Verithiathe honest score on any app
Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
Head-to-head

Sketchbook® vs Tayasui Sketches

Sketchbook® 4.8★ · Free + IAP 85
Winner Sketchbook®
Tayasui Sketches 4.5★ · Free + IAP 60

Sketchbook® is the better choice for most users, offering a more stable and feature-rich free experience compared to Tayasui Sketches, which has faced significant user backlash over recent paywall changes.

Full reviews: Sketchbook® · Tayasui Sketches

Sketchbook® generally provides a robust and free drawing experience with a wide array of tools, though some users report bugs. Tayasui Sketches, while praised for its intuitive interface, has alienated many long-time users by moving previously free features behind a subscription paywall.

Head to head

Features and Tools edge: Sketchbook®R1R3R5R8
Sketchbook® Sketchbook® offers a diverse toolkit, including many free brushes and stencils, and is praised for its customization options like adjusting brush size, blend, and opacity R8R17. However, some users desire more advanced features like shape tools, blur/blending brushes, or animation on iPad Pro R3R5. The fill bucket tool is a point of frustration for some R1.
Tayasui Sketches Tayasui Sketches is appreciated for its intuitive tools and clear UI, with users enjoying the variety of brushes for specific art styles like fashion sketches . However, a major complaint is that many basic and previously free tools, including various pens, markers, and the ability to rotate the canvas, are now behind a paywall R67R73.
Ease of Use and User Experience edge: Sketchbook®R8R9R13R17
Sketchbook® Sketchbook® is generally considered user-friendly and organized, suitable for both beginners and experienced artists R8R17R38. However, some beginners find it not intuitive, lacking tutorials or easily discoverable basic tools like an eraser R9. There are also complaints about pop-ups, difficulty saving to photos, and issues with canvas movement R13.
Tayasui Sketches Tayasui Sketches is praised for its clear UI and easy navigation, making it a good creative outlet R81. However, many users find it confusing and difficult to use due to the constant paywall prompts and limitations on basic functions like creating new canvases or having multiple drawings .
Reliability and Performance tieR4R8R10R18
Sketchbook® Sketchbook® is often described as reliable, with users having used it for years without failure R8. However, a significant number of recent reviews report critical bugs such as drawings being deleted or distorted, brushes not working, color picker issues, freezing, and crashing R4R10. The lack of an autosave feature on iPad is also a major concern R18R55.
Tayasui Sketches Tayasui Sketches suffers from frequent crashes and freezing, especially on older devices R64R66R81R84. Users report the app becoming unstable after updates and requiring reinstallation R84. Some also mention issues with brushes changing unexpectedly .
Price and Value edge: Sketchbook®R2R7R14R32
Sketchbook® Sketchbook® is highly valued for offering many features for free, with users appreciating the absence of ads and the ability to do a lot without paying R2R14R38R47. The optional premium features are considered affordable and worth the price by some R32. However, some older users recall a time when more features were free, feeling a shift towards a 'greedy trend' R7.
Tayasui Sketches Tayasui Sketches faces overwhelming criticism for its pricing model. Many long-time users are upset that features previously free or part of a one-time purchase are now behind a subscription paywall R67R70R73R76. Users feel it's a 'cash grab' and a 'scam' to pay for basic features or to be charged again after purchasing the app R64R76.
Pick Sketchbook® if

You are looking for a feature-rich drawing app that offers a lot for free without ads, and you are comfortable with a learning curve or potential minor bugs R2R8R14R17.

Pick Tayasui Sketches if

You prioritize a clean, intuitive interface and traditional sketching feel, and are willing to pay a subscription for full access to tools and features R81.

Evidence note: Reviews for Tayasui Sketches are heavily skewed negative due to recent changes in its pricing model, with many long-time users expressing frustration over previously free or purchased features now being behind a subscription. This makes it difficult to assess the app's core functionality and user experience outside of the paywall issue.

Frequently asked

Is Sketchbook® truly free?
Yes, Sketchbook® offers a significant amount of its features, including many brushes and stencils, for free and without ads, making it a highly recommended option for those not wanting to pay R2R14R38R47.
What are the main complaints about Tayasui Sketches?
The main complaints about Tayasui Sketches revolve around its pricing model, with many users frustrated that features previously free or part of a one-time purchase are now locked behind a monthly or weekly subscription R67R70R73R76.
Does Sketchbook® have an autosave feature?
According to user reviews, Sketchbook® on iPad does not have an autosave feature, leading to users losing hours of work if the app closes unexpectedly R18R55.
Are there any performance issues with Tayasui Sketches?
Yes, Tayasui Sketches is reported to crash frequently and freeze, especially on older devices, and some users have experienced instability after updates R64R66R81R84.

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] 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.
  2. [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😭
  3. [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
  4. [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
  5. [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
  6. [R13] Sketchbook® 2/5 · US It won’t let me close this weird pop up: I don’t know when or how but when I was drawing This odd pop up showed up in the middle of the screen, it was oval shaped with two circles one showing the tool I was using & the color, dragging it either moved it or changed the opacity I want to get rid of it but nothing works. Not even closing the app and refreshing
  7. [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
  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. [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.
  10. [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
  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. [R7] Sketchbook® 1/5 · US Sucks: Everything used to be free like, BACK IN 2016, but now, y’all have just followed the current, greedy trend and made EVERYTHING paid now. Bye.
  13. [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
  14. [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.
  15. [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!
  16. [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 🫪😃😇✌️
  17. [R67] 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
  18. [R70] 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.
  19. [R73] 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.
  20. [R76] Tayasui Sketches 1/5 · US Wish I’d not have to pay for a free app: So I have been wanting to draw battle beast from invincible, I went to redownload the app from my previous phone and guess what you got to pay 8 bucks to use this app. This made me very upset because it was the best drawing app for being free and having things other apps don’t. Why would you do this also why did you make it so you have to pay, there used to
  21. [R55] Sketchbook® 1/5 · US NO: I HATE Ï HATE IT Ï HATE IT BECAUSE I WAS JUST DRAWING SOMETHING THAT WAS TAKING A LONG TIME LIKE WHAT I MEAN BY THAT IS THAT I GOT A PICTURE AND I COLORED MY FACE/ OTHER PARTS LIKE NECK AND SHIRT AND MY IPAD DIES WHEN I WASNT EVEN DONE AND I HAD ERASED THE FACE SO NOBODY SEES IT BUT ME AND THEN WHEN I GET INTO SKETCHBOOK I FIND THAT THE LITTLE UNDO ARROW IS LIGHT GREY SO IT WONT LET ME RETRIEV
  22. [R64] 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
  23. [R66] Tayasui Sketches 3/5 · US Potential: Everything cost money can’t do anything. Laggy.
  24. [R81] 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.
  25. [R84] 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

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