Adobe Fresco vs Sketchbook: Which Program Offers Extra Brushes?

By Ann Young 3 days ago, Apps and Software

Having used both for two weeks, to me, as a beginning digital artist, feel like Adobe Fresco is friendly and convenient. I find the interface super minimalistic, and the "Learn" section has quite a lot of helpful tutorials in almost any language.

When it comes to quick sketches and simple illustration fashioning, though, the Sketchbook app takes a key position here. It may not contain all the advanced features, but it will suffice to make a quite detailed sophisticated work.

Final Verdict:

Adobe Fresco software, according to my design tests and experience, would be a pretty helpful free drawing software to a beginner too, having a super-minimal and lightweight workspace, offering all features in one place, complete with integration with other Adobe programs for quite an affordable price tag.

Head To Head Comparison

Adobe Fresco

adobe fresco logo

Sketchbook

sketchbook logo

Rating

★★★★☆ 4.5/5

★★★★☆ 4/5

Platforms

iPhone, iPad, and Windows devices

macOS, Windows, Android, and iOS

Audience

All levels

Beginners

Free Version

✔️

✔️

Price

$9.99/mo

$24.99

What Is Adobe Fresco

adobe fresco interface

Adobe Fresco offers a user-friendly interface, a wide range of brushes in different styles, and the ability to easily switch between raster and vector modes. The layers feature helps keep my artwork organized because I have so many versions of my test works for the university. And how I can forget about the undo/redo function that always allows for quick corrections.

Additionally, the ability to create animations and the seamless integration with other Adobe subscription programs make Adobe Fresco a versatile and powerful tool that fits digital artists like me perfectly. I highly recommend it to anyone looking to dive into the world of digital art.

What Is Sketchbook

sketchbook interface

Sketchbook is a great choice to start exploring and practicing your digital art skills. It offers a wide variety of customizable brushes and tools that mimic traditional drawing techniques, making it easy to transition from paper to digital. But you need much time for that.

The interface and design make it easy to learn and use. The ability to work with layers and easily undo changes enables me to experiment with my old sketches. Overall, Sketchbook is an accessible platform.

Features

Adobe Fresco

adobe fresco logo

Sketchbook

sketchbook logo

Drawing Management Tools

✔️

✔️

Design Tools

✔️

✔️

Digital Brushes

✔️

✔️

Live Brushes

✔️

Layers Support

✔️

✔️

I appreciate the fact that Adobe Fresco offers more advanced features like vector brushes and seamless integration with other Adobe software. Fresco's ability to infinitely scale drawings and work with vectors is particularly useful for creating detailed and professional-looking artwork.

On the other hand, Sketchbook has a simpler interface that is great for beginners looking to practice and explore their digital art skills on basic features. While both programs showed their strengths during my tests, I prefer Adobe Fresco cause I can google anything and find a tutorial in several clicks which I can’t say about its opponent.

Versatility

adobe fresco example

I believe that Adobe Fresco is a better fit for beginners looking to dive into digital art and illustrations. It offers a wide range of brushes and tools, making it applicable to all kinds of distinct artistic styles. Moreover, the official Adobe channel hosts a lot of useful Fresco tutorials to help you get started.

sketchbook example

Sketchbook, on the other hand, is a solid option for sketching and basic drawings, but it lacks some of the advanced features and vector capabilities of Adobe Fresco.

Overall, I think Fresco is better and full of different brushes than SketchBook, plus the first example, as you can see above, seems much more professional and has all the features of my style that was achieved with the help of brushes in Adobe’s collection, but the Sketchbook’s drawing looks simple, like all designs of that kind in the google search.

Pros & Cons

Pros Cons

Adobe Fresco

Great performance

Hard to select specific colors

Seamless Creative Cloud sync

Versatile brush options

Animation functionality

Sketchbook

Good brush presets

Low-quality art when viewed up-close

Symmetrical sketching

Difficult to export high-quality files

Pleasantly friendly to new users

Limited layers

Flexible color palette

Compatible with different devices

Integrations

Adobe Fresco

adobe fresco logo

Sketchbook

sketchbook logo

Photoshop

✔️

Lightroom

✔️

Autodesk Maya

✔️

✔️

Autodesk Fusion 360

✔️

✔️

Platforms

Adobe Fresco

adobe fresco logo

Sketchbook

sketchbook logo

Windows

✔️

Mac

✔️

iPhone

✔️

✔️

iPad

✔️

✔️

Windows devices

✔️

Android

✔️

Price

Adobe Fresco

adobe fresco logo

Sketchbook

sketchbook logo

Free Version

✔️

✔️

Paid Plan

$9.99/mo

$24.99

Best Offer

Adobe Fresco + Photoshop

$22.99/mo

$24.99

All-in-One

Creative Cloud All Apps

$35.99/mo

Alternatives

  • adobe illustrator logo
    Adobe Illustrator
    $35.99/mo
  • twistedbrush pro studio logo
    TwistedBrush Pro Studio
    $109
  • youidraw logo
    YouiDraw
    $9.99/mo
  • artrage logo
    ArtRage
    $4.99
  • corel painter logo
    Corel Painter
    $429

Final Thoughts: Overall Winner

I would recommend starting with Adobe Fresco. While Sketchbook also offers a free version and has a simple interface that is great for beginners, it lacks several advanced features that help me in my everyday projects and recover my style, Sketchbook offers only basics.

FAQ

  • • Which is better for beginners, Adobe Fresco or Sketchbook?

Both are pretty decent programs, according to my own humble belief, for an amateur, but Adobe Fresco does offer more features for a professional artist. It is packed with a wealth of tools, particularly an expanded toolbox even compared to Procreate, and it has any brush set you might need to experiment with techniques or recreate any style found on Behance. It has quite a simple user interface, which is relatively easy to navigate.

  • • Can I use Adobe Fresco for free forever?

Adobe Fresco offers a free starter plan, allowing users to access basic features. However, to unlock premium features and tools, you might need to upgrade to the paid version. The free plan of this vector graphics software is a great way to get started and practice your initial drawing skills.

  • • What sets Adobe Fresco apart from Sketchbook?

One of the main differences between Adobe Fresco and Sketchbook is the vector capabilities of Adobe Fresco. If I create scalable graphics or precise lines, Adobe Fresco's vector tools does its best. Sketchbook, on the other hand, offers a simpler interface and may be better for quick sketches and doodles.

  • • Can Adobe Fresco be used on multiple devices?

Yes, Adobe Fresco is compatible with both iOS and Windows devices, making it a suitable option for digital artists who work across different platforms and devices.

  • • Which app offers more brushes?

Adobe Fresco has a larger and more diverse collection of brushes compared to Sketchbook. With traditional brushes that mimic watercolors and oils, Adobe Fresco provides a wide range of options for artists to experiment and create unique digital artworks.

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