Markup and measure, with compare built in
Drawboard splits the work across two products and a tier ladder. Notch puts markups, calibrated takeoff, and revision compare in one editor - free for basic markup, every tool from $96 a year.
The short version
Drawboard earned its following with the best pen-on-PDF feel in the business, and if you live on a Surface or an iPad with a stylus, that still counts for something. But the drawing work is split in two: Drawboard PDF for markup, Drawboard Projects for team review - and neither carries the full picture. Drawboard PDF has no revision compare at all, and measuring is a paid tier.
Notch is one editor for the whole job. Markups, calibrated takeoff with Excel export, and revision compare all live together. Basic markup is free; Solo unlocks every tool for $96 a year, and Pro adds your team. It's a plan choice, not a product decision.
Side by side
Drawboard pricing and feature details verified August 2026 from drawboard.com and Drawboard's support documentation. Spotted something out of date? Tell us at hello@notch.build and we'll fix it.
Compare shouldn't be a second product
Revisions are where drawing work goes wrong, and Drawboard PDF - the product most people have - can't compare them at all. Overlay lives in Drawboard Projects, where it's a manual job: stack up to five sheets, line them up by hand, and read the colours.
In Notch, compare is part of the editor. Open any two issues of a sheet, overlay them, and every difference stands out. Version history keeps every issue of every document, so nobody builds from an old set. It comes with Solo and Pro.
Measurement that ends in a number you can use
Drawboard's measuring tools arrive at Pro Plus and cover length, area, and running sums - fine for a quick check, short of a takeoff. Their own material routes serious measuring elsewhere.
Notch does calibrated quantity takeoff: lengths, areas, volumes, and counts, organized by trade, exported to Excel. It's the difference between measuring a wall and pricing a job.
Pricing that stays put
Drawboard moved from one-time purchases to subscriptions in 2023, and some tools long-time users had paid for moved behind the new tiers. That history is theirs to own; what matters here is what you can count on going forward.
Notch's model is simple and public: basic markup free on up to 10 documents, then every tool for $96 a year on Solo, or $240 a year per editor on Pro for a team. Your PDFs, markups, and quantities export freely on every plan, including after you cancel.
When Drawboard is the right choice
Credit where it's due. Drawboard is the better pick if:
- Pen input is the centre of your workflow - its pressure-sensitive ink on a Surface or iPad is genuinely the best there is.
- You mark up documents generally - contracts, reports, schoolwork - and construction drawings are the exception, not the rule.
- You want the cheapest possible paid markup tool and can live without compare and full takeoff.
Common questions
Is Notch closer to Drawboard PDF or Drawboard Projects?
Both at once. Notch is one editor covering what Drawboard splits across the two products: personal markup and measuring, plus team review, sharing, and revision compare on a live drawing set.
Does Notch support stylus input?
You can draw ink markups in Notch on a touch device, but pressure-sensitive pen feel is Drawboard's specialty and we won't pretend otherwise. Notch's strength is what happens after the pen: quantities, compare, and sharing.
Can I measure in Notch?
Yes - calibrated length, area, volume, and count, with Excel export, on Solo and Pro (from $96 a year). You can try either free for 14 days. The free plan is basic markup: pen tools, shapes and text. In Drawboard, measuring starts at the Pro Plus tier.
How does Notch handle external reviewers?
Send a link. View links need no account and no seat; on Pro, edit links bring a sub or architect onto the drawing in seconds. Viewers are always free and never count toward billing.
Leave the desktop behind. Keep the capability.
Free plan · or try Solo or Pro free for 14 days