Report updated Mar 29, 2026

What Is Sketchbook® Premium?

Sketchbook® Premium is a professional-grade digital illustration application that excels by offering a distraction-free, natural drawing experience. It targets a wide range of users, from hobbyists to professional illustrators, through a unique 'Lagoon' UI that prioritizes canvas space and workflow efficiency. The app maintains a strong market position by utilizing a hybrid business model: a free, ad-light version on Android to capture massive user volume, and a one-time purchase 'Premium' version on iOS and enterprise channels. While it is highly regarded for its feature set, the product faces challenges with UI discoverability and performance stability, which represent clear areas for improvement.

What users think iIndependent intel reports to help builders create better apps or enhance existing ones. Still in beta, accuracy and relevancy get better every day. For informational purposes only.

Excited
Rich Feature Set
Confusing UI/UX... Show more

What does Sketchbook® Premium look like?

What are Sketchbook® Premium's key features?

Professional-Grade Brush EngineStandard

Highly customizable brushes including pencils, markers, and airbrushes that mimic physical drawing tools.

Lagoon UIDifferentiator

A purpose-built, unobtrusive interface with customizable marking-menus for quick access to tools and colors.

Flipbook AnimationDifferentiator

Integrated tools for creating traditional-style hand-drawn 2D animations.

Layered PSD/TIFF SupportStandard

Ability to open and create layered files for seamless integration with desktop creative software.

Advanced Premium ToolsStandard

Includes clipping masks, layer grouping, advanced color palettes, and canvas resizing/resolution controls.

What do users think of Sketchbook® Premium? iIndependent intel reports to help builders create better apps or enhance existing ones. Still in beta, accuracy and relevancy get better every day. For informational purposes only.

Excited

Recent user voice shows a excited sentiment. Users appreciate rich feature set and ease of use and accessibility, but report confusing ui/ux and technical bugs and performance.

What Users Love

Rich Feature Set

Has a lot of options for drawing

So many brushes to use

Ease of Use and Accessibility

Good for quick doodles

Great app for beginners, intermediates, and advance

Pain Points

Confusing UI/UX

Very confusing save/import/export function

User interface unintuitive. very hard to accomplish anything

Technical Bugs and Performance

Really laggy

Super inaccurate on where my finger is

High confidence · 50 reviews available

What are the pros and cons of Sketchbook® Premium?

Pros

  • Highly intuitive and unobtrusive 'Lagoon' UI
  • Strong brand reputation with a massive user base
  • Excellent interoperability with desktop PSD/TIFF workflows
  • High value-to-cost ratio compared to subscription-based competitors

Cons

  • Poor discoverability for core tools
  • Reported performance instability and input lag
  • Lack of a robust, guided onboarding flow for new users

What is the market outlook for Sketchbook® Premium?

Growth Opportunities

  • Develop interactive, in-app tutorials to solve UI discoverability
  • Optimize performance for lower-end Android devices
  • Expand the 'Premium' bundle to include cloud-sync features

Market Threats

  • Aggressive subscription-based competitors
  • Platform-level OS updates causing recurring performance/bug issues

What are the key takeaways for Sketchbook® Premium?

Sketchbook® Premium is a exciting graphics & design app that is free with in-app purchases. With a 4.0/5 rating from 701.3K reviews, it excites its users from users. Users particularly appreciate rich feature set, though confusing ui/ux remains a common concern.

Best for: Artists, illustrators, and designers ranging from hobbyists to professionals who require a distraction-free, natural drawing experience.

How much does Sketchbook® Premium cost?

Model: freemium

Tiers:
Free version available on AndroidPremium Bundle (one-time purchase) for iOS/Enterprise/Education

Uses a hybrid model: a free entry point to capture a large user base, with a 'Premium' tier targeted at professional, educational, and enterprise users to unlock advanced workflow features.

iOS Version

6.2.4

Android Version

VARY

Release Date

Oct 8, 2014

iOS Price

$2.99

Android Price

Free

Independent intel to help builders create better apps.

No publisher influence. No third-party bias. Built with objectivity in mind to serve the builder community. Reports are continuously improved and refined. For informational purposes only.

Hope this helps & keep building! · Found an error?

Cite this report

Marlvel.ai. “Sketchbook® Premium Intelligence Report.” Updated Mar 29, 2026. https://marlvel.ai/intel-report/graphics-design/sketchbook-premium

Agent Markdown (.md)·

Data licensed under CC-BY-NC 4.0