Painto vs Paint My Cat! Kids Painting: which app should you use?

Which is better, Painto or Paint My Cat! Kids Painting?

Choose Paint My Cat if your child is under 5 and you want a well-established app where a colored picture turns into a 3D toy; choose Painto if your child is between 2 and 8 and you want 3D painting plus a 2D coloring book and color by number in one app. Paint My Cat is made for ages 0 to 5 and is guided for children who cannot read. Painto lets children paint the 3D character itself, spin it around and watch it dance, with big targets for ages 2 to 4 and color-by-number for ages 5 to 8. Painto works fully offline and has no ads. A Paint My Cat store review complains about subscription-locked activities, while Painto offers weekly, yearly or one-time lifetime purchases. Paint My Cat has far more ratings; Painto is new.

Painto and Paint My Cat! Kids Painting side by side

	Painto	Paint My Cat! Kids Painting
Platforms	iOS	iOS
Price to download	Free to download	Free to download
Store rating	—	4.5 (1,530 ratings, 2026-11-02)
Age range	Ages 2 to 8, with separate modes for 2–4 and 5–8	Made for Ages 0–5 [source]
How 3D works	Paint the 3D character directly, spin it, see it dance	Color a picture and it becomes a 3D character to play with [source]
2D coloring and color by number	2D coloring book, free pencil, eraser, zoom, color by number for 5–8	Focused on its painting-to-3D activities
Non-readers	Ages 2–4 mode needs no reading	Guided for non-readers [source]
Offline and ads	Works fully offline; no ads, no third-party trackers	See the store page
Pricing model	Free download; Weekly $6.99, Yearly $24.99 or Lifetime $29.99 (US App Store, Nov 2026)	A store review says some activities are behind a subscription [source]
Track record	New app (version 1.0.1), few ratings	Long-running app with many more ratings

Choose Painto if

Your child is 5 to 8 and wants color by number or more detail
You want 3D characters and a 2D coloring book in the same app
You want a one-time lifetime purchase option

Choose Paint My Cat! Kids Painting if

Your child is under 2, since Paint My Cat is made for ages 0 to 5
You prefer an established app with a long record of ratings
You like the idea of a painted picture becoming a toy to play with

Questions

Is Painto like Paint My Cat?

Both involve 3D characters for young children. In Paint My Cat a colored picture becomes a 3D character; in Painto children paint the 3D character itself and can also use a 2D coloring book.

Which is better for a 6-year-old?

Painto has a color-by-number mode and richer detail for ages 5 to 8. Paint My Cat is made for ages 0 to 5.

Do Painto and Paint My Cat have subscriptions?

Painto offers weekly and yearly plans and a one-time lifetime purchase. A Paint My Cat store review says some activities moved behind a subscription; check its store page for current terms.