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)
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)
Feature comparison
| Feature | Clip Studio Paint |
Tayasui Sketches |
|---|---|---|
| Price and platforms | ||
| Price | Subscription: PRO from $4.89/month, EX from $9.69/month | Free; Pro $7.99 or premium subscription |
| Free version | 30-day free trial; saving and exporting need a plan | Yes, basic tools |
| Subscription | Required to save and export | Optional premium subscription |
| 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, Apple silicon Macs |
| Android and Chromebook | Yes | Separate Android app |
| Brushes | ||
| Built-in brushes | Built-in set plus thousands of community brushes | 20+ realistic tools |
| Brush customization | Brush shape, texture, paper quality and more | Brush editor |
| Brush import | Clip Studio Assets community brushes | Not advertised |
| Apple Pencil | Supported | Full Apple Pencil support |
| 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 | Text tool |
| Layers and editing | ||
| Layer limit | Not advertised | Layers, exportable as PNG or PSD |
| Blend modes | Yes | Not advertised |
| Masks | Masks and clipping across multiple layers | Not advertised |
| Adjustments and filters | Non-destructive color adjustment layers, gradient maps, filters | Not advertised |
| Selection tools | Lasso, magnetic lasso and more | Cutter tool |
| Liquify and distortion | Liquify, mesh transform, puppet warp | Not advertised |
| Clone tool | Not advertised | Not advertised |
| Drawing aids | ||
| Symmetry | Symmetry ruler | Not advertised |
| Perspective guides | Perspective rulers and 3D shapes | Not advertised |
| Shape correction | Figure tools and rulers | Shapes (iPad only) |
| Gradients | Gradient tool and gradient maps | Not advertised |
| Paintable materials | Not advertised | Not advertised |
| Seamless patterns | Not advertised | Custom patterns |
| Extras | ||
| Animation | Frame-by-frame; unlimited frames with EX | Not advertised |
| 3D painting | 3D figures for reference, not painting | Not advertised |
| Timelapse | Yes | Not advertised |
| Live collaboration | Not advertised | Not advertised |
| Generative AI | None advertised | None advertised |
| Files | ||
| Photoshop PSD | Import and export | Import and export layered PSD |
| Export formats | PSD, PNG, JPEG, TIFF and more | PNG, layered PSD |
| CMYK and print | CMYK export for print | Not advertised |
| App Store | ||
| Rating | 4.7 / 5 (14K ratings) | 4.5 / 5 (54K ratings) |
| Last updated | September 8, 2026 | April 10, 2026 |
| Languages | 10 | 13 |
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.
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.
Platforms
Both run on iPad, iPhone, Mac and Android. Only Clip Studio Paint runs on Windows and 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Tayasui Sketches has text, shapes and a ruler, but does not advertise comic panel layouts or screentones.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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
Frequently asked questions
Is Clip Studio Paint better than Tayasui Sketches?
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. Tayasui Sketches suits you better if you want a calm, minimal interface for sketching, or you want realistic watercolor, pastel and acrylic tools.
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 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.
Which works on iPhone, Clip Studio Paint or Tayasui Sketches?
Clip Studio Paint has a separate iPhone app, Clip Studio Paint for iPhone. Tayasui Sketches runs on iPhone in the same app as on iPad.
Do Clip Studio Paint and Tayasui Sketches work on Android?
Clip Studio Paint has an Android version. Tayasui Sketches has an Android version.
Do Clip Studio Paint or Tayasui Sketches use generative AI?
Clip Studio Paint does not advertise any generative AI features. Tayasui Sketches does not advertise any generative AI features.
Sources
- Clip Studio Paint on the App Store
- Tayasui Sketches on the App Store
- Tayasui Sketches on ChromeOS and Android
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 Tayasui Sketches 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 Tayasui Sketches.