Onshape 3D CAD vs ProtoSketch Lite
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Onshape 3D CAD
A cloud-based 3D CAD platform for professional users to create, edit, and collaborate on designs in real-time from any device. It offers robust parametric modeling tools and seamless data management for teams.
- Real-time collaboration
- Parametric modeling tools
- Cloud-based data management
- Cross-device accessibility
- Integrated commenting
- Version control
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Onshape is a full mechanical CAD platform designed for professional users and extended teams. Create, edit, collaborate, and comment in real time with others from any computer or mobile device with an internet connection (free sign-up required). With Onshape’s secure cloud workspace teams can work together from anywhere on any device without the hassles of file management, IT overhead, and license key distribution, helping engineers focus more on doing their best work. Parametric CAD: • Design parts together in Part Studios with a full suite of parametric modeling tools • Create mechanical Assemblies to capture complex motion Ease of Access: • Create, edit, and view from any computer or mobile device (internet connection required) • Begin a project from one device and seamlessly continue from another Collaboration: • Instantly share your CAD data with your teams and partners. Monitor, change, and revoke permissions at any time • Work together with other users and view changes in real-time as they are made • Use Follow mode to see exactly what your teammate sees and add suggestions using Onshape’s built-in commenting tools Data Management: • Maintain a single source of truth for your data, no more sending around or checking in and out of files • Never worry about losing your work, all of your changes are saved automatically • Explore multiple design ideas in parallel and create professional release and approval processes for your designs Onshape for iOS also features Apple Pencil support for more intuitive sketching, navigation, and precise selection. Onshape proudly supports students and educators free of charge and is available free for non-commercial projects in an open-source public work space. Since Onshape is updated every few weeks with dozens of new features and user-requested enhancements, keep an eye out for update notifications from the Apple App Store.
ProtoSketch Lite
This app offers desktop-class vector graphic design tools for iPad, enabling users to create logos, app icons, website layouts, and more. It features a user-friendly interface with drag-and-drop elements, a rich library of assets, and Apple Pencil support for detailed sketching.
- Vector brush with variable width
- Pen and pencil tools for path drawing
- Shape creation tools
- Layer management
- Extensive asset library
- Apple Pencil support
- Export to desktop vector format
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Get the finest Desktop-Class design software ever released for FREE!!! Fully functional alternative to PhotoShop, Illustrator or Sketch on your iPad! Make slick designs in minutes! You are a designer, a marketer or just want to sketch something, you want to make a logo or a new landing page for your business - ProtoSketch is your digital canvas! You don't have to learn anything, just choose the brush and start sketching! Supercharged with icons, fonts, ui elements, basic and complex drag and drop shapes. It is easy to design anything from logo and icon to website and mobile app. Lossless vector graphics that you can scale infinitely and continue on your desktop. "ProtoSketch puts the "Pro" in iPad Pro!" "Beautiful design in a thoughtful package." "One of the best design tools you have to try in 2016" WHAT MAKES THIS APP BETTER THAN OTHER DESIGN TOOLS ? - Made with lots of LOVE by designers for designers! - The iPad is not a PC. ProtoSketch wasn't adapted from a desktop app. It was created from the ground up exclusively for iPad. Our workflow is different - we have dedicated ALT, SHIFT and REPEAT buttons and all the commands relative to your selection appear as buttons on the bounding box. We call them shortcuts because they work as keyboard shortcuts on your PC. -The app works beautifully with Apple Pencil you can draw, sketch and concept your ideas. But hey nothing will stop you from finishing your idea and polishing it to perfection. Proto has all the tools you need. - AGILE, we are doing constant updates, enriching your experience and adding new features. - HUGE ROADMAP, there is a lot of stuff ahead better vector tools, a mac app, prototyping, real-time collaboration and more... - EXCELLENT Support, send us feedback on fb, tw and via email. We'd love to chat :) WHAT CAN YOU CREATE? - Sketches - Concepts - Vector Illustrations - Design Logos - Design App icons - Design vector icons/pictograms - Everything UI/UX - Design Websites - Design Apps - Landing pages - Sitemap flow charts - Wireframes - Use maps - Send to desktop in vector format LITE VERSION LIMITATIONS - Maximum documents 5 - Some Libraries are locked - Export is restricted to tweets and facebook shares and ProtoSketch files FEATURES - Vector Brush with Variable width (Apple Pencil support) - Pencil Tool for smooth sketching and adding fills - Pen Tool for drawing perfect vector paths - Vector Eraser - Scissors - for cutting vector paths - Shape creation tools - rect, ellipse, line, polygon, star, spiral - LAYERS - EXACT size and position input - Hardware Keyboard Shortcuts - LIBRARY full of UI elements, icons, shapes and more vector elements - Alt, Shift and Repeat buttons for fast workflows - Swathes, color wheel, rgb and hsb sliders and HEX input - Rotate and scale transform handles - CMD buttons for object oriented design - Context menu with even more actions (hold on object to show) - Grouping/ungrouping - Masking of images and other elements - Images in shapes (Quick 1 tap masking) - Select tool and Path select tools. - Precise bezier path editing - add, remove points toggle points between corner and smooth - Align, distribute actions as well as smart guides for perfect alignment - Snap to grid, point and shape sides and centers - Export ProtoSketch, SVG, PDF, JPG, PNG - Import ProtoSketch, SVG, JPG, PNG - Font import - ttf (from dropbox) - Dropbox Support - AirPrint Support visit PROTOSKETCH.IO more info, video tutorials and FAQ
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Onshape 3D CAD at 3.5 against ProtoSketch Lite's 2.5. Onshape 3D CAD also leads on review sentiment (47% vs 25%) and ratings volume (418 vs 14). ProtoSketch Lite's advantage is iOS requirement (9.0 vs 18.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Onshape 3D CAD holds the better App Store score, 3.5 against 2.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Onshape 3D CAD has 418 ratings behind it against 14, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 47% of Onshape 3D CAD's written reviews are positive against 25% of ProtoSketch Lite's.
Onshape 3D CAD ships an update every 3 weeks, ProtoSketch Lite every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Onshape 3D CAD | ProtoSketch Lite |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.5 (418 ratings) — better | 2.5 (14 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 47.3% of reviews — better | 25.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 418 — better | 14 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 9.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 77 MB | 139 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | PTC Inc. | Codemotion |
Customer experience
Onshape 3D CAD
ProtoSketch Lite
Bugs and requests
Onshape 3D CAD
Reported bugs
5 issues- Frequent crashes and freezes
- Dimensions not visible/editable
- Rotation/view controls unreliable
- Unable to create account
- Incompatible with older devices
Requested features
5 requests- Add keyboard shortcuts
- Improve dimensioning tools
- Allow private file storage
- Optimize for iPad/Apple Pencil
- Provide better documentation/tutorials
ProtoSketch Lite
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Onshape 3D CAD
No in-app purchases
ProtoSketch Lite
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Onshape 3D CAD free?
Is ProtoSketch Lite free?
Which has better reviews, Onshape 3D CAD or ProtoSketch Lite?
Do Onshape 3D CAD or ProtoSketch Lite have ads?
Which is updated more often, Onshape 3D CAD or ProtoSketch Lite?
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