Adobe Illustrator vs Roughups
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Adobe Illustrator
Create logos, illustrations, and graphics on your iPad with intuitive Apple Pencil support. Design vector art, manipulate type, and create patterns on the go, even offline. Seamlessly sync your work across devices and other Adobe apps.
- Vector drawing with Apple Pencil
- Advanced typography tools
- Pattern creation
- Image vectorization
- Cross-device syncing
- Gradient and color tools
Read full descriptionHide full description
Create logos, illustrations, graphics and more. Illustrator on the iPad works intuitively with your Apple Pencil so you can design on the go from anywhere, even offline - it’s never been easier to take your creativity to new places. Design with precision, as naturally as you would with pen and paper. Create vector lines, shapes, type, gradients, and effects. Merge or cut graphics with quick, intuitive Pencil gestures to remove unwanted areas. Make your graphics pop with effects, and access over 18,000 fonts, 20+ color palettes, up-to-the-minute live streams from famous creatives, and guided tutorials. Work on a project across Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and Fresco. Plus, your Illustrator work is automatically synced to the cloud, so you and your team can always access the latest version from your desktop or iPad. This app is part of Adobe Creative Cloud. It’s free for Creative Cloud members who have a plan that includes Illustrator. INTUITIVE AND PRECISE DRAWING WITH APPLE PENCIL • Natural ways to draw — Make lines and curves using the Pen, Pencil, and Brush tools • Art and Calligraphic Brushes — Create and apply brush strokes to add artistic elements to your artwork. • Pinpoint editing — Create perfect graphics without quality loss with Smart Delete, Simplify Path, and more • Point precision — Edit graphics down to the point, radius, or angle level NEW WAYS TO MAKE STUNNING PATTERNS AND SHAPES • Vectorize — Convert raster images or paper sketches into vector images. • Radial, grid, and mirror repeat — Turn graphics into sophisticated patterns • Polygon shape creation — Make objects out of circles, triangles, squares, and stars • Transform as Shape — Transform paths and curves without manual manipulation of anchor points. • Blend Tool — Smoothly blend one shape into another across a specified number of steps. THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE TYPE TOOLKIT FOR IPAD • 18,000+ fonts — Use one of the thousands of high-quality fonts included in the Adobe Fonts library • Fonts of your own — Upload and design with any of your own licensed fonts and use them on both desktop and iPad • Type on a path — Bend and flow text onto the surface of lines and shapes • Outlined text — Turn text into an editable format that can be modified without limits • Variable fonts — They’re infinitely customizable • Color fonts — Explore gorgeous color variations and gradients that are built into the font BRILLIANT COLORS AND GRADIENTS • Point gradients — Drag and drop colors to create dynamic blends of diffused colors • 20+ color books — Use industry-standard color swatches or incorporate your own SEAMLESS MOVEMENT BETWEEN DEVICES AND APPS • File syncing between Illustrator on the desktop and on the iPad — Projects are automatically synced and accessible across devices • Photoshop import — Easily place a Photoshop image into your Illustrator design • Standard file format export — Create, save, and open Illustrator (AI) files with no loss of quality, and export in the most common formats, including SVG, PDF, PNG, and PSD. KEEPING TABS ON THE LATEST CREATIVE TRENDS • Livestreaming — Watch and learn from top design-industry creatives daily, right within the app • Trends to discover — Explore projects by other creatives Terms & Conditions: Your use of this application is governed by the Adobe General Terms of Use http://www.adobe.com/go/terms_linkfree_en and the Adobe Privacy Policy http://www.adobe.com/go/privacy_policy_linkfree_en Do Not Sell My Personal Information: www.adobe.com/go/ca-rights-linkfree
Roughups
Transform your wireframe sketches into interactive prototypes with this intuitive iPad app. Easily draw screens, add interactive components, and even create custom fonts. Share your designs through a secure web service.
- Intuitive wireframe drawing interface
- Add interactive components (text fields, toggles)
- Create custom fonts for wireframes
- Record walkthroughs of prototypes
- Share creations via secure web service
- Password protection for shared designs
Read full descriptionHide full description
Roughups is far more than just another wireframe drawing tool. It lets you turn your ideas into reality with just your iPad and Apple Pencil. Features: - Beautifully simple user interface for drawing screens and connecting them together - Add in special components like text fields, toggle buttons and more - Even add in camera components to create more realistic wireframes - Draw your own custom fonts that people can use in your wireframes - Record walkthroughs of your wireframes - Share your creations with others via our web service (which supports password protection if you need it)
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Roughups at 100% against Adobe Illustrator's 13%. Roughups also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs every 2 months). Adobe Illustrator's advantage is rating (4.5 vs 3.0) and ratings volume (37K vs 2). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Adobe Illustrator sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and Roughups sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Adobe Illustrator holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Adobe Illustrator has 37K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 13% of Adobe Illustrator's written reviews are positive against 100% of Roughups's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Adobe Illustrator ships an update every 2 months, Roughups every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on September 27, 2026 and September 9, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Adobe Illustrator | Roughups |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (37K ratings) — better | 3.0 (2 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 13.2% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 37K — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPad | iPad |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 — better | 14.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 856 MB | 8 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Adobe Inc. | Prototyper Ltd |
Customer experience
Adobe Illustrator
Roughups
Bugs and requests
Adobe Illustrator
Reported bugs
4 issues- Layers disappearing or not updating properly
- Eraser tool behaving inconsistently
- Pasting content causing unexpected issues
- Frequent crashes when working on complex files
Requested features
5 requests- Ability to rotate canvas
- More brush and stroke customization options
- Implement Gaussian blur and other effects
- Add support for keyboard shortcuts
- Improve file management and cloud sync
Roughups
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Adobe Illustrator
- Illustrator on iPad : Monthly1 Month trial$9.991 Month
- Adobe Design Mobile: Monthly1 Month trial$14.991 Month
- Illustrator on iPad : Yearly1 Month trial$79.991 Year
Show 1 moreShow fewer
- Adobe Design Mobile: Yearly1 Month trial$149.991 Year
Roughups
- Roughups Pro Monthly$3.991 Month
- Roughups Pro Annual$29.991 Year
Questions
Is Adobe Illustrator free?
Is Roughups free?
Which has better reviews, Adobe Illustrator or Roughups?
Do Adobe Illustrator or Roughups have ads?
Which is updated more often, Adobe Illustrator or Roughups?
Other comparisons















