# Sketchbook® vs Figma

Sketchbook® and Figma both sit at 4.8 stars, but that hides the real split: 77% of Sketchbook®'s written reviews are positive against 29% of Figma's. Sketchbook® also leads on ratings volume (221K vs 21K) and iOS requirement (15 vs 18.0). Figma's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months). On price, rating, ads and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Sketchbook® sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Figma asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Sketchbook® against 4.6 for Figma. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Sketchbook® has 221K ratings behind it against 21K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 77% of Sketchbook®'s written reviews are positive against 29% of Figma's.

Sketchbook® ships an update every 2 months, Figma weekly. Both last shipped on October 29, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Sketchbook® | Figma |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (221K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sketchbook/id883738213/reviews)** | [4.6 (21K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/figma/id1152747299/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **221K** | 21K |
| Positive reviews | **76.7% of reviews** | 29.4% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Best chart rank | **#44** | #69 |
| Size | 144 MB | 72 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15** | 18.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Sketchbook, Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/1569383806) | [Figma Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1152747298) |

## What reviewers say

### Sketchbook®

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sketchbook/id883738213)

**Currently charting:** #44 Top Free · Graphics & Design (US App Store)

This app provides a professional-grade drawing and painting experience for artists and illustrators. It offers a natural drawing feel with customizable tools, layers, and guides for precision. Unlock advanced features like custom brushes and canvas resizing with an optional premium purchase.

**Highlights:** Full complement of brush types, Highly customizable brushes, Guides, rulers, and stroke tools, Layers with blend modes, Clean and unobtrusive interface, Custom brush creation (premium), Canvas resizing (premium)

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium Bundle | $2.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Amazing, free, and no ads
- 👍 Lots of brushes and customization options
- 👍 Intuitive and easy to use
- 👍 Great for beginners and professionals
- 👍 Smooth performance and no lag

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional freezing and crashing issues
- 🐛 Blurry or corrupted images when saving or copying
- 🐛 Glitches with color selection and layers
- 🐛 Inability to rotate canvas or access gallery easily
- 🐛 Lack of blurring and clipping mask tools

**Reported bugs**

- Layers randomly deleted or corrupted
- Freezing when using certain tools like the eyedropper
- Saving issues leading to loss of progress
- Incompatibility with newer iPad Pro devices

**Requested features**

- Add blurring and clipping mask tools
- Improve gallery and canvas rotation functionality
- Allow custom font import
- Add effects like glow, stroke, and drop shadow
- Implement layer grouping and organization


### Figma

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/figma/id1152747299)

**Currently charting:** #69 Top Free · Graphics & Design (US App Store)

Access and review design files, prototypes, and presentations on your mobile device. Collaborate with teammates by adding and replying to comments, sharing files, and managing permissions. Mirror designs in real-time and explore prototypes with interactive features.

**Highlights:** Access design, FigJam, prototype, and slides files, Create and reply to comments, Share files with collaborators, Play and replay prototypes, Mirror designs in real-time, Manage file permissions

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Useful for previewing designs
- 👍 Great for prototyping
- 🚀 Convenient to mirror screen on a real device

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy and unreliable mirroring
- 🐛 Crashes and freezes often
- 👎 Limited functionality compared to desktop
- 👎 Lacks essential editing capabilities
- 👎 Useless without editing features

**Reported bugs**

- Mirror feature doesn't work consistently
- Prototype playback issues, like zooming in too much
- App forgets scroll/zoom state when switching back
- Crashes when trying to open large files
- Login issues, constantly requiring re-login

**Requested features**

- Add editing capabilities, especially for iPad
- Improve Apple Pencil support in FigJam
- Allow moving the toolbox out of the way on the screen
- Implement multi-account support
- Add option to change sharing permissions


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Sketchbook® free?

Sketchbook® is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Figma free?

Figma is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Sketchbook® or Figma?

Sketchbook® is rated higher. Sketchbook® averages 4.8 out of 5 from 221K ratings, while Figma averages 4.6 from 21K ratings.

### Do Sketchbook® or Figma have ads?

Neither Sketchbook® nor Figma shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Sketchbook® or Figma?

Sketchbook® ships an update every 2 months, and Figma weekly. Most recently, Sketchbook® was updated on October 29, 2026 and Figma on October 29, 2026.

### Which is more popular, Sketchbook® or Figma?

Sketchbook® currently peaks at #44 in the App Store charts, and Figma at #69. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*