Drawboard vs zipBoard
A Drawboard alternative for drawing review: send a link, get every comment closed
If you need a Drawboard alternative for reviewing drawings with clients, consultants and owners, zipBoard lets anyone open a PDF from a link and mark it up in the browser, with no app to install and no per-user seat. Every markup becomes a tracked task with an owner and status, so you can see what’s still open and who has signed off. If your team mostly marks up with a stylus on a Surface or iPad, or works offline on site, Drawboard is built for that; zipBoard is built for the review round.
No credit card needed. No licences for your clients and trade partners: reviewers are always free.
Try it: mark up this drawing, no Drawboard needed
No sign-up. Click Annotate to leave a comment or Measure to check a dimension. This is exactly what your reviewers see when you send them a zipBoard link.
This is a shared demo file, so you may see markups from other visitors.
Stop buying licences for every client and trade partner
On a typical project, the people who need to comment on drawings far outnumber the people who produce them. With zipBoard, everyone outside your team reviews for free.
Clients and trade partners review free
Owners, consultants, subcontractors and trade partners open a link and mark up the drawing. No licence, no app, no install.
No per-user pricing for your team
zipBoard plans are priced by the number of files you review, with unlimited collaborators and reviewers. Adding a new sub or consultant to a project costs nothing.
What it takes in Drawboard
Drawboard Projects is priced per user ($29 or $39 a month, billed monthly). Clients and partners can join as guests with time-limited access, but everyone else on the project needs a seat.
Clients and trade partners review free: no licence, no account
Pay for files, not per-user licences
Find every open comment in one click
zipBoard vs Drawboard: how do they compare?
Feature
Built for
Getting drawings and documents reviewed and approved by your team, clients and consultants
Pen-and-touch PDF markup (Drawboard PDF) and drawing review for project teams (Drawboard Projects)
Where it runs
Any modern browser. Nothing to install
Drawboard PDF: Windows, iOS, macOS, Android and web. Drawboard Projects: Windows, iOS and web
Price
Priced by number of files, with monthly or annual billing
Projects: $29–$39 per user per month, or $270–$370 per user per year. PDF: free plan, then Pro per user
Who pays
Priced by number of files. Clients, trade partners and reviewers are free and unlimited
Per user: Projects Team covers up to 25 users, Growth up to 150
Outside reviewers
Open a share link and mark up. No account needed (optional sign-in, password, expiry)
Projects: invite clients and partners as guests with time-limited access
Markup tools
Clouds, arrows, lines, polylines, shapes, highlights, free hand, text, callouts, notes
Pressure-sensitive ink, shapes, clouds, stamps, callouts and grids, plus personal and shared markup libraries
Measurement
Distance, area, perimeter, arcs and count, with calibrated and multiple scales per sheet
Calibrated length, rectangular area and polygon area (Projects)
Comparing revisions
Two PDF versions side by side, with synced scroll and zoom
Overlay two drawings or revisions, with automatic versioning and revision switching (Projects)
Tracking comments
Each markup becomes a task with an owner, priority and status (Open / Resolved)
Issues pinned to drawings, with assignees, deadlines and comment threads (Projects)
Sign-off
Reviewers with due dates, Approved / Changes Requested decisions, custom stamps and signatures. Approvals reset on each new version
Assign drawings to reviewers and track status from Needs Review to Approved (Projects)
Other file types
Images and renderings, video, websites and SCORM courses in the same project
PDFs, drawings and documents. Revit and Archicad add-ins publish sheets
Offline markup
No
Yes, in the Windows and iOS apps
Integrations
Procore, Jira, Slack, Microsoft Teams, Zapier, REST API
Procore, Aconex, Microsoft Teams, OneDrive, Google Drive, Dropbox, Revit and Archicad add-ins
Free trial
Yes, no credit card
Yes: free trial of Projects; 7-day Pro trial for Drawboard PDF
zipBoard vs Drawboard: how do they compare?
Feature
Built for
Getting drawings and documents reviewed and approved by your team, clients and consultants
Pen-and-touch PDF markup (Drawboard PDF) and drawing review for project teams (Drawboard Projects)
Where it runs
Any modern browser. Nothing to install
Drawboard PDF: Windows, iOS, macOS, Android and web. Drawboard Projects: Windows, iOS and web
Price
Priced by number of files, with monthly or annual billing
Projects: $29–$39 per user per month, or $270–$370 per user per year. PDF: free plan, then Pro per user
Who pays
Priced by number of files. Clients, trade partners and reviewers are free and unlimited
Per user: Projects Team covers up to 25 users, Growth up to 150
Outside reviewers
Open a share link and mark up. No account needed (optional sign-in, password, expiry)
Projects: invite clients and partners as guests with time-limited access
Markup tools
Clouds, arrows, lines, polylines, shapes, highlights, free hand, text, callouts, notes
Pressure-sensitive ink, shapes, clouds, stamps, callouts and grids, plus personal and shared markup libraries
Measurement
Distance, area, perimeter, arcs and count, with calibrated and multiple scales per sheet
Calibrated length, rectangular area and polygon area (Projects)
Comparing revisions
Two PDF versions side by side, with synced scroll and zoom
Overlay two drawings or revisions, with automatic versioning and revision switching (Projects)
Tracking comments
Each markup becomes a task with an owner, priority and status (Open / Resolved)
Issues pinned to drawings, with assignees, deadlines and comment threads (Projects)
Sign-off
Reviewers with due dates, Approved / Changes Requested decisions, custom stamps and signatures. Approvals reset on each new version
Assign drawings to reviewers and track status from Needs Review to Approved (Projects)
Other file types
Images and renderings, video, websites and SCORM courses in the same project
PDFs, drawings and documents. Revit and Archicad add-ins publish sheets
Offline markup
No
Yes, in the Windows and iOS apps
Integrations
Procore, Jira, Slack, Microsoft Teams, Zapier, REST API
Procore, Aconex, Microsoft Teams, OneDrive, Google Drive, Dropbox, Revit and Archicad add-ins
Free trial
Yes, no credit card
Yes: free trial of Projects; 7-day Pro trial for Drawboard PDF
More review features for small teams, without per-user licences
In one zipBoard subscription
- Unlimited collaborators and reviewers: you pay for files, not people
- Share links with optional sign-in, password and expiry
- Every markup becomes a task with an owner, priority and due date
- Filters to find every open comment on a drawing
- Phases and custom statuses for your review stages
- Reviewers with due dates and an Approved / Changes Requested decision
- Measurement with calibrated scales, and side-by-side version compare
- Custom stamps and signatures
- Drawings, renderings, images, video and web pages in one project
The same review round in Drawboard Projects (per user)
- Team, $29 per user per month ($270 per user per year billed annually): up to 25 users
- Growth, $39 per user per month ($370 per user per year): up to 150 users
- Enterprise: custom pricing from 20 users, with SSO
- Clients and partners join as guests with time-limited access
With per-user pricing, cost grows with every person you add to a project. zipBoard is priced by the number of files you review, so adding a consultant, sub or client costs nothing (see zipBoard pricing).
Why do teams look for a Drawboard alternative?
Drawboard is a good markup app, especially with a pen on a Surface or iPad. Teams look for something else when the review round grows beyond the people who own the app:
- “Our client and consultants won’t install an app or buy a seat just to leave comments.”
- “Who still hasn’t signed off on this set?”
- “Did the engineer’s comment from rev B actually get fixed in rev C?”
- “Every new consultant on the job is another per-user licence.”
- “We also need to review renderings, walkthrough videos and the project website.”
Drawboard Projects is priced per user and runs on Windows, iOS and the web (Drawboard Projects pricing).
Can clients mark up drawings without a Drawboard seat?
In zipBoard, yes. Click Share on the file, choose what the link allows, and send it. Reviewers open it in any modern browser, type their name if asked, and mark up the PDF. You can still require sign-in, add a password or set an expiry date for confidential sets (share link settings).
In Drawboard, it depends on the product. Drawboard PDF lets you share documents with other contributors, and its free plan includes unlimited contributors on up to 10 cloud documents. In Drawboard Projects, you invite clients and partners as guests with time-limited access, and everyone who works on the project day to day needs a paid seat (Drawboard pricing).
So access isn’t the real difference any more. The difference is what happens after the comments come in.
How do comments turn into assigned work?
Every markup a reviewer places (a cloud, arrow, highlight or note) opens a task panel, so the comment gets an owner, a priority and a due date straight away.
No more retyping comments from a marked-up PDF into a spreadsheet: the task list builds itself as people review (creating tasks from PDF annotations).
Renderings, images, walkthrough videos and web pages can sit in the same project, so the whole client review lives in one place.
How do you find every comment again?
Open the filter in the review view and show only what still needs action: filter by status (Open, In Progress, Resolved/Fixed or your own statuses), by reviewer, colour or markup type, and apply it to both the drawing and the comments panel.
Click any comment to jump to its spot on the drawing, or see every task across the project in one list. Guest reviewers can use the same filters without logging in (working through a large number of comments).
Can you set up your own review workflow?
Create a phase for each stage, such as Consultant review, Client approval and Final approval, and move each drawing across as it progresses. Rename statuses to your own action codes, like Approved as Noted or Revise and Resubmit.
Assign reviewers with due dates and save the setup as a project template, so every job starts the same way (running a submittal review cycle).
Already on Procore?
Connect your Procore account and choose which projects to sync. New RFIs, submittals and change orders added in Procore then appear in zipBoard automatically, ready to mark up, so nobody downloads and re-uploads files.
Consultants and clients review those documents in zipBoard without a Procore licence, and their markups become tracked tasks. Included on the Agency and Enterprise plans (Procore integration).
Can you measure and compare revisions in the browser?
Open the Measure tab, calibrate the scale against a known dimension, then measure distance, area, perimeter, arcs or count. It’s built for checking dimensions during review, not for full takeoffs (how to measure).
When rev C arrives, upload it as a new version and compare it with rev B side by side, with synced scrolling and zoom, to check every comment was addressed (compare two PDF versions).
How do you record sign-off?
Add reviewers with a due date. Each one records a decision (Approved or Changes Requested), so you can see who still hasn’t signed off, across every project.
Drop your firm’s stamp, such as “Approved as Noted”, and your signature onto the drawing from the review toolbar (stamping submittals and shop drawings).
When the next revision is uploaded, approvals reset for the new round.
20,000+
users
15,000+
projects
Free
for every reviewer you invite
Works with the tools AEC teams already use
Connect zipBoard to Procore and Microsoft Teams out of the box. Need something else, such as SharePoint, your document management system or your ERP? Custom integrations through our API are available on the Enterprise plan. Tell us what you use and we’ll scope it.
How do you review a drawing set in zipBoard?
Upload the drawing set and share it as a link (reviewers need no account).
Reviewers mark up the drawings. Every markup becomes a tracked task.
Measure dimensions and compare revisions side by side.
Stamp, sign off and close the round.
Watch: track every review and approval in one place
Who should use zipBoard instead of Drawboard, and who shouldn't?
zipBoard is a good fit if:
- most of the people commenting on your drawings are clients, owners or consultants who won’t install an app or buy a seat;
- you need to know which comments are still open and who has signed off, across several review rounds;
- you review renderings, images or walkthrough videos alongside the drawings;
- you want reviewers on any device to work in the browser, with nothing to install;
- you’re on Procore and want drawing markups to flow into the review (Procore integration).
Stay with Drawboard (or keep both) if:
- your team marks up mainly with a stylus and wants pressure-sensitive ink on a Surface or iPad;
- you mark up drawings offline on site;
- you rely on overlay comparison, title-block scanning or shared markup libraries;
- you publish sheets straight from Revit or Archicad, or sync drawings with Aconex;
- everyone who reviews your drawings already has a Drawboard seat.
Some teams keep Drawboard for pen markup in the office and on site, and use zipBoard for the review and approval round with clients and consultants.
How much does Drawboard cost compared with zipBoard?
Drawboard PDF has a free plan (up to 10 cloud documents, 40 MB each) and paid Pro plans per user. Drawboard Projects costs $29 per user per month on Team (up to 25 users) and $39 on Growth (up to 150 users), or $270 and $370 per user per year billed annually. Enterprise is custom, from 20 users (Drawboard Projects pricing, checked 22 October 2026).
zipBoard is priced by the number of files you review, with unlimited collaborators and reviewers and monthly or annual billing. What you pay depends on how many files you review, not on how many people comment.
Team
Starts at $99/ mo
For small teams that review a steady stream of drawings and documents.
- Includes:
- Up to 20 Digital Asset Pieces
- Up to 1GB Storage
- Unlimited Collaborators
- Unlimited Reviewers
- Unlimited Projects
- Standard Email Support
- Knowledge Base
Agency
Starts at $199/ mo
Ideal for an agency with multiple managers to manage projects.
- Includes everything in Team, plus:
- Up to 50 Digital Asset Uploads
- Manager seats (add-on)
- Project reports
- Integrations
Enterprise
Custom
Flexibility of content volume, priority support and dedicated account manager.
- Includes everything in Agency, plus:
- Premium Customer Success
- Single sign-on
- Archive Projects
- Custom Integrations
- Custom Workflows
- Custom Training
- Custom Reports & Insights
- Custom User Permissions & Roles
Get your next drawing set reviewed from a link
Frequently asked questions
Drawboard PDF itself has a free plan for basic markup on up to 10 cloud documents. For a full review workflow with clients and consultants, zipBoard offers a free trial with no credit card, and reviewers you invite by link never pay.
Not in zipBoard. Clients, owners, consultants, subcontractors and trade partners review from a share link with no licence, account or install, and you can add as many as a project needs. In Drawboard Projects, outside partners join as guests with time-limited access, and project members need a paid seat.
Yes. In zipBoard, a reviewer opens the share link in a browser and marks up the drawing. No account or download is needed unless you turn on Require Signup/Login.
Not in zipBoard: it runs in the browser and needs a connection. Drawboard lets you download drawings and mark them up offline in its Windows and iOS apps. If your crews mark up on site without signal, keep Drawboard for that and bring the set into zipBoard for the review round.
Yes. The Measure tab covers distance, area, perimeter, arcs and count, with calibrated scales and multiple scales on one sheet. It’s built for checking dimensions during review, not for full quantity takeoffs.
Yes. Upload the new revision as a new version of the same file, then compare the two PDFs side by side with synchronized scrolling and zoom.
Add reviewers with a due date. Each reviewer records a decision (Approved or Changes Requested), and you can see who is still pending. When you upload a new version, approvals reset for the new round.
Yes. Export the marked-up PDF from Drawboard and upload it to zipBoard for the client or consultant round. Markups already embedded in the PDF stay visible but don’t become zipBoard tasks automatically, so re-create the ones that need tracking.
No per-user licences for reviewers or collaborators: plans are priced by the number of files you review, with unlimited collaborators and reviewers. See the pricing page for manager seats on each plan.
Procore and Microsoft Teams integrations are available today; with Procore, new RFIs, submittals and change orders sync into zipBoard for review. Aconex isn’t a built-in integration yet. On the Enterprise plan we scope custom integrations through our API, so talk to us about your setup.
For review and approval with people outside your team, often yes. For stylus-first markup, offline work on site, overlays and Revit or Archicad add-ins, no: keep Drawboard for that work.
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