Comparison

iDesign vs ProtoSketch Lite

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

Head to head
About

iDesign

Create professional 2D vector drawings, illustrations, and technical designs on your iPad or iPhone. Offers precise touch-based editing with unique offset controls and a full suite of advanced tools for graphics and technical design.

Highlights
  • 2D vector drawing and design
  • Precise touch-based editing
  • Advanced path editing
  • Technical drawing tools
  • Shape libraries
  • Layer management
  • iCloud sync with XDesign
Features
Read full description

Precision 2D vector drawing and design on the iPad & iPhone. Make professional quality designs, illustrations and technical drawings on the move using your fingers at last! iDesign has unique features and offset controls which allows you to draw accurately with your finger not getting in the way or blocking your view. Full feature compatibility and automatic sync of designs via iCloud with XDesign (Mac version). User Guide (PDF) available at www.touchaware.com/apps/idesign/userguide FEATURES - A universal app for both iPad and iPhone which adapts to the native screen size of the device. - An unobtrusive icon based visual and context driven user interface with a full screen board view - Toolbars and panels with easy access to frequently used functions for a fast work flow Standard Tools & Functions - Line, polyline, square, rectangle, circle, arc, ellipse, polygons, stars & path tools - Copy and paste selected shapes and groups - Group and ungroup shapes hierarchically to create complex designs - Edit points, convert shapes to path, close shapes, add and remove points, break, weld, explode and join - Precise rotation with ability to rotate at user defined center - Object alignment tools - Fill color and pen color swatches with opacity controls, custom RGB mixer - Stroke width, line style, line caps and corner join styles, arrow ends and dash patters - Text insertion with fonts, styles, sizes, paragraph alignments, multilingual, rotate/resize - Set a background image for tracing/marking over it - Insert images, copy, paste, move, resize and position them accordingly - Multilevel Undo/Redo for all edit operations - Create multiple layers to organize & separate design components - Connector tools for drawing charts and flow diagrams Unique Features for Touch Based Editing - Offset handles for moving and positioning without your finger blocking the view - Nudge controls, allows precise movement of selected shapes or selected points - Delta transformations to apply incremental values by keyboard Advanced Tools for Graphics Design - Advanced path editing options for corner, smooth and symmetric control points, straighten and curve segments - Text to path conversion - Boolean operations on shapes, unite, intersect, subtract, exclude - Freehand drawing, auto smoothened paths - Gradients / color blends Advanced Tools for Technical Drawing - Circle and Arc tool based on center, start/end point, radius and angle of arc - Dimensioning tools, length as well as angular with customisable settings - Support for Feet+Inches+Fractions (U.S & older unit system)
- Architectural formatting option for Dimensions
- Dynamic grid supporting feet, inches and inch fractions at different zoom levels Units & Board Setup - Support for standard and custom board sizes. - Set a drawing scale - Full set of standard unit systems. - Unit aware Grid with customisable settings - Snap to grid, snap to object and points - Unit aware rulers Shape libraries to organise and reuse shapes - Add, remove and organise shapes in your own libraries - A set of standard shapes for creating floor plans included Export/Import & Print - Export designs to JPEG, PNG, PDF & SVG formats - Import SVG files - Share your designs with other iDesign users via Email - Dropbox support for Export, Import - AirPrint Support iDesign is available as a monthly or yearly subscription and includes a free trial period that begins once your purchase has been confirmed with your Apple ID account. At the end of the trial your subscription will start and renew automatically. Your Apple ID account will be charged for the upcoming period unless you disable auto-renew or cancel your subscription in your Account Settings at least 24-hours prior to the end of the current period. Terms of Use: http://www.touchaware.com/apps/termsofuse Privacy policy: http://www.touchaware.com/apps/privacy

About

ProtoSketch Lite

This app offers desktop-class vector graphic design tools for iPad, enabling users to create logos, app icons, website layouts, and more. It features a user-friendly interface with drag-and-drop elements, a rich library of assets, and Apple Pencil support for detailed sketching.

Highlights
  • Vector brush with variable width
  • Pen and pencil tools for path drawing
  • Shape creation tools
  • Layer management
  • Extensive asset library
  • Apple Pencil support
  • Export to desktop vector format
Features
Read full description

Get the finest Desktop-Class design software ever released for FREE!!! Fully functional alternative to PhotoShop, Illustrator or Sketch on your iPad! Make slick designs in minutes! You are a designer, a marketer or just want to sketch something, you want to make a logo or a new landing page for your business - ProtoSketch is your digital canvas! You don't have to learn anything, just choose the brush and start sketching! Supercharged with icons, fonts, ui elements, basic and complex drag and drop shapes. It is easy to design anything from logo and icon to website and mobile app. Lossless vector graphics that you can scale infinitely and continue on your desktop. "ProtoSketch puts the "Pro" in iPad Pro!" "Beautiful design in a thoughtful package." "One of the best design tools you have to try in 2016" WHAT MAKES THIS APP BETTER THAN OTHER DESIGN TOOLS ? - Made with lots of LOVE by designers for designers! - The iPad is not a PC. ProtoSketch wasn't adapted from a desktop app. It was created from the ground up exclusively for iPad. Our workflow is different - we have dedicated ALT, SHIFT and REPEAT buttons and all the commands relative to your selection appear as buttons on the bounding box. We call them shortcuts because they work as keyboard shortcuts on your PC. -The app works beautifully with Apple Pencil you can draw, sketch and concept your ideas. But hey nothing will stop you from finishing your idea and polishing it to perfection. Proto has all the tools you need. - AGILE, we are doing constant updates, enriching your experience and adding new features. - HUGE ROADMAP, there is a lot of stuff ahead better vector tools, a mac app, prototyping, real-time collaboration and more... - EXCELLENT Support, send us feedback on fb, tw and via email. We'd love to chat :) WHAT CAN YOU CREATE? - Sketches - Concepts - Vector Illustrations - Design Logos - Design App icons - Design vector icons/pictograms - Everything UI/UX - Design Websites - Design Apps - Landing pages - Sitemap flow charts - Wireframes - Use maps - Send to desktop in vector format LITE VERSION LIMITATIONS - Maximum documents 5 - Some Libraries are locked - Export is restricted to tweets and facebook shares and ProtoSketch files FEATURES - Vector Brush with Variable width (Apple Pencil support) - Pencil Tool for smooth sketching and adding fills - Pen Tool for drawing perfect vector paths - Vector Eraser - Scissors - for cutting vector paths - Shape creation tools - rect, ellipse, line, polygon, star, spiral - LAYERS - EXACT size and position input - Hardware Keyboard Shortcuts - LIBRARY full of UI elements, icons, shapes and more vector elements - Alt, Shift and Repeat buttons for fast workflows - Swathes, color wheel, rgb and hsb sliders and HEX input - Rotate and scale transform handles - CMD buttons for object oriented design - Context menu with even more actions (hold on object to show) - Grouping/ungrouping - Masking of images and other elements - Images in shapes (Quick 1 tap masking) - Select tool and Path select tools. - Precise bezier path editing - add, remove points toggle points between corner and smooth - Align, distribute actions as well as smart guides for perfect alignment - Snap to grid, point and shape sides and centers - Export ProtoSketch, SVG, PDF, JPG, PNG - Import ProtoSketch, SVG, JPG, PNG - Font import - ttf (from dropbox) - Dropbox Support - AirPrint Support visit PROTOSKETCH.IO more info, video tutorials and FAQ

Screenshots

iDesign4 screens
ProtoSketch Lite4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: ProtoSketch Lite at none against iDesign's 3. ProtoSketch Lite also leads on update cadence (every 2 months vs every 5 months) and iOS requirement (9.0 vs 15.5). iDesign's advantage is review sentiment (50% vs 25%) and ratings volume (84 vs 14). On price, rating, ads and device support 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. iDesign sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. ProtoSketch Lite asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 2.6 for iDesign against 2.5 for ProtoSketch Lite. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: iDesign has 84 ratings behind it against 14, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 50% of iDesign's written reviews are positive against 25% of ProtoSketch Lite's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

iDesign ships an update every 5 months, ProtoSketch Lite every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and September 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
iDesign versus ProtoSketch Lite: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameteriDesignProtoSketch Lite
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.6 (84 ratings) — better2.5 (14 ratings)
Positive reviews50.4% of reviews — better25.0% of reviews
Number of ratings84 — better14
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.59.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size87 MB139 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTouchAware LimitedCodemotion

Customer experience

iDesign

All ratings84 ratings
Positive38.1%
Neutral7.1%
Negative54.8%
Written reviews472 reviews
Positive50.4%
Neutral11.2%
Negative38.3%

ProtoSketch Lite

All ratings14 ratings
Positive28.6%
Neutral21.4%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews12 reviews
Positive25.0%
Neutral25.0%
Negative50.0%

In-app purchases

3 purchases

iDesign

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Subscription14 Days trial$6.991 Month
  • Yearly Subscription14 Days trial$39.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime$79.99
None

ProtoSketch Lite

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is iDesign free?
iDesign is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is ProtoSketch Lite free?
ProtoSketch Lite is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, iDesign or ProtoSketch Lite?
iDesign is rated higher. iDesign averages 2.6 out of 5 from 84 ratings, while ProtoSketch Lite averages 2.5 from 14 ratings.
Do iDesign or ProtoSketch Lite have ads?
Neither iDesign nor ProtoSketch Lite shows ads.
Which is updated more often, iDesign or ProtoSketch Lite?
iDesign ships an update every 5 months, and ProtoSketch Lite every 2 months. Most recently, iDesign was updated on October 14, 2026 and ProtoSketch Lite on September 16, 2026.

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