Concepts vs ShadowDraw
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Infinite canvas
- Vector-based sketching
- Realistic pens, pencils, and brushes
- Editable vector elements
- Unlimited layers
- Scale and measurement tools
- Object libraries
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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!
ShadowDraw
Learn to draw with guided, step-by-step lessons designed for beginners. Follow the strokes of professional artists to build confidence and master fundamental techniques. Explore thousands of tutorials across various popular art subjects.
- Step-by-step guided drawing lessons
- Thousands of tutorials
- Manga, anime, people, animals, and nature subjects
- Art Teacher Mode
- Sketch My Way Mode
- Builds drawing fundamentals
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Learn to draw with confidence using your Apple Pencil. Featured by Apple as App of the Day in 2023 and 2025. ShadowDraw® is the easiest way for beginners to learn how to draw on iPad using their Apple Pencil. Our guided lessons teach you step-by-step by showing the real strokes of professional artists, helping you build confidence, accuracy, and real drawing fundamentals from your very first session. LEARN TO DRAW THE SMART, BEGINNER-FRIENDLY WAY ShadowDraw breaks every drawing into simple, guided steps. You follow the same strokes as a professional artist, learning: * Line control * Shapes & construction * Proportions * Shading * Final detailing Each step unlocks only after you complete the previous one, giving you a structured, supportive learning path—like having a private art teacher with you on your iPad. THOUSANDS OF STEP-BY-STEP LESSONS Explore beginner-friendly drawing lessons across the most popular art subjects: * Manga & Anime Characters * People & Portraits * Animals (cats, dogs, horses, birds, dragons, and more) * Architecture & Buildings * Botanical & Nature Drawing * Birds & Butterflies * Coloring & Simple Shading * Holiday & Seasonal Art * Warm-Ups & Foundations * Sketching Basics With over 2,000 guided tutorials, there’s always something inspiring to draw. PRACTICE YOUR WAY ShadowDraw offers two flexible learning modes: Art Teacher Mode We pick brushes and colors so beginners can focus on fundamentals. Sketch My Way Choose your own tools and colors for creative freedom. BUILD A DAILY DRAWING HABIT Short, approachable lessons help you build confidence and stay consistent. ShadowDraw makes daily practice easy, fun, and motivating—even for busy beginners. RECOGNIZED BY APPLE & TRUSTED WORLDWIDE ShadowDraw has been featured in the App Store collections, including: * Incredible iPad Apps * Great with Apple Pencil * Apple Pencil Starter Kit * Better with Apple Pencil * The Best Drawing Apps * The Best Apps for Creatives ShadowDraw has also ranked as the #1 Drawing App in its category. Apple writes: “With over 1,500 hand-drawn lessons developed by real artists, ShadowDraw is a drawing app for beginners who want to improve their skills through daily step-by-step exercises.” PRAISED BY THE PRESS The New York Times “ShadowDraw… teaches drawing forms by having you follow along the animated pen strokes of another artist in an updated take on the ‘copying the masters’ approach.” MacBreak Weekly — Pick of the Week “…the next generation of step-by-step.” Also featured by CNET and Creative Bloq. LEARN TOGETHER WITH SHADOWDRAW+ A ShadowDraw+ membership unlocks the full library and supports Family Sharing, so everyone in your household can learn to draw at their own pace. WE’RE HERE TO HELP Need support or have feedback? Contact us anytime through in-app Chat Support. Email: support@shadowdrawapp.com Website: shadowdrawapp.com Instagram: @shadowdraw For our EULA agreement, please visit: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ ShadowDraw® and Shadow Draw™ are trademarks of Shadow Draw Inc.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Concepts at 4.7 against ShadowDraw's 4.1. Concepts also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (77% vs 59%). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model 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. Concepts sells 13 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and ShadowDraw sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Concepts holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Concepts has 27K ratings behind it against 1.7K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 77% of Concepts's written reviews are positive against 59% of ShadowDraw's.
Concepts ships an update fortnightly, ShadowDraw every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Concepts | ShadowDraw |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (27K ratings) — better | 4.1 (1.7K ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 77.0% of reviews — better | 59.3% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 27K — better | 1.7K |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly — better | Every 6 weeks |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #206 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 267 MB | 820 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | TopHatch, Inc. | Shadow Draw |
Customer experience
Concepts
ShadowDraw
User reviews
Concepts
From 27K App Store ratingsWhat 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)
ShadowDraw
From 1.7K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Helpful for beginners
- 🎨 Variety of drawing topics
- 👍 Intuitive step-by-step guidance
- 💡 Relaxing and therapeutic experience
- 🤖 Responsive customer support
Room to improve
- 💰 Many features locked behind paywall
- 🐛 Buggy and glitchy at times
- 🤔 Tracing-focused approach may not teach drawing fundamentals
- 🔍 Difficulty finding purchased content
- 🔀 Jumping between steps too quickly
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
ShadowDraw
Reported bugs
3 issues- Drawings disappearing after completion
- App crashing on launch for some users
- Eraser tool not working properly with coloring feature
Requested features
5 requests- More free drawing content
- Canvas rotation and reference image positioning
- Ability to save progress on drawings
- Clearer visual indicators for brush/pen changes
- Side-by-side drawing mode to practice without tracing
In-app purchases
Concepts
- Everything Monthly$4.991 Month
- Everything Monthly + Trial7 Days trial$4.991 Month
- Everything Yearly$29.991 Year
Show 1 moreShow fewer
- Everything Yearly + Trial7 Days trial$29.991 Year
- Shape Library$1.99
- Pen Brush Pack$1.99
- Body Forms$1.99
Show 6 moreShow fewer
- 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
ShadowDraw
- ShadowDraw: Monthly Plan7 Days trial$7.991 Month
- ShadowDraw: Yearly Plan7 Days trial$49.991 Year
Questions
Is Concepts free?
Is ShadowDraw free?
Which has better reviews, Concepts or ShadowDraw?
Do Concepts or ShadowDraw have ads?
Which is updated more often, Concepts or ShadowDraw?
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