ibisPaint

Overview

ibisPaint is a social drawing app for artists working on phones, tablets or computers, with tools for illustration, manga and animation. It is a strong fit for creators who want a broad, cross-device toolkit; its main caveat is that usage limits and paid features vary by platform.

Brush customization, layers, pressure sensitivity and stroke stabilization support more controlled drawing, while the extensive materials and manga tools make ibisPaint useful beyond general sketching. The free mobile plan is a practical starting point, but Windows users should account for the one-hour daily limit in Demo Mode.

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

Key features

Drawing and image tools

The app offers over 47,000 brush types, drawing speeds up to 120 fps, more than 23,000 color and monochrome materials, and over 80 filters. That breadth gives artists plenty of ways to build a look without being limited to a small preset set. Filters include background removal and watercolor-style conversion. AI Super-resolution is intended to improve small-canvas image quality; AI Disturbance adds noise intended to discourage fine-tuning by image-generating AI.

Smart Features use Smart Credits. Premium Credits replenish monthly up to a grant limit, while purchased Paid Credits do not expire. These mechanics make credit use worth checking before relying on smart tools as part of a regular workflow.

Manga and animation

Manga tools include 46 screen tones, frame division, speech bubbles and rulers, a focused set that can help creators assemble comic pages in the app. Animation offers frame copying and onion skin display for drawing successive frames. These features broaden ibisPaint beyond still illustration, though the supplied feature set does not establish it as a replacement for specialized animation software.

Cloud storage and sharing

Cloud Storage syncs artwork across smartphones, tablets and PCs. Free plans include 64MB; Premium Membership raises that to 20GB, a meaningful difference for people who move projects between devices or keep a growing body of work online. Drawing process videos can be posted to ibispaint.com or shared through LINE, X and Facebook. Deleting an ibispaint.com account also deletes artwork uploaded to the site and Cloud Storage, so account deletion has a direct effect on stored work.

Pricing

ibisPaint is freemium, but the plan structure differs across mobile, Windows and Mac. The free version costs nothing and allows unlimited usage time with 64MB of cloud storage, with advertisements included. It is the clearest way to try the core app without a time cap, but the storage allowance is modest.

Premium Membership is $4.49 a month, billed monthly, or $27.99 a year, billed annually. Both options include premium features, no advertisements and 20GB of cloud storage; the subscription also includes unlimited original brush pattern imports. The annual price suits users committed to ongoing use, while monthly billing costs more over a full year but avoids an annual commitment. The Ad Removal Upgrade costs $15.99 a month and only removes advertisements from the free mobile version, so it is a narrow option rather than a substitute for Premium benefits.

On Windows, Free trial / Demo Mode costs nothing and limits use to one hour per day, 64MB of cloud storage and five original brush pattern imports. Windows Premium Membership costs $4.49 a month or $27.99 a year, with unlimited use, 20GB and premium features. On Mac, Premium Membership costs $4.99 a month or $29.99 a year for unlimited use, 20GB and premium features. Windows and Mac Premium Membership trials are available once: one week for the monthly plan or one month for the yearly plan. Subscriptions renew automatically unless canceled.

Pro Upgrade costs $62.99 a month and adds unlimited Windows and Mac usage, CMYK export and custom keyboard shortcuts. Separate Windows and Mac Pro Upgrades each cost $62.99, paid once, with unlimited use, 64MB of cloud storage and Pro features. The one-time options avoid a recurring fee but retain the smaller storage allowance. Smart-credit amounts and individual feature costs are not established here, so users who depend on Smart Features should account for that uncertainty.

Platforms

ibisPaint supports Android 7 or later, iOS/iPadOS 15 or later, macOS 11 Big Sur or later, Windows 10 version 2004 or later, and Windows 11 version 21H2 or later. Its spread across mobile and desktop suits people who want to switch devices, especially with cloud sync, but older systems may not qualify.

Who it's for

Choose ibisPaint if you want one drawing app that spans mobile and desktop, offers extensive brush and material libraries, and includes specific manga and frame-by-frame animation tools. It is less suitable if you need unrestricted Windows use at no cost, substantial free cloud storage, or want to avoid ads without paying the comparatively costly monthly Ad Removal Upgrade.

Pros and cons

• Pro: The large brush and material libraries, customizable brushes and drawing controls give illustrators a broad toolkit.
• Pro: Manga layout tools and basic animation features support more than static painting.
• Pro: Cloud sync connects phone, tablet and PC workflows, with 20GB included in Premium Membership.
• Con: Free cloud storage is 64MB, which can constrain users keeping many projects online.
• Con: Windows Demo Mode is limited to one hour per day, making it a poor fit for extended free desktop sessions.
• Con: Premium subscriptions renew automatically, and the Ad Removal Upgrade is a high monthly price for ad removal alone.

Alternatives

Drawpile is worth choosing instead if you want free, open-source software with official community servers and support across desktop, mobile, web and self-hosted setups.

Krita is a better fit if you want a free, open-source option with no subscriptions or trials, particularly on Linux or desktop systems.

Sketchbook suits someone seeking a free mobile app centered on brushes, layers, guides, rulers and stroke tools.

FireAlpaca is an option for users seeking free desktop software with customizable brushes, layered artwork, animation tools and CMYK display.

MyPaint is a free alternative for artists seeking a desktop app on Linux, macOS or Windows.

Infinite Painter is aimed at Android and iOS users who want a free tier with selected tools and features, but that tier is limited to three layers at device resolution.

Artweaver is a free option for non-commercial and academic use on Windows or macOS.

HEAVYPAINT is another freemium option available across web, desktop and mobile platforms.

Verdict

ibisPaint is a strong choice for artists who want expansive drawing resources, manga tools and cross-device access in one app. Its free version is generous on usage time but not cloud storage, and Windows Demo Mode is sharply limited; users who need sustained desktop work or 20GB of sync storage should weigh the paid plans and their renewal terms before committing.