The app is available exclusively through the Mac App Store and the Microsoft Store. The two stores handle testing differently.

Unfortunately, the Mac App Store↗ doesn't offer a way to test one-time purchase apps for the macOS version. Some developers work around this by offering their app for free and dividing the features into free, time-limited, and unlimited with in-app purchases. Square Sketch, however, is intended to be a classic app where the costs are fixed upon download and whose interface is free of any indications of potentially paid features during use.

Occasionally, there are beta tests for the macOS version available through TestFlight, which you’re welcome to join. According to the TestFlight Terms of Service, these beta tests are primarily intended to provide feedback to the developer, not to serve as a basis for making a purchase decision.

The Microsoft Store↗ offers the option to test the Windows version of the app for 30 days.

For optimal integration into the respective operating system, the native development tools and app stores of Apple and Microsoft are used. Unfortunately, there is no way to share licenses between the Mac App Store and the Microsoft Store.

Since Apple uses Swift and Microsoft uses C#, different native programming languages, development effort increases because there is no shared source code. The advantage is that the platform can be better supported and its potential fully utilized. macOS users, in particular, place great value on a fully native app.

If you wish to use the app on both platforms, please consider purchasing a separate license from the Mac App Store and the Microsoft Store. This will support the additional development effort required for optimal operating system integration.

Drawing apps with pen support closely resemble drawing and writing on paper, allowing for freehand shapes and handwritten text. This is ideal for personal drawings.

However, Square Sketch is designed for publishing drawings with precise geometric shapes and typed text. A mouse and keyboard are ideal for this. Other functions also benefit from having one hand on the keyboard at all times.

However, it would be conceivable that there would be an iPad version to supplement this if you mainly want to view drawings and only edit them to a limited extent.

Since the development effort is very high in relation to the benefit, there are currently no concrete plans for implementation.

A Linux version would have the advantage that, together with the macOS and Windows versions, all major desktop operating systems would be covered.

However, porting is complex, as previous versions rely on native frameworks for optimal platform integration.

At the moment there are no concrete plans for implementation.

Although Esc is primarily intended for deselecting, you can also use a single click. This doesn't create any text. Instead, it simply displays the marker with a blinking cursor for creating text. A text object is only actually created when you type text.

Since diagrams and technical sketches usually consist of a combination of geometric shapes and labels, writing is just as important in Square Sketch as drawing. The app therefore behaves like a text editor: a single click deselects and sets the cursor.

Square Sketch intentionally offers only one font size to simplify design and layout. The grid and stroke widths are aligned to this single font size, ensuring geometric shapes and text blend seamlessly.

However, different font sizes for headings are helpful for breaking up a larger document. A writing app can be used in combination with Square Sketch for this purpose. The writing app is then responsible for designing the text and headings. Drawings can be exported from Square Sketch and inserted into the document. In the export settings, you have the option to adjust the font and size to match those of the writing app.

The limitation to two colors is intentional, so you don't have to worry about color design. Similar to having only a piece of paper and a pen on your desk, you can just start drawing or writing without having to choose a color. A second color is available for highlighting certain parts later.

In many traditional media, such as books or blueprints, this second color was unavailable for technical or economic reasons. Nevertheless, it was possible to visualize almost anything.

But even if there is no such restriction, professional drawings in digital media often contain no more than two colors. More colors can quickly become distracting without providing any added value.

However, there are also cases where more colors are deliberately used in the design. In these cases, a graphic design app would be recommended.