Morpholio Trace vs Etchpad
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Morpholio Trace
This app is a comprehensive design and architecture drawing tool. It allows users to sketch, layer ideas, and communicate designs through markups. It supports various file types and offers tools for creating professional-quality drawings to scale.
- Layered idea development
- Drawing markup and communication
- Drawing to scale
- Sketching on images and PDFs
- Exporting drawing sets
- Perspective tools
- AR features
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SKETCH, DESIGN, CREATE Trace is the ALL-IN-ONE design & architecture app. Awarded “Best App,” Trace is a truly unique drawing tool that allows you to easily develop ideas in layers, communicate via drawing markup, and work fluidly through ALL phases of the design process. Ideal for architects, interior designers, landscape architects, industrial designers, urban planners, lighting designers, engineers, or members of any creative culture, Trace lets you create intelligent sketches & drawings to meet all of your design needs. Draw on top of images, PDFs, maps, photos, drawing sets, 3D models, background templates, and more TO SCALE using exceptional designer tools, brushes and pens. Bring new life to your design process and transform your workflow with the ease, flexibility and the magic of digital hand sketching. ______________ THINGS YOU CAN DO: DESIGN • Develop ideas, options & concepts • Sketch buildings & objects • Layout home, office & landscape renovations MARKUP • Drawing sets & PDFs • Construction site photos • Presentations, renderings or images DRAW • Floor plans, sections & elevations to scale • Site plans & landscaping • Illustrations & presentation images WORK • Make & export drawing sets • Scale & measure drawings or images • Organize by project ______________ FREE FEATURES INCLUDE: -Up to 5 Projects -Basic Pens & Brushes -Layers -Layer Manager -Scale Pen -Paper Unbound -Export Images, PDFs or Sets -Sketch Recording -Instant Scale -Scale Ruler -Color Palette Maker PLUS SUBSCRIPTION FEATURES Also Includes -All Basic Features -Full Pens & Brushes -Up to 20 Projects -Magic Lasso -Super Ruler -Scale Triangle -Scale Protractor -Stencils -PDF Markup and Manager PRO SUBSCRIPTION FEATURES Also Includes -All Basic & Plus Features -Unlimited Projects -Folders -Perspective Tools -Maps to Scale -Smart Fill -AR Perspective Finder -AR SketchWalk -Sketch Over 3D Models -PSD Export ______________ SUBSCRIPTION INFO: One subscription gives you access to both your iPhone and iPad. Work like a PRO. Morpholio Trace subscription plans are available in the following options: •TracePlus •TracePro All payments are controlled and managed by Apple. If you are offered and activate a free trial, your Apple ID account will be charged only at the end of your free trial period for the subscription unless canceled at least one day before the end of the free trial period. Your Subscription will automatically renew and your Apple ID account will be charged unless your Subscription is cancelled at least 24-hours before the renewal date. No commitment. You can cancel your free trial as well as manage or cancel your Subscriptions at any time by going to your Apple ID account in the Apple Settings app. Privacy policy: http://www.morpholioapps.com/privacy/ Terms of use: http://www.morpholioapps.com/terms/ ______________ JOIN US: We would be thrilled to have Morpholio Trace be a part of your creative process. We hope you enjoy Trace and if there are any specific ways it could be improved for your use, please send us your feedback at https://www.morpholioapps.com/support/
Etchpad
Relive nostalgic drawing experiences with this app that lets you create images using two knobs for horizontal and vertical lines. Erase your creations by shaking your device or using a long press. Share your artwork through various methods.
- Draw with horizontal and vertical knobs
- Shake to erase screen
- Long press erase option
- Share drawings easily
- Nostalgic drawing interface
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Draw lines with two knobs horizontally and vertically with this nostalgic drawing app. Erase the screen by shaking the phone (or with long press if authentic way is too difficult). You can share the drawing by various ways.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Etchpad at none against Morpholio Trace's 4. Etchpad also leads on review sentiment (80% vs 70%). Morpholio Trace's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and rating (4.7 vs 4.3). On price, device support and iOS requirement 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
Both are free to download. Morpholio Trace sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per year. Etchpad asks for nothing beyond the download.
Morpholio Trace holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Morpholio Trace has 11K ratings behind it against 12, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 70% of Morpholio Trace's written reviews are positive against 80% of Etchpad's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Morpholio Trace ships an update every 2 weeks, Etchpad every 21 months. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Morpholio Trace | Etchpad |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (11K ratings) — better | 4.3 (12 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 69.7% of reviews | 80.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 11K — better | 12 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks — better | Every 21 months |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Ad-supported — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | 17.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 625 MB | 7 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Vectorworks, Inc. | Digital Footmark Oy |
Customer experience
Morpholio Trace
Etchpad
Bugs and requests
Morpholio Trace
Reported bugs
4 issues- Ruler tool freezing and becoming unresponsive
- Imported images randomly rotating or resizing
- Undo/redo functionality being unreliable
- Exported PDFs having low resolution or quality issues
Requested features
5 requests- Ability to merge and copy layers
- More customization options for title blocks and annotations
- Cloud sync and multi-device support
- Improved text handling and dimensioning tools
- Integration with CAD and 3D modeling software
Etchpad
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Morpholio Trace
- Trace Essentials Subscription1 Month trial$4.991 Year
- Trace Pro Monthly$7.991 Month
- Trace Plus Subscription1 Month trial$9.991 Year
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- Trace Pro Subscription1 Month trial$24.991 Year
Etchpad
No in-app purchases









