Tayasui Sketches
by Tayasui
Tayasui Sketches is a minimalist sketching and painting app for iPhone, iPad, Mac and Android with realistic brushes and a calm, hidden-away interface.
- Price
- Free; Pro $7.99 or premium subscription
- Runs on
- iOS, iPadOS, macOS, Android
- Rating
- ★ 4.5 on the App Store (54K 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 | Tayasui Sketches |
iArtbook |
|---|---|---|
| Price and platforms | ||
| Price | Free; Pro $7.99 or premium subscription | Free; Pro $12.99 one-time ($7.99 iPhone only) |
| Free version | Yes, basic tools | Yes |
| Subscription | Optional premium subscription | None |
| Ad-free | Not advertised | Not advertised |
| No account needed | Not advertised | Not advertised |
| iPad | Yes | Yes |
| iPhone | Yes, same app | Yes, same app |
| Mac | Yes, Apple silicon Macs | Yes, Apple silicon Macs |
| Android and Chromebook | Separate Android app | Not advertised |
| Brushes | ||
| Built-in brushes | 20+ realistic tools | Pro brushes plus 1,000+ textures |
| Brush customization | Brush editor | 50+ settings per brush |
| Brush import | Not advertised | Import and export brushes |
| Apple Pencil | Full Apple Pencil support | Pressure, tilt, azimuth |
| Comics and manga | ||
| Comic panel layouts | Not advertised | Not advertised |
| Screentones | Not advertised | Not advertised |
| Text and lettering | Text tool | Not advertised |
| Layers and editing | ||
| Layer limit | Layers, exportable as PNG or PSD | Unlimited |
| Blend modes | Not advertised | Yes |
| Masks | Not advertised | Masks |
| Adjustments and filters | Not advertised | Not advertised |
| Selection tools | Cutter tool | Selection tool |
| Liquify and distortion | Not advertised | Not advertised |
| Clone tool | Not advertised | Not advertised |
| Drawing aids | ||
| Symmetry | Not advertised | Not advertised |
| Perspective guides | Not advertised | Not advertised |
| Shape correction | Shapes (iPad only) | Not advertised |
| Gradients | Not advertised | Not advertised |
| Paintable materials | Not advertised | Not advertised |
| Seamless patterns | Custom patterns | Not advertised |
| Extras | ||
| Animation | Not advertised | Unlimited frames, multiple animation layers |
| 3D painting | Not advertised | Not advertised |
| Timelapse | Not advertised | On by default |
| Live collaboration | Not advertised | Not advertised |
| Generative AI | None advertised | None advertised |
| Files | ||
| Photoshop PSD | Import and export layered PSD | Not advertised |
| Export formats | PNG, layered PSD | PNG, MP4, HEVC, GIF, APNG |
| CMYK and print | Not advertised | Not advertised |
| App Store | ||
| Rating | 4.5 / 5 (54K ratings) | 3.8 / 5 (12K ratings) |
| Last updated | April 10, 2026 | January 7, 2026 |
| Languages | 13 | 39 |
Price
Both are free to download, but they charge for different things.
Tayasui Sketches is free to download. Its Pro tools are unlocked with a $7.99 one-time Pro purchase or a premium subscription, both offered 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, iPhone and Mac. Only Tayasui Sketches runs on Android.
Tayasui Sketches is one app for iPhone and iPad that also runs on Apple silicon Macs, and there is a separate Android version. Cloud sync keeps drawings in step across your devices.
iArtbook is one app for iPhone and iPad that also runs on Apple silicon Macs.
Brushes
Sketches has more than 20 carefully tuned tools, including pens, felt pens, oil pastel, acrylic, airbrush and wet and dry watercolor brushes that react to pressure and angle like a real brush on paper. A brush editor lets you tweak them.
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.
Layers and editing
Tayasui Sketches: Layers can be exported as separate transparent PNGs, and layered PSD files can be imported and exported. Editing tools are deliberately simple, with a cutter, smudge tool and fill tool rather than a full adjustment suite.
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
Tayasui Sketches: The interface hides tools while you draw for a calm, minimal canvas. It adds a ruler, shapes on iPad, text, custom patterns and folders to organize your sketchbook.
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 Tayasui Sketches if
- You want a calm, minimal interface for sketching
- You want realistic watercolor, pastel and acrylic tools
- You want cloud sync between iPhone, iPad and Mac
- You want to draw and paint with custom patterns
Choose iArtbook if
- You want animation with unlimited frames
- 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
Frequently asked questions
Is Tayasui Sketches better than iArtbook?
Neither is better for everyone. Tayasui Sketches is the better pick if you want a calm, minimal interface for sketching, or you want realistic watercolor, pastel and acrylic tools. iArtbook suits you better if you want animation with unlimited frames, or you want to learn by copying artwork in a side-by-side lesson mode.
Is Tayasui Sketches free?
Yes, Tayasui Sketches is free to download. Its Pro tools need a $7.99 one-time Pro purchase or a premium subscription.
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, Tayasui Sketches or iArtbook?
Both. Tayasui Sketches and iArtbook each run on iPhone in the same app as on iPad.
Do Tayasui Sketches and iArtbook work on Android?
Tayasui Sketches has an Android version. iArtbook does not list an Android version.
Do Tayasui Sketches or iArtbook use generative AI?
Tayasui Sketches does not advertise any generative AI features. iArtbook does not advertise any generative AI features.
Sources
- Tayasui Sketches on the App Store
- Tayasui Sketches on ChromeOS and Android
- iArtbook on the App Store
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. Tayasui Sketches 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 Tayasui Sketches and iArtbook.