Comparison

Concepts vs Adobe XD

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

Head to head
About

Concepts

This flexible vector-based sketchbook offers an infinite canvas for ideation and design. Easily sketch, take notes, and create detailed designs with editable strokes and powerful tools. Share your work in various formats for seamless collaboration and professional output.

Highlights
  • Infinite canvas
  • Vector-based sketching
  • Realistic pens, pencils, and brushes
  • Editable vector elements
  • Unlimited layers
  • Scale and measurement tools
  • Object libraries
Features
Read full description

Think, plan & create – Concepts is a flexible vector-based sketchbook where you can take your ideas from concept to reality. Concepts reimagines the ideation process – offering a safe and dynamic workspace to iterate and explore your ideas, organize your thoughts, and experiment with designs. With our infinite canvas, you can: • Sketch plans and whiteboard ideas • Make notes, doodles, and mindmaps • Draw storyboards, product sketches and designs Concepts is vector-based, making every stroke editable and scalable. With our Nudge, Slice and Select tools, you can easily change any element of your sketch without redrawing it. Talented creators at Disney, Playstation, Philips, HP, Apple, Google, Unity and Illumination Entertainment use Concepts to develop and realize extraordinary ideas. Join us! Concepts has: • An infinite canvas with optional paper types and grids • Realistic pens, pencils and brushes that flow with pressure, tilt and velocity or create your own • A tool wheel or bar you can personalize • HSL, RGB and COPIC color wheels • Editable vector-based sketching – move, organize and edit the tool, color, size, scale, smoothing, opacity; transform or nudge lines to shape them • Unlimited layers • Scale and measurement tools that calculate real-world dimensions With Concepts, you can: • Drag + drop images + PDF files • Create, store and share vector Object libraries • Export images, vector SVG + PDFs to scale for printing or efficient flow between apps (including Procreate, Sketchbook, AutoCAD and Adobe) • Share directly to email, text, Files, cloud, photos, or your favorite social apps and present with AirPlay or a second screen • Store your work safely in your personal iCloud Drive FREE FEATURES • Infinite canvas • A selection of paper, grid types & tools to get you started • The full COPIC color spectrum, RGB and HSL color wheels • Five layers • Unlimited drawings • JPG exports PAID FEATURES Subscription: • 200+ brush and Object libraries, features, and services • Enjoy Team Sharing for smooth collaboration, including live-sharing of object libraries, color palettes & brushes, with new updates arriving all the time • Unlocks everything across platforms • TRY PREMIUM FREE FOR 7 DAYS One-time-purchases: • Buy the Essentials for life and unlock selection & editing tools, infinite layers, shape guides, custom brushes, custom grids, and exports to PNG / PSD / SVG / DXF. • Pay for advanced features as you need them – object packs & professional brushes are sold separately • Limited to the platform you purchase on Terms & Conditions: • Monthly and yearly subscription payments are charged to your iTunes account at the time of purchase. • Your plan will renew automatically at the end of the billing period unless canceled 24 hours before the billing period ends. • You can cancel or make changes to your subscription at any time in your iTunes Account settings. • Unused portions of any free trial period are forfeited if you make changes to your subscription. We’re dedicated to quality and update frequently based on your feedback. Your experience matters to us. Chat with us in-app via Ask Us Anything, email us at concepts@tophatch.com, or find us anywhere with @ConceptsApp. COPIC is the trademark of Too Corporation. Many thanks to Lasse Pekkala and Osama Elfar for the cover art!

About

Adobe XD

Instantly preview your Adobe XD designs on native devices with real-time transitions. Connect via USB or load cloud documents to see your creations come to life before development.

Highlights
  • Real-time prototype preview
  • Transitions on native devices
  • USB connection
  • Cloud document loading
  • Optional storage upgrade
Features
Read full description

Eliminate the guesswork by previewing your Adobe XD designs, complete with transitions on native devices, in real time via USB or by loading them as cloud documents. If you enjoy using Adobe XD, please share a nice review. It really helps! ------------------------------------------------------------------------- MORE STORAGE (Optional in-app purchase) You can purchase an additional 20GB for $1.99 (US dollars) of Creative Cloud file storage per month. The recurring payment is automatically charged to your iTunes account. To stop service, go to account Settings and turn off auto-renew at least 24-hours before the end of your billing period. Prorating is unavailable — when you turn off auto-renew, service will continue until the end of that month’s billing period. The Fine Print You must be 13 or older and agree to Adobe’s terms and privacy policy, viewable at: https://www.adobe.com/go/privacy_policy http://www.adobe.com/go/terms Do not sell or share my information: https://www.adobe.com/privacy/us-rights-linkfree.html Use of Adobe mobile apps and online services requires registration for a free Adobe ID as part of a free, basic level of Creative Cloud membership. Adobe online services require an Internet connection, are not available in all countries or languages, and may be subject to change or discontinuation without notice.

Screenshots

Concepts4 screens
Adobe XD4 screens

Verdict

The call

Concepts and Adobe XD both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 77% of Concepts's written reviews are positive against 40% of Adobe XD's. Concepts also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 5 weeks) and chart position (#181 vs unranked). On price, rating, ratings volume 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. Concepts sells 13 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Adobe XD sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Concepts against 4.7 for Adobe XD. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 27K and 11K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 77% of Concepts's written reviews are positive against 40% of Adobe XD's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Concepts ships an update fortnightly, Adobe XD every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 8 level
Concepts versus Adobe XD: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterConceptsAdobe XD
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (27K ratings)4.7 (11K ratings)
Positive reviews77.0% of reviews — better40.1% of reviews
Number of ratings27K — better11K
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 5 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#181 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size267 MB86 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTopHatch, Inc.Adobe Inc.

Customer experience

Concepts

All ratings26,540 ratings
Positive94.3%
Neutral3.0%
Negative2.8%
Written reviews1,917 reviews
Positive77.0%
Neutral8.9%
Negative14.1%

Adobe XD

All ratings10,769 ratings
Positive92.8%
Neutral2.9%
Negative4.2%
Written reviews726 reviews
Positive40.1%
Neutral14.0%
Negative45.9%

User reviews

Concepts

From 27K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Infinite canvas
  • 👍 Intuitive and customizable interface
  • 🎨 Powerful drawing and sketching tools
  • 💡 Versatile for various use cases (architecture, design, note-taking)
  • 🔒 Responsive customer support

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional crashes and bugs
  • 🔍 Steep learning curve for some users
  • 💰 Subscription model can be expensive for casual users
  • 🔧 Limited text handling and editing capabilities
  • 🔀 Inconsistent behavior of certain tools (e.g., eraser, alignment)

Adobe XD

From 11K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Live preview on mobile
  • 👍 Seamless integration with desktop XD
  • 💡 Potential for full iPad functionality

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
  • 🔌 Compatibility issues with iOS 16
  • 👎 Limited editing capabilities on mobile
  • 🔍 Difficulty accessing and managing files

Bugs and requests

Concepts

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Memory issues when working with large, complex drawings
  • Inconsistent behavior of the eraser tool
  • Inaccuracies in the snap-to-grid and measurement tools
  • Exporting issues, such as loss of data or poor quality

Requested features

5 requests
  • Improved text editing and formatting options
  • Better color selection and customization tools
  • Collaboration and real-time sharing features
  • Seamless integration with other design/productivity apps
  • Syncing and backup capabilities across devices

Adobe XD

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Login issues with Adobe account
  • Inconsistent performance and refresh
  • Fonts not rendering correctly
  • Prototype viewing limitations

Requested features

4 requests
  • Full XD editing capabilities on iPad
  • Wireless connectivity for prototyping
  • Improved font support and rendering
  • Ability to open files from cloud storage

In-app purchases

13 purchases

Concepts

Subscriptions4
  • Everything Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Everything Monthly + Trial7 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • Everything Yearly$29.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Everything Yearly + Trial7 Days trial$29.991 Year
One-time9
  • Shape Library$1.99
  • Pen Brush Pack$1.99
  • Body Forms$1.99
Show 6 more
  • Make Your Own Objects$3.99
  • Essentials (iPhone Only)$4.99
  • PDF Essentials$4.99
  • Pro Pack [Legacy]$7.99
  • 10 Object Packs$14.99
  • Essentials$39.99
1 purchases

Adobe XD

Subscriptions1
  • CC Storage (20 GB)$1.991 Month

Questions

Is Concepts free?
Concepts is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Adobe XD free?
Adobe XD is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Concepts or Adobe XD?
Concepts and Adobe XD are both rated 4.7 out of 5 on the App Store, from 27K and 11K ratings respectively.
Do Concepts or Adobe XD have ads?
Neither Concepts nor Adobe XD shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Concepts or Adobe XD?
Concepts ships an update fortnightly, and Adobe XD every 5 weeks. Most recently, Concepts was updated on October 13, 2026 and Adobe XD on October 12, 2026.

Other comparisons