Comparison

Inkflow Visual Notebook vs Drawing

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

Head to head
About

Inkflow Visual Notebook

This app offers a fluid digital writing and sketching experience, allowing users to easily capture, resize, and reorganize ideas. It supports high-resolution zooming for detailed work and integrates text, photos, and custom paper backgrounds. Users can share their creations in various formats.

Highlights
  • Fluid digital ink for writing and sketching
  • Resize and reorganize content with touch gestures
  • High-resolution zoom for precision detail
  • Insert text, photos, and custom paper backgrounds
  • Export to PDF, JPEG, and PNG
  • Inkport for scanning real-world notes
Features
Read full description

Inkflow is a note-taking and brainstorming experience unlike any other! Capture your ideas as easily as with pen and paper, then resize and reorganize them with your fingers. DIGITAL WRITING DONE RIGHT Inkflow's ink feels like a really smooth fountain pen. Great for expressive writing or sketching. Effortlessly scale or move anything you select. This will change the way you think about ink: Jot down a list of concepts then rearrange them to fit into the bigger picture. literally move your thoughts around the page, and assemble big ideas with your fingers. This works great for brainstorming and planning. It's also perfect for prototyping layouts, sketching, and drawing. FULL RESOLUTION ZOOM Zoom and pan with two fingers. Inkflow's ink stays sharp no matter how much you zoom in, so you can add fine details at full quality. It's also lightning fast and lag free. This allows writing and drawing with incredible precision, with or without a stylus. TEXT, PHOTOS, and PAPER BACKGROUNDS TOO Insert text boxes and photos anywhere on the page and resize them seamlessly with the ink. You can also choose from a selection of different stationery. EASILY CREATE and SHARE Inkflow let's you export your books to PDF, high-resolution JPEG, and share them via Twitter, Email, or with other Apps. TRY INKFLOW FOR FREE Rather than just read about Inkflow, go ahead and try it out: We've decided to make the Basic Edition of Inkflow completely FREE. The Basic Edition is a full featured note-taking and sketching app. It comes with the Fountain Pen with black ink, photos, and a standard set of 5 popular fonts for text. Books max out at 20 pages each, but you can create as many as you like. If you're looking for more, there is... INKFLOW PLUS Upgrade instantly at any time to the Plus Edition to get: - Inkport - Dozens of premium stationery designs - iCloud sync - A customizable, full color palette, - Pencil, Eraser, and Paint Brush tools, - The Write-Behind Highlighter tool, - Rotate, Cut, Copy, Paste Ink, and Page Management, - Export as PNG with transparent backgrounds, - Notebooks with unlimited pages, - Custom paper backgrounds, - An additional 50+ fonts, - And more! The Plus Edition lets you do even more things such as: Painting, cartooning, page layouts, and brainstorming in full color. Learn more in the in-App Quickstart Guide. INKPORT: COPY AND PASTE FROM THE REAL WORLD Only Inkflow Plus includes the revolutionary Inkport tool. Inkport uses your iPad's camera to instantly convert your written notes and sketches into Inkflow's native vector ink. Easily pull in materials from multiple sources and go from paper to iPad without missing a beat. Inkport is going to change the way you use paper in your workflow. Universal App for iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch: Upgrade once and get Inkflow Plus on all your compatible devices connected to your iTunes account! EDUCATORS: Inkflow Plus is also available as a standalone App, and qualifies for Apple's Volume Purchase Program. A PLATFORM FOR CREATIVITY We strongly believe that the iPad is not just a consumption device. It's a creativity device. Check out our whole range of creativity Apps on our website. Keep on creating! Terms of use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy policy: https://www.qrayon.com/home/privacy/

About

Drawing

This app offers a comprehensive digital art studio for creating various art forms, from watercolor and oil painting to sketching and PDF annotation. It provides step-by-step lessons and tools that unlock as you progress, catering to both beginners and experienced artists.

Highlights
  • Realistic watercolor, oil, and acrylic painting simulation
  • Graphite and charcoal sketching tools
  • Draw, write, and mark up PDFs
  • Step-by-step art lessons
  • Apple Pencil support with pressure and tilt
  • AI art assistant features
  • Organized notebooks and folders with passcode protection
Features
Read full description

Drawing is a complete art studio for iPad and iPhone. Draw and write on PDFs, paint watercolors that flow and dry like the real thing, sketch in graphite and charcoal, and build up thick oil and acrylic paint, with Apple Pencil, another stylus or your finger. Step-by-step lessons help you start, and your tools grow as you learn. FOUR WAYS TO CREATE + PDF Drawing: draw, write and mark up any PDF or one of 200+ paper templates. + Watercolor: wet paint that spreads, blooms and dries on textured paper. + Sketch: dry media on real paper grain, from graphite to soft pastel. + Oils & Acrylics: thick paint with brush marks, ridges and impasto. DRAW YOUR WAY + Apple Pencil with pressure and tilt, and palm rejection so you can rest your hand on the screen. + Other styluses and your finger work too, in every editor. WATERCOLOR + Paint wet-on-wet, glaze over dry washes, and tilt the paper to let the paint run. + Mix artist pigments such as French Ultramarine and Payne's Gray, and pick colors straight from your painting. + Lay a smooth wash with Fill, and add texture with masking fluid and salt. + Switch to ink wash on rice paper, or to opaque gouache. + Write titles and captions with the brush itself. SKETCH + Graphite, charcoal, white charcoal, conté, soft pastel, colored pencil and fineliner. + Blend with a stump, lift with a kneaded or hard eraser, mask areas and fix your drawing. + Toned, Ingres and sanded papers, or a paper color of your own. + Draw from a reference photo with grid, value and mirror guides. OILS & ACRYLICS + Flat, filbert, round and rigger brushes, a palette knife, blender, rag, scraper and tape. + Mix on a palette, then lay thick impasto or thin glazes. + Paint with slow-drying oils or fast-drying acrylics. LEARN AS YOU PAINT + Lessons show each technique, then let you try it yourself. + Paint-along projects and sample paintings to explore. + New tools join your tool bar as you learn them, so the screen stays simple. + Export a time-lapse of your sketches and oil paintings. DRAW AND WRITE ON PDFs + Pens, pencils, markers, fountain pen, crayon and more, with a ruler, shapes and a lasso. + Highlight text, add text boxes, images and stickers, and rearrange pages. + Scan paper documents straight into your library. + Share your work as a PDF or an image. AI WHEN YOU WANT IT + Chat with the AI assistant, turn a photo into a watercolor plan, or get feedback on a sketch compared with your reference. + AI features can be hidden in Settings. ORGANIZED AND SAFE + Unlimited notebooks, folders and subfolders with custom covers. + Passcodes for the whole app or for individual folders. + Automatic backups keep your work safe. Privacy Policy http://www.noteswriter.com/Kairoos_Privacy_Policy.html EULA https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Inkflow Visual Notebook4 screens
Drawing4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Inkflow Visual Notebook at 4.6 against Drawing's 3.8. Inkflow Visual Notebook also leads on ratings volume (1.9K vs 4) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 26.0). Drawing's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 5 months). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model 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. Inkflow Visual Notebook sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and Drawing sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Inkflow Visual Notebook holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Inkflow Visual Notebook has 1.9K ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Inkflow Visual Notebook ships an update every 5 months, Drawing every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 4, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Inkflow Visual Notebook versus Drawing: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterInkflow Visual NotebookDrawing
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (1.9K ratings) — better3.8 (4 ratings)
Positive reviews71.1% of reviews—
Number of ratings1.9K — better4
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.6 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size58 MB509 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperQrayon, LLCKairoos Solutions SL

Customer experience

Inkflow Visual Notebook

All ratings1,869 ratings
Positive88.9%
Neutral5.1%
Negative5.9%
Written reviews380 reviews
Positive71.1%
Neutral8.4%
Negative20.5%

Drawing

All ratings4 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%

Bugs and requests

Inkflow Visual Notebook

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Frequent crashes and data loss
  • Unreliable auto-save and syncing
  • Compatibility issues with newer devices/OS
  • Pen/input lag and inconsistent responsiveness

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add more pen/brush options and customization
  • Implement layers and advanced drawing tools
  • Improve page management (insert, delete, reorder)
  • Integrate cloud sync and cross-device access
  • Add password protection and locking features

Drawing

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Inkflow Visual Notebook

Subscriptions2
  • Inkflow Plus Monthly Subscription7 Days trial$1.991 Month
  • Inkflow Plus Annual Subscription7 Days trial$12.991 Year
One-time1
  • Inkflow Plus$19.99
2 purchases

Drawing

Subscriptions2
  • Unlimited Drawing Monthly3 Days trial$3.991 Month
  • Unlimited Drawing Yearly3 Days trial$14.991 Year

Questions

Is Inkflow Visual Notebook free?
Inkflow Visual Notebook is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Drawing free?
Drawing is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Inkflow Visual Notebook or Drawing?
Inkflow Visual Notebook is rated higher. Inkflow Visual Notebook averages 4.6 out of 5 from 1.9K ratings, while Drawing averages 3.8 from 4 ratings.
Do Inkflow Visual Notebook or Drawing have ads?
Inkflow Visual Notebook shows ads; Drawing does not.
Which is updated more often, Inkflow Visual Notebook or Drawing?
Inkflow Visual Notebook ships an update every 5 months, and Drawing every 3 weeks. Most recently, Inkflow Visual Notebook was updated on November 1, 2026 and Drawing on November 4, 2026.

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