Adobe InDesign vs Sketchpad
Adobe InDesign
adobe.comSketchpad
sketchpad.appSide by side
| Figure | Adobe InDesign | Sketchpad |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $19.99/mo | Free |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | — | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Android | — | Yes |
| API | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 9 | 4 |
| Spec score · Graphic Design Software | 9.2 (#10) | 8.7 (#42) |
| Spec score · Design tools | 9.2 (#10) | 8.7 (#40) |
| Desktop app | Yes | Yes |
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Illustration tools | No | Yes |
| Mobile app | No | Yes |
| Presentation design | Yes | Yes |
| Security | Adobe says it integrates security activities across its software development practices, processes, and tools, and provides product security bulletins and advisories. | The privacy policy says data on Sketchpad’s servers, storage, backups, replicas, and snapshots is encrypted at rest and in transit. |
| Support | Adobe’s InDesign Help Center provides tutorials, technical requirements, troubleshooting articles, and product documentation. | Users can request deletion of a shared image by emailing its URL, and Sketch.IO says it will review and respond within 72 hours. |
| Template library | Yes | Yes |
| What it does | InDesign creates and publishes books, digital magazines, posters, brochures, eBooks, presentations and other print or digital layouts. | Sketchpad is a browser-based drawing and design tool for making graphics, infographics, drawings, school projects, and artwork. |
Plans
Adobe InDesign
- Creative Cloud Pro for students and teachers$19.99 a month
- InDesign$22.99 a month
- InDesign$22.99 a month
- Creative Cloud Pro$34.99 a month
- Creative Cloud Pro$34.99 a month
- InDesign for teams$37.99 a month
- InDesign for teams$37.99 a month
- Creative Cloud Pro for teams$99.99 a month
- InDesign annual prepaid$263.88 a year
Sketchpad
- Web-Based AppPrice not published
- Desktop App$4.99 a month
- Web appFree
- Desktop app$4.99, paid once
In their own words
Adobe InDesign
Adobe InDesign is a professional page-layout application for designing, preflighting, and publishing content for print, web, and tablet apps. It can produce brochures, digital magazines, eBooks, posters, and presentations, with precise typography controls and access to Adobe Fonts. Adobe describes layout and AI features including Flex Layout, layout-aware Rewrite, PDF-to-InDesign conversion, generated alt text, and Generative Expand. InDesign integrates with Photoshop, Illustrator, and Acrobat, and includes tools for sharing assets, receiving feedback, and collaborating with stakeholders. It runs on macOS and Windows as a desktop app, not a mobile app, and is available only through a membership plan. A seven-day trial provides the full version but converts to a paid Creative Cloud membership unless canceled before it ends. The InDesign plan includes 100GB cloud storage and 25 monthly generative credits; Creative Cloud Pro plans include access to 20+ apps. For versions 21.3 and later, Adobe lists at least 8GB RAM and an internet connection for activation, subscription validation, and online services.