The road to v2.0.0 with off-grid features
August 2025
Current status
By the end of 2024, with version 1.15.0, Square Sketch included all the features that had originally been planned, along with some added through user feedback. Since then, regular updates have continued, mainly delivering refinements and minor improvements.
Many thanks to everyone who has supported Square Sketch so far, whether by purchasing, leaving a review, or sharing feedback!
At the same time, apologies to everyone who wished for certain features, of which probably only a fraction will be implemented. They would certainly make the app more powerful and broaden its use cases. However, a core characteristic of the app is that it includes only selected features, in order to keep the interface as minimalistic as possible and stay close to pen and paper. Choosing which features to include is therefore not an easy task, is often intuitive, and thus not always entirely transparent.
The motivation to continue developing the app remains very strong. Part of this comes from the excitement of creating something that hasn’t existed in this form before, while also being useful. This motivation is further reinforced by the positive feedback from users.
New features
The current set of features could be considered complete if the app is used mainly with the grid.
However, there are situations where objects are positioned off the grid or angles do not align with it. For example, if a line initially lies on the grid and is then rotated by 60 degrees, only one of its nodes may remain on the grid while the other falls in between. Moreover, a 60-degree angle cannot be achieved using a specific number of horizontal and vertical grid squares. In such cases, the following limitations arise:
- The line cannot be extended by moving one of its nodes without slightly changing the angle.
- The line cannot be extended by copying it and attaching it to itself, because when pasting and moving the copy, snapping to the node that lies off the grid is not possible.
This was just one example, and there are certainly other cases. Therefore, new features are planned to make working off the grid easier:
- If a line is diagonal or off the grid, moving one of its nodes will display a guide line to help maintain the angle.
- When moving nodes, they should snap to other nodes or strokes, regardless of whether they are on or off the grid.
Until now, the length of lines or the radius of circles has been determined solely by dragging on the drawing area and counting the grid squares. It is planned to add another option through direct input of numerical values. This input method will also be available in other places, such as when rotating objects using the transform frame.
If the grid is disabled via the view menu, snapping to it should also be disabled. A disabled grid would also serve as a good test for the new features. If drawing works well without the grid, it also covers cases where, for example, an object does not align with the grid even when it is enabled.
Finally, it is also planned to allow snapping to the midpoint of a line, along with other minor features that will emerge during further development.
Timeline
The new features will not be released all at once, but will be rolled out gradually starting in autumn 2025 with regular updates. The version number is expected to be bumped to 2.0.0 in spring 2026.
Price
Owners of the app will receive the updates for free.
Those who do not yet own the app should expect a price increase. The plan is for the base price to be $30 USD starting in early 2026, and $35 USD from version 2.0.0 onward. The stores will then determine the final selling price for each country based on the base price.
Despite the increase, the price should remain fair and stay within the mid-range segment. The price takes into account:
- the complexity of the program code
- the relatively small target audience
- the fact that there are no in-app purchases
- the fact that there is no subscription
Outlook
After the release of version 2.0.0, there will initially be only regular updates with improvements, but no new features.
It will still be very exciting. Another app is in the works, which will not replace Square Sketch or move it to a new platform, but rather complement it. More details will be available in early 2026.
