Pencil Box vs Linea Sketch
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Pencil Box
Unleash your creativity with a versatile drawing tool. Select from various brushes, pens, and shapes, customize their properties, and utilize layers for complex designs. Import and export your artwork seamlessly.
- Multiple drawing tools (airbrush, pen, pencil, line, shapes)
- Adjustable tool color, size, and transparency
- Layer support with transparency and visibility control
- Import drawings from Mail and iTunes
- Export drawings via iTunes
- Sync tool preferences with iCloud
Read full descriptionHide full description
Pencil Box is a useful drawing tool that allows you to display your artistic talent. You can: - choose your preferred tool - airbrush - pen - pencil - line - rectangle - ellipse - eraser - control tool color, size, and transparency - add layers and control layer transparency and visiblity - import and export drawings via iTunes - import drawings from mail - sync tool preferences between devices using iCloud Pencil Box is an active development. New features are always in the works.
Linea Sketch
This app provides a powerful yet intuitive drawing and note-taking experience. Its minimalist interface keeps the focus on your creations, offering features like intelligent shape creation, precise layer management, and artistic brushes. Record your process with time-lapse and utilize various grids and templates for diverse projects.
- Minimalist UI
- Intelligent shape creation (ZipShapes)
- Elegant layer management
- Artistic watercolor brush
- Time-lapse recording
- Grids and templates
- Annotation tools
Read full descriptionHide full description
Draw and take notes with ease. Linea Sketch gives you the right balance of power and control to capture thoughts and ideas effortlessly. The focus stays where it belongs: on your creations, not on the tools. Why Linea Sketch? ⁕ Minimal UI - Every control is designed to stay out of your way until you need it. Linea's elegant interface puts the focus on your creations. ⁕ Easy Colors - Choose from a wide range of pre-defined colors, or create your own with a single tap. Autogenerated tints & shades save time and effort. ⁕ Elegant Layers - Simplified set of layers that can be easily rearranged, merged, locked, or adjusted. Use the file browser and photo library to import images for reference and tracing. ⁕ ZipShapes & ZipLines - Simply hold still for a moment after drawing a line, rough square, circle, or triangle and ZipShape automatically creates a perfect version for you. You can then adjust final size, placement, and corner radius. ⁕ Move / Transform - Lasso part of your sketch, then move, rotate, flip, or resize. Transform one or more layers quickly & easily. ⁕ Watercolor Brush - Create rustic & artistic effects by painting with organic pigment in three modes: Simple, Wet, and Cloud. ⁕ Annotations - Add labels, notes, and callouts to your sketches using iOS Scribble or a keyboard. Fonts, colors, placement, and more can be adjusted effortlessly. ⁕ Time-Lapse - Record your creative process as you sketch! Save a video of the result as either a compressed 30 second clip or a full length movie. ⁕ Grids & Templates - A wide range of traditional grids, 3D isometric lines, storyboards, and templates for iOS screen or icon design. ⁕ Universal App - Linea Sketch is a universal app for iPad and iPhone. Your sketches seamlessly sync via iCloud to all of your devices, wherever you go. …………………………………… What do you get? Tools: • Technical Pencil - Hard lead, thin lines • Art Pencil - Soft lead, thick lines • Felt Tip Pen - Thin solid lines that vary in opacity • Marker - Fat solid lines • Watercolor Brush - Paint with organic, artistic pigment • Fill - Roll out wide areas of color or tap to flood fill • Blend - Smudge or soften strokes • Eraser - Clean up with your finger or Pencil • Pencil Plus! - Create additional effects using Apple Pencil pressure and tilt Colors: • Always on-screen & easily available • Tints and shades are automatically generated in six variations • 11 predefined color sets for various types of drawing • Create custom colors for branding and consistency • Drag & drop color swatches with other apps Layers: • Five flexible layers that can be dragged, merged, or cleared • Import any image from Files, Photo Library, or clipboard • Lockable to prevent accidental changes • Adjust opacity or double tap to toggle visibility on/off Templates: • Traditional grids displayed with lines & dots • Hexagonal, circular, and isometric (3D) grids • Notepads, to-do lists, and sheet music • App user interface and icon design • Storyboards in 16:9, 1.85:1, and 2.35:1 ratios • Adjustable intensity and can be hidden quickly Backgrounds & Paper Textures: • White Bond, Butcher’s Paper, Black Construction, Blueprint & many more • Adjustable custom background colors • Paper grain can be toggled on or off Exporting: • Save as PNG, JPEG, PSD, and PDF • Save entire sketch or crop a portion • Export to Slack, Dropbox, AirDrop & more • Presentation Mode shows just the canvas via AirPlay - perfect for classrooms Projects: • Organize drawings in project folders • Share, rename, or move drawings within projects • Thumbnail previews of drawings save time • Export PDF of entire project General: • Two-finger tap for Undo, three-finger tap for Redo • Pinch to zoom and rotate canvas • Tap Compass to lock, flip, or reset your canvas • Supports portrait & landscape orientations • Supports split screen and drag & drop Terms and Conditions: https://linea-app.com/terms Privacy Policy https://linea-app.com/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Linea Sketch at 62% against Pencil Box's 0%. Linea Sketch also leads on ratings volume (803 vs 1). Pencil Box's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 3.7) and in-app purchases (none vs 3). On price, ads and device support 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. Linea Sketch sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Pencil Box asks for nothing beyond the download.
Pencil Box holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Linea Sketch has 803 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 0% of Pencil Box's written reviews are positive against 62% of Linea Sketch's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Pencil Box ships an update fortnightly, Linea Sketch every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 9, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Pencil Box | Linea Sketch |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better | 3.7 (803 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | 62.2% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 803 — better |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly — better | Every 3 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 10.0 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 15 MB | 133 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Fays Lane Labs | The Iconfactory |
Customer experience
Pencil Box
Linea Sketch
Bugs and requests
Pencil Box
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Linea Sketch
Reported bugs
4 issues- Drawings disappearing or not saving properly
- Layers and colors not behaving as expected
- Sudden crashes when switching tools or actions
- Slow performance and loading issues
Requested features
6 requests- Add smudge/blending tool
- Implement watercolor brush
- Include text tool and annotation options
- Support for higher resolution canvases
- Introduce animation and video features
Show 1 moreShow fewer
- Improve file management and organization
In-app purchases
Pencil Box
No in-app purchases
Linea Sketch
- Linea Monthly Subscription14 Days trial$1.991 Month
- Linea Yearly Subscription14 Days trial$19.991 Year
- Linea Full Purchase$59.99
Questions
Is Pencil Box free?
Is Linea Sketch free?
Which has better reviews, Pencil Box or Linea Sketch?
Do Pencil Box or Linea Sketch have ads?
Which is updated more often, Pencil Box or Linea Sketch?
Other comparisons















