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

Sketchbook® vs ibis Paint X

Sketchbook® 4.8★ · Free + IAP 85
Winner Sketchbook®
ibis Paint X 4.7★ · Free + IAP 65

Sketchbook® is generally preferred for its ad-free experience and robust free features, while ibis Paint X struggles with recent negative updates and excessive ads.

Full reviews: Sketchbook® · ibis Paint X

Sketchbook® offers a clean, user-friendly interface with a wide range of free tools, making it suitable for both beginners and experienced artists. ibis Paint X, while praised for its features, is currently hampered by frequent ads and a controversial update that removed its in-app browser.

Head to head

Features and Tools edge: Sketchbook®R3R5R8R14
Sketchbook® Sketchbook® is praised for its diverse toolkit, wide range of brushes, and features like layers and customization, with many tools available for free R8R14R17. However, some users note a lack of specific tools like shapes, animation features on iPad Pro, Alpha Lock, or a blur/blending brush R3R5R33.
ibis Paint X ibis Paint X offers a variety of brushes and styles, layers, and undo buttons, with users appreciating its utility for different drawing styles and even comic creation . However, many good features and brushes are locked behind a paywall or require watching ads .
Ease of Use and User Experience edge: Sketchbook®R1R8R9R10
Sketchbook® Sketchbook® is described as clean, organized, user-friendly, and easy for beginners, with intuitive features R8R17R38. However, some beginners find it not beginner-friendly due to a lack of tutorials or difficulty finding basic tools like an eraser R9. Issues with the fill bucket tool, color picker, and persistent pop-ups are also reported R1R10.
ibis Paint X ibis Paint X is generally considered easy to learn and use, even for finger drawing on a phone . However, recent updates have made it confusing and difficult to use, particularly regarding font and online gallery access .
Reliability and Performance edge: Sketchbook®R4R8R18R19
Sketchbook® Sketchbook® is generally reliable, with long-time users reporting it has never failed them R8. However, there are significant reports of critical issues like drawings being deleted or distorted, the app freezing and crashing, and a lack of autosave on iPad R4R18R22. Some users also report brushes not working or color glitches R19.
ibis Paint X ibis Paint X users report frequent crashes, glitches, and lag . A major issue is drawings becoming corrupted or turning into logos . The app also struggles with uploading photos and accessing the online gallery .
Price and Value edge: Sketchbook®R2R14R32R35
Sketchbook® Sketchbook® is highly valued for being free with no ads and offering a lot of features without payment R2R14R38R47. The premium version is considered affordable and worth it for additional handy features R32R35.
ibis Paint X ibis Paint X is criticized for excessive and inappropriate ads, which significantly detract from the user experience . Many desirable brushes and tools require payment or watching ads .
Support and Updates edge: Sketchbook®R1R18R23R33
Sketchbook® Sketchbook® users express a desire for easier saving/exporting to photos and specific feature additions like a blur brush or Alpha Lock R23R33. There's also a call for fixing bugs like the fill bucket and autosave R1R18.
ibis Paint X ibis Paint X has faced significant backlash over a recent update that removed the in-app web browser for fonts and online gallery access, forcing users to external browsers . Users are demanding a reversal of this change.
Pick Sketchbook® if

Pick Sketchbook® if you want a free, ad-free drawing app with a wide range of tools suitable for all skill levels, and you prioritize a smooth, uninterrupted creative process R2R8R14R38. It's also a good choice if you're looking for a reliable app that has been consistent over the years R8.

Pick ibis Paint X if

Pick ibis Paint X if you are an experienced artist familiar with digital art apps and are willing to tolerate ads or pay for premium features, especially if you are interested in creating comics or specific art styles it excels at .

Evidence note: The evidence for ibis Paint X is heavily skewed by recent negative reviews regarding a specific update that removed the in-app browser and increased ad frequency. This impacts its perceived ease of use and value significantly.

Frequently asked

Which app is better for beginners?
Sketchbook® is generally considered better for beginners due to its user-friendly interface, clean organization, and availability of many free tools without ads R8R17R38.
Do these apps have ads?
Sketchbook® is praised for having no ads, even in its free version R2R14R38R53. ibis Paint X, however, is heavily criticized for frequent and sometimes inappropriate ads, which significantly disrupt the user experience .
Are there many free features in these apps?
Sketchbook® offers a wide range of brushes and tools for free, with many users feeling they don't need to pay for premium features R14R32R47R53. ibis Paint X also has free brushes, but many good tools and brushes are locked behind a paywall or require watching ads for temporary access .
Which app has better performance and reliability?
Sketchbook® is generally considered more reliable by long-term users, though some report issues with crashes, data loss, and glitches R4R8R18R22. ibis Paint X users frequently report crashes, lag, and corrupted drawings, especially after recent updates .

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. [R3] Sketchbook® 3/5 · US Idk: I like this app but I can’t use shapes to help and shapes are VITAL for me as a person who cant draw😭
  2. [R5] Sketchbook® 4/5 · US Needs more options: The app is a pretty good app but there arnt all the tools that I need for the my art
  3. [R8] Sketchbook® 5/5 · US Amazing: I have been using Sketchbook since about 2016-ish, and it has never failed me! As a lifelong illustrator, I could not recommend a better app for artists of all skill levels. It is clean, organized, user-friendly, and comes with a diverse toolkit that will surely satisfy any creative soul lucky enough to come across it. All in all, a very reliable, affordable app with the artist’s experien
  4. [R14] Sketchbook® 5/5 · US Omg buy nowww: Sketchbook is literally amazing. First time. I tried it. It blew my mind of how many brushes there are for free. I mean, you don’t even have to pay for a certain amount of time and it’s just you can do whatever you want. There’s a lot of things that you can do, and you can make, however many, like untitled things you want. So amazing. You should totally buy it. Thank you for not mak
  5. [R1] Sketchbook® 1/5 · US no.: I spent over an hour for it to turn out that i cant fill in paint when i use the fill bucket on something and i made the stuff divided and guess what? STILL NO FILLING, IT FILLS THE ENTIRE THING INSTEAD.
  6. [R9] Sketchbook® 3/5 · US Not beginner friendly: I’ve never used a digital drawing app. I am a complete novice. I downloaded Sketchbook because of the reviews and felt optimistic, however, that led to frustration when upon opening the app, there was no tutorial. I had no idea what to do. I started experimenting with using the various tools, but when I needed to erase, there was NO ERASER! Why? It’s such a basic tool. How
  7. [R10] Sketchbook® 2/5 · US This app is not working properly: I tried to choose a color and it didn’t work. It gave me random colors and when I tried to use the color picker tool it still gave me random colors.
  8. [R4] Sketchbook® 1/5 · US deleting half my drawing: can u actually make it stop deleting half of my work ? fix it. pls n thank u
  9. [R18] Sketchbook® 3/5 · US No autosave: I was all excited about this app. Excited about all the tools and possibilities. I jumped right in and started creating, spending hours working on my first project. When it was time to quit I closed the app and went on with my night. Only one problem. On iPad for some reason there is no auto save so all my hours of work are wasted. What creativity app these days does not auto save? Un
  10. [R19] Sketchbook® 1/5 · US Not working.: I don’t recommend you getting this. NONE OF THE BRUSHES WORK! I can’t draw A SIMPLE CLOUD. I might as well go back to notepad.
  11. [R2] Sketchbook® 5/5 · US Best app ever: If you're looking for a good app for drawing and writing i would recommend this app, it doesn't need you to watch an ad or anything like that to draw and if you want you can create an album and there are so many other stuffs that are so good! I can't recommend this app enough!
  12. [R32] Sketchbook® 5/5 · US I paid for the premium…: …but not cuz I needed any of the features, though they do add some handy stuff that I’m happy to have. I paid for it because they deserve the money. This is by far one of the best drawing experiences ever made, and it’s free. Couldn’t be happier to give them a few bucks.
  13. [R35] Sketchbook® 5/5 · US I love this app!!!: Though there is a payment for the pro it is tottaly worth it!! Only three dollars for a whole bunch more stuff!!! They have a lot of brushes and a whole site for help!! Super good!! Both beginners and experienced artist can really enjoy this app and I know I do!!!
  14. [R23] Sketchbook® 4/5 · US Pretty good! But how do you save it to PHOTOS 🫪: I play Roblox so when I wanted to make a rig on a game called my movie (also a rig is like different pieces for the body so I can move in cool ways)so I turned it into a png and I tried to save it but idk how to and all the tutorials are from along time ago. Overall everything is good, except for that saving thing. Please add a save button in the ga
  15. [R33] Sketchbook® 3/5 · US Love the app but…: So far I’ve been using this app for a few months, but I DO wish it had Alpha Lock. I like to color in my lineart so the drawing will look better but I was sad when it wasn’t in the layer settings. Pretty good app though!🦐🔥
  16. [R17] Sketchbook® 5/5 · US All-time favorite! Great for beginners and pros alike!: I’ve been using this app for years. It’s features are easy to use and great for beginners. On top of that, they have a wide range of different brushes which can be adjusted to your specific preference(size, blend,opacity, ect.), so it’s perfect for experienced artists as well! My one thing I would add (which may already be in the app but I ca
  17. [R38] Sketchbook® 5/5 · US Best app ever!: As a beginning artist I recommend this app to anyone who wants to learn how to draw! It is free and has NO ads! I LOVE this app and use it daily. Thank you so much devs! I love this and you don’t need a membership to play!
  18. [R53] Sketchbook® 5/5 · US Amazing no adds: This app has tons of free brushes and stencils you can also edit pictures if you are up to the task (it is hard but I enjoy it) I have created so many wonderful works of art on this app and I hope it stays the same . :) 🌠🌌🎑
  19. [R47] Sketchbook® 5/5 · US Best drawing stuff ever: 10 year old me wanting to find a digital app to color in when bored and I found sketchbook and unlike other drawing apps when you do not have premium you can do fun actual stuff instead of ONE thing it annoys me a lot when they do that but it is super fun and you can make whatever you want so if you want a good drawing get sketchbook 🫪😃😇✌️
  20. [R22] Sketchbook® 2/5 · US Fix this glitch: I love this app so much but recently I started drawing more realistic which is very time consuming and I spent days on them but when finished I decided to color them, I had different layers so it was easier to draw. I moved a layer and the entire screen froze than it glitched and kicked me out I go back in after a few tries and my drawing is completely distorted and messed up I wa

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