Comparison

AutoCAD vs Draft Paper

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

Head to head
About

AutoCAD

Access and edit CAD drawings on the go with this official application. It provides essential drafting and design tools for creating, updating, and sharing 2D drawings from any device. Collaborate with teams and simplify workflows by accessing files from various cloud storage services.

Highlights
  • 2D file viewing
  • Create, edit, and share 2D drawings
  • Offline work and sync
  • Insert blocks
  • Manage layers
  • Drafting and geometry editing
  • Measure tools
Read full description

The official AutoCAD app. View & edit CAD drawings anytime, anywhere! Essential drafting and design capabilities for your everyday needs: Autodesk® AutoCAD® Web on mobile is a trusted solution that gives you access to the core AutoCAD commands that you need for light editing and generating fundamental designs, all at an attractive price. AutoCAD Web subscription plans are available in the following options: • Monthly for $9.99 • Yearly for $99.99 • Included free with AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT subscriptions Use familiar AutoCAD drafting tools on your mobile device in a simplified interface, allowing you to access, create, and update DWG™ files anytime, anywhere. 30 day trial: Enjoy a fully functional free trial of AutoCAD Web for 30 days. After the trial is completed, you can access limited read-only functionality without a paid subscription. Current AutoCAD or AutoCAD LT desktop subscribers: Sign in with your Autodesk account to access AutoCAD Web on mobile. Key Benefits: • Work offline on your projects without an Internet connection and sync later • Safeguard drawings in your Autodesk account or with your own external accounts • Collaborate in real time with team members and reduce mistakes • Replace blueprints at job sites with drawings on mobile • Simplify workflows by opening DWG files directly from Autodesk Drive, Autodesk Docs, Microsoft OneDrive, Box, Dropbox, or Google Drive. Features: • 2D file viewing • Create, edit, and share 2D drawings • Work offline and sync your changes once back online • Insert blocks from your DWG drawing • Manage layers and layer visibility • Drafting and geometry editing tools • Annotation and markup tools • Measure distance, angle, area, and radius • View and edit DWG files from your internal storage, email, or from the cloud • View coordinates and properties All new users have access to a free trial of AutoCAD Web for 30 days. Subscriptions will be charged to your credit card through your Apple ID. Subscriptions are automatically renewed unless cancelled at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. You will not be able to cancel a subscription during the active period. Manage your subscriptions in Account Settings after purchase. *Free products and services are subject to the Autodesk Terms of Use at https://www.autodesk.com/company/terms-of-use/en/general-terms Learn more: Autodesk Website: https://www.autodesk.com/products/autocad-web Term of Use: https://www.autodesk.com/company/legal-notices-trademarks/terms-of-service-autodesk360-web-services/autodesk-autocad-mobile-terms-of-service AutoCAD Service is not provided to children under the age of 14, and users under 14 cannot use this Service.

About

Draft Paper

Create floor plans, layouts, and blueprints with ease using intuitive drawing tools. Support for multiple layers, iCloud, and Dropbox integration allows for seamless workflow. Export your designs to various formats for printing or further editing.

Highlights
  • Draw lines, rectangles, text, and more
  • Support for multiple layers
  • Export to PDF, JPEG, and DXF
  • iCloud and Dropbox integration
  • Mirror, translate, rotate, and scale operations
  • Apple Pencil support
Features
Read full description

Draft Paper is a simple and intuitive way to make floor plans, layouts or blueprints quickly and easily. Touch and drag to draw lines and rectangles on up to 10 independent layers, then export directly to PDF, JPEG or DXF ready for printing, emailing or editing in other software. Full feature list: + Drawing: Line, Dotted Line, Arrow, Rectangle, Ellipse, Segment, Text, Erase, Measure, Presentation + Multi file iCloud support + Export to JPEG / Vector PDF / DXF + Upload / download from DropBox or any other compatible app + Mirror / translate / rotate / scale operations + Smooth, fast and intuitive zooming / panning + Multiple layers and colors + Selectable right / left handed modes. + Unlimited undo + Unlimited size drawing area + Apple Pencil support (including double tap) + Metric / Imperial (USC) units support + Designed for iPhone and iPad For full instructions please visit our website, http://draftpaper-app.com

Screenshots

AutoCAD4 screens
Draft Paper4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Draft Paper at every 2 weeks against AutoCAD's every 2 months. Draft Paper also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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. AutoCAD sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and Draft Paper sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.4 for AutoCAD against 4.4 for Draft Paper. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 6.3K and 16K respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 51% and 51% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

AutoCAD ships an update every 2 months, Draft Paper every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
AutoCAD versus Draft Paper: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAutoCADDraft Paper
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (6.3K ratings)4.4 (16K ratings)
Positive reviews51.0% of reviews — better50.8% of reviews
Number of ratings6.3K16K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size502 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAutodesk Inc.Giles Goddard

Customer experience

AutoCAD

All ratings6,263 ratings
Positive86.2%
Neutral4.8%
Negative9.0%
Written reviews692 reviews
Positive51.0%
Neutral10.5%
Negative38.4%

Draft Paper

All ratings15,754 ratings
Positive85.2%
Neutral5.6%
Negative9.2%
Written reviews358 reviews
Positive50.8%
Neutral15.1%
Negative34.1%

User reviews

AutoCAD

From 6.3K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Intuitive and easy to learn
  • 📱 Convenient mobile solution
  • 👍 Great for site visits and field work
  • 🔍 Useful for viewing and marking up drawings

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes frequently
  • 🔒 Difficult login and account management
  • 🔍 Limited functionality compared to desktop version
  • 📱 Lacks basic CAD features like hatching and dimensioning
  • 💰 Expensive subscription model

Draft Paper

From 16K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Simple and intuitive to use
  • 💡 Useful for quick sketches and floor plans
  • 🚀 Efficient for basic drafting needs
  • 😊 Great value for the price

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and loss of work
  • 🔧 Limited functionality compared to professional CAD tools
  • 🔧 Difficulty with precise measurements and line placement
  • 🔧 Lack of advanced features like text editing and color fill

Bugs and requests

AutoCAD

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Unable to open DXF files
  • Numeric keypad not appearing for editing dimensions
  • Syncing and saving issues causing data loss
  • Compatibility problems with newer iPad models

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add support for Arabic text
  • Improve Apple Pencil integration
  • Allow creating and saving custom blocks
  • Implement PDF export functionality
  • Restore removed features like GPS positioning

Draft Paper

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Saved files disappearing or becoming corrupted
  • Inconsistent behavior when zooming and panning
  • Inability to import/export files as expected

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add copy/paste functionality
  • Improve text editing capabilities
  • Provide more precise measurement tools
  • Implement ability to save multiple versions of a project

In-app purchases

3 purchases

AutoCAD

Subscriptions3
  • AutoCAD Web monthly$9.991 Month
  • AutoCAD Web annual$99.991 Year
  • AutoCAD Web annual (Ultimate)$99.991 Year
1 purchases

Draft Paper

One-time1
  • All Features$9.99

Questions

Is AutoCAD free?
AutoCAD is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Draft Paper free?
Draft Paper is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, AutoCAD or Draft Paper?
AutoCAD and Draft Paper are both rated 4.4 out of 5 on the App Store, from 6.3K and 16K ratings respectively.
Do AutoCAD or Draft Paper have ads?
Neither AutoCAD nor Draft Paper shows ads.
Which is updated more often, AutoCAD or Draft Paper?
AutoCAD ships an update every 2 months, and Draft Paper every 2 weeks. Most recently, AutoCAD was updated on September 24, 2026 and Draft Paper on September 23, 2026.

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