Comparison

Concepts vs Affinity Designer 2 for iPad

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

Affinity Designer 2 for iPad

Create stunning illustrations, branding, logos, UI/UX designs, and more with a powerful touch-focused vector graphics app. Optimized for iPad and Apple Pencil, it offers real-time performance and precise tools for both vector and raster workflows.

Highlights
  • Vector Warp
  • Shape Builder Tool
  • Knife Tool
  • Drawing scale
  • Vector Flood Fill
  • Switch between vector and raster workspaces
  • Sophisticated typography
Features
Read full description

Affinity Designer 2 for iPad takes the power and precision of the Apple Design Award-winning desktop app and converts it into an incredible touch-focused creative experience. Packed with tons of new features and hundreds of enhancements to optimize your workflow, the graphic design app has everything you need to seamlessly create stunning illustrations, branding, logos, icons, UI/UX designs, print projects, typography, posters, labels, flyers, stickers, concept art, digital art, and much more – all completely free from the confines of your desk. OPTIMIZED FOR IPAD • Fully integrated and optimized iPad gesture controls to speed up your workflow • iOS16 ready, including optimization for virtual memory swap, dramatically increasing performance on large documents. • Sensitive to pressure, tilt, and angle, the app harnesses the full power and precision of Apple Pencil • Command controller hosting on-screen modifiers • Quick Menu for context-sensitive access to commands • Use as your very own digital sketchbook, canvas, logo maker, sticker maker, flyer maker, and more POWERFUL TOOLS & FUNCTIONALITY • Vector Warp • Shape Builder Tool • Knife Tool • DXF/DWF import • Measure & Area tools • Drawing scale – including ability for different scales set per artboard • X-ray, hide effects, and greyscale view modes • Multiple shadow, outline, and overlay layer effects per object • Powerful grids and guides • Transform Tool • Vector Flood Fill • Spiral Tool REAL-TIME PERFORMANCE • Pan and zoom at 120fps • Live gradients, transforms, effects, and adjustments • Optimized for documents of any complexity, zoom to over 1,000,000% for absolute precision • Live pixel, retina, wireframe, and x-ray views of vector artwork in and out of split screen mode • Live Pattern Preview • Seamless switching between tools and editing modes for frustration-free design • Incredibly accurate results with minimal nodes PRECISE VECTOR TOOLS • Rock solid vector tools that work just the way you want them to • The best Pen Tool, Node Tool, curve editing, and smart shape tools available • Powerful Contour Tool to create abstract objects or increase the width of single open curves • Pencil and brush stabilization for drawing super-smooth curves freehand • Non-destructive Boolean operations • Live effects, blend modes, and image adjustments • Incredibly smooth gradient and transparency controls RASTER OR VECTOR, YOU DECIDE • Switch between fully-featured vector and raster workspaces with a single tap – paint, draw, or sketch in raster and then create cool, custom vector art • High quality raster tools for painting, texturing, masking, finishing artwork, or even creating tattoo designs • Use raster brushes, edit single pixels on icons, mask and add grain to your crisp vectors, enclose and clip pixel layers – it’s true creative freedom not found in other software or drawing apps SOPHISTICATED TYPOGRAPHY • Flexible text handling including comprehensive support for OpenType • Artistic text and text frames • Full control over character and paragraph styles • Flow text and type along any drawn path • Extensive library of free fonts BUILT FOR YOUR WORKFLOW • Unlimited artboards • Savable history with alternate futures • Customizable shortcuts with attached keyboard or new quick menu • Adobe Illustrator ® (Ai files), PSD, PDF, EPS, SVG, JPG, JPEG XL, TIFF, EXR, DXF, and DWG file support • Linked symbols and constraints • Save documents as template files to re-use time and time again • Quickly access royalty free images through the Stock Panel or import files from Affinity Photo or other photo editor • Select Same and Select Object functions PERFECT COLOR & OUTPUT • Professional CMYK, LAB, RGB, PANTONE© and Greyscale color models • Full 16-bit per channel editing • End-to-end ICC color management • Slice export for exporting multiple elements in a single tap • Live pixel preview to see exactly how your design will export

Screenshots

Concepts4 screens

Verdict

The call

Concepts and Affinity Designer 2 for iPad both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 77% of Concepts's written reviews are positive against 52% of Affinity Designer 2 for iPad's. Concepts also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 6 weeks) and monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs paid). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases 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 Affinity Designer 2 for iPad sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. 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 Affinity Designer 2 for iPad. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Concepts has 26K ratings behind it against 3.2K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 77% of Concepts's written reviews are positive against 52% of Affinity Designer 2 for iPad's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Concepts ships an update fortnightly, Affinity Designer 2 for iPad every 6 weeks. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Concepts versus Affinity Designer 2 for iPad: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterConceptsAffinity Designer 2 for iPad
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (26K ratings)4.7 (3.2K ratings) — better
Positive reviews77.1% of reviews — better51.8% of reviews
Number of ratings26K — better3.2K
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 6 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
Best chart rank#187 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPad
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size258 MB1.7 GB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTopHatch, Inc.Serif (Europe) Ltd.

Customer experience

Concepts

All ratings26,451 ratings
Positive94.3%
Neutral3.0%
Negative2.7%
Written reviews1,909 reviews
Positive77.1%
Neutral8.9%
Negative14.0%

Affinity Designer 2 for iPad

All ratings3,049 ratings
Positive92.9%
Neutral2.3%
Negative4.8%
Written reviews390 reviews
Positive51.8%
Neutral14.6%
Negative33.6%

User reviews

Concepts

From 26K 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)

Affinity Designer 2 for iPad

From 3.2K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Powerful vector tools
  • 🎨 Excellent for digital art and illustration
  • 💰 Great value for the price
  • 👍 Intuitive and streamlined UI
  • 🔄 Seamless integration between iPad and desktop versions

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and stability issues
  • 🔍 Cluttered and unintuitive UI in some areas
  • 🖌️ Lacking advanced brush and pencil features
  • 💾 Unreliable saving and file management
  • 🔀 Confusing transition from Affinity Designer v1

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

Affinity Designer 2 for iPad

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Crashes when switching between vector and pixel layers
  • Exported files not retaining expected quality or format
  • Grid spacing and snapping issues
  • Disappearing or unresponsive UI elements

Requested features

5 requests
  • Vector trace tool
  • Better layer management and organization
  • Improved Apple Pencil support and pressure sensitivity
  • Ability to rename documents on creation
  • Customizable keyboard shortcuts and UI

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
4 purchases

Affinity Designer 2 for iPad

One-time4
  • Free 7-Day TrialFree
  • Designer 2 for iPad LicenseFree
  • Affinity Collection for iPad$36.99
Show 1 more
  • Affinity V2 Universal License$164.99

Questions

Is Concepts free?
Concepts is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Affinity Designer 2 for iPad free?
Affinity Designer 2 for iPad is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Concepts or Affinity Designer 2 for iPad?
Affinity Designer 2 for iPad is rated higher. Concepts averages 4.7 out of 5 from 26K ratings, while Affinity Designer 2 for iPad averages 4.7 from 3.2K ratings.
Do Concepts or Affinity Designer 2 for iPad have ads?
Neither Concepts nor Affinity Designer 2 for iPad shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Concepts or Affinity Designer 2 for iPad?
Concepts ships an update fortnightly, and Affinity Designer 2 for iPad every 6 weeks. Most recently, Concepts was updated on September 24, 2026 and Affinity Designer 2 for iPad on September 24, 2026.

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