MarkUp Pro vs SpecPad
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side ā with what reviewers say about each.
MarkUp Pro
This app restores powerful photo annotation tools previously removed from iOS. It offers features like a magnifier, hollow shapes, free-angle arrows, and a robust color picker. Easily select, move, and edit annotations with full undo/redo support.
- Select & Move annotations
- Loupe / Magnifier tool
- Hollow shapes and free-angle arrows
- Adjustable font size and color picker
- Blur and pixelate sensitive information
- Template system for saving setups
- PDF and image export options
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MarkUp brings back the photo annotation features that disappeared in iOS 17 and 18. If you miss the Magnifier tool, hollow shape outlines, free-angle arrows, and a color picker that just works -- this app is for you. NOW WITH SELECT & MOVE - Select & Move: Tap any annotation to select it, then drag to reposition. Works with all annotation types -- shapes, arrows, text, drawings, highlights, and more. Full undo/redo support for every move. - Adjustable Font Size: Choose from 12pt to 120pt for text annotations. Your last font size is remembered between sessions. CORE FEATURES - Select & Move: Tap to select any annotation, drag to reposition. Visual selection feedback with dashed border and corner handles. - Loupe / Magnifier: Zoom into any detail with adjustable magnification. The tool Apple removed, brought back better than ever. - Hollow Shapes: Draw circles, rectangles, triangles, stars, and chat bubbles with clean outlines -- not filled blocks. Toggle between outline and filled mode. - Free-Angle Arrows: Point precisely where you want with arrows at any angle, not just preset directions. - Drawing Tools: Pen, marker, and pencil with adjustable width and opacity for every situation. - Highlight: Semi-transparent overlay that emphasizes without obscuring, perfect for screenshots and documents. - Blur and Pixelate: Obscure sensitive information like faces, license plates, and personal data with gaussian blur or pixelation. - Text Annotations: Add labels, notes, and callouts with customizable font size (12-120pt) and color. Font size is remembered between sessions. - Color Picker: A reliable, full-featured color picker with presets and custom colors -- no more fighting with the system picker. - Undo and Redo: Full history support so you never lose your work. - Eraser: Tap any annotation to remove it instantly. DESIGNED FOR iOS - Native SwiftUI interface that feels right at home - Full iPhone and iPad support with optimized layouts - Camera integration for instant photo capture and annotation - Photo library access with screenshot album filtering - Tool memory that remembers your last settings between sessions, including font size MARKUP PRO - Template System: Save your favorite annotation setups and reuse them across multiple images. - Batch Editing: Apply the same annotations to multiple images at once for consistent documentation. - PDF Export: Save annotated images as PDF documents for professional sharing. - Export Options: Save as PNG, JPEG, or PDF. Share directly to Photos, Messages, Mail, or any app via Share Sheet. PERFECT FOR - Developers annotating bug reports and screenshots - Designers providing visual feedback - Educators highlighting key information in images - Professionals creating annotated documentation - Anyone who wants the markup tools Apple took away SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION: MarkUp offers three purchase options: - Monthly Subscription: $2.99/month with 7-day free trial - Yearly Subscription: $14.99/year with 7-day free trial (58% savings) - Lifetime Purchase: $29.99 one-time, no recurring charges - Payment will be charged to your Apple ID account at confirmation of purchase. - Subscriptions automatically renew unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. - You can manage and cancel your subscriptions by going to your account settings on the App Store after purchase. - Any unused portion of a free trial period will be forfeited when you purchase a subscription.
SpecPad
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SpecPad is a work notebook for people who deal in drawings: plans, schematics, boards, site photos. Mark them up, measure them, keep everything organized in notebooks, and export clean PDFs when it's time to send. It started with one problem: photographing a circuit board and needing labels that point at the exact pins. So callouts in SpecPad anchor to the photo itself. Zoom way in, drag the image around, the pin stays on the pad. That same stubbornness runs through the rest of the app: revision clouds you draw by hand and type inside, drawings you calibrate once and then measure in real units, redaction bars that actually remove what's under them on export. PAGES ⢠Canvas pages have no edges. They grow as you draw ⢠Notepad pages are real paper sizes (Letter, A4, Tabloid ā blank, grid, or lined) and print true to size ⢠Text Documents for the days you just need to type: headings, lists, dividers ⢠PDFs import as true vector pages. Mark them up and export with the markup embedded, while the original text stays searchable ⢠Scan paper with the camera, or start from a photo MARKUP ⢠Leader-line callouts anchored to the pixels of a photo ⢠Draw a rough circle around anything and it becomes a proper scalloped revision cloud with a text box inside ⢠Calibrate a drawing against one known length, then dimension anything on it in feet-inches or metric ⢠Numbered pins, a count tool with running totals, Bates-style numbering ⢠Punch lists: any markup can be Open or Resolved, and resolved items fade in reports STENCILS & STAMPS ⢠180 stencils across electronics, schematics, network & IT, construction, life safety, hatches, medical, education, proofreading, office, and design ⢠Pick your workflow and the toolbar tailors itself to your trade ⢠Star the tools you use daily to pin them to the bar ⢠Lasso anything you've drawn and save it as a reusable stamp, or import your own stencils INK & SHAPES ⢠Apple Pencil ink and highlighter, with shape snapping for when a rough box should become a clean one ⢠Cables that route around parts with the label riding the wire, and named nets that light up together ⢠Arrows, dimension lines, speech bubbles, hatches SHARING & SYNC ⢠Export PDF, PNG, branded markup reports, and annotation schedules ⢠Search everything, typed or handwritten ⢠Notebooks sync with iCloud. Share one to work together ⢠Focus mode, presentation mode, and audio recording on a page for walkthroughs SPECPAD PRO The free app is useful every single day, no paywall in your face. Pro adds unlimited pages, spreadsheet exports, path and area measurement, revision compare, and the project index. Subscribe, or buy lifetime once and be done. Made for iPad. Works on iPhone too. SpecPad comes from a small shop, not a big one. If your trade is missing a stencil or a tool, write in ā I read everything. Privacy Policy: https://steinmetzlabs.com/apps/specpad/privacy.html Terms of Use: https://steinmetzlabs.com/apps/specpad/terms.html Support: https://steinmetzlabs.com/apps/specpad/support.html
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: SpecPad at every 5 days against MarkUp Pro's every 2 months. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS
Both are free to download. MarkUp Pro sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and SpecPad sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
MarkUp Pro ships an update every 2 months, SpecPad every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 13, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | MarkUp Pro | SpecPad |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | ā |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 5 days ā better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Subscription | ā |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17 ā better | 18.0 |
| Further details ā not scored | ||
| Size | 2 MB | 19 MB |
| Age rating | +9 | 4+ |
| Developer | 蓺 åØ | John Steinmetz |
In-app purchases
MarkUp Pro
- MarkUp Pro Monthly7 Days trial$2.991 Month
- MarkUp Pro Yearly1 Month trial$14.991 Year
- MarkUp Pro Lifetime$29.99
SpecPad
- SpecPad Pro - Monthly$2.991 Month
- SpecPad Pro - Yearly$17.991 Year
- SpecPad Pro - Lifetime$29.99









