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Kids' art apps, compared honestly

Five apps for keeping children's artwork, side by side: what they cost, where the art is kept, and what each one does best. We make one of them, so we stuck to facts we could link to.

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The short answer

If you want someone else to scan the originals and print the book, Artkive does that. If your family mixes iPhone and Android, The Fridge Gallery has both. If price matters most, Artbox is the cheapest yearly plan here. If you want every drawing in your own iCloud, no account, and two homes sharing one gallery, that is what Crayon Years is built for.

Side by side

Prices are shown in the currency of each source: US dollars from the US App Store and Artkive's site, Australian dollars from The Fridge Gallery, euros for Crayon Years. Privacy labels are as each developer reports them on the App Store.

Crayon YearsArtkiveKeepboxArtboxThe Fridge Gallery
PricePro €19.99 a year (14 days free), €2.99 a month or €44.99 onceMembership $33 to $143 a year. Mail-in Artkive Box $39, plus a price per piece$29.99 a year, or $69.99 a year with a printed art book. Weekly and monthly plans tooArtbox+ $8.99 a year, $1.99 a month or $59.99 lifetime ($49.99 Lifetime Family)Family A$74 a year (A$59 the first year) or A$6.99 a month. Heirloom A$119 a year or A$299 once
Free plan24 new drawings a year, unlimited children, export foreverFree app. Membership needed after 6 months and 40 imagesFree trial, then a subscriptionFree app with basic widgetsUp to 10 artworks and 1 child gallery
Where the art is keptYour own iCloud. No company serverArtkive's cloud, also on its websiteNot stated on its App Store page. Offers backup to Google DriveSyncs through iCloudNot stated on its pricing page
Account neededNo. Uses your Apple IDYes, an Artkive loginNot statedNot for the gallery and iCloud sync. An Artbox Cloud account (Sign in with Apple) for some features and book ordersYes for parents. Grandparents join without one
Sharing with familyCo-parents add, edit and keep their own copy in their own iCloud. Grandparents view and react. Part of Pro, invitees never paySend digital collections to familyShare artwork with loved onesiCloud sharing with other Artbox users, with Artbox+2 parent accounts on Family. Grandparent invites are free
LimitsFree: 24 new drawings a year. Pro: unlimitedUnlimited cloud storage with a membershipSubscription needed after the trialExtra photos per project and shared profiles need Artbox+Family: 365 new artworks a year, up to 3 children. Heirloom: unlimited
Printed booksA print-ready book PDF in Pro, to print wherever you like. No printing serviceYes. Hardcover art books from $75 for 25 pieces, plus framed mosaicsYes. Keepsake art books, one plan includes oneYes. Hardcover photo books ordered in the appNot mentioned on its pricing page
DevicesiPhone and iPad, iOS 18 or lateriPhone and iPad (iOS 15.6 or later), Mac with Apple silicon, the webiPhone, iOS 18 or lateriPhone and iPad (iOS 16.6 or later), Mac, Apple Vision ProiPhone and Android
Ads and trackingNo ads, no tracking across appsPrivacy label lists data used for third-party advertisingPrivacy label lists usage data used to track youListing says it contains advertisingNot checked

Where each one is better

Every app here does something well. This is when we would point a friend to each one.

  • Artkive

    Pick it if you'd rather not do the photos yourself. You post a box of originals, Artkive photographs and edits each piece, and it prints proper hardcover books and framed mosaics. You can also see the art on its website, not only in an app.

  • Keepbox

    Pick it if you want a printed art book included in a yearly plan, with no separate book order to think about.

  • Artbox

    Pick it if price comes first: $8.99 a year is the lowest yearly price here. It also runs on older iPhones (iOS 16.6), on the Mac, and keeps art in iCloud like Crayon Years does. Printed photo books are built in.

  • The Fridge Gallery

    Pick it if your family mixes iPhone and Android. It has apps for both, AI clean-up on every piece and 3D gallery rooms to walk through.

  • Crayon Years

    Pick it if you want the art in your own iCloud with no account, a free plan that starts over every year, and two homes sharing one gallery: co-parents keep their own copy in their own iCloud, so the drawings stay with both of you. Where it falls short: no Android, no website, no printing service, everyone you invite needs an iPhone or iPad, and it launches on 17 November 2026, so there are no ratings yet.

What about Keepy?

We tried to include Keepy. On 21 October 2026 its US App Store page returned "not found" and its website did not load securely, so we couldn't check its current price or features. We left it out rather than guess.

Or no app at all?

Two free options are worth naming. A photo album in the Photos app costs nothing and is already on your phone, but drawings mix in with every other photo and nothing sorts them by child or age. A box in the attic keeps the real paper, but nobody sees it, and a box per child per year adds up fast.

Many families do both: a small box of originals, and photos of everything else. Our guide on how to store kids' art walks through what to keep and how to photograph the rest well.

Sources and how we checked

We read each company's own pricing page or App Store listing and wrote down only what it said. Where a source didn't say something, the table says "Not stated". Prices and features change, so check the source before you buy. If something here is wrong or out of date, email support@crayonyears.com and we'll fix it.

Crayon Years facts come from this site: see pricing, sharing with family and privacy.