capabilities R62.

Evidence note: Both apps are free with in-app purchases, and both have garnered significant recent negative reviews due to aggressive monetization strategies, including shifting previously free features behind subscriptions. This free-vs-paid asymmetry means many negative reviews for both apps stem from non-paying users encountering paywalls. For Tayasui Sketches, many long-time users express frustration over features they previously purchased or used for free now requiring new subscriptions R10. Drawing Desk's negative reviews are more broadly about the sheer number of features locked behind payment from the outset R70.

Frequently asked

Do I have to pay to use Tayasui Sketches or Drawing Desk?
Yes, both Tayasui Sketches and Drawing Desk are free to download but heavily rely on in-app purchases and subscriptions to unlock most features, including basic drawing tools, new canvases, and advanced options R1R7R10R18.
Which app has better drawing tools?
Tayasui Sketches generally offers a wider and more satisfying range of drawing tools and brushes, despite many now being paywalled, with users praising its creative capabilities R41R53R59. Drawing Desk's tools are severely limited in the free version, and some advertised features, like AR drawing, are reported to be non-functional R62.
Are there many ads in these apps?
Tayasui Sketches users mention dealing with ads, though less frequently than paywall complaints R9R46R58. Drawing Desk users report a significant issue with frequent ads, even when the app claims 'no ads' with certain purchases R70.
Do these apps crash often?
Both apps have significant issues with crashing and freezing. Tayasui Sketches users report constant crashes, especially on older devices, and problems with the app not starting or saving work R4R6R21R24. Drawing Desk also crashes frequently, sometimes deleting work, and users experience black screens or the app kicking them out .

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. [R7] Tayasui Sketches 1/5 · US Why Pay Now?: I have had this app for many years at this point, using it for a wide variety of projects. There has always been the option to buy pro, but the free version at least provided a lot on its own. Then I go to use it today (July 6, 2026) after just using it the day before, and suddenly I now have to buy pro to access all the basic pens?! All I want is to use the ink pen (right in the mid
  2. [R11] Tayasui Sketches 4/5 · US Good: Tayasui sketches is pretty good but i wish there were more marker options
  3. [R13] Tayasui Sketches 1/5 · US Terrible: Thank you for removing every feature that makes this app good and then putting it behind a subscription service.
  4. [R30] Tayasui Sketches 3/5 · US “SO MUCH BETTER THAN SKETCHES SCHOOL!”: this app is amazing. Or which was what I thought until I used it today. The brush I used the most was freaking “pro’ or whatever, and I can’t use it anymore. PLS DON’T END UP LIKE CAPCUT :[
  5. [R21] Tayasui Sketches 3/5 · US Good app but could use improvements: Crashes a lot on older devices, if you don’t want your stuff to look so traditional then the app probably isn’t for you. Everyone on sketches community posts traced drawings or stolen art. They an have AI ‘art’ generator now. Other than that, the clear UI, the easiness to sort drawings, and the tutorials are very good.
  6. [R35] Tayasui Sketches 5/5 · US Fantastic Journey Into Creativity: Sketches is a great creative outlet with an easy to navigate menu bringing your visions to life. Give it a go and let your spirit lead the way!
  7. [R60] Tayasui Sketches 3/5 · GB Good, but Annoying upgrades: This programme is on the whole really good, but recent upgrades are annoying (you now have to click through all folders one at a time whereas previously you could quickly scroll through). It often glitches requiring you to close it down and restart. Overall it is easy to use for general sketching.
  8. [R84] Drawing Desk 3/5 · US Ok: Ok so I want to draw plain and simple. BUT I CAN’T DO THAT VERY WELL WHEN EVERY AND I MEAN EVERYTHING IS LOCKED!!!!Like I have to pay to draw now!?Also there are no lessons. Like I want to learn to draw cute animals and all I get is realistic animals plus there is only like 5 of them to draw!? Oh there is one more thing about the lessons. The ONLY other ones ARE FOR CHRISTMAS and it is current
  9. [R4] Tayasui Sketches 2/5 · US You deserve better than this cash grab: To have a short story, this app is god awful, crashes constantly, constantly tries to get your money, and art programs from the 2000s has more features. To have a bit of a longer story, this app is the reason I’m an artist. It was the first art program I ever used and really lead me to fall in love with art. The app was very nice about how it got its incom
  10. [R6] Tayasui Sketches 3/5 · US Potential: Everything cost money can’t do anything. Laggy.
  11. [R24] Tayasui Sketches 3/5 · US Used to love it but….: Was a 5 went to 3 then to 1… now it’s 3 again. I’ve used this app since 2016 and it’s been my go to drawing companion but it’s been crashing all the time and some days it just won’t start. Recently I’ve had to uninstall and reinstall multiple times just to get it open. Edit: Okay phew… after it breaking after the constant updates I think it’s worth it again. It’ll never be 5
  12. [R1] Tayasui Sketches 1/5 · US Good and bad: Stupid part about this. Is that when you try to make a new artwork you have to pay and get a free trial just to get a new artwork and you have to pay .
  13. [R3] Tayasui Sketches 3/5 · US Ok: It’s OK, but I think having to pay for it and subscribeTwo. It is crazy.
  14. [R10] Tayasui Sketches 1/5 · US Subscription only?: I purchased to unlock the app several years ago, but now I have to pay a monthly or weekly subscription to ever use it again. This was the best drawing app, but now it’s unusable without forking over more money which I will NIT be doing to a money hungry dev.
  15. [R18] Tayasui Sketches 3/5 · US Problems: I love the game but I hate how you have to pay for like, EVERY THING
  16. [R41] Tayasui Sketches 5/5 · US Awesome App for my Fashion Sketches: Tayasui is an app that is fundamental for my fashion sketches, I really love to create with the tools that Tayasui offers. Totally recommended.
  17. [R53] Tayasui Sketches 5/5 · US Cool game: I love all the tools and I think it’s really cool and I can make cool drawings for my family
  18. [R59] Tayasui Sketches 5/5 · US Who’s the best?: It’s so awesome. We control the paintbrushes and they’re awesome.
  19. [R62] Drawing Desk 5/5 · US How great this is: I absolutely love the app it helped me with drawing. But there’s one on all of the tracing, and after that one, the first you had to buy all of them, which I personally do not like
  20. [R9] Tayasui Sketches 3/5 · US Good but can be better: I love the game but I don’t like the ads that you have to deal with every day.
  21. [R46] Tayasui Sketches 1/5 · US In app purchase: The drawing utensils are very limited because of how little amount of them you can use,and is very annoying when I try to draw without a ad.
  22. [R58] Tayasui Sketches 1/5 · US Terrible and doesn’t work: It won’t stop bombarding you with ads for the Tayasui Suite, but it keeps crashing whenever I try to use it in my most recent drawing, and too many features that used to be free are now paywalled. It’s a greedy and nonfunctional app. If you’re an artist thinking of finding a digital drawing program, do NOT use this one.
  23. [R70] Drawing Desk 1/5 · US I hate it, all it is is a scam: You have to pay just to draw something cute and there is sooo many ads for no reasons

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