# Morpholio Trace vs Etchpad

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | Morpholio Trace | Etchpad |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (11K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/morpholio-trace-sketch-cad/id547274918/reviews)** | [4.3 (12 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/etchpad-sketch-an-image/id6446990936/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **11K** | 12 |
| Positive reviews | 69.7% of reviews | **80.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 weeks** | Every 21 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Ad-supported** |
| Size | 625 MB | 7 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | **17.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Vectorworks, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/506706853) | [Digital Footmark Oy](https://appshunter.io/developer/1062685418) |

## What reviewers say

### Morpholio Trace

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/morpholio-trace-sketch-cad/id547274918)

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.

**Highlights:** Layered idea development, Drawing markup and communication, Drawing to scale, Sketching on images and PDFs, Exporting drawing sets, Perspective tools, AR features

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support, SharePlay

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Trace Essentials Subscription | $4.99 | per year |
| Trace Pro Monthly | $7.99 | per month |
| Trace Plus Subscription | $9.99 | per year |
| Trace Pro Subscription | $24.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Powerful sketching and drawing tools
- 🔍 Accurate scale and measurement features
- 👍 Intuitive and easy to use
- 💡 Innovative stencil and perspective tools
- 📚 Helpful tutorials and customer support

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes and bugs
- 🔒 Requires account creation to use
- 💰 Subscription-based pricing model
- 🔍 Limited layer management and editing options
- 🖼️ Raster-based rather than vector-based

**Reported bugs**

- 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**

- 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

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/etchpad-sketch-an-image/id6446990936)

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.

**Highlights:** Draw with horizontal and vertical knobs, Shake to erase screen, Long press erase option, Share drawings easily, Nostalgic drawing interface

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Morpholio Trace free?

Morpholio Trace is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Etchpad free?

Etchpad is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Morpholio Trace or Etchpad?

Morpholio Trace is rated higher. Morpholio Trace averages 4.7 out of 5 from 11K ratings, while Etchpad averages 4.3 from 12 ratings.

### Do Morpholio Trace or Etchpad have ads?

Etchpad shows ads; Morpholio Trace does not.

### Which is updated more often, Morpholio Trace or Etchpad?

Morpholio Trace ships an update every 2 weeks, and Etchpad every 21 months. Most recently, Morpholio Trace was updated on November 5, 2026 and Etchpad on November 3, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*