Sketch vs Sketchbook: Which One Is Better in 2024?

Sketch and Sketchbook are essential tools for businesses and designers, offering robust features for design, prototyping, and drawing. We'll compare Sketch and Sketchbook to determine which one best meets the needs of creative professionals and businesses. This comparison will help you choose the right tool for your design projects.

A Quick Overview of Sketch and Sketchbook

What is Sketch?

Sketch is a design tool that allows users to create, prototype, collaborate, and handoff designs. It is tailored for designers to focus on their work with tools that support vector editing, prototyping, and real-time collaboration.

Sketch offers focused tools, an intuitive interface, and an infinite canvas for design without distractions. Its independence from larger corporate structures allows it to prioritize privacy and straightforward pricing, setting it apart from competitors.

What is Sketchbook?

Sketchbook provides a digital drawing application that caters to artists and designers. It offers tools for creating quick sketches to fully finished artwork, available on multiple platforms including macOS, Windows, Android, and iOS.

Sketchbook mimics the experience of drawing on paper with a clean and unobtrusive interface. It includes professional-grade features such as customizable brushes, guides, rulers, stroke tools, and layers with blend modes, setting it apart from competitors.

Features of Sketch and Sketchbook

Similarities

Both Sketch and Sketchbook are powerful tools designed to enhance the creative process for professionals. They share several key features that make them indispensable for designers and artists alike.

• Both offer a clean and intuitive interface, minimizing distractions and allowing users to focus on their work.
• They provide a variety of professional-grade tools, including customizable brushes and vector editing capabilities.
• Both applications support offline work, enabling creativity without the need for an internet connection.
• They include features for creating detailed designs and prototypes, catering to both quick sketches and fully finished artwork.
• Both tools are available on multiple platforms, ensuring flexibility and accessibility for users.

Differences

While both Sketch and Sketchbook are powerful tools for creatives, they cater to different needs with distinct features. Here are the key differences:

• Smart Animate: Sketch offers Smart Animate for adding movement to prototypes, a feature not available in Sketchbook.
• Real-time Co-editing: Sketch allows multiple users to edit designs simultaneously, whereas Sketchbook focuses on individual drawing experiences.
• Natural Drawing Experience: Sketchbook provides brushes and pens that mimic their physical counterparts, a feature not emphasized in Sketch.
• Component Libraries: Sketch includes component libraries for managing design elements across projects, which Sketchbook lacks.
• Professional-Grade Tools: Sketchbook offers highly customizable brushes, guides, rulers, stroke tools, and blend modes, which are not the primary focus of Sketch.

User Interface and Usability

Sketch's user interface is clean and intuitive, focusing on ease of navigation with a toggle button for the main menu and organized content sections. The user experience is designed to be seamless, providing detailed information about features, updates, and user testimonials. This setup helps build trust and guides users towards downloading the application or learning more about specific features.

Sketchbook offers a minimalistic and unobtrusive user interface, allowing tools and palettes to be tucked out of sight to enhance the drawing experience. The user experience is intuitive, catering to both amateur and professional artists by providing easy access to product information, support, and updates. This ensures users can focus on their creativity without distractions.

Sketch has a better user interface and usability over Sketchbook.

Collaboration

Sketch offers robust collaboration tools, including real-time co-editing and easy sharing of designs through web browsers. Users can pin comments, reply in threads, and resolve them, making feedback seamless. Shared workspaces allow teams to sync files, libraries, and drafts, enhancing teamwork without additional costs for guest editors.

Sketchbook, on the other hand, focuses on individual creativity and does not emphasize collaborative features. The platform lacks tools for real-time co-editing or shared workspaces, making it less suitable for team projects. While it excels in providing a natural drawing experience, it does not cater to collaborative needs.

Sketch is better for collaboration.

Sketch and Sketchbook Pricing

Sketch offers a Standard Subscription at $10 per month per Editor, billed yearly, or $12 monthly. A Mac-only License is available for $120 per seat, including one year of updates. The Business Subscription costs $22 per month per Editor, billed yearly. Discounts include 50% off for qualifying nonprofits and a 30-day free trial.

Sketchbook is priced at a one-time fee of $24.99 with no subscription costs or free trial mentioned. It offers a straightforward pricing model without additional discounts or promotions. Comparing the two, Sketchbook's one-time fee is more economical for individual users, while Sketch's subscription model may be better for teams needing ongoing updates and collaboration tools.

Comparing Sketch and Sketchbook to Piktochart

Piktochart transforms complex ideas into captivating visuals that inform and engage your audience. With Piktochart AI, you can create stunning infographics, reports, and presentations in seconds, perfectly aligned with your brand. No design experience required.

Pros of Piktochart

• Ease of Use: Piktochart's intuitive interface makes it accessible for users of all skill levels, eliminating the need for extensive design experience.
• Variety of Templates: The platform offers a comprehensive suite of templates for infographics, presentations, flyers, posters, and reports, catering to diverse visual communication needs.
• Content Repurposing: Piktochart allows users to easily repurpose long videos into customized bite-sized clips, enhancing content versatility and engagement.
• AI-Powered Design: The AI-powered design generator helps users create stunning visuals quickly, saving time and effort while ensuring professional-quality results.
• Customization Options: Users can change text properties, view properties, and add subtitles automatically, providing extensive customization for social media and other platforms.

Piktochart's Pricing

• Free Plan: $0 (Free forever)
• Pro Plan: $14 per member/month, billed annually
• Business Plan: $24 per member/month, billed annually
• Enterprise Plan: Custom Pricing
• Campus Plan: Custom Pricing (Minimum 3000 seats)

What Are Others Saying?

Sketch Reviews

Overall, users have given Sketch a rating of 4.5 out of 5. While many appreciate its ease of use and robust features, frustrations include platform exclusivity and performance issues on larger projects.

• "Sketch is great for creating scalable designs, but it struggles with larger projects." - sangam k., 3.5 out of 5
• "A lighter alternative to Adobe Illustrator, but it needs an iPad version." - SHARATH K., 3.5 out of 5
• "Excellent for high-fidelity mockups, but would benefit from an iPad version." - Mahesh R., 3.5 out of 5

Find more of Sketch reviews on G2!

Sketchbook Reviews

Overall, users have given Sketchbook a rating of 4.6 out of 5. While many appreciate its variety of brushes and ease of use, frustrations include limited functions compared to other drawing software and issues with the mobile app.

• "Limited functions compared to other drawing software regarding editing, heavy rendering, and vectors." - Gal, 3 out of 5
• "Mobile app is not as user-friendly as the desktop version." - Miriam, 4 out of 5
• "Difficulty in drawing lines at a go on mobile phones with a digital graphics tablet compared to using a laptop." - Christopher, 4 out of 5

Find more of Sketchbook reviews on G2!

Piktochart Reviews

Our users have given Piktochart an overall rating of 4.4 out of 5. They appreciate its ease of use, variety of templates, and customization options. Here are some of their thoughts:

• "Piktochart is very easy and simple to use online graphics creation tool." - ASHESHWAR Y.
• "Piktochart offers good looking pre-built templates for creating graphics." - SUNITA S.
• "Easily Create Social Images and Infographics to Boost Business Services." - Rachel L.

Find more of our reviews on G2!

Why choose one over the other?

Why Choose Sketch:

• Consumers who need robust design tools and real-time collaboration features will prefer Sketch. This is ideal for professional designers and teams working on detailed projects.

Why Choose Sketchbook:

• Consumers who seek a natural drawing experience with professional-grade tools will prefer Sketchbook. This is perfect for artists and creatives who want to replicate the feel of drawing on paper.

Why Choose Piktochart:

• Consumers who need to create engaging visuals quickly and easily will prefer Piktochart. This is ideal for communications professionals, educators, and marketers who require professional-quality visuals without advanced design skills.

Sketch, Sketchbook, or Piktochart: Which is the best platform for you?

Whether you're a designer, artist, or marketer, Sketch, Sketchbook, and Piktochart each offer unique strengths to elevate your creative projects. While all three tools are excellent choices, we believe Piktochart stands out for its ease of use, variety of templates, and powerful AI-driven features. It's the perfect solution for anyone looking to create stunning visuals effortlessly. Give Piktochart a try and see how it can transform your ideas into captivating visuals.