Stencil AI vs StencilPro
StencilPro turns a finished tattoo design into a stencil. Its listing says so twice: upload tattoo designs only, face images are not allowed. Stencil AI converts any reference, including the client's portrait photo, in three styles, and then retouches, warps and prints it. If your references are photos, the comparison is already decided.
Stencil AI is used by 5,000+ paying tattoo artists, holds 4.7 stars from 220+ US App Store ratings, and is built and quality-checked by working tattoo artists.
Written by the Stencil AI team; we make one of the two apps compared here. Every StencilPro figure comes from App Store listing (id6753896745) and stencilpro.app, checked on 2026-10-01. Where its listing says nothing, the table says “Not listed” rather than guessing.
The short answer
- Stencil AI converts photos; StencilPro does not accept them. StencilPro's own rules: tattoo designs only, no faces, realistic or stylised. A portrait reference cannot go in.
- After the conversion, only Stencil AI keeps going. Retouch with brushes and tone curves, Warp to the body, LiDAR measuring, multi-stencil sheets at true size, Tattoo Mode, a 1,000+ subject library, studio seats.
- Platforms: Stencil AI on iPhone, iPad, Android and web; StencilPro iPhone and iPad only (no Google Play listing found).
Feature by feature
The bottom line: for a clean design that already exists, both produce a stencil. For a photo, a portrait, or anything with a face, only Stencil AI will take the job. Its Hatching style exists for exactly those references.
| Feature | Stencil AI | StencilPro |
|---|---|---|
| Accepts photos and portraits"Face images are not allowed" — StencilPro listing | ||
| Conversion styles | 3 — Outline, Standard, Hatching | One AI conversion; rotate/adjust before processing |
| Shadows and depth | Preserved and printable as cross-hatching | Not listed |
| Retouch after generating | Brushes, tap-to-remove fills, tone curves | None listed after generation |
| Adjust before generating | Crop, rotate, flip, cut out subject, erase background | Rotate and adjust |
| Print at true size | Download to photo library | |
| Warp stencil to body curve | ||
| Measure on skin with LiDAR | ||
| Multi-stencil / tiled printing | Several per sheet, each at its own size | |
| Session reference viewer | Tattoo Mode | |
| Ready-made stencil library | 1,000+ subjects | |
| Sync across devices | iPhone, iPad, Android, web | Across your Apple devices |
| WatermarksStencilPro states it; we match it | None | None |
| Platforms | iPhone, iPad, Android and web | iPhone and iPad only (no Google Play listing found) |
| Minimum iOS | iOS/iPadOS 16.4 | iOS 15.1 |
| Interface languages | 16 | English |
| PriceCredit-based; only the first tier is on the listing | from $13.99 / month | $9.99 "Starter Artist" credit pack (listing); further tiers not published |
| Try first | Free preview of your result | 2 free credits |
| App Store ratings (US) | 220+ at 4.7 | 400+ at 4.6 |
What StencilPro has going for it
- Two free credits, two full stencils before paying. Stencil AI shows a free preview of your result but does not give away full-resolution stencils.
- More ratings, around 400 to our 220, from a launch in 2025.
- Sign in with Apple and no watermarks are stated on its listing. Stencil AI matches both; StencilPro says so up front.
Designs versus photos
StencilPro is explicit about its scope: “upload tattoo designs only, no personal photos with faces”, and “best results with clear, high-contrast designs”. That is a reasonable product. Many references arrive as finished flash or a drawing, and a converter that cleans those up is useful.
Stencil AI is built for the harder half of the job, where the reference is a photo: a client's portrait of a parent, a pet, a landscape. It reads the image for subject, depth and light direction, and in Hatching style renders the tonal map as cross-hatching that prints and transfers. Faces are the point, not the exception.
After the conversion
StencilPro saves the result to your photo library. Stencil AI treats the stencil as the start of the prep: retouch with pressure-sensitive brushes and tone curves, remove a fill with a tap, bend it to a shoulder with Warp, measure the placement on skin with LiDAR, lay several stencils on one sheet at their real sizes, print at true size via AirPrint or export a PDF, then open Tattoo Mode at the chair.
Price
StencilPro sells credits; its listing shows a $9.99 "Starter Artist" credit pack (listing); further tiers not published. Further tiers are not published there, so a per-stencil cost cannot be stated. Stencil AI's Hobby plan is from $13.99 a month with 20 stencils, Pro $29.99 with 100, each also yearly.
What artists say about Stencil AI's output
“Saves me SOOOO much time tracing out the designs. And the stencils are exactly how I would picture them if I would of done it myself”
“Top. Super präzise und schnell”
Common questions
Can StencilPro make a stencil from a portrait photo?
No. Its App Store listing states that face images are not allowed in any form and that it is for tattoo designs, not personal photos. Stencil AI converts portrait photos and has a Hatching style built for them.
Is StencilPro related to Stencil AI?
No. StencilPro is by Lorik Morina at stencilpro.app. Stencil AI is by Stencil Labs at stencilai.app. The similar names are a coincidence.
Which is cheaper?
StencilPro sells credits starting with a $9.99 "Starter Artist" credit pack (listing); further tiers not published; its other tiers are not on the listing. Stencil AI is from $13.99 a month for 20 stencils. For more than a handful of stencils a month, a plan is cheaper than buying credits.
Does StencilPro run on Android or the web?
No Google Play listing was found as of 2026-10-01. Its listing says stencils sync across your Apple devices. Stencil AI runs on iPhone, iPad, Android and web.
Other comparisons
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