ibis Paint X
by ibis
ibis Paint X is a free, ad-supported drawing and animation app for iPhone, iPad and Android with a huge online library of brushes and materials.
- Price
- Free with ads; Premium $4.49/month or ad removal $15.99
- Runs on
- iOS, iPadOS, Android
- Rating
- ★ 4.7 on the App Store (298K ratings)
iArtbook
by Alexander Kondrashov
iArtbook is a painting and animation app for iPad, iPhone and Mac with unlimited layers, wet brushes and a lesson mode for learning by copying.
- Price
- Free; Pro $12.99 one-time ($7.99 iPhone only)
- Runs on
- iPadOS, iOS, macOS
- Rating
- ★ 3.8 on the App Store (12K ratings)
Feature comparison
| Feature | ibis Paint X |
iArtbook |
|---|---|---|
| Price and platforms | ||
| Price | Free with ads; Premium $4.49/month or ad removal $15.99 | Free; Pro $12.99 one-time ($7.99 iPhone only) |
| Free version | Yes, ad-supported | Yes |
| Subscription | Optional Premium membership | None |
| Ad-free | No, ads unless removed for $15.99 | Not advertised |
| No account needed | Not advertised | Not advertised |
| iPad | Yes | Yes |
| iPhone | Yes, same app | Yes, same app |
| Mac | Not advertised | Yes, Apple silicon Macs |
| Android and Chromebook | Yes | Not advertised |
| Brushes | ||
| Built-in brushes | 130,000+ | Pro brushes plus 1,000+ textures |
| Brush customization | Customizable brushes | 50+ settings per brush |
| Brush import | Online brush library | Import and export brushes |
| Apple Pencil | Supported | Pressure, tilt, azimuth |
| Comics and manga | ||
| Comic panel layouts | Not advertised | Not advertised |
| Screentones | 46 screentones | Not advertised |
| Text and lettering | 3,000+ fonts | Not advertised |
| Layers and editing | ||
| Layer limit | Not advertised | Unlimited |
| Blend modes | 27 | Yes |
| Masks | Clipping | Masks |
| Adjustments and filters | 86 image filters | Not advertised |
| Selection tools | Selection tools | Selection tool |
| Liquify and distortion | Not advertised | Not advertised |
| Clone tool | Not advertised | Not advertised |
| Drawing aids | ||
| Symmetry | Symmetry and radial rulers | Not advertised |
| Perspective guides | Not advertised | Not advertised |
| Shape correction | Shape and vector tools | Not advertised |
| Gradients | Not advertised | Not advertised |
| Paintable materials | Not advertised | Not advertised |
| Seamless patterns | Not advertised | Not advertised |
| Extras | ||
| Animation | Frame-by-frame, with music and audio | Unlimited frames, multiple animation layers |
| 3D painting | Not advertised | Not advertised |
| Timelapse | Yes | On by default |
| Live collaboration | Not advertised | Not advertised |
| Generative AI | No image generation; AI Disturbance protects art from AI training | None advertised |
| Files | ||
| Photoshop PSD | Not advertised | Not advertised |
| Export formats | Images and timelapse video | PNG, MP4, HEVC, GIF, APNG |
| CMYK and print | Not advertised | Not advertised |
| App Store | ||
| Rating | 4.7 / 5 (298K ratings) | 3.8 / 5 (12K ratings) |
| Last updated | September 29, 2026 | January 7, 2026 |
| Languages | 18 | 39 |
Price
Both are free to download, but they charge for different things.
ibis Paint X is free with ads. Ads can be removed for $15.99 once, or Premium membership, which adds extra features and materials, costs $4.49 a month or $27.99 a year on the US App Store.
iArtbook is free to download, and Pro is a one-time upgrade: $12.99 on iPad, or $7.99 for iPhone only, with no subscription.
Platforms
Both run on iPad and iPhone. Only ibis Paint X runs on Android. Only iArtbook runs on Mac.
ibis Paint X is one app for iPhone and iPad, and it is also available on Android.
iArtbook is one app for iPhone and iPad that also runs on Apple silicon Macs.
Brushes
ibis Paint X advertises more than 130,000 brushes along with 30,000+ materials and 46 screentones, which makes it one of the biggest brush collections of any drawing app.
iArtbook brushes can be dry, glossy or wet, with three kinds of wet paint, more than 50 settings per brush, and a library of over 1,000 textures to build your own. Calligraphy smoothing keeps lines clean even when you draw with a finger.
Comics and manga
ibis Paint X is popular for manga, with 46 screentones, more than 3,000 fonts for lettering and a large online library of inking brushes.
iArtbook does not advertise comic panel or screentone tools; its extras are animation and a lesson mode for copying artwork.
Layers and editing
ibis Paint X: It offers 27 layer blend modes, clipping, 86 image filters, vector tools and a reference window, which is a lot of power for a free app.
iArtbook: Layers are unlimited, with blend modes, masks and lossless transforms. Two color pickers, a color mixer and palette import and export round out the color tools.
Drawing tools and extras
ibis Paint X: Drawing aids include radial and symmetry rulers. ibis Paint X also does frame-by-frame animation with music and audio, records a timelapse, and has an AI Disturbance feature meant to protect your art from AI training.
iArtbook does frame-by-frame animation with unlimited frames and multiple animation layers, exporting to MP4, HEVC, GIF and APNG. Its lesson mode lets you copy any painting or sketch side by side to learn, and timelapse recording is on by default.
Which should you choose?
Choose ibis Paint X if
- You want a huge library of brushes, materials and fonts
- You want a powerful free app and do not mind ads
- You also draw on an Android phone or tablet
- You want thousands of fonts for lettering
Choose iArtbook if
- You want to learn by copying artwork in a side-by-side lesson mode
- You want wet, glossy brushes with several smudge styles
- You want unlimited layers
- You prefer a one-time upgrade to a subscription
Frequently asked questions
Is ibis Paint X better than iArtbook?
Neither is better for everyone. ibis Paint X is the better pick if you want a huge library of brushes, materials and fonts, or you want a powerful free app and do not mind ads. iArtbook suits you better if you want to learn by copying artwork in a side-by-side lesson mode, or you want wet, glossy brushes with several smudge styles.
Is ibis Paint X free?
Yes, ibis Paint X is free with ads. You can remove ads for $15.99 once, or subscribe to Premium for $4.49 a month or $27.99 a year for extra features and materials.
Is iArtbook free?
Yes, iArtbook is free to download. Pro is a one-time upgrade, $12.99 on iPad or $7.99 for iPhone only, with no subscription.
Which works on iPhone, ibis Paint X or iArtbook?
Both. ibis Paint X and iArtbook each run on iPhone in the same app as on iPad.
Do ibis Paint X and iArtbook work on Android?
ibis Paint X has an Android version. iArtbook does not list an Android version.
Do ibis Paint X or iArtbook use generative AI?
ibis Paint X does not advertise AI image generation, and its AI Disturbance feature is designed to make your artwork harder for AI to learn from. iArtbook does not advertise any generative AI features.
Sources
Facts checked on October 2, 2026. Prices are from the US App Store, and features from each app's listing and official site. Apps change often, so check the App Store for current prices and features. ibis Paint X and iArtbook are trademarks of their respective owners. App icons come from each app's App Store listing and belong to their owners. Paintrix Studio is not affiliated with the makers of ibis Paint X and iArtbook.