DrawBuddies review
A free offline iOS drawing app for families, with shared canvases and child-friendly tools.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
DrawBuddies is a freemium drawing and coloring app for iPhone and iPad, aimed at families and young children who want to create together. It combines tap-to-fill coloring pages, color-by-number activities, a blank freehand pad, name creation, and tools such as stamps, an eraser, and paint-bucket fill. Large controls, no account requirement, no advertising, and offline operation keep the experience focused on child-friendly drawing. Together mode lets nearby iOS devices work on one shared canvas without an internet connection, while automatic gallery saving preserves drawings.
The free app includes the core drawing and coloring experience, including 30+ brushes such as crayon, watercolor, chalk, and glitter. Optional one-time in-app purchases include Family Unlock, which unlocks every brush, color, and template for the family, plus the Space & Rockets, Cool Vehicles, Anime Heroes, and Magic Scenes Pack options. Published pricing starts at 1.99. Drawings can be shared through iOS sharing, saved as images to the device, or exported as image and PDF files. This setup suits families seeking a low-friction mobile activity rather than a subscription-based creative suite.
Its strongest fit is shared, offline creativity within the iOS ecosystem. Nearby-device collaboration, autosave, and standard iOS sharing support family use without accounts or internet access, while email is the listed support channel. The trade-off is focus: professional drawing depth and integrations are limited, and deployment is restricted to iOS devices. Choose DrawBuddies for children’s coloring, casual freehand drawing, and family sessions on nearby iPhones or iPads. Choose another drawing app if you need advanced professional controls, broader platform coverage, or a deeper integration ecosystem.
DrawBuddies pros and cons
- Where it wins
- 30+ brushes, coloring pages and child-friendly drawing tools
- Together mode shares one canvas across nearby iOS devices
- Offline use, autosave and image/PDF export require no account
- Where it doesn't
- Professional drawing depth is limited
- Integrations are limited beyond iOS sharing
- Available only on iPhone and iPad
DrawBuddies fact sheet, pricing and score →
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