Tattoo stencil app comparison
Stencify vs TattStencil
TattStencil is free and built by tattooers, but it is a filter, not a converter. That makes it the fairest test of what a real converter earns. Stencify's answer is the whole job in one app: photo to clean line work, try-on, text editing and print, on both platforms. Here is where a free filter tool stops and Stencify keeps going.
- Stencify: iPhone, iPad and Android
- $47.99 a year, unlimited conversions
- 4.8 stars on the App Store
- Our pick for most artists: Stencify
- Facts checked Oct 5, 2026
Written by the Stencify team. Everything here about TattStencil comes from its own website or store listing, and we show plainly where it differs.
Stencify
$47.99/year
or $4.99 a week, two free uses first
- PlatformsiPhone, iPad and Android
- PlanUnlimited, $47.99 a year
- Free to try2 full conversions
- Rating4.8 stars on the App Store
Best for you start from photos, you need Android, or you want try-on and editing by prompt.
Stencify ahead or even on 10 of 12 features
TattStencil
Free
No subscription
- PlatformsiOS only
- PlanFree, no plan
- Free to tryFully free
- Rating4.8 stars from 64 ratings
Only if your references are already clean drawings, you are on iOS only, and you want a free filter rather than a converter.
Our verdict: Stencify. The cleaner path from reference to printed stencil, on both platforms, with no credits, try-on and text editing included. The other app earns its place only in the case listed under its name.
Side by side
Same twelve features for every app. Teal check: Stencify ahead. Grey check: has it. Red cross: not offered or not listed. Stencify ahead on 4, even on 6, TattStencil ahead on 2. Extras only one app offers are covered under what that app offers instead.
Facts checked on Oct 5, 2026 from each app's own website or store listing. Prices change; check the store before you buy.
Where Stencify is stronger
- The core conversion. Clean, transfer-ready line work from a photo or sketch in about 30 seconds, with line weight and contrast you set yourself, so the stencil prints right the first time.
- AI conversion from a photo. TattStencil's controls are sharpness and darkness, which is a filter rather than line extraction; Stencify extracts line work and lets you set its weight.
- Android. TattStencil is iOS only.
- Try-on, text-to-design and prompt editing.
- A guided path from client photo to printed PDF sized for stencil paper.
What TattStencil offers instead
- Free, with no premium tier. Stencify costs $47.99 a year and in return converts client photos, not only clean drawings, with try-on and editing by text.
- States that it tracks no user data. Stencify's privacy policy is published on this site.
- Apple Pencil support and an appointment reference page. Stencify puts the effort into the stencil itself, on iOS and Android.
What a year costs
TattStencil costs nothing. Stencify is $47.99 a year. The question is what the conversion saves you: if a sharpness-and-darkness pass on a clean drawing is all your stencils need, free is the right price. If you regularly start from client photos with backgrounds, soft shading or low contrast, the time Stencify saves on cleanup pays for the year in a few sessions.
Which one should you pick?
Our recommendation: Stencify. It handles the whole job from photo to printed stencil, it runs on iPhone, iPad and Android, it has no credits to count, and it includes try-on and editing by text. Pick it when you start from photos, you need Android, or you want try-on and editing by prompt.
Choose TattStencil only if your references are already clean drawings, you are on iOS only, and you want a free filter rather than a converter. For everyone else the limits of a free filter tool show up on the first client photo.
Start with Stencify's two free uses on a real client reference, a low-contrast photo with a busy background, and check the line work at print size. If it holds up, the time saved on the first few clients pays for the year.
Try the conversion yourself
Stencify converts a photo or sketch in about 30 seconds, lets you set line weight and contrast, previews the stencil on a body model or client photo, and exports a PDF sized for stencil paper. It runs on iPhone, iPad and Android, and the first two uses are free: get Stencify on the App Store or on Google Play.
Frequently asked questions
Is TattStencil really free?
Yes. TattStencil is free on iOS with no premium tier listed. Free buys a sharpness-and-darkness filter; it does not buy conversion from photos, try-on or editing by text.
What is the difference between a filter and a stencil converter?
A filter adjusts the whole image at once, for example sharpness and darkness. A converter analyses the image to find the edges that matter and outputs line work you can then thicken, thin or clean. On clean drawings the two can look similar; on photos the converter does far more of the work.
Does TattStencil run on Android?
No, it is iOS only. Stencify runs on Android, iPhone and iPad.
Other comparisons
Related reading
- Stencify vs the Alternatives - all eight comparisons in one place
- Stencify vs tat.ink - the free web converter
- How to Make a Tattoo Stencil From a Picture - what conversion adds on photos
- How to Make a Tattoo Stencil - all the methods, free and paid
When your reference is a photo, not a drawing
Stencify extracts the line work for you, then lets you set weight, preview placement and print.
