Phantrace review
A focused tracing workflow for iPad, not a released Android drawing app.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Phantrace is a photo-tracing and drawing app for people who want to draw over an imported image or sketch, organize work in layers, and replay their strokes. Its live product is for iPad, with Apple Pencil support and tools including pen, pencil, marker, brush, and watercolor. For someone searching specifically for an Android drawing app, the key distinction is that Phantrace is not yet available as a released Android app; the vendor describes Android as in active development.
The workflow is more specialized than a general-purpose canvas. Users can bring in a reference image, draw on separate drawing and reference layers, and export their work. Automatic stroke recording and replay gives the process a reviewable dimension, while the listed purchase includes unlimited drawings, layers, tools, folders, watermark-free exports, and drawing replay and export. The Android development build is described as supporting pressure- and tilt-aware strokes, multiple pen types, and two eraser modes, but those capabilities do not make it a released Android option.
According to the vendor's pricing information, the iPad offering costs $9.99 as a one-time purchase and has no free plan; that price is not established for Android. Drawings remain on-device, without cloud sync, and email is the listed support channel. Phantrace makes the most sense for an iPad user who values tracing references and a layer-based drawing process over cross-device continuity. Android users should wait for a release or choose an app currently available on their platform.
Phantrace pros and cons
- Where it wins
- Import photos or sketches as tracing references
- Use drawing and reference layers with multiple media tools
- Replay and export strokes and finished drawings
- Where it doesn't
- The live app is iPad-exclusive; Android has not shipped
- The $9.99 one-time price applies to the iPad offering
- Drawings stay on-device, with no cloud sync
Phantrace fact sheet, pricing and score →
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