Comparison

iDesign vs Archisketch

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

Archisketch

This app allows users to sketch, doodle, and design to scale, similar to a tracing pad. It supports layering, adding text, dimensions, and symbols, with the ability to import images to set scale. Users can visualize ideas in 3D with perspective tools and export drawings for CAD or creative applications.

Highlights
  • Sketch and draw to scale
  • Layering and editing tools
  • Import images to set scale
  • 3D visualization with perspective tools
  • Export to CAD and Adobe Creative Cloud
  • Apple Pencil support
  • Print drawings up to A1 size
Features
Read full description

Sketch, Doodle and Design to Scale Use Archisketch as you would a tracing pad. Sketch. Draw to scale. Layer over your sketch to further develop your ideas. Erase. Add symbols, colour, text and dimension lines. Import images or plans to set the scale. Zoom in without loss of quality. Rotate a shape, a layer, or the entire drawing to try different options. Visualize your ideas in 3D and see them in context. Use smart one- and two-point perspectives, and adjust your perspective grid and view point. Align your perspective to an image, and your lines automatically snap to the vanishing point. Print your drawings to scale up to A1 size, or export sketches to use in a CAD application or Adobe Creative Cloud. Archisketch is a scale-aware sketching program ideal for Architects, interior and landscape designers, product designers, design students, or anyone working with design on an iPad. To learn more or watch a short video, visit our website. Key features include: * Apple Pencil support * Smart one- and two-point perspectives * Scaled grids, including isometric and axonometric grids * Guide lines, which can be subdivided equally or into specific distances * Infinite canvas size with infinite zoom * Zoom in and out without losing quality * Import and export PDFs * Build new drawings layered on archival drawings * Scrapbook for managing image assets * "Share Extension" adds images and PDFs from other apps * Cut and Paste retains scale awareness * Dimension lines * Add custom symbols to the set of included symbols * Export sketches into CAD applications * Add text and company logo to exports * Adobe Creative Cloud support for both importing and exporting * Print directly from the iPad up to A1 size

Screenshots

iDesign4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Archisketch at 4.3 against iDesign's 2.6. Archisketch also leads on update cadence (every 2 months vs every 5 months) and ratings volume (266 vs 84). iDesign's advantage is device support (3 vs 1). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. iDesign sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month and Archisketch sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Archisketch holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 2.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 84 and 266 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 51% and 51% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

iDesign ships an update every 5 months, Archisketch every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
iDesign versus Archisketch: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameteriDesignArchisketch
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.6 (84 ratings)4.3 (266 ratings) — better
Positive reviews50.5% of reviews51.4% of reviews — better
Number of ratings84266 — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPad
Requires iOS15.513.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size87 MB13 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTouchAware LimitedOpen Screen Limited

Customer experience

iDesign

All ratings84 ratings
Positive38.1%
Neutral7.1%
Negative54.8%
Written reviews471 reviews
Positive50.5%
Neutral11.3%
Negative38.2%

Archisketch

All ratings266 ratings
Positive82.0%
Neutral7.9%
Negative10.2%
Written reviews146 reviews
Positive51.4%
Neutral8.2%
Negative40.4%

Bugs and requests

iDesign

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Archisketch

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Compatibility issues with iOS 11 and newer
  • Disappearing toolbars and interface elements
  • Inability to save or export drawings
  • Unreliable performance and stability

Requested features

5 requests
  • Dark mode option
  • More export options (vector, higher resolution)
  • Improved documentation and tutorials
  • Better support for mixed units (feet + inches)
  • Freehand drawing tools with less smoothing

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
5 purchases

Archisketch

One-time5
  • Colour Plus Pack$7.99
  • iCloud Plus Pack$8.99
  • Advance Colour & iCloud Bundle$14.99
Show 2 more
  • Archisketch - Full Version$17.99
  • Full Version with All Add-ons$30.99

Questions

Is iDesign free?
iDesign is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Archisketch free?
Archisketch is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, iDesign or Archisketch?
Archisketch is rated higher. iDesign averages 2.6 out of 5 from 84 ratings, while Archisketch averages 4.3 from 266 ratings.
Do iDesign or Archisketch have ads?
Neither iDesign nor Archisketch shows ads.
Which is updated more often, iDesign or Archisketch?
iDesign ships an update every 5 months, and Archisketch every 2 months. Most recently, iDesign was updated on September 22, 2026 and Archisketch on September 20, 2026.

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