Drawboard PDF

Drawboard PDF is a lightweight productivity tool that enables users to take full control over their PDF files and enhance them with built-in tools for annotation.



Optimized from the ground up to work perfectly with touch-based Windows hardware (such as touch-equipped laptops and tablets), this application manages to impress even business users who require a large number of advanced tools to make any app suitable for their daily workflow.

Since this paid application aims to satisfy both home and business users, it is not strange to see that Drawboard PDF can do almost anything imaginable with PDF documents.

It can reproduce all types of PDF files with 1:1 accuracy, and unlock powerful editing tools to copying and extracting data from other Windows apps, annotate, draw shapes, save changes and provide an easy procedure for sharing changes with other users.

However, because of the large number of tools and services that are offered, some users will have to spend some time learning how to take full advantage of this app.



But once this is done, it can indeed become the one and only PDF management app for even the most demanding users such as architects and designers who often handle and annotate a large number of PDF files per day.

The best and most engaging feature of this software is its touch-friendly interface that can masterfully handle both finger and stylus inputs.

Many tools of the app are optimized for easy access while in touch mode, enabling users to very quickly manipulate PDF files, annotate and highlight, copy and delete data, write and erase whatever they want, add sticky notes, and of course, draw in freehand or add predetermined shapes.

Once finished with editing, the entire PDF can be “flattened” into a new PDF file that is ready for sharing.

While the interface of the app is streamlined for fast and easy access to all of its tools, some UI elements can prevent users from drawing and annotating across the entire document’s surface. In some rare cases, the app can also experience stuttering, hanging, and even crashing.

The app is still in development, with many fixed and new features expected to be added over time.

Drawboard PDF is a premium app that is primarily focused on delivering a wide array of tools to experienced and demanding users and is specially optimized for touch-friendly devices.



The app is optimized for Windows 10, and Windows 11.

What's new in this version

NEW: Store+Share, web app syncing and a revamped interface

Note: Drawboard PDF no longer updates or supports Windows 8 or Windows 8.1 versions of the application. It will natively support Windows 11.

Features and Highlights

• Enjoy smooth, natural inking with a pen or active stylus—feels like real ink. Customize stroke, pressure sensitivity, and color settings.
• Switch between stylus/pen and finger touch for effortless PDF annotations.
• Comprehensive text review tools include freehand highlighter, text highlighter, underline, strikeout, and squiggly markups on PDFs.
• Insert shapes like cloud, rectangle, ellipse, line, arrow, polygon, and polyline on PDFs. Add images and photos from your camera as well.
• Add signatures, notes, images, and text for versatile PDF content creation.
• Create new blank PDFs with customizable size, color, orientation, and page count. Manage pages by inserting, rotating, and deleting them.
• Utilize features like PDF bookmarks, printing, searching, markup history, and sharing.
• Flatten all annotations in PDFs for a clean, finalized look.
• Open, review, mark up, and save multiple large PDF documents simultaneously.
• Edit, annotate, ink, and draw on PDFs with full control over annotation colors, widths, and opacity settings.
• Choose from multiple document layouts and viewing modes, including night mode.
• Store and Share: Access PDFs in the cloud for real-time sharing with your team.
• Document Builder: Merge, reorder, and organize PDF documents efficiently.
• Calibrated Annotation: Calibrate documents to scale and add precise linear and area measurements.
• Protractor Tool: Measure ink angles accurately—compatible with Surface Dial.
• Grid and Line Templates: Choose from various grid and line overlays to improve markup precision.
• Engineering Line Styles: Apply dotted and dashed lines to your PDFs.
• Color Picker: Select custom colors for annotations that fit your workflow.
• Text Review Export: Save text-based annotations as .txt or .csv files.
• Callouts: Highlight areas in need of review with attention-grabbing callouts.

PRO toolset

• Document Builder - Merge, re-order and arrange PDF documents
• Calibrated Annotation - Calibrate your document to scale and add linear and area measurements
• Protractor - Measure and rule ink at precise angles - compatible with Surface Dial
• Grid and Line Templates & Overlays - Select from a range of grids and lines to enhance the precision of your markups
• Engineering Line Styles - Create dotted and dashed lines on your PDFs

Alternatives

If you are looking for Drawboard PDF alternatives, we recommend you to download Adobe Acrobat Reader or Foxit Reader.

Why free? All the essentials of this program are free to use with no commitment and no ads.

PROS

• Intuitive user interface
• Advanced annotation tools
• Real-time collaboration
• Smooth PDF editing
• Cloud storage integration

CONS

• Limited free version features
• Subscription required for PRO
• No OCR for text recognition
• Limited file export options