Comparison

Sketch Pad 3 vs Paintwork

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

Head to head
About

Sketch Pad 3

This app provides an unlimited digital canvas for doodling, sketching, drawing, and note-taking. It offers various pen sizes, colors, editing tools like cut and paste, and export options to multiple platforms. Work is automatically saved for easy continuation.

Highlights
  • Unlimited canvas size
  • Doodle, sketch, and draw
  • Take notes and memos
  • Cut, paste, and drag strokes
  • Undo/redo functionality
  • Export to various platforms (PDF, cloud, email)
  • Organize with document folders
Features
Read full description

Thank you for all your support. Sketch Pad has now been downloaded more than 1,200,000 times Best app ever - Love it … by Syd-a-ney Excellent app. Very useful…. by Fettner Very useful for taking notes with the addition of adding pictures to them… by J Allard Best notes application EVER!….. by KunovicIvan Best doodle app... simple and intuitive. This one is excellent… by Macnd62478 Are you artistic or creative? Use Sketch Pad 3 on your iPad to: .... doodle, sketch or draw .... write lists or memos .... jot down notes during lectures .... share your inspirational thoughts with friends (Also available on iPhone and iPod touch) Sketch Pad doesn't waste precious paper and is quick, simple and fun from pre-school to retirement. Use your finger as a pen and choose: .... 3 pen-stroke sizes. .... 7 colors for iPad (4 for iPhone/iPod touch) .... erase all or portions of your drawing or list if you make a mistake or change your mind. .... unlimited edits of pen-strokes with undo and redo functions. .... zoom in/ zoom out simply by pinching in any mode, or double tap in scroll mode. .... cut and paste. .... drag stroke. Sketch Pad automatically saves your work on closing the application so you can instantly continue next time you open Sketch Pad. *** FEATURES *** - Unlimited canvas size - Trackpad for easy scrolling - Customizable grid lines - Customizable background colour - Smooth line with rounded ends - Organizing document folders - Export to Twitter, Evernote, Google docs, Picasa, Dropbox, PDF, Air-Printing compatible printer, other apps, email, photo library and Mac. - Flag a sketch or note - Assign Alarm to a sketch or note - Palm Rest (ideal for stylus users)... Fully adjustable for either right handed or left handed users (iPad only) - Two finger scrolling in writing mode - Zooming in/out by double tapping in browse mode - Zooming by pinching gesture can also be selectable *** TIPS *** Use two fingers and swipe the screen to scroll in Pen mode. Use Palm Rest so you don't get unwanted imprints. ==== *** Because of bugs in iOS 5, iPad 3rd generation with Retina Display model requires free upgrade to iOS 6 to use this app. It works correctly on other devices with iOS 5. You don't have to upgrade to iOS 6 if you are not using iPad 3. iCloud sync function is no longer supported from v3.7. Floating toolbar feature has been removed from v3.7. Version 3.6.1 had a bug in which ** free ** version crashed. (c) iStokcphoto 2833639

About

Paintwork

Create handwritten notes, diaries, and drawings with a vast array of tools. Features include customizable brushes, vector graphics, a rich color palette, and image import. Export your creations as PDFs or images.

Highlights
  • Customizable brushes and erasers
  • Extensive vector graphics tools
  • Rich color palette
  • Image and material import
  • Handwriting assistance
  • PDF and image export
  • Customizable backgrounds and canvas
Features
Read full description

Paintwork is a simple and powerful software for handwritten notebooks, diaries, and hand drawn images. It includes functions such as: brush list (hundreds of brush effects, customizable brush thickness, color, transparency, dynamic strength weights, etc.), eraser list (each brush effect can be used as an eraser), Vector graphics tools (including lasso, vector eraser, vector pen, annotation pen, highlighter, wavy pen, double line pen, text box, illustration, dashed line, horizontal and vertical dashed line, curve, closed shape, text pen, rectangle, ellipse, straight line, arrow, triangle, pentagram, polygon, etc.), and also include many related attribute settings, Color list (with a rich color palette and customizable manual configuration of commonly used colors), copy and cut the content of specified areas on the page, import images or materials, as well as a simple calculator, handwriting assistance, and photo scanning of document files. Unlimited writing, ruler, recognition of text, printing of text, filling, and the ability to export PDF files or images. Supports custom background functionality, custom canvas paper, and more. It can be used to write for classroom or book learning notes, handwritten notes for work meetings, hand drawn mind maps, hand drawn account creation, hand made account book making, writing diaries, recording life thoughts, calligraphy practice, handwritten brush and pencil characters, hand drawn artistic characters, and so on. Supports Apple pencil. Can export images or PDFs. If you have any comments or feedback, please feel free to contact us. Contact email: pw_team@163.com If you like our application, please give us a good review. Thank you.

Screenshots

Sketch Pad 32 screens
Paintwork4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Paintwork at 4.6 against Sketch Pad 3's 3.1. Paintwork also leads on ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (17K vs 34). Sketch Pad 3's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.6). On price, review sentiment, update cadence 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. Sketch Pad 3 sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Paintwork sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Paintwork holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Paintwork has 17K ratings behind it against 34, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 71% of Sketch Pad 3's written reviews are positive against 65% of Paintwork's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Sketch Pad 3 ships an update every 11 days, Paintwork weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Sketch Pad 3 versus Paintwork: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSketch Pad 3Paintwork
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.1 (34 ratings)4.6 (17K ratings) — better
Positive reviews71.1% of reviews — better65.4% of reviews
Number of ratings3417K — better
Update frequencyEvery 11 daysWeekly — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size27 MB200 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCatalystwo伟典 苏

Customer experience

Sketch Pad 3

All ratings34 ratings
Positive47.1%
Neutral5.9%
Negative47.1%
Written reviews461 reviews
Positive71.1%
Neutral11.9%
Negative16.9%

Paintwork

All ratings17,166 ratings
Positive88.1%
Neutral5.4%
Negative6.5%
Written reviews237 reviews
Positive65.4%
Neutral13.9%
Negative20.7%

User reviews

Sketch Pad 3

From 34 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Rename files
  • 👍 Nimble and intuitive UI
  • 👍 Brilliant
  • 👍 Great and handy
  • 👍 Love this App

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Ads cover toolbar to make it unusable
  • 🐛 Dropbox sync not working
  • 🐛 Revert!!!! (Pinch zoom broken)
  • 🐛 Crashes
  • 🐛 Lag

Paintwork

From 17K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎨 Vast selection of brushes and tools
  • 💻 Works well on various devices
  • 🎨 Allows for creative expression
  • 💰 Free to use with no paywall

Room to improve

  • 🔒 Certain features locked behind paywall
  • 🐛 Bugs and glitches causing crashes or data loss
  • 🎨 Limited color palette and blending options
  • 🔍 Lack of intuitive UI and tutorials

Bugs and requests

Sketch Pad 3

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Drawings shift around the page and get tiny or huge
  • Can't rename files anymore
  • Pinch zoom broken after update

Requested features

14 requests
  • Add color fill button
  • Reduce lag
  • Add straight line and geometric shape tools
  • Add layers
  • Add text box feature
Show 9 more
  • Add Dropbox/Evernote integration
  • Add ability to customize alarm sounds and settings
  • Add password protected folders
  • Add ability to draw patterns when scribbling
  • Add ability to scroll by double tapping and dragging
  • Add ability to draw perfectly straight lines
  • Add ability to add geometric shapes
  • Add ability to title documents
  • Add ability to get rid of ads

Paintwork

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • App freezing or crashing when using certain features
  • Artwork getting deleted or not saving properly
  • Inability to import or work with external images

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add more color options and blending tools
  • Improve stability and reduce crashes
  • Provide more tutorials and onboarding for new users
  • Allow users to save and access their artwork easily

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Sketch Pad 3

One-time1
  • Paid Version$5.99
3 purchases

Paintwork

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly subscription premium$0.991 Month
  • Annual subscription premium$3.991 Year
One-time1
  • Unlock local version$9.99

Questions

Is Sketch Pad 3 free?
Sketch Pad 3 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Paintwork free?
Paintwork is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Sketch Pad 3 or Paintwork?
Paintwork is rated higher. Sketch Pad 3 averages 3.1 out of 5 from 34 ratings, while Paintwork averages 4.6 from 17K ratings.
Do Sketch Pad 3 or Paintwork have ads?
Sketch Pad 3 shows ads; Paintwork does not.
Which is updated more often, Sketch Pad 3 or Paintwork?
Sketch Pad 3 ships an update every 11 days, and Paintwork weekly. Most recently, Sketch Pad 3 was updated on October 22, 2026 and Paintwork on October 20, 2026.

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