Overview

The app combines a large brush and material library with layers, brush customization, pressure sensitivity and stroke stabilization. Its breadth suits illustrators who want varied tools in one app, especially manga creators and artists working across phones, tablets and PCs. The trade-off is a layered pricing structure: desktop users may need to weigh Premium Membership against a separate Pro Upgrade.

For other options, see our Digital Painting Software and Graphic Design Software lists.

Key features

Drawing and image tools

More than 47,000 brush types, drawing speeds up to 120 fps and over 23,000 color and monochrome materials give artists many starting points. More than 80 filters include background removal and watercolor-style conversion. These numbers suggest range rather than a guarantee that every tool will suit a particular workflow; pressure sensitivity, stabilization and brush customization offer more practical control over the mark-making itself.

AI Super-resolution is designed to improve small-canvas image quality, while AI Disturbance adds noise intended to hinder fine-tuning by image-generating AI. Smart Features consume Smart Credits: Premium Credits replenish monthly up to a grant limit, while purchased Paid Credits do not expire. Credit amounts and the individual functions that use credits are not described, so users who depend on those features should account for that uncertainty.

Manga and animation

Manga tools include 46 screen tones, frame division, speech bubbles and rulers, making ibisPaint a particularly well-matched choice for artists building comic pages rather than only painting standalone images. Animation tools include frame copying and onion skin display, which help when drawing successive frames. Drawing-process videos can be posted to ibispaint.com or shared through LINE, X and Facebook.

Cloud and privacy

Cloud Storage syncs artwork across smartphones, tablets and PCs. The free version's 64MB allowance is restrictive for a growing portfolio; Premium Membership's 20GB is more practical for artists who want cloud access across devices. Deleting an ibispaint.com account also deletes data uploaded to the site and Cloud Storage, so account deletion has consequences for stored work.

IBIS INC. says it processes personal data under applicable data-protection laws, including Japan's Act on the Protection of Personal Information, and identifies itself as the data controller. Its privacy policy describes processing device and usage data for personalized advertising, analytics, security and bug investigation.

Pricing

The Free version is free and offers unlimited usage time, 64MB of cloud storage and advertisements. It is a sensible way to use the core app without a subscription, but ads and limited storage are meaningful compromises for regular or multi-device work.

Premium Membership costs 4.49 USD per month when billed monthly or 27.99 USD per year when billed annually. Both remove ads, include Premium features and provide 20GB of cloud storage; monthly Premium also includes unlimited original brush pattern imports. The annual plan lowers the stated cost relative to paying month by month, while the monthly plan avoids committing to a year. On Windows and Mac, the Premium trial is one week for the monthly plan or one month for the yearly plan, available only once. Subscriptions renew automatically unless canceled.

The Ad Removal Upgrade costs 15.99 USD per month and removes ads from the free mobile version, but does not provide the Premium storage or features. At that monthly price, readers who also need Premium benefits should compare it carefully with Premium Membership.

Desktop users have separate options. Windows Premium Membership costs 4.49 USD per month or 27.99 USD per year; Mac Premium Membership costs 4.99 USD per month or 29.99 USD per year. Both include unlimited usage, Premium features and 20GB of cloud storage. Windows Free trial / Demo Mode is free, limits use to one hour per day, provides 64MB of cloud storage and allows up to five original brush pattern imports. The Pro Upgrade costs 62.99 USD per once on Windows and Mac, with unlimited usage and Pro features but only 64MB of cloud storage; Windows Pro includes CMYK export and custom keyboard shortcuts, while the listed Mac Pro plan carries the same stated storage and usage terms. The separate Pro Upgrade plan is 62.99 USD per month and adds unlimited Windows and Mac usage, CMYK export and custom keyboard shortcuts. These desktop choices are not interchangeable: check whether the one-off Pro option or recurring plan matches the features you need.

Platforms

ibisPaint supports Android 7 or later, iOS/iPadOS 15 or later, macOS 11 Big Sur or later, Windows 10 version 2004 or newer, and Windows 11 version 21H2 or newer. That range suits artists who move among mobile and desktop devices, though cloud storage beyond the free allowance requires Premium Membership.

Who it's for

Choose ibisPaint if you want one app for digital painting, manga page tools and frame-by-frame animation, particularly if a large brush and material selection matters. It is less compelling if you need roomy free cloud storage, want to avoid ads without a costly separate upgrade, or need to settle on a single, straightforward desktop license.

Pros and cons

Pro: The extensive brushes, materials and filters provide a broad palette for different illustration styles.
Pro: Manga-specific tones, frames, speech bubbles and rulers make comic creation a first-class use case.
Pro: Support for mobile and desktop, with cloud sync across devices, supports a cross-device workflow.
Con: Free cloud storage is limited to 64MB, which may not go far for artists building a body of work.
Con: The free version includes ads, while ad removal alone costs 15.99 USD per month.
Con: Desktop plans distinguish Premium and Pro features, and some Pro options carry separate recurring or one-time pricing.

Alternatives

Drawpile is a better fit if you want a free and open-source option with free official community servers; it also spans Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, web and Windows. Clip Studio Paint is worth considering if you prefer a paid product with a free trial and a stated 0.99 USD per month PRO annual/monthly plan. Infinite Painter suits mobile-only artists who want a free Android or iOS option whose free tier is limited to three layers at device resolution and selected tools.

Sketchbook is another free mobile option, with brushes, layers, guides, rulers and stroke tools; its platform coverage also includes macOS and Windows. FireAlpaca may suit desktop users seeking a free option with customizable brushes, layered artwork, animation tools and CMYK display on Linux, macOS or Windows. Krita offers a free, open-source desktop alternative on Linux, macOS and Windows, with no subscription or trial. Paintstorm Studio is a paid alternative with a free trial and a Windows/macOS/Linux perpetual-license plan stated at 25.00 USD per month for one PC, including free perpetual updates. MyPaint is a free alternative with downloads for Linux, macOS and Windows.

Verdict

ibisPaint is best for artists who want a broad drawing app with dedicated manga tools and animation support across mobile and desktop. Its free access makes it easy to start, and Premium adds useful storage and an ad-free experience. Look elsewhere if 64MB of free cloud storage is too limiting or if the separate desktop upgrade choices are more complexity than you want.

	ibisPaint	PD Howler
Free plan	Yes
Free trial	Yes
Paid from	$2.33/mo
Platforms	Android, iOS, macOS, Windows	Windows
Free plan	Yes
Paid from	4.49 /mo
Brush customization	Yes	Yes
Layer support	Yes	Yes
Pressure sensitivity	Yes	Yes
Supported platforms	windows, macos, ios, android	Windows
Color management	advanced
Stroke stabilization	Yes	Yes

ibisPaint vs PD Howler

ibisPaint

PD Howler