Comparison

Flow vs Roughups

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Flow

Create beautiful notes and drawings with realistic ink and paper. Collaborate on documents in real-time, sketch with customizable tools, and organize your work with infinite width documents and secure cloud syncing.

Highlights
  • Realistic ink and paper drawing
  • Infinite width documents
  • Real-time collaboration
  • Customizable drawing tools
  • Secure cloud syncing
  • Apple Pencil support
  • Export images and timelapse videos
Features
Read full description

Flow helps you make beautiful notes and draw with realistic ink and paper. Take notes, sketch, journal and plan all within the one app. With Apple Pencil, writing and drawing in Flow feels incredibly responsive, and you can even collaborate on documents with friends and colleagues. —FEATURES— - Infinite width documents, just swipe and keep writing and drawing - Secure storage, synced between your devices - Create your own unique set of drawing tools - Colored paper with dot grid, squared, lined or blank styles - Customizable gestures - Advanced Apple Pencil support - Organize your documents with customizable notebook covers - Elegant minimal interface that puts everything at your fingertips - Export images and timelapse videos - Multitask on iPad with Split View, Slide Over and drag-and-drop Membership with Flow includes realtime cloud storage and backup for your documents and tools across all of your devices. —MEMBERSHIP— Download Flow to try it free. After your free trial, Flow requires a subscription which provides you with regular app updates and realtime cloud storage of your documents. Monthly and discounted yearly options are available. If your subscription lapses, Flow remains available in read-only mode. —QUESTIONS?— We love to speak with users, so feel free to reach out at any time via the Flow menu under Help > Contact Support. If you have a feature idea, please let us know at https://bonobo.canny.io/flow. Want to learn more about Timepage, Actions, or Flow? Visit https://bonobolabs.com to read our guides. —MORE— Subscriptions will be charged to your iTunes account at confirmation of purchase. Your subscription will automatically renew unless automatic renewal is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. You can manage your subscriptions and automatic renewal status in Account Settings after purchase. Any unused portion of the free trial period will be forfeited when you purchase a subscription. Price may vary by location. Privacy policy: https://bonobolabs.com/privacy Terms of service: https://bonobolabs.com/terms —THANK YOU—

About

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.

Highlights
  • 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 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)

Screenshots

Flow4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Roughups at 100% against Flow's 24%. Roughups also leads on monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription) and update cadence (every 2 days vs weekly). Flow's advantage is rating (4.1 vs 3.0) and ratings volume (7.2K vs 2). On price, ads, in-app purchases and iOS requirement 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Flow sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 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.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Flow holds the better App Store score, 4.1 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Flow has 7.2K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 24% of Flow'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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Flow ships an update weekly, Roughups every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Flow versus Roughups: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFlowRoughups
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.1 (7.2K ratings) — better3.0 (2 ratings)
Positive reviews23.8% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings7.2K — better2
Update frequencyWeeklyEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscriptionFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPad
Requires iOS15.014.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size247 MB8 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBonoboPrototyper Ltd

Customer experience

Flow

All ratings7,222 ratings
Positive78.2%
Neutral4.3%
Negative17.5%
Written reviews1,005 reviews
Positive23.8%
Neutral9.3%
Negative67.0%

Roughups

All ratings2 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Flow

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Drawings disappearing or becoming corrupted
  • Eraser tool not functioning as expected
  • Scrolling and zooming issues
  • Compatibility problems on older devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add vertical scrolling option
  • Improve line smoothing and anti-aliasing
  • Implement layers and advanced drawing tools
  • Integrate text input and handwriting recognition
  • Enhance export and sharing capabilities

Roughups

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

5 purchases

Flow

Subscriptions4
  • Monthly Membership7 Days trial$3.991 Month
  • Annual Membership7 Days trial$19.991 Year
  • Bonobo Bundle (Annual)7 Days trial$29.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Bonobo Bundle (Annual Family)7 Days trial$49.991 Year
One-time1
  • Bonobo Bundle (Lifetime)$129.99
2 purchases

Roughups

Subscriptions2
  • Roughups Pro Monthly$3.991 Month
  • Roughups Pro Annual$29.991 Year

Questions

Is Flow free?
Flow is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Roughups free?
Roughups is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Flow or Roughups?
Flow is rated higher. Flow averages 4.1 out of 5 from 7.2K ratings, while Roughups averages 3.0 from 2 ratings.
Do Flow or Roughups have ads?
Neither Flow nor Roughups shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Flow or Roughups?
Flow ships an update weekly, and Roughups every 2 days. Most recently, Flow was updated on September 26, 2026 and Roughups on September 9, 2026.

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