Stencil AI vs Stenstill
Stenstill, listed on the App Store as “Tattoo Stencil Maker”, converts an image to a black-and-white stencil with darkness, detail and line-clarity sliders. Stencil AI converts in three styles, including a Hatching style for realism, then lets you retouch, warp and print the result at true size. Stenstill bills $7.99 per week and is Apple-only.
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 Stenstill figure comes from App Store listing (id6743803500, "Tattoo Stencil Maker") and stenstill.com, checked on 2026-10-01. Where its listing says nothing, the table says “Not listed” rather than guessing.
The short answer
- Stencil AI does more with the image. Three conversion styles instead of one pass, a retouch editor with brushes and tone curves, Warp to the body, LiDAR measuring, multi-stencil sheets, Tattoo Mode, a 1,000+ subject library and studio seats.
- Stencil AI runs on iPhone, iPad, Android and web. Stenstill is iPhone and iPad only (no Google Play listing found), in English only.
- Stenstill costs more than it looks. $7.99 per week is about $32 a month. Stencil AI's Hobby plan is from $13.99 a month.
Feature by feature
The bottom line: a contrast pass with sliders handles bold line art. On a portrait the sliders force a choice between losing the mid-tones and smearing them. Stencil AI's Hatching style keeps the tonal map and prints it as cross-hatching. Take your hardest portrait and compare the eyes.
| Feature | Stencil AI | Stenstill |
|---|---|---|
| Conversion styles | 3 — Outline, Standard, Hatching | One image-to-stencil conversion with darkness, detail and line-clarity sliders |
| Shadows and depth | Preserved and printable as cross-hatching | "No muddy grays" — mid-tones are pushed to black or white |
| Reads the image before converting | Subject, depth and light direction understood | Not listed |
| Retouch after generating | Brushes, tap-to-remove fills, tone curves | Darkness, detail level and line clarity sliders |
| Print at true size | Send to printer; sizing not listed | |
| 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 | |
| Share with client for approvalStenstill lists this explicitly | Share image or PDF | |
| Export resolution | Up to 4K | "HD" |
| Platforms | iPhone, iPad, Android and web | iPhone and iPad only (no Google Play listing found) |
| Minimum iOS | iOS/iPadOS 16.4 | iOS 15.6 |
| Interface languages | 16 | English |
| PriceWeekly billing: about $32 a month | from $13.99 / month, or $139.99 / year | $7.99 per week |
| App Store ratings (US)Stenstill wins on count | 220+ at 4.7 | 600+ at 4.7 |
| Commercial licence stated | Not listed |
What Stenstill has going for it
- More App Store ratings. About 600 to our 220, at the same 4.7 average. It has been on the store since 2025 and people like it.
- Simplicity. Import, slide, save. If every reference you get is bold line work, that is a complete tool.
- Sharing for approval is a listed feature. Stencil AI can share a stencil too, but Stenstill makes a point of it.
Where the output differs
Stenstill's own listing describes the target: sharp black-and-white with “no muddy grays”. That is the right goal for line art and the wrong one for a portrait, where the grey is the information. A darkness slider decides, for the whole image at once, which greys become black and which vanish. Cheekbones become patches and fur becomes a mass, or the detail survives as faint speckle that will not transfer.
Stencil AI's Hatching style renders mid-tones as cross-hatching, so the structure of a face or a fur coat survives as printable lines. Outline and Standard cover the simpler references. We will not characterise how Stenstill works internally beyond what its listing says. Run the same portrait through both and look at the eyes.
The price, honestly
Stenstill's only listed purchase is $7.99 per week. That reads cheap and is not: a month is four to five weeks, so about $32 to $40. Stencil AI's Hobby plan is from $13.99 a month or $139.99 a year, and Pro is $29.99 a month with 100 stencils. If you make a few stencils a week, Stencil AI is less than half the cost for a tool that does more.
Platforms
Stenstill is iPhone and iPad only (no Google Play listing found), needs iOS 15.6, and is in English. Stencil AI runs on iPhone, iPad, Android and web on one account, in 16 languages. If your station has an Android tablet or you prep on a desktop, only one of these works there.
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”
“Brilliant bit of kit stencils are perfect love it saves me so many hours .thank you”
Common questions
Is Stenstill the same app as "Tattoo Stencil Maker"?
Yes. "Tattoo Stencil Maker" is the App Store title; Stenstill is the product and company name, by Bravycode Technologies. It is not related to Stencil AI.
How much does Stenstill cost per month?
Its listing shows one purchase, $7.99 per week, which is roughly $32 to $40 a month depending on the month. Stencil AI's Hobby plan is from $13.99 a month.
Which is better for portraits?
Stencil AI, because it has a Hatching style built for exactly that: the tonal map of a portrait rendered as printable cross-hatching. Stenstill produces black-and-white line work with sliders, which suits bold designs.
Does Stenstill work on Android?
No Google Play listing was found as of 2026-10-01. It is iPhone and iPad only (no Google Play listing found). Stencil AI runs on iPhone, iPad, Android and web.
Can I edit the stencil after generating in each app?
In Stencil AI, yes: brushes with pressure, tap-to-remove fills, tone curves, Warp. In Stenstill the adjustment is the three sliders before saving.
Other comparisons
Try it on your own reference
Upload a photo and see the stencil before you decide anything.
Create a stencil