Sketch

Overview

Ah, Sketch. Remember that name? Back in the day, it was the king, wasn't it? The darling of digital design, the rebel who dared to challenge Adobe's iron grip. Here we are in 2026, and Sketch is still... well, it's still around. It’s like that favorite band from high school; you still love their old albums, but their new stuff? It’s complicated.

Walk into any serious design discussion today and mention Sketch, and you’ll likely get a knowing nod, perhaps a nostalgic sigh, or maybe a perplexed stare from anyone under 25. It holds a curious position in the modern design toolkit pantheon. It exists. It persists.

On paper, the numbers don't lie, or do they? G2, that grand arbiter of software sentiment, gives Sketch a rather respectable 4.5 out of 5 stars, based on over a thousand reviews. Impressive, right? One thousand, two hundred and twenty-one, to be exact. But look closer. When were those reviews written? Are they from the golden age, or do they reflect its current standing? A good score, sure. But is it telling the whole story? History has a way of skewing perception.

Its core identity remains unchanged: Sketch is, and always has been, a Mac-native design tool. This isn't just a marketing slogan; it's its DNA, its very soul. For years, that exclusivity was a badge of honor, a testament to its commitment to performance and integration within Apple's ecosystem. It felt fast. It felt right. You could tell it was built for the Mac.

But here’s the kicker: that Mac-only focus, once its greatest strength, has become its most significant Achilles’ heel in a world increasingly dominated by cross-platform, browser-first solutions. In an era where teams are distributed across operating systems and continents, where the expectation is to jump into a file from any device, Sketch's steadfast devotion to macOS feels less like a principled stand and more like a stubborn refusal to adapt.

It was built for a different time. A time when "collaboration" meant exporting a PDF and emailing it around. A simpler era. Now? Not so much.

So, what exactly is Sketch in 2026? It’s a beautifully engineered, often powerful, and occasionally frustrating relic. It's a tool that excels for a very specific type of designer or team, one that prioritizes native performance and offline capabilities above all else, and perhaps, one that hasn’t quite let go of the past. Its glory days are over. But its utility? That’s still up for debate.

Key Features

Alright, let’s pick apart what Sketch actually offers in 2026. Strip away the marketing fluff, the nostalgic glow, and the wishful thinking. What's under the hood? It’s a fairly comprehensive set of design capabilities, certainly, but how do they stack up against the ever-evolving landscape of digital design? You tell me.

Vector Editor (non-destructive)

At its heart, Sketch is a vector editor. This is its fundamental operating principle. You draw shapes, manipulate paths, and everything stays perfectly crisp, scalable to any size without losing fidelity. It’s what you expect from a professional design tool, frankly. This "non-destructive" editing means you can always go back, tweak a curve, or change a color without permanently altering the original pixels. Good.

It's standard practice now. Every decent design tool offers this. Is it a unique selling point in 2026? Not really. It’s table stakes. It does what it needs to do, without much fanfare.

Symbols/Components (global updates)

This was Sketch's game-changer, its true innovation that sparked the design system revolution. Symbols allowed you to create reusable UI elements – buttons, nav bars, cards – and then update every instance of that element across your entire document by changing the master. Global updates. Revolutionary.

In 2026, every tool has some form of components, often more advanced, with props, variants, and conditional logic that makes Sketch's original symbols feel a tad quaint. Sketch's implementation is solid, yes. It gets the job done. But does it inspire awe? Not anymore. It's a foundation.

Smart Layout (auto-resize)

Ah, Smart Layout. This feature allows groups of layers, or Symbols, to automatically resize and rearrange their contents based on specific rules you set. Think responsive design within your artboards. Add more text to a button, and the padding miraculously adjusts. Remove an item from a list, and the remaining items neatly collapse. It's quite clever.

When it works, it’s a time-saver. When it doesn't, you're fighting the tool, meticulously adjusting overrides and constraints like a digital Sisyphus. It’s helpful. But is it always "smart"? Sometimes it's just "predictable enough."

Prototyping (link artboards, overlays, animations)

Sketch has a prototyping feature. It does. You can link artboards together, create simple click-through flows, add overlays, and even some basic animations. You can simulate transitions.

It’s... functional. For demonstrating a basic user journey or a simple interaction, it’s fine. But if you’re looking for anything beyond the most rudimentary click-through experience – micro-interactions, complex states, conditional logic – you’ll quickly hit a wall. It feels like a feature added to check a box, not to truly compete with dedicated prototyping tools or even the more advanced capabilities of its rivals. Don't expect miracles. It's a good first step.

Design Tokens (text/layer/color, multiple formats)

This is a relatively newer play for Sketch, an attempt to stay relevant in the evolving design system landscape. You can define text styles, layer styles, and colors as tokens, and then theoretically export them in "multiple formats." The idea is commendable: bridge the gap between design and development, creating a single source of truth for design decisions.

The reality? It’s a step in the right direction, but often feels like an addition rather than a deeply integrated part of the core experience. The "multiple formats" are usually limited to basic JSON or CSS variables, which is useful, but still requires significant finessing on the development side. It's an ambition. Is it fully realized? That’s for your developers to complain about.

Libraries (centralized assets)

Libraries in Sketch are essentially collections of Symbols, Text Styles, and Color Variables that can be shared across multiple Sketch documents and even multiple designers. This is crucial for maintaining consistency across large projects or within an organization. Centralized assets mean everyone is working from the same source.

It's a powerful concept, no doubt. But in practice, managing these libraries, especially with a distributed team not entirely on Sketch's Workspace, can be a headache. Version control, updating, ensuring everyone has the latest library – it often falls into the realm of manual process and nagging. It works. When you cooperate.

Sketch Cloud/Workspace (web-based, nested folders)

Ah, Sketch's answer to the cloud. Or, at least, an answer. Sketch Cloud, now more often referred to as Sketch Workspace, is their web-based platform for sharing documents, providing feedback, and managing libraries. It allows for "nested folders," which is thrilling if you enjoy meticulous digital housekeeping. You upload your Sketch files, share links, and people can view them in a browser. They can comment. They can inspect.

It’s functional as a viewing and basic commenting platform. But it’s not a true real-time, browser-native editing environment in the vein of its competitors. It’s more of a repository with some added viewing capabilities. It’s a place to put files. Don’t confuse it with true cloud collaboration.

Real-time Co-editing (Mac app)

This is where it gets interesting, and frankly, a bit clunky. Sketch does offer real-time co-editing. But here’s the catch: it only works within the Mac app. You and your colleagues, all on Macs, all running the Sketch app, can jump into the same file and ostensibly work together.

Is it "real-time"? Yes, in the sense that you see other cursors and changes. Is it "seamless"? The evidence suggests "collaboration feels bolted on vs Figma." And you feel it. It’s not the fluid, effortless dance you get with truly cloud-native solutions. It’s more like a synchronized swim, where everyone is trying to keep pace and occasionally bumps into each other. It tries.

Plugins (thousands, some broken APIs)

For years, Sketch’s vibrant plugin ecosystem was one of its greatest strengths. If Sketch didn’t do it, a plugin probably could. Thousands of them existed, extending its functionality in countless ways, from content generation to advanced layout tools. It was a thriving community.

But the party's winding down. The sad truth is, the plugin landscape is a minefield. "Some broken APIs" is an understatement. Many once-essential plugins are now abandoned, incompatible with newer Sketch versions, or simply no longer maintained. You download one, hoping for a miracle, only to find it crashes your app or just... doesn't work. It's a gamble. The wild west.

Developer Handoff (free browser inspect/specs/code)

Sketch offers free developer handoff via its Workspace. Developers can inspect designs directly in their browser, view specs, measure distances, and even grab snippets of CSS or other code. This is, undeniably, a good thing. It streamlines the design-to-development process, or at least, that’s the theory.

And it’s free. Can’t argue with free. How good is it? It provides the basics. Does it offer the deep integration, the custom code exports, or the dynamic token consumption that some more specialized tools or competitor offerings do? Not quite. It's enough. For simple needs.

Mac Native (Apple Silicon, Metal rendering, buttery smooth)

This is Sketch’s enduring claim to fame, its last true competitive edge in terms of pure performance. Built from the ground up for macOS, optimized for Apple Silicon, and utilizing Metal rendering, Sketch is, for many, still "buttery smooth." It feels responsive. It feels fast. You get that direct manipulation feel that browser-based tools, despite their advances, sometimes struggle to match.

Working offline feels liberating. There's no browser lag, no internet dependency. It's a pure, unadulterated Mac experience. For some, this alone is worth the price of admission and the significant trade-offs. It's a joy to use.

Works fully offline

In an age where everything seems to demand a constant internet connection, where your software becomes a glorified web browser, Sketch stands firm. It works fully offline. Take your laptop to a remote cabin, on a plane, or into a bunker, and you can still design. No internet? No problem.

This is a genuine differentiator. For those who frequently work without reliable internet, or who have strict security protocols that prevent cloud storage, this isn't just a feature; it's a necessity. It’s a lifeline.

Pricing Breakdown

Let's talk money, because isn't that what it all boils down to eventually? Sketch’s pricing model has evolved, or rather, contorted itself, over the years. It’s a curious beast, trying to straddle the old world of perpetual licenses and the new subscription-driven SaaS paradigm. You want options? They've got 'em. Sort of.

The good news? They offer a way to kick the tires before you commit.

Free Trial

You get a 30-day free trial. No credit card required. That's genuinely consumer-friendly. Thirty days is ample time to see if you can still tolerate its quirks, or if you remember why you left in the first place. Go ahead. Try it.

Standard Plan

This is their bread-and-butter subscription for individuals and smaller teams. It costs $10 per editor per month if you commit to an annual plan, totaling $120 a year. If you prefer the month-to-month flexibility – who does that? – it jumps to $12 per editor, which racks up to $144 annually. This includes access to the Mac app, Sketch Workspace, and real-time collaboration. It’s competitive on paper.

Mac-only License (The Grandfather Clause)

This is Sketch’s most unique, and arguably most confusing, pricing tier. For a one-time purchase of $120, you get the Mac app license. Sounds great, right? No recurring fees! But there's a catch. Or several. This "one-time" purchase actually grants you 12 months of updates. After that year, your app still works, but you won't receive new features or critical bug fixes unless you pay for another year of updates. It’s a bit of a treadmill.

Crucially, this license does NOT include access to Sketch Workspace. So, no cloud features, no real-time co-editing, no browser handoff. It’s just the raw Mac app. For the purist. Or the hermit.

Business Plan

For the big players, the enterprises, the companies with 25+ teams – a rather specific number, isn't it? – there's the Business plan. This will set you back $20 per editor per month, annually. What do you get for double the price? Single Sign-On (SSO), which IT departments adore, "unlimited storage" (a term I always eye with suspicion, what's the cap?), and "priority support." Because waiting in line is for the peasants.

This tier is designed to compete with the enterprise offerings of its cloud-native rivals, but it still feels like it’s missing a core component: a truly integrated, cross-platform experience. It's expensive.

Education

Good news for students and educators: it’s free. A noble gesture, certainly. Get 'em hooked young.

Viewers/Developers

Anyone who just needs to view, comment on, inspect, or export assets from Sketch files can do so for free. This is essential for any modern design workflow. It’s a necessity, not a luxury.

Pricing Table:

Plan	Cost (per editor)	Key Features	Notes
Free Trial	Free	Full Mac app access	30 days, no credit card required.
Standard (Annual)	$10/mo ($120/yr)	Mac app, Workspace, Libraries, Real-time Co-editing	Billed annually.
Standard (Monthly)	$12/mo ($144/yr)	Mac app, Workspace, Libraries, Real-time Co-editing	Billed monthly. More expensive.
Mac-only License	$120 one-time	Mac app access	12 months of updates included. NO Workspace, NO co-editing.
Business	$20/mo (annual)	SSO, Unlimited Storage, Priority Support, all Standard features	For 25+ teams. Annual commitment.
Education	Free	Mac app, Workspace	For students and educators.
Viewers/Developers	Free	Comment, Inspect, Export from Workspace	Browser-based. No editing.

Pros and Cons

Every tool has its good and bad sides, its shining moments and its frustrating pitfalls. Sketch, in 2026, is a prime example of this duality. It’s a tool that elicits strong opinions, often from the same user. Let’s break down where it still shines, and where it decidedly doesn’t. You make the call.

The "Pros" (or, what still works)

Buttery Smooth Native Mac Performance

This isn't just marketing hype; it's a tangible difference. Because Sketch is built specifically for macOS, it feels incredibly responsive. It's optimized for Apple Silicon, making it scream on newer Macs, and takes full advantage of Metal rendering. You get direct access to system resources. No browser tab hogging memory. No weird rendering glitches.

It just feels good. For designers who spend eight hours a day pushing pixels, that tactile feedback, that instant response, can prevent frustration and improve focus. It’s a joy. A true pleasure.

Excellent Offline Capabilities

In a world tethered to the internet, Sketch offers freedom. You can open, edit, and save your files without any internet connection whatsoever. This is a huge advantage for remote work in areas with spotty Wi-Fi, for designers on planes, or for those who simply prefer to work without relying on a stable connection. Your work is truly yours. It’s a rare commodity.

For security-conscious organizations, or those dealing with sensitive data, keeping files local and offline can also be a significant benefit. This feature sets it apart. No cloud, no problem.

"Robust" Symbol and Design System Support

The evidence states "robust symbol/design systems." And for its time, it absolutely was. Sketch pioneered the concept of reusable components and libraries, making it the tool of choice for building scalable design systems. Even today, its symbol system, with nested symbols and overrides, remains a powerful way to maintain consistency across large projects. It does work.

You can build complex component libraries. You can link them. They update globally. While other tools have iterated on this concept, Sketch's foundational implementation is still highly effective for managing a structured design library. It’s a strong point.

Free Developer Handoff

Providing developers with the tools to inspect designs, grab specs, and export assets directly from a browser, without requiring them to purchase a separate license or download the app, is a smart move. It simplifies the handoff process. It makes their lives easier.

It’s a necessary feature in 2026, and the fact that it's "free" makes it an attractive offering for teams trying to cut costs. No extra subscriptions. A win.

The "Cons" (or, why you might be fighting it)

Mac-Only (No Windows/Linux Support)

This is the big one. The dealbreaker for many. In an increasingly platform-agnostic world, Sketch's insistence on being Mac-exclusive is a glaring limitation. If your team has even one designer or stakeholder on Windows or Linux, true collaboration becomes a nightmare. Files can't be opened natively. Shared workflows break down.

It forces teams to either adopt an entirely Mac-based ecosystem (which is often unrealistic) or resort to cumbersome workarounds like exporting PDFs, which defeats the purpose of modern design tools. This is a barrier. A huge one.

Stability Issues

Despite its native performance, Sketch isn't immune to its own set of frustrations. The Reddit quote, "Fighting against the tool," perfectly encapsulates this. Users report crashes, weird bugs, and unexpected behavior, especially with complex files or certain plugins. It can be temperamental.

"Copy/paste something don't see it might need to search in different room or building." This isn't just a funny anecdote; it speaks to deeper issues of reliability that can halt a creative flow dead in its tracks. You don't want to fight your tools. You want them to just work.

Dwindling Plugin Support

Once a powerhouse, the Sketch plugin ecosystem is now a shadow of its former self. While "thousands" of plugins technically exist, many are poorly maintained, incompatible with newer Sketch versions, or simply broken due to changes in Sketch's APIs. This means you can't rely on them.

What was once a strength has become a liability, as designers find their favorite extensions no longer function, forcing them to find alternatives or revert to manual processes. It’s a slow death. A sad end.

Collaboration Feels Bolted On vs. Figma

This is perhaps Sketch’s most critical weakness in the current design landscape. While Sketch does offer real-time co-editing within the Mac app, and cloud sharing through Workspace, it feels like an afterthought. It was designed for a single user, then retrofitted for collaboration. You can tell.

Compare this to Figma, which was built from the ground up as a multi-user, browser-native collaboration platform. The difference is stark. Sketch’s co-editing can be clunky, prone to syncing issues, and lacks the fluid, integrated experience that modern teams expect. It's a compromise. Not a solution.

User Reviews

The G2 score of 4.5/5, based on 1221 reviews, paints a picture of a well-regarded tool. On the surface, that looks pretty good, doesn't it? A solid B+ in the grand scheme of software satisfaction. But as any seasoned cynical reviewer knows, aggregate scores rarely tell the full, messy truth. To get to the heart of what real users think, you have to dig deeper, beyond the curated testimonials and into the dark, unvarnished corners of the internet. Like Reddit.

And that's where the cracks in the polished veneer start to show. You find the raw, unfiltered frustration, the exasperation that only designers truly understand.

One user, clearly at their wit's end, laments the kind of phantom bugs that can drive anyone mad: "Copy/paste something dont see it might need to search in different room or building." Imagine that. You perform a basic function, a fundamental interaction, and your content just vanishes into the digital ether. Is it on another artboard? Off-canvas? Is it even there? This isn't just a minor glitch; it's a profound breakdown of trust between user and tool. Such a simple action.

Another sentiment, echoing loudly across various forums, is the feeling of constant struggle: "Fighting against the tool." This isn't just about a steep learning curve; it’s about the software actively hindering your progress, forcing you to spend valuable creative energy on troubleshooting rather than designing. You're wrestling with it. It saps your will. When your software becomes an adversary, you've got serious problems.

The attempts to modernize, to catch up to the features introduced by competitors, haven't always landed gracefully either. The transition to new paradigms, like the shift from "artboards to frames" – or whatever the Sketch equivalent of that evolutionary jump was – has clearly been fraught with peril. "Move from artboards to frames is a mess." It implies a poorly executed transition, a half-baked effort that creates more headaches than it solves. Disruption, yes. Improvement, maybe not.

Perhaps the most poignant, and frankly, damning, review is this simple, elegiac phrase: "Sketch was the best. Was." That single word, "Was," speaks volumes. It's a eulogy. It acknowledges Sketch’s past glory, its undisputed reign, but firmly relegates it to history. It's a testament to how far other tools have come, and perhaps, how little Sketch has truly innovated in the areas that now matter most. The past is a different country.

So, while G2 offers a polite nod of approval, the real talk in the trenches tells a different story. It's a tale of frustration, of clinging to a once-great tool that now often feels like it's holding you back. The honeymoon is definitely over.

Who Should Use Sketch

Despite its perceived shortcomings in 2026, Sketch isn’t entirely without its champions. There’s a specific niche, a particular kind of designer or team, for whom Sketch still makes a surprising amount of sense. It truly does. It's not for everyone, certainly, but if you fit this mold, it might just be your digital comfort blanket.

Mac-Only Designers or Small Agencies

If you're a lone wolf designer, or part of a small agency where every single team member exclusively uses a Mac, Sketch could still be a viable option. No Windows users. No Linux users. Everyone’s on the same platform. This eliminates the platform compatibility issue that plagues larger, more distributed teams.

For these users, the native performance and the familiar macOS interface are often highly valued. You control your environment. You’re not beholden to cross-platform compromises. It's a closed garden, but a productive one if everyone's invited.

Those Who Need to Work Offline

This is Sketch’s strongest, most undeniable advantage over most of its contemporary rivals. In a world of always-on, cloud-dependent software, Sketch stands firm as a truly offline-capable tool. For designers who frequently travel, work from locations with unreliable internet, or simply prefer to be untethered from a constant connection, Sketch is a lifesaver. No internet? No problem.

Your files are local, your work is uninterrupted. This autonomy can be incredibly liberating and, for some workflows or security requirements, absolutely non-negotiable. It truly delivers here.

Designers Seeking a Focused UI/UX Toolkit Without Browser Lag

If your primary focus is pure UI/UX design – creating interfaces, crafting components, building design systems – and you prioritize the snappiness and responsiveness of a native application over browser-based convenience, Sketch might still appeal. There’s a certain purity to its dedicated focus. It doesn’t try to be an illustration tool, a print layout tool, or a motion graphics suite.

The "buttery smooth" performance on macOS, especially on Apple Silicon, means you’re not dealing with browser tab overhead, JavaScript hiccups, or the occasional lag that even the best web apps can experience. You get speed. This is its core strength.

Who Should Not Use Sketch

Just as there are specific scenarios where Sketch might still cling to relevance, there are far more situations in 2026 where choosing Sketch would be a monumental mistake. For these users, it won’t just be suboptimal; it’ll be a significant hindrance, a constant source of friction and frustration. Don't even try it.

Cross-Platform or Distributed Teams (Windows/Linux Users)

This is the most obvious, and most crippling, limitation. If your design team includes even one person who doesn't use a Mac – a Windows PC, a Linux machine – Sketch is a non-starter for collaborative work. Full stop. You simply cannot open or edit Sketch files natively on those operating systems.

This immediately creates silos, communication breakdowns, and forces convoluted workarounds like constant exporting, which destroys any semblance of a modern, efficient workflow. Shared files become an impossibility. Version control becomes a nightmare. If you need to work with anyone outside the Apple ecosystem, look elsewhere. Seriously.

Teams Needing Seamless Real-time Collaboration at Scale

If your team relies on fluid, real-time collaboration – where multiple designers can jump into a file simultaneously, see each other's cursors, and make edits without friction or fear of version conflicts – Sketch will fall short. Its "bolted on" collaboration, confined to the Mac app, simply doesn't compete with tools designed from the ground up for this purpose. It’s not built for it.

For large teams, or even smaller teams that value speed and efficiency in their collaborative processes, Sketch’s approach will feel clunky, frustrating, and ultimately, inefficient. You'll spend more time troubleshooting sync issues or coordinating who's editing what, rather than actually designing. Avoid the headache.

Best Alternatives

If Sketch isn’t quite hitting the mark for your 2026 workflow, don't despair. The design tool market is more vibrant and competitive than ever. You’ve got options. Some are giants, some are niche players, but all offer compelling reasons to consider them over Sketch, depending on your specific needs.

Figma

Figma isn't just an alternative; it's the current industry standard, the behemoth that unseated Sketch and reshaped the entire design tool landscape. It’s a browser-based, cloud-first platform that offers unparalleled real-time collaboration. Designers can literally work in the same file, simultaneously, across any operating system – Mac, Windows, Linux, even a Chromebook. This is its superpower.

Its component system, auto-layout features, and prototyping capabilities are incredibly powerful and constantly evolving. Figma also boasts a thriving plugin community and a robust developer handoff experience. It's a complete ecosystem. If collaboration, cross-platform access, and cloud-native efficiency are your top priorities, Figma is your undisputed champion. It just works.

Adobe XD

Adobe XD, once seen as a direct competitor to Sketch and Figma, has had a rather tumultuous journey. As part of the Adobe Creative Cloud ecosystem, its main appeal was its integration with other Adobe products like Photoshop and Illustrator. It offers a decent vector editor, component system, and strong prototyping features, including voice prototyping.

However, by 2026, its relevance has significantly diminished. Adobe has largely pivoted its focus, and XD's future feels uncertain. While it still exists and functions, its development seems to have slowed dramatically. If you're deeply entrenched in the Creative Cloud and just need a basic UI/UX tool, it could technically still serve. But for anything cutting edge or future-proof? Not really. It’s a fading star.

Penpot

Penpot is the open-source dark horse in this race. It’s a web-based, vector-based design and prototyping tool that prides itself on being open-source and self-hostable. This means you have ultimate control over your data and infrastructure, a huge draw for privacy-conscious organizations or those who simply prefer open ecosystems. It's free, too.

While it might not have the polished feature set or the vast plugin ecosystem of Figma, Penpot is rapidly gaining traction. It supports real-time collaboration and is cross-platform by its very nature (being browser-based). If you're an advocate for open-source software, need full data sovereignty, or are simply looking for a cost-effective, community-driven alternative, Penpot is definitely worth a look. It’s a promising option.

Affinity Designer

Affinity Designer isn't a direct competitor for UI/UX design in the same vein as Sketch or Figma, but it's an excellent vector graphics editor that offers a "one-time purchase" model, similar to Sketch's legacy license. It's known for its incredible performance, particularly on Mac, and its seamless integration between vector and raster editing modes.

If your primary need is robust graphic design, illustration, or creating intricate vector assets, and you despise subscriptions, Affinity Designer is a powerful, professional-grade tool. It's not built for design systems or prototyping, but for pure vector manipulation and asset creation, it often outshines the others. It's a different beast. A capable one.

Expert Verdict

In 2026, Sketch is less a general-purpose design solution and more of a specialized, almost boutique, offering. It’s a beautifully crafted Mac application, undeniably "buttery smooth," especially on Apple Silicon, and its offline capabilities are a genuine advantage in an always-online world. For a solo designer on a Mac, or a small, entirely Mac-based team with limited collaborative needs, it still functions. It serves.

However, for the vast majority of modern design teams – those who are distributed, cross-platform, or require truly fluid real-time collaboration at scale – Sketch struggles. Its "bolted on" collaboration feels archaic compared to its cloud-native rivals, and its Mac-only stance is an insurmountable barrier for many. The once-thriving plugin ecosystem is now a minefield of broken promises, and while its core features are solid, they often feel a step behind the rapid innovation seen elsewhere. "Sketch was the best. Was." That sentiment rings truer than any G2 score. It's a legacy tool. A good one, for its time. But its time is largely past.

Analysis by ToolMatch Research Team