Clip Studio Paint
by CELSYS
Clip Studio Paint is a subscription illustration, comic and animation app for iPad, with desktop and Android versions.
- Price
- Subscription: PRO from $4.89/month, EX from $9.69/month
- Runs on
- iPadOS, macOS, Windows, Android, ChromeOS
- Rating
- ★ 4.7 on the App Store (14K ratings)
Sketchbook
by Sketchbook, Inc.
Sketchbook is a free sketching and drawing app for iPhone, iPad, Android, Mac and Windows with a one-time $2.99 Premium Bundle.
- Price
- Free; Premium Bundle $2.99 one-time
- Runs on
- iOS, iPadOS, Android, macOS, Windows
- Rating
- ★ 4.8 on the App Store (221K ratings)
Feature comparison
| Feature | Clip Studio Paint |
Sketchbook |
|---|---|---|
| Price and platforms | ||
| Price | Subscription: PRO from $4.89/month, EX from $9.69/month | Free; Premium Bundle $2.99 one-time |
| Free version | 30-day free trial; saving and exporting need a plan | Yes |
| Subscription | Required to save and export | None |
| Ad-free | Not advertised | Not advertised |
| No account needed | Clip Studio account needed to buy a plan | Not advertised |
| iPad | Yes | Yes |
| iPhone | Separate app, Clip Studio Paint for iPhone | Yes, same app |
| Mac | Yes, desktop version | Yes, separate desktop version |
| Android and Chromebook | Yes | Yes |
| Brushes | ||
| Built-in brushes | Built-in set plus thousands of community brushes | Pencils, markers, airbrushes, smear and more |
| Brush customization | Brush shape, texture, paper quality and more | Highly customizable; custom brushes in Premium |
| Brush import | Clip Studio Assets community brushes | Premium Bundle |
| Apple Pencil | Supported | Supported |
| Comics and manga | ||
| Comic panel layouts | Panel frames; multi-page projects with EX | Not advertised |
| Screentones | Yes | Not advertised |
| Text and lettering | Text and speech balloons | Not advertised |
| Layers and editing | ||
| Layer limit | Not advertised | Not advertised |
| Blend modes | Yes | Full set |
| Masks | Masks and clipping across multiple layers | Clipping and layer masks in Premium |
| Adjustments and filters | Non-destructive color adjustment layers, gradient maps, filters | Blur, sharpen, brightness/contrast, greyscale, invert (Premium) |
| Selection tools | Lasso, magnetic lasso and more | Selection tools |
| Liquify and distortion | Liquify, mesh transform, puppet warp | Not advertised |
| Clone tool | Not advertised | Not advertised |
| Drawing aids | ||
| Symmetry | Symmetry ruler | Yes |
| Perspective guides | Perspective rulers and 3D shapes | Perspective guides |
| Shape correction | Figure tools and rulers | Predictive Stroke |
| Gradients | Gradient tool and gradient maps | Gradient fill |
| Paintable materials | Not advertised | Not advertised |
| Seamless patterns | Not advertised | Not advertised |
| Extras | ||
| Animation | Frame-by-frame; unlimited frames with EX | Not advertised |
| 3D painting | 3D figures for reference, not painting | Not advertised |
| Timelapse | Yes | Yes |
| Live collaboration | Not advertised | Not advertised |
| Generative AI | None advertised | None advertised |
| Files | ||
| Photoshop PSD | Import and export | Export |
| Export formats | PSD, PNG, JPEG, TIFF and more | PNG, JPG, PSD, PDF (Premium) |
| CMYK and print | CMYK export for print | Not advertised |
| App Store | ||
| Rating | 4.7 / 5 (14K ratings) | 4.8 / 5 (221K ratings) |
| Last updated | September 8, 2026 | June 1, 2026 |
| Languages | 10 | 10 |
Price
Both are free to download, but they charge for different things.
Clip Studio Paint on iPad is a subscription. There is a 30-day free trial, after which you need a plan to save and export: PRO starts at $4.89 a month and EX, which adds multi-page comics and unlimited animation frames, at $9.69 a month on the US App Store. Plans are priced by how many devices you use.
Sketchbook is free, and a one-time $2.99 Premium Bundle unlocks extras such as custom brushes, clipping masks, layer grouping, extra adjustments and PDF export. There is no subscription.
Platforms
Both run on iPad, iPhone, Mac, Windows and Android. Only Clip Studio Paint runs on Chromebook.
Clip Studio Paint runs on iPad, with a separate app for iPhone, desktop versions for Mac and Windows, and versions for Android and Chromebook. Buying a plan requires a Clip Studio account.
Sketchbook is one app for iPhone and iPad, with separate versions for Android, Mac and Windows.
Brushes
Clip Studio Paint ships with brushes that mimic real art materials and lets you adjust brush shape, texture and paper quality in detail. Its Clip Studio Assets community offers thousands of artist-made brushes and materials.
Sketchbook has a full set of pencils, markers, airbrushes and smear brushes that feel like their physical versions, and every brush is highly customizable. Creating, importing and exporting custom brushes is part of the Premium Bundle.
Comics and manga
Clip Studio Paint is the most complete comic tool here: panel frames, speech balloons, text, effect lines and screentones, with multi-page projects for print, web comics and webtoons in the EX plan.
Sketchbook does not advertise comic panel or screentone tools; its strengths are sketching, rulers and perspective guides.
Layers and editing
Clip Studio Paint: Layers support masks and clipping across multiple layers, non-destructive color adjustment layers and gradient maps. Liquify, mesh transformation and puppet warp let you fix proportions after you draw, and Color Match pulls colors from a reference image.
Sketchbook: Layers come with a full set of blend modes. The Premium Bundle adds clipping masks, layer masks, layer groups, and adjustments such as blur, sharpen and brightness/contrast.
Drawing tools and extras
Clip Studio Paint has posable 3D figures and 3D shapes for reference and perspective, perspective and symmetry rulers, Shading Assist for lighting, and frame-by-frame animation, with unlimited frames in EX.
Sketchbook is built for sketching and precision, with guides, rulers, symmetry, perspective guides and Predictive Stroke for clean lines and shapes. Its clean interface stays out of the way so the canvas gets the screen.
Which should you choose?
Choose Clip Studio Paint if
- You make comics, manga or webtoons and want panels, balloons and screentones
- You want posable 3D figures as a drawing reference
- You want frame-by-frame animation
- You want non-destructive adjustment layers
Choose Sketchbook if
- You mostly sketch and want a clean, distraction-free interface
- You want a nearly free app with a $2.99 one-time upgrade
- You want Predictive Stroke for clean lines and shapes
- You want the same app on iPhone and iPad
Frequently asked questions
Is Clip Studio Paint better than Sketchbook?
Neither is better for everyone. Clip Studio Paint is the better pick if you make comics, manga or webtoons and want panels, balloons and screentones, or you want posable 3D figures as a drawing reference. Sketchbook suits you better if you mostly sketch and want a clean, distraction-free interface, or you want a nearly free app with a $2.99 one-time upgrade.
Is Clip Studio Paint free?
Not fully. Clip Studio Paint has a 30-day free trial on iPad, but saving and exporting need a paid plan afterwards. Plans start at $4.89 a month for PRO and $9.69 a month for EX on the US App Store.
Is Sketchbook free?
Yes. Sketchbook is free, and a one-time $2.99 Premium Bundle unlocks extras such as custom brushes, clipping masks, layer groups and PDF export. There is no subscription.
Which works on iPhone, Clip Studio Paint or Sketchbook?
Clip Studio Paint has a separate iPhone app, Clip Studio Paint for iPhone. Sketchbook runs on iPhone in the same app as on iPad.
Do Clip Studio Paint and Sketchbook work on Android?
Clip Studio Paint has an Android version. Sketchbook has an Android version.
Do Clip Studio Paint or Sketchbook use generative AI?
Clip Studio Paint does not advertise any generative AI features. Sketchbook 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. Clip Studio Paint and Sketchbook 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 Clip Studio Paint and Sketchbook.