Grid Maker Pro vs Da Vinci Eye — AR tracing app comparison
Both apps project a photo onto your paper or canvas so you can trace it in augmented reality. Da Vinci Eye is the established, polished app in this space, with AR and Classic modes, stabilization, value layers, lessons, and Apple Vision Pro support. The one thing it does that artists complain about most: tracing your own imported photo is paywalled behind its subscription. The Grid Maker Pro app takes the opposite stance — three AR traces of your own photo every month for free, all 82 professional composition overlays included, and a one-time lifetime option instead of a subscription. This is an honest side-by-side, and we link to Da Vinci Eye throughout so you can verify every claim.
By Sujith Puthran · Published 28 June 2026 · This page is by Grid Maker Pro and reflects our perspective; we link to Da Vinci Eye throughout so you can verify claims independently.
The two apps at a glance
Da Vinci Eye — listed as "Da Vinci Eye: AR Trace & Draw" on iOS and "AR Art Projector" on Android — is by Da Vinci Eye LLC, founded by Samuel Gherman, and is hosted at davincieyeapp.com. It runs on iOS, Android, and Apple Vision Pro. It is free to install with an auto-renewing subscription: marketing pricing is around $7.99 per month or $29.99 per year with a seven-day free trial, though the live in-app purchase tiers vary by store and region. Free users can trace community and stock photos and follow built-in lessons, but importing and tracing your own photo requires the Pro subscription. It is a mature app with a strong reputation and wider brand reach after appearing on Shark Tank (Season 15).
The Grid Maker Pro app is at gridmakerpro.com/app, available on Android via Google Play (with iOS planned). It is built by Sujith Puthran, a working artist of 15 years. The free tier gives you three AR traces of your own photo every month, plus all 82 professional composition overlays — golden ratio, Loomis head, dynamic symmetry, perspective, and sacred geometry. Unlimited tracing is $29.99 per year, $6.99 per month, or a $79 one-time Lifetime unlock with no subscription. The reference photo is processed on your device, and there is no account required to start.
Worth saying plainly: the free Grid Maker Pro web tool at gridmakerpro.com stays free forever and browser-only. The AR app is a separate, optional product that adds the one thing a browser cannot do — projecting your reference onto real paper or canvas.
Feature-by-feature comparison
| Feature | Da Vinci Eye | Grid Maker Pro app |
|---|---|---|
| AR tracing onto paper or canvas | Yes — AR and Classic projection modes | Yes — AR tracing |
| Trace your own photo on the free tier | No — your own photo is Pro-only; free tier traces community / stock images | Yes — 3 traces of your own photo every month, free |
| Composition overlays (grids) | Not the focus — projection-first | 82 overlays — golden ratio, Loomis head, dynamic symmetry, perspective, sacred geometry |
| Image stabilization | Yes — stabilization and strobe | Yes — stabilized projection |
| Projection modes | AR mode + Classic mode | AR mode |
| Built-in lessons | Yes — library of guided lessons | No — overlays and guides instead |
| Time-lapse capture | Yes | No |
| Reference processing location | On device | On device — no account to start |
| Platforms | iOS, Android, Apple Vision Pro | Android (iOS planned) |
| One-time purchase option | No — auto-renewing subscription | Yes — $79 Lifetime, no subscription |
| Pricing model | Free install + subscription (~$7.99/mo or ~$29.99/yr marketing; store tiers vary) | Free tier + $29.99/yr, $6.99/mo, or $79 Lifetime |
| Account required | App Store / Play account for subscription | No account to start |
| Best for | Mature feature set, iOS / Vision Pro, lessons, value layers | Tracing your own photo free, deep overlay library, one-time price |
Pricing and feature facts above are from the Da Vinci Eye site and store listings as of June 2026. Subscription tiers drift — confirm the current price on the official Da Vinci Eye listing before you decide.
Where Da Vinci Eye wins
- Maturity and polish. Da Vinci Eye has been refined for years into a stable, well-reviewed app with high store ratings. It is the established name in AR tracing for artists.
- Two projection modes. Beyond AR mode it offers a Classic projection mode, plus image stabilization and a strobe option to fight hand-shake jitter while you trace.
- Value-layer separation. It can break a reference into value layers, which helps with shading passes — a genuinely useful feature for painters working light to dark.
- Built-in lessons and time-lapse. A library of guided lessons for beginners, plus time-lapse capture to record your drawing process.
- Apple Vision Pro and iOS support. It runs on iOS and on Apple Vision Pro today. The Grid Maker Pro app is Android-first, with iOS still planned.
- Brand reach. Its Shark Tank (Season 15) appearance gave it visibility most tracing apps never get.
Where the Grid Maker Pro app wins
- Trace your own photo for free. This is the wedge. Da Vinci Eye paywalls importing your own photo behind its subscription — the single most common complaint in its reviews. The Grid Maker Pro app gives you three AR traces of your own photo every month at no cost, so you can do real work before paying anything.
- 82 professional composition overlays. No other tracing app ships a grid library this deep. Golden ratio, Loomis head, dynamic symmetry root rectangles, perspective grids, and sacred geometry — for artists who want to check composition, not only trace contours.
- A one-time lifetime price. $79 unlocks unlimited tracing forever, with no subscription. Da Vinci Eye is subscription-only, and its pricing and upsell flow are a recurring source of review friction.
- On-device, no account to start. Your reference photo is processed on your device, and you can open the app and begin without creating an account.
- Built by a working artist. The app exists because a painter of 15 years needed it at the easel — see the artist behind Grid Maker Pro and the methodology behind the overlays.
Which app to pick
- Pick Da Vinci Eye if you want the most mature feature set today; if you are on iOS or Apple Vision Pro; if value-layer separation, Classic mode, time-lapse, and built-in lessons matter to you; and if a subscription is acceptable.
- Pick the Grid Maker Pro app if you want to trace your own photo for free each month; if you want the deepest library of professional composition overlays in a tracing app; if you would rather pay once with a $79 lifetime unlock than subscribe; or if you are on Android and want a tool built by a practising artist.
- Use either alongside the free web tool. Whichever app you choose for projecting onto paper, the free Grid Maker Pro web tool stays free and browser-only for composition work on screen.
What Da Vinci Eye gets right that most of the market doesn't
Honest credit: Da Vinci Eye set the bar for what an AR tracing app should feel like. Stabilization, a Classic fallback mode, value layers, lessons, and Vision Pro support add up to a more complete projection toolkit than almost anything else in the category, and the store ratings reflect that. Its known weak points are real but narrow — your-own-photo is paywalled, the Classic mode can show image jitter, and the subscription and upsell flow cause pricing confusion — but none of that erases how polished the core experience is.
The Grid Maker Pro app is a different proposition: trace your own photo free every month, the deepest overlay library in any tracing app, a one-time lifetime price, and a tool shaped by a working artist's own easel needs. If projection breadth and lessons are what you want and you are on iOS, Da Vinci Eye is the established choice. If free tracing of your own reference, composition depth, and a one-time price matter more, the Grid Maker Pro app is built for that.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Grid Maker Pro app a free Da Vinci Eye alternative?
It is free to install and gives you three AR traces of your own photo every month plus all 82 composition overlays at no cost. That is the key difference: Da Vinci Eye lets free users trace community and stock photos but paywalls tracing your own imported photo behind its subscription. If you want unlimited tracing in the Grid Maker Pro app, the upgrade is $29.99 a year, $6.99 a month, or a $79 one-time lifetime unlock with no subscription.
Can I trace my own photo for free in Da Vinci Eye?
Not on the free tier. Da Vinci Eye lets free users trace community and stock images and follow built-in lessons, but importing and tracing your own photo requires the Pro subscription. This is the most common complaint in its reviews. The Grid Maker Pro app gives you three traces of your own photo every month for free, then unlimited tracing on the paid tier. Always confirm the current terms on the official Da Vinci Eye listing before you decide.
How much does Da Vinci Eye cost?
Da Vinci Eye is free to install with an auto-renewing subscription. Its marketing pricing is around $7.99 a month or $29.99 a year with a seven-day free trial, though the live in-app purchase tiers vary by store and region and can run higher. It is not a one-time purchase. Check the current price on its App Store or Google Play listing, since subscription pricing drifts.
Does the Grid Maker Pro app cost money?
The app is free to install and free to use for three AR traces of your own photo each month plus all 82 composition overlays. Unlimited tracing is $29.99 a year, $6.99 a month, or a $79 one-time lifetime unlock. The free Grid Maker Pro web tool at gridmakerpro.com stays free forever and browser-only; the AR app is a separate, optional product that adds tracing onto real paper and canvas, which a browser cannot do.
What does Da Vinci Eye do better than the Grid Maker Pro app?
Da Vinci Eye is a mature, polished app with both AR and Classic projection modes, image stabilization and strobe, value-layer separation, time-lapse, a library of built-in lessons, Apple Vision Pro support, and high store ratings. It also has wider brand reach after its Shark Tank appearance. If you want the broadest projection feature set today and you are on iOS or Vision Pro, Da Vinci Eye is the more established choice.
Which AR tracing app should I pick?
Pick Da Vinci Eye if you want the most mature feature set, iOS or Apple Vision Pro support, value-layer separation, and built-in lessons, and you are comfortable with a subscription. Pick the Grid Maker Pro app if you want to trace your own photo for free each month, the deepest library of professional composition overlays in a tracing app, a one-time lifetime price instead of a subscription, and a tool built by a working artist.
References
- Da Vinci Eye: AR Trace & Draw. davincieyeapp.com. Da Vinci Eye LLC (Samuel Gherman). Primary source for Da Vinci Eye's platforms, pricing, and features — verify current terms at davincieyeapp.com and its App Store / Google Play listings.
- Alberti, Leon Battista. On Painting (Della Pittura, 1435). Penguin Classics. ISBN 978-0-14-043331-3. The foundational text on the squared "veil" — the proportional-transfer ancestor of every tracing and grid method.
- Loomis, Andrew. Drawing the Head and Hands. Viking Press (1956). The classic construction reference behind the Loomis head overlay included in the Grid Maker Pro app.
