Paintwork vs Linea Sketch
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Paintwork
Create handwritten notes, diaries, and drawings with a vast array of tools. Features include customizable brushes, vector graphics, a rich color palette, and image import. Export your creations as PDFs or images.
- Customizable brushes and erasers
- Extensive vector graphics tools
- Rich color palette
- Image and material import
- Handwriting assistance
- PDF and image export
- Customizable backgrounds and canvas
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Paintwork is a simple and powerful software for handwritten notebooks, diaries, and hand drawn images. It includes functions such as: brush list (hundreds of brush effects, customizable brush thickness, color, transparency, dynamic strength weights, etc.), eraser list (each brush effect can be used as an eraser), Vector graphics tools (including lasso, vector eraser, vector pen, annotation pen, highlighter, wavy pen, double line pen, text box, illustration, dashed line, horizontal and vertical dashed line, curve, closed shape, text pen, rectangle, ellipse, straight line, arrow, triangle, pentagram, polygon, etc.), and also include many related attribute settings, Color list (with a rich color palette and customizable manual configuration of commonly used colors), copy and cut the content of specified areas on the page, import images or materials, as well as a simple calculator, handwriting assistance, and photo scanning of document files. Unlimited writing, ruler, recognition of text, printing of text, filling, and the ability to export PDF files or images. Supports custom background functionality, custom canvas paper, and more. It can be used to write for classroom or book learning notes, handwritten notes for work meetings, hand drawn mind maps, hand drawn account creation, hand made account book making, writing diaries, recording life thoughts, calligraphy practice, handwritten brush and pencil characters, hand drawn artistic characters, and so on. Supports Apple pencil. Can export images or PDFs. If you have any comments or feedback, please feel free to contact us. Contact email: pw_team@163.com If you like our application, please give us a good review. Thank you.
Linea Sketch
This app provides a powerful yet intuitive drawing and note-taking experience. Its minimalist interface keeps the focus on your creations, offering features like intelligent shape creation, precise layer management, and artistic brushes. Record your process with time-lapse and utilize various grids and templates for diverse projects.
- Minimalist UI
- Intelligent shape creation (ZipShapes)
- Elegant layer management
- Artistic watercolor brush
- Time-lapse recording
- Grids and templates
- Annotation tools
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Draw and take notes with ease. Linea Sketch gives you the right balance of power and control to capture thoughts and ideas effortlessly. The focus stays where it belongs: on your creations, not on the tools. Why Linea Sketch? ⁕ Minimal UI - Every control is designed to stay out of your way until you need it. Linea's elegant interface puts the focus on your creations. ⁕ Easy Colors - Choose from a wide range of pre-defined colors, or create your own with a single tap. Autogenerated tints & shades save time and effort. ⁕ Elegant Layers - Simplified set of layers that can be easily rearranged, merged, locked, or adjusted. Use the file browser and photo library to import images for reference and tracing. ⁕ ZipShapes & ZipLines - Simply hold still for a moment after drawing a line, rough square, circle, or triangle and ZipShape automatically creates a perfect version for you. You can then adjust final size, placement, and corner radius. ⁕ Move / Transform - Lasso part of your sketch, then move, rotate, flip, or resize. Transform one or more layers quickly & easily. ⁕ Watercolor Brush - Create rustic & artistic effects by painting with organic pigment in three modes: Simple, Wet, and Cloud. ⁕ Annotations - Add labels, notes, and callouts to your sketches using iOS Scribble or a keyboard. Fonts, colors, placement, and more can be adjusted effortlessly. ⁕ Time-Lapse - Record your creative process as you sketch! Save a video of the result as either a compressed 30 second clip or a full length movie. ⁕ Grids & Templates - A wide range of traditional grids, 3D isometric lines, storyboards, and templates for iOS screen or icon design. ⁕ Universal App - Linea Sketch is a universal app for iPad and iPhone. Your sketches seamlessly sync via iCloud to all of your devices, wherever you go. …………………………………… What do you get? Tools: • Technical Pencil - Hard lead, thin lines • Art Pencil - Soft lead, thick lines • Felt Tip Pen - Thin solid lines that vary in opacity • Marker - Fat solid lines • Watercolor Brush - Paint with organic, artistic pigment • Fill - Roll out wide areas of color or tap to flood fill • Blend - Smudge or soften strokes • Eraser - Clean up with your finger or Pencil • Pencil Plus! - Create additional effects using Apple Pencil pressure and tilt Colors: • Always on-screen & easily available • Tints and shades are automatically generated in six variations • 11 predefined color sets for various types of drawing • Create custom colors for branding and consistency • Drag & drop color swatches with other apps Layers: • Five flexible layers that can be dragged, merged, or cleared • Import any image from Files, Photo Library, or clipboard • Lockable to prevent accidental changes • Adjust opacity or double tap to toggle visibility on/off Templates: • Traditional grids displayed with lines & dots • Hexagonal, circular, and isometric (3D) grids • Notepads, to-do lists, and sheet music • App user interface and icon design • Storyboards in 16:9, 1.85:1, and 2.35:1 ratios • Adjustable intensity and can be hidden quickly Backgrounds & Paper Textures: • White Bond, Butcher’s Paper, Black Construction, Blueprint & many more • Adjustable custom background colors • Paper grain can be toggled on or off Exporting: • Save as PNG, JPEG, PSD, and PDF • Save entire sketch or crop a portion • Export to Slack, Dropbox, AirDrop & more • Presentation Mode shows just the canvas via AirPlay - perfect for classrooms Projects: • Organize drawings in project folders • Share, rename, or move drawings within projects • Thumbnail previews of drawings save time • Export PDF of entire project General: • Two-finger tap for Undo, three-finger tap for Redo • Pinch to zoom and rotate canvas • Tap Compass to lock, flip, or reset your canvas • Supports portrait & landscape orientations • Supports split screen and drag & drop Terms and Conditions: https://linea-app.com/terms Privacy Policy https://linea-app.com/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Paintwork at 4.6 against Linea Sketch's 3.7. Paintwork also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 3 months) and ratings volume (17K vs 802). On price, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases 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. Paintwork sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and Linea Sketch sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Paintwork holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Paintwork has 17K ratings behind it against 802, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 65% of Paintwork's written reviews are positive against 62% of Linea Sketch's.
Paintwork ships an update weekly, Linea Sketch every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Paintwork | Linea Sketch |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (17K ratings) — better | 3.7 (802 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 65.4% of reviews — better | 62.3% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 17K — better | 802 |
| Update frequency | Weekly — better | Every 3 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 200 MB | 133 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | 伟典 苏 | The Iconfactory |
Customer experience
Paintwork
Linea Sketch
User reviews
Paintwork
From 17K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🎨 Vast selection of brushes and tools
- 💻 Works well on various devices
- 🎨 Allows for creative expression
- 💰 Free to use with no paywall
Room to improve
- 🔒 Certain features locked behind paywall
- 🐛 Bugs and glitches causing crashes or data loss
- 🎨 Limited color palette and blending options
- 🔍 Lack of intuitive UI and tutorials
Linea Sketch
From 802 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Simple and intuitive interface
- 👍 Great for sketching and note-taking
- 💡 Clever color picker
- 🚀 Responsive with Apple Pencil
- 👍 Layers and blending tools
Room to improve
- 🐛 Occasional crashes and freezes
- 🐛 Inconsistent behavior with fill tool
- 🐛 Difficulty controlling pencil/marker thickness
- 💡 Limited brush and tool options
- 💡 Lack of canvas resizing and expansion
Bugs and requests
Paintwork
Reported bugs
3 issues- App freezing or crashing when using certain features
- Artwork getting deleted or not saving properly
- Inability to import or work with external images
Requested features
4 requests- Add more color options and blending tools
- Improve stability and reduce crashes
- Provide more tutorials and onboarding for new users
- Allow users to save and access their artwork easily
Linea Sketch
Reported bugs
4 issues- Drawings disappearing or not saving properly
- Layers and colors not behaving as expected
- Sudden crashes when switching tools or actions
- Slow performance and loading issues
Requested features
6 requests- Add smudge/blending tool
- Implement watercolor brush
- Include text tool and annotation options
- Support for higher resolution canvases
- Introduce animation and video features
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- Improve file management and organization
In-app purchases
Paintwork
- Monthly subscription premium$0.991 Month
- Annual subscription premium$3.991 Year
- Unlock local version$9.99
Linea Sketch
- Linea Monthly Subscription14 Days trial$1.991 Month
- Linea Yearly Subscription14 Days trial$19.991 Year
- Linea Full Purchase$59.99
Questions
Is Paintwork free?
Is Linea Sketch free?
Which has better reviews, Paintwork or Linea Sketch?
Do Paintwork or Linea Sketch have ads?
Which is updated more often, Paintwork or Linea Sketch?
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