Comparison

Absolute Board vs Linea Sketch

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

Head to head
About

Absolute Board

This free drawing and handwriting app allows users to sketch and take notes with unlimited board size and color options. Save and share your ideas easily, with features like a traceable eraser, photo import, and printing capabilities.

Highlights
  • Unlimited board size
  • Unlimited color choice
  • Path traceable eraser
  • Email snapshot of drawing
  • Zooming and panning
  • Undo/Redo functions
  • Import photos
  • Print snapshot
Features
Read full description

* April 2011 - "New & Noteworthy" (Productivity) application on the American App Store * * April 2011 - "What's Hot" (Productivity) application on the American App Store * * April 2011 - "Staff Favorites" (All) application on the Korean App Store * * April 2011 - "No. 1 Free App" (Productivity) application on the Korean App Store * Best quality FREE drawing & handwriting app for iPad It's so simple & convenient - just sketch & take notes about anything in your mind. Save and share your novel ideas in the school, cafeteria, office or even on the bed. ▶ Unlimited board size ▶ Unlimited color choice for pen & background ▶ Path traceable eraser ▶ Ability to email snapshot of your drawing ▶ Zooming in/out & moving with two fingers ▶ Undo/Redo functions ▶ Import a Photo ▶ Print Snapshot (Air Print)

About

Linea Sketch

This app provides a powerful yet intuitive drawing and note-taking experience. Its minimalist interface keeps the focus on your creations, offering features like intelligent shape creation, precise layer management, and artistic brushes. Record your process with time-lapse and utilize various grids and templates for diverse projects.

Highlights
  • Minimalist UI
  • Intelligent shape creation (ZipShapes)
  • Elegant layer management
  • Artistic watercolor brush
  • Time-lapse recording
  • Grids and templates
  • Annotation tools
Features
Read full description

Draw and take notes with ease. Linea Sketch gives you the right balance of power and control to capture thoughts and ideas effortlessly. The focus stays where it belongs: on your creations, not on the tools. Why Linea Sketch? ⁕ Minimal UI - Every control is designed to stay out of your way until you need it. Linea's elegant interface puts the focus on your creations. ⁕ Easy Colors - Choose from a wide range of pre-defined colors, or create your own with a single tap. Autogenerated tints & shades save time and effort. ⁕ Elegant Layers - Simplified set of layers that can be easily rearranged, merged, locked, or adjusted. Use the file browser and photo library to import images for reference and tracing. ⁕ ZipShapes & ZipLines - Simply hold still for a moment after drawing a line, rough square, circle, or triangle and ZipShape automatically creates a perfect version for you. You can then adjust final size, placement, and corner radius. ⁕ Move / Transform - Lasso part of your sketch, then move, rotate, flip, or resize. Transform one or more layers quickly & easily. ⁕ Watercolor Brush - Create rustic & artistic effects by painting with organic pigment in three modes: Simple, Wet, and Cloud. ⁕ Annotations - Add labels, notes, and callouts to your sketches using iOS Scribble or a keyboard. Fonts, colors, placement, and more can be adjusted effortlessly. ⁕ Time-Lapse - Record your creative process as you sketch! Save a video of the result as either a compressed 30 second clip or a full length movie. ⁕ Grids & Templates - A wide range of traditional grids, 3D isometric lines, storyboards, and templates for iOS screen or icon design. ⁕ Universal App - Linea Sketch is a universal app for iPad and iPhone. Your sketches seamlessly sync via iCloud to all of your devices, wherever you go. …………………………………… What do you get? Tools: • Technical Pencil - Hard lead, thin lines • Art Pencil - Soft lead, thick lines • Felt Tip Pen - Thin solid lines that vary in opacity • Marker - Fat solid lines • Watercolor Brush - Paint with organic, artistic pigment • Fill - Roll out wide areas of color or tap to flood fill • Blend - Smudge or soften strokes • Eraser - Clean up with your finger or Pencil • Pencil Plus! - Create additional effects using Apple Pencil pressure and tilt Colors: • Always on-screen & easily available • Tints and shades are automatically generated in six variations • 11 predefined color sets for various types of drawing • Create custom colors for branding and consistency • Drag & drop color swatches with other apps Layers: • Five flexible layers that can be dragged, merged, or cleared • Import any image from Files, Photo Library, or clipboard • Lockable to prevent accidental changes • Adjust opacity or double tap to toggle visibility on/off Templates: • Traditional grids displayed with lines & dots • Hexagonal, circular, and isometric (3D) grids • Notepads, to-do lists, and sheet music • App user interface and icon design • Storyboards in 16:9, 1.85:1, and 2.35:1 ratios • Adjustable intensity and can be hidden quickly Backgrounds & Paper Textures: • White Bond, Butcher’s Paper, Black Construction, Blueprint & many more • Adjustable custom background colors • Paper grain can be toggled on or off Exporting: • Save as PNG, JPEG, PSD, and PDF • Save entire sketch or crop a portion • Export to Slack, Dropbox, AirDrop & more • Presentation Mode shows just the canvas via AirPlay - perfect for classrooms Projects: • Organize drawings in project folders • Share, rename, or move drawings within projects • Thumbnail previews of drawings save time • Export PDF of entire project General: • Two-finger tap for Undo, three-finger tap for Redo • Pinch to zoom and rotate canvas • Tap Compass to lock, flip, or reset your canvas • Supports portrait & landscape orientations • Supports split screen and drag & drop Terms and Conditions: https://linea-app.com/terms Privacy Policy https://linea-app.com/privacy

Screenshots

Linea Sketch4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Absolute Board at none against Linea Sketch's 3. Absolute Board also leads on review sentiment (90% vs 62%) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 18.0). Linea Sketch's advantage is ratings volume (802 vs 12). On price, rating, update cadence and ads 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. Linea Sketch sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Absolute Board asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 3.6 for Absolute Board against 3.7 for Linea Sketch. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Linea Sketch has 802 ratings behind it against 12, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 90% of Absolute Board's written reviews are positive against 62% of Linea Sketch's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Absolute Board ships an update every 2 months, Linea Sketch every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Absolute Board versus Linea Sketch: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAbsolute BoardLinea Sketch
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.6 (12 ratings)3.7 (802 ratings) — better
Positive reviews89.7% of reviews — better62.3% of reviews
Number of ratings12802 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS8.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size9 MB133 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHyeoseong HwangThe Iconfactory

Customer experience

Absolute Board

All ratings12 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%
Written reviews78 reviews
Positive89.7%
Neutral5.1%
Negative5.1%

Linea Sketch

All ratings793 ratings
Positive65.7%
Neutral8.1%
Negative26.2%
Written reviews337 reviews
Positive62.3%
Neutral15.1%
Negative22.6%

Bugs and requests

Absolute Board

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Linea Sketch

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Drawings disappearing or not saving properly
  • Layers and colors not behaving as expected
  • Sudden crashes when switching tools or actions
  • Slow performance and loading issues

Requested features

6 requests
  • Add smudge/blending tool
  • Implement watercolor brush
  • Include text tool and annotation options
  • Support for higher resolution canvases
  • Introduce animation and video features
Show 1 more
  • Improve file management and organization

In-app purchases

None

Absolute Board

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Linea Sketch

Subscriptions2
  • Linea Monthly Subscription14 Days trial$1.991 Month
  • Linea Yearly Subscription14 Days trial$19.991 Year
One-time1
  • Linea Full Purchase$59.99

Questions

Is Absolute Board free?
Absolute Board is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Linea Sketch free?
Linea Sketch is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Absolute Board or Linea Sketch?
Linea Sketch is rated higher. Absolute Board averages 3.6 out of 5 from 12 ratings, while Linea Sketch averages 3.7 from 802 ratings.
Do Absolute Board or Linea Sketch have ads?
Neither Absolute Board nor Linea Sketch shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Absolute Board or Linea Sketch?
Absolute Board ships an update every 2 months, and Linea Sketch every 3 months. Most recently, Absolute Board was updated on October 23, 2026 and Linea Sketch on October 22, 2026.

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