Comparison

Flow vs Etchpad

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

Etchpad

Relive nostalgic drawing experiences with this app that lets you create images using two knobs for horizontal and vertical lines. Erase your creations by shaking your device or using a long press. Share your artwork through various methods.

Highlights
  • Draw with horizontal and vertical knobs
  • Shake to erase screen
  • Long press erase option
  • Share drawings easily
  • Nostalgic drawing interface
Features
Read full description

Draw lines with two knobs horizontally and vertically with this nostalgic drawing app. Erase the screen by shaking the phone (or with long press if authentic way is too difficult). You can share the drawing by various ways.

Screenshots

Flow4 screens
Etchpad2 screens

Verdict

The call

Flow and Etchpad both sit at 4.1 stars, but that hides the real split: 80% of Etchpad's written reviews are positive against 24% of Flow's. Etchpad also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 5). Flow's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 6 days vs every 21 months). On price, rating, device support 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. Etchpad asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.1 for Flow against 4.3 for Etchpad. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Flow has 7.2K ratings behind it against 12, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 24% of Flow's written reviews are positive against 80% of Etchpad's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Flow ships an update every 6 days, Etchpad every 21 months. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Flow versus Etchpad: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFlowEtchpad
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.1 (7.2K ratings)4.3 (12 ratings) — better
Positive reviews23.8% of reviews80.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings7.2K — better12
Update frequencyEvery 6 days — betterEvery 21 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationSubscriptionAd-supported — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size246 MB7 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBonoboDigital Footmark Oy

Customer experience

Flow

All ratings7,235 ratings
Positive78.3%
Neutral4.2%
Negative17.5%
Written reviews1,007 reviews
Positive23.8%
Neutral9.2%
Negative66.9%

Etchpad

All ratings12 ratings
Positive83.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative16.7%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive80.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative20.0%

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

Etchpad

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
None

Etchpad

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Flow free?
Flow is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Etchpad free?
Etchpad is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Flow or Etchpad?
Etchpad is rated higher. Flow averages 4.1 out of 5 from 7.2K ratings, while Etchpad averages 4.3 from 12 ratings.
Do Flow or Etchpad have ads?
Etchpad shows ads; Flow does not.
Which is updated more often, Flow or Etchpad?
Flow ships an update every 6 days, and Etchpad every 21 months. Most recently, Flow was updated on November 3, 2026 and Etchpad on October 24, 2026.

Other comparisons