Sketchbook® vs Grid Maker
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Sketchbook®
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.
- 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)
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From quick sketches to fully finished artwork, Sketchbook goes where your creativity takes you. Sketchbook is an award-winning sketching, painting, and drawing app for anyone who loves to draw. Artists and illustrators love Sketchbook for its professional-grade feature set and highly customizable tools. Everyone loves Sketchbook for its elegant interface and natural drawing experience, free of distractions so you can focus on capturing and expressing your ideas. • A full complement of brush types: pencils markers, airbrushes, smear and more that look and feel just like their physical counterparts • Brushes are highly customizable so you can create just the look you want • Guides, rulers and stroke tools support precision when you need it • Layers with a full complement of blend modes deliver the flexibility to build up and explore drawings and color • Purpose-built for sketching, the interface is clean and unobtrusive so you can focus on drawing Purchase the Premium Bundle to unlock more... • Import and export brushes • Create your own custom brushes • Resize your canvas or image • Set canvas resolution in px/inch or px/cm • Clipping masks • Additional layer adjustments including blur, sharpen, brightness/contrast, greyscale, and invert • Additional color harmonies • Additional custom gradients • Select color from reference images • Extract color palettes from images • Import and export color palettes • Layer grouping • Layer masking Blend Modes • Draw Outline tool • Lasso Fill tool • Export to PDF • plus more to come!
Grid Maker
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Draw from photos with better proportions. Grid Maker adds an adjustable drawing grid to your reference so you can transfer shapes to paper, one square at a time. From a portrait sketch to a painting on canvas, break a complex image into smaller, easier-to-study sections. Keep your reference beside you while you draw. START WITH THE FREE TOOLS • Import your own image from Photos or Files, or capture a reference with the camera. • Adjust rows, columns, line color, thickness and opacity. Add and manage grid overlays. • Zoom into a cell, subdivide it for details and mark finished cells. Labels such as A1 help you keep your place. • Add freehand annotations, sample colors and use composition guides. • Save up to 3 projects and share your reference as a PNG, with or without the grid. GO FURTHER WITH GRID MAKER PRO • Canvas Match: set paper or canvas dimensions and cell size to prepare a reference in the proportions you need. • Value Study: simplify light and dark areas before planning your shading. • WIP Compare: overlay a photo of your drawing on the reference to spot differences. • Perspective Correction: adjust an angled reference photo. • Projector Mode: display a full-screen grid on black, with an optional faint reference image. • Keep unlimited projects and export labeled PDFs for sharing or printing. YOUR FIRST DRAWING 1. Import a photo and choose a grid. 2. Draw a matching grid lightly on your paper. 3. Copy the shapes in each square, then refine the details. Image editing happens on your device. You can begin without creating an app account. Core grid tools are free for up to 3 projects. Pro features require an in-app purchase; available options and prices appear in the app before purchase. Choose a photo and start your next drawing. Privacy Policy: https://app.notion.com/p/Privacy-Policy-for-Grid-Maker-Drawing-Reference-3e41e95b550680699ff9d4db53953ca0?source=copy_link Support & FAQ: https://app.notion.com/p/Grid-Maker-Drawing-Reference-Support-FAQ-3e41e95b5506809eba7bc559bde64a77?source=copy_link Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is chart position: Sketchbook® at #43 against Grid Maker's unranked. Sketchbook® also leads on iOS requirement (14 vs 17). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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. Sketchbook® sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Grid Maker sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
| Parameter | Sketchbook® | Grid Maker |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (220K ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 76.6% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 220K — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Best chart rank | #43 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 14 — better | 17 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 142 MB | 28 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Sketchbook, Inc | Redouan Afoulous |
Bugs and requests
Sketchbook®
Reported bugs
4 issues- 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
7 requests- 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
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- Add real-time collaboration features
- Improve time-lapse recording and saving
Grid Maker
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Sketchbook®
- Premium Bundle$2.99
Grid Maker
- Grid Maker Pro Monthly$3.991 Month
- Grid Maker Pro Yearly$19.991 Year
- Grid Maker Pro Lifetime$39.99









