Best AR drawing apps compared (2026) – what the store listings actually say
Best AR drawing apps compared: Five AR drawing apps side by side on facts from their store listings – platforms, headsets, hand-held tracking, lessons and price. Snapshot September 2026.
We make Sketchar; the table below is limited to facts anyone can verify in the store listings and on the vendors' own sites. Where a listing is silent, the cell says "not stated" instead of a guess.
Who this is for
You want to draw on paper, a wall, or a canvas with a reference projected over it through a phone camera or a headset, and you want to know which app fits your device and your budget. If you first want to understand the method itself, start with how AR drawing works.
How we compared
We took five apps that describe themselves as AR drawing or AR tracing tools and recorded what their App Store and Google Play listings state. The snapshot date is 2026-09-22. Nothing was inferred: if a listing does not mention offline mode, the cell reads "not stated", even if the app may have it. We re-check the data quarterly. The listing IDs are at the end.
Two columns need a definition. "Web app" means the vendor offers a version that runs in a browser (for Sketchar that is the canvas, the courses and the account; AR tracing needs a camera on every app here). "Draw with the phone in hand" means the listing describes tracking that keeps the reference in place while the phone is held in one hand and moved, rather than fixed on a stand. The rest – platforms, headsets, lessons, multiplayer, offline, sync, price, launch year – are recorded as written.
The comparison table
App | Platforms | Web app | Draw with the phone in hand | VR headsets | Unique Lessons / templates | Multiplayer | Offline | Cross-device sync | Price | Launch year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sketchar | iOS, Android, Meta Quest | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | 1,000+ templates and step-by-step lessons | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Free; PRO $5/month or $49/year | 2016 (Concept in 2012) |
AR drawing | iOS, Android | – | – | – | 200+ lessons, 700+ templates | – | – | – | Free with subscription; in-app items $1.99–$64.99 | not stated |
Artráce | iOS, Android | – | – | – | not stated | – | – | – | Free with ads; in-app items $2.99–$39.99 | not stated |
AR draw sketch | Android | – | – | – | not stated | – | – | – | Free with ads; in-app items $7.99–$39.99 | not stated |
Da vinci eye | iOS, Android, visionOS | – | – | ✓ | not stated | – | – | – | Free; paid tiers from $4.99/month to $49.99/year | not stated |
✓ = stated in the listing or on the vendor site. – = stated as not offered, or the vendor offers no such version. "not stated" = the sources are silent.
What the differences mean in practice
Hand-held vs fixed phone. Most AR tracing apps assume the phone stays still: you prop it on a stand or a stack of books, aim it at the paper, and the reference stays put as long as nothing moves. Sketchar's own tracking follows the phone held in one hand, so you can lift it, look, put it down, and pick it up again without re-aligning. In this snapshot no other listing describes that, so if you do not own a stand or you draw on surfaces where a stand cannot sit, the hand-held column is the first one to read.
Headsets. Two apps list a headset version. Sketchar runs on Meta Quest 3, 3S and Pro and on Pico 4 Ultra; Da Vinci Eye lists visionOS. A headset keeps both hands free and puts the reference on the wall at the scale you set, which matters most for murals and other work larger than a sheet of paper. The other three apps do not mention headsets at all.
Lessons. Two listings quantify learning content: Sketchar with 1,000+ templates and step-by-step lessons, all free to use, and AR Drawing: Sketch & Paint with 200+ lessons and 700+ templates. The remaining three listings describe tracing a picture you bring yourself and say nothing about lessons. If you are learning to draw rather than transferring a finished design, that is the column that separates the group.
Price. All five are free to download. Beyond that the models differ: Sketchar and Da Vinci Eye list a subscription with a monthly and a yearly option ($5/month or $49/year, and $4.99/month to $49.99/year respectively). AR Drawing: Sketch & Paint lists a subscription plus in-app items from $1.99 to $64.99. Artrace and AR Draw Sketch are ad-supported with in-app items from $2.99 to $39.99 and $7.99 to $39.99. What each paid tier unlocks is not comparable from listings alone, so read the in-app purchase list on the store page before you pay.
Which app for which person
Someone who works from a laptop too. Of the five, only Sketchar lists a web app in this snapshot – the drawing canvas, courses and your account run in a browser at app.sketchar.io. The AR tracing itself still needs a phone or headset camera, in every app on the list.
A child or a beginner. Look at the lessons column. Sketchar and AR Drawing: Sketch & Paint are the two that list step-by-step content; Sketchar is also on Android, iOS and a headset with one account across devices, which helps when a family shares hardware.
A muralist or anyone drawing at wall scale. Look at the headset column. Sketchar (Meta Quest 3/3S/Pro, Pico 4 Ultra) and Da Vinci Eye (visionOS) are the two options; the choice comes down to which headset you own. On a phone, hand-held tracking lets you step back from the wall and come back without re-aligning.
FAQ
Is there a free AR drawing app?
Yes. All five apps in the table are free to download. Sketchar's 1,000+ templates and lessons are free; the paid PRO tier is $5/month or $49/year. The other four combine a free tier with ads, a subscription, or in-app items.
Which AR drawing app works on Meta Quest?
In this comparison, Sketchar is the only app that lists Meta Quest (Quest 3, 3S and Pro); it also runs on Pico 4 Ultra. Da Vinci Eye lists visionOS, not Meta Quest. The other three list no headset.
Do AR drawing apps work on iPad?
Four of the five list iOS: Sketchar, AR Drawing: Sketch & Paint, Artrace and Da Vinci Eye. iPad support is shown per app in the App Store compatibility section; this snapshot did not record it separately, so check the listing.
Which app started AR drawing?
Sketchar, released in 2016. Founder Andrey Drobitko, a mural artist, sketched the idea in 2012 as a way to transfer a reference to a wall without a projector. No other listing in the table states a launch year.
If you want to try the hand-held tracking or the headset version, get Sketchar – it is free to download, and the lessons are free too.
Sources
Snapshot 2026-09-22, taken from the public App Store and Google Play listings. Listed as plain text so nothing here is a link; paste an address into the store search if you want to check a cell.
Sketchar – App Store. Google Play sketchar.io/pricing
AR Drawing: Sketch & Paint
Artrace – App Store · Google Play
AR Draw Sketch – Google Play
Da Vinci Eye – App Store
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