Sketchbook is a drawing application designed for artists and creative individuals. It offers a range of features aimed at providing a natural drawing experience and professional-grade tools. This article will summarize the app's features, user reviews, and other options to consider.
What is Sketchbook?
Sketchbook is a digital drawing application developed by Sketchbook, Inc., designed for artists and anyone who loves to draw. It offers a natural drawing experience with tools that mimic physical drawing instruments and a clean, customizable interface.
Unique features include highly customizable brushes, guides, rulers, stroke tools, and layers with blend modes. The application is available across multiple platforms, including macOS, Windows, Android, and iOS, ensuring accessibility for a wide range of users.
What to Consider When Selecting a Sketchbook Alternative?
When considering alternatives to Sketchbook, it's essential to focus on features that cater to the needs of artists and creative individuals. Here are the top five features to look for:
Natural Drawing Experience: Look for tools that replicate the feel of traditional drawing instruments, offering customizable brushes and pens that behave like their physical counterparts.
Layer Support: Ensure the software provides robust layer management, including blend modes and the ability to organize and manipulate layers easily.
Cross-Platform Availability: Choose applications that are available on multiple platforms (macOS, Windows, Android, iOS) to ensure you can work seamlessly across different devices.
Clean and Customizable Interface: A user-friendly interface that can be customized to hide or show tools as needed helps maintain focus and streamline the creative process.
Professional-Grade Tools: Opt for software that offers a wide variety of advanced tools such as guides, rulers, stroke tools, and highly customizable brushes to provide stylistic freedom and precision.
Best Alternatives to Sketchbook
1. Piktochart
Piktochart is a versatile design tool that enables users to create visually appealing infographics, reports, presentations, and other visual content quickly and easily. It leverages AI technology to transform complex ideas into engaging visuals in seconds, making it accessible to users without any design experience. Try Piktochart For Free!
Pros of Using Piktochart
AI-Powered Design Generator: Converts prompts into professional visuals instantly.
Document-to-Visual Conversion: Effortlessly transforms documents into engaging data visualizations.
Text-to-Image Generation: Creates custom AI-generated images from text prompts.
Extensive Visual Toolbox: Includes tools for creating charts, graphs, diagrams, icons, illustrations, photos, maps, processes, flowcharts, and tables.
Brand Assets and Branded Templates: Ensures brand consistency by providing easy access to brand fonts, colors, and logos.
Who should use Piktochart?
Piktochart targets businesses, educators, marketers, and anyone needing to create professional visual content quickly and easily.
Pricing
Free: $0 (Free forever)
Pro: $29 per member/month (billed monthly) or $14 per member/month (billed annually)
Business: $49 per member/month (billed monthly) or $24 per member/month (billed annually)
Enterprise: Custom Pricing (Contact for details)
Reviews
Piktochart has a rating of 4.4 out of 5 stars based on user reviews. Users appreciate its ease of use and the variety of tools available. Check out more of our reviews here!
2. Desygner
Desygner is an all-in-one business growth and marketing solution that allows users to create, manage, and distribute marketing materials without the need for costly designers or agencies. It offers a wide range of features, including design automation, PDF editing, AI-powered text and image generation, a vast library of royalty-free stock images, and tools for team collaboration. Desygner aims to streamline the content creation process, making it accessible and efficient for businesses of all sizes.
Pros of Using Desygner
Cost-Effective: Saves money by eliminating the need for expensive designers and stock images.
User-Friendly: Designed for users with varying levels of expertise, from beginners to professionals.
Comprehensive Features: Includes design automation, PDF editing, AI tools, and a large stock image library.
Collaboration Tools: Allows team members to collaborate and create content together.
Cons of Using Desygner
Learning Curve: Despite being user-friendly, new users may need some time to explore and utilize all features effectively.
Dependence on Internet: Requires a stable internet connection for optimal performance.
Pricing
Business: $19.08 per month for the first 6 people (billed annually)
Reviews
Desygner has a rating of 4.6 out of 5 stars based on user reviews. Users generally mention the ease of use and the ability to create on-brand content with customizable templates. Check out more Desygner reviews here.
3. Crello
VistaCreate is a free graphic design tool that offers thousands of free templates for various design needs. Users can pick a template, adjust it to their project, and either post or print it.
Pros of Using Crello
Extensive Template Library: Over 150,000 professionally designed templates for various formats.
Huge Library of Design Elements: Access to a wide range of fonts, music, animations, illustrations, backgrounds, and objects.
Creative Assets: 70 million+ royalty-free photos, videos, and vectors.
Brand Kit and Styles Features: Easily accessible brand colors, fonts, and logos.
Cons of Using Crello
Limited Free Plan: The free plan offers limited access to templates and design elements compared to the Pro plan.
Storage Limitations: The free plan includes only 10 GB of storage for files and projects.
Pricing
Pro Plan: $10 per month
Reviews
VistaCreate has a rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars based on user reviews. Users generally mention the ease of use and the variety of templates available. Check out more Crello reviews here.
4. Adobe Spark
Adobe Express (formerly known as Adobe Spark) is a free web page maker that allows users to design professional-quality web pages for their brand or business. It offers a variety of customizable templates and professionally-designed themes, making it easy to create engaging and visually appealing web pages without any design skills.
Pros of Using Adobe Spark
Free to Use: No cost involved in creating and designing web pages.
Ease of Use: Simple steps to create a web page with customizable templates and themes.
Professional Quality: High-quality design options available.
Collaboration: Ability to invite collaborators to co-edit the web page.
Cons of Using Adobe Spark
Limited Advanced Features: As a free tool, it may lack some advanced features available in paid web design software.
Dependency on Templates: Heavy reliance on templates might limit creativity for some users.
Pricing
Adobe Spark's pricing is not public. Contact their support for more info.
Reviews
Adobe Spark has a rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars based on user reviews. Users generally mention the ease of use and the variety of templates available. Check out more Adobe Spark reviews here.
5. Visme
Visme is an interactive content platform designed for marketers and professionals to create engaging presentations, documents, visual forms, and data visualizations. It leverages AI to help users create on-brand content quickly and easily, even without prior design experience.
Pros of Using Visme
Ease of Use: Users can start creating projects in minutes without prior design experience.
Variety of Tools: Offers a comprehensive suite of tools for creating presentations, documents, infographics, charts, social media graphics, and more.
AI Integration: Features like the AI Designer help users generate ready-to-use designs quickly.
Collaboration: Facilitates teamwork with real-time collaboration, feedback, and asset management.
Cons of Using Visme
Learning Curve: Despite its ease of use, new users might need some time to explore and get accustomed to all the features.
Cost: While there is a free version, advanced features and templates may require a paid subscription.
Pricing
Visme's pricing is not public. Contact their support for more info.
Reviews
Visme has a rating of 4.6 out of 5 stars based on user reviews. Users generally mention the ease of use and the variety of templates available. Check out more Visme reviews here.
6. Stencil
Stencil is an easy-to-use online graphic design tool designed for bloggers, business owners, and social media marketers. It allows users to create beautiful social media graphics, compelling ads, stunning blog headers, and more quickly and efficiently.
Pros of Using Stencil
Ease of Use: Simple interface that allows quick creation of graphics.
Extensive Resources: Access to over 5,000,000 stock photos, 1,350+ templates, 6,550+ Google Web Fonts, and 3,100,000+ icons and graphics.
Customization: Ability to upload and store multiple logos and custom fonts.
Social Sharing: Direct sharing to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and Buffer.
Cons of Using Stencil
Limited Advanced Features: May lack some advanced design features found in more complex tools like Photoshop.
Dependency on Internet: As an online tool, it requires a stable internet connection to function.
Pricing
Stencil's pricing is not public. Contact their support for more info.
Reviews
Stencil has a rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars based on user reviews. Users generally mention the ease of use and the variety of templates available. Check out more Stencil reviews here.
7. Snappa
Snappa is a graphic design software that allows users to create online graphics quickly and easily, even if they are not graphic designers. It offers features like pre-made templates, high-resolution stock photos, text and graphic effects, background removal, and image resizing. The software is designed to save time and simplify the graphic creation process.
Pros of Using Snappa
Time-Saving: Snappa saves time at every step, from choosing image dimensions to sharing graphics.
Ease of Use: The software is user-friendly with no learning curve, making it accessible to non-designers.
Comprehensive Toolset: Includes pre-made templates, high-res stock photos, a variety of fonts and vectors, and photo effects.
Background Removal: Allows users to remove image backgrounds with a single click.
Cons of Using Snappa
Limited Advanced Features: While Snappa is great for quick and easy designs, it may lack advanced features that professional graphic designers might need.
Dependency on Templates: Users might rely heavily on pre-made templates, which could limit creativity.
Pricing
Pro: $15 per month (monthly billing) or $10 per month (billed yearly)
Team: $30 per month (monthly billing) or $20 per month (billed yearly)
Reviews
Snappa has a rating of 4.6 out of 5 stars based on user reviews. Users generally mention the ease of use and the variety of templates available. Check out more Snappa reviews here.
8. Easil
Easil is a design tool that empowers teams to create brand-compliant digital and print marketing materials with drag-and-drop ease. It offers a wide range of pre-designed graphic templates that can be customized using a brand kit, images, and videos. Easil aims to remove bottlenecks in content creation and ensure brand consistency across all marketing materials.
Pros of Using Easil
User-Friendly Interface: Drag-and-drop design capabilities make it easy for non-designers to create professional-looking materials.
Brand Consistency: Features like flexible locking permissions and design approval workflows help maintain brand integrity.
Versatile Templates: Offers thousands of editable graphic and video templates for various needs, including social media, marketing, and branding.
Cons of Using Easil
Learning Curve: While user-friendly, new users might need some time to get accustomed to all the features and tools.
Limited Free Plan: The free plan may have limited features compared to the paid plans, which could restrict some functionalities.
Pricing
Plus Plan: $7.50 per user/month (billed monthly) or $6.25 per user/month (billed yearly)
Edge Plan: $59 per user/month (billed monthly) or $49 per user/month (billed yearly)
Enterprise Plan: Custom pricing based on specific requirements and features needed
Reviews
Easil has a rating of 4.0 out of 5 stars based on user reviews. Users generally mention the variety of templates and ease of use. Check out more Easil reviews here.
9. Fotor
Fotor is an online photo editor that offers a comprehensive suite of tools for enhancing and editing photos. It provides features for basic adjustments, advanced editing, AI-powered tools, and creative design assets.
Pros of Using Fotor
User-Friendly Interface: Easy to navigate and use, suitable for both beginners and professionals.
AI-Powered Features: Includes AI tools for enhancing photos, removing backgrounds, and more.
Cross-Platform Availability: Accessible on Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android.
Cons of Using Fotor
Limited Advanced Features in Free Plan: Some advanced features may require upgrading to Fotor Pro.
Learning Curve for Complex Edits: While user-friendly, some advanced editing features may still require a learning curve.
Pricing
Fotor's pricing is not public. Contact their support for more info.
Reviews
Fotor has a rating of 4.2 out of 5 stars based on user reviews. Users generally mention the ease of use and the variety of templates available. Check out more Fotor reviews here.
10. DesignBold
DesignBold is a group of designing enthusiasts with a mission to democratize design by making it accessible to everyone, regardless of their skill level or background. They offer a variety of tools and templates to help users create stunning visuals for any project, from business cards to social media posts to presentation slides.
Pros of Using DesignBold
User-Friendly Interface: DesignBold offers an easy-to-use interface that allows users to create designs effortlessly.
Vast Library of Templates and Graphics: Users have access to a wide range of templates, graphics, and fonts to enhance their designs.
Multiple Services: DesignBold provides a Graphics Marketplace, Graphic Design Platform, Website Builder Platform, and Design and Digital Agency services.
Cons of Using DesignBold
Potential Learning Curve: While the interface is user-friendly, new users may still need some time to familiarize themselves with all the features and tools.
Dependence on Templates: Users who prefer highly customized designs may find the reliance on templates limiting.
Pricing
DesignBold's pricing is not public. Contact their support for more info.
Reviews
DesignBold has a rating of 4.3 out of 5 stars based on user reviews. Users generally mention the ease of use and the variety of templates available. Check out more DesignBold reviews here.
Which One Should You Go With?
While all these design tools offer unique features and benefits, Piktochart stands out for its AI-powered capabilities and ease of use, making it an excellent choice for anyone looking to create professional visuals quickly. Whether you're a business, educator, or marketer, Piktochart's extensive toolbox and brand consistency features ensure your content always looks polished and on-brand. Explore your options, but if you're seeking a user-friendly and powerful alternative, give Piktochart a try.
Piktochart Team
