What Sketch does

Sketch B.V. is a Netherlands-headquartered, independently held software company that develops Sketch, a native macOS design platform used by product designers, design teams, and developers to create, prototype, collaborate on, and hand off user interfaces. Founded in 2010 (with the company noting 2012 as its incorporation date), Sketch operates as a remote-first organization of 101–250 employees across the EU and United States. Its core product is a Mac-native application built around vector editing, prototyping (including Smart Animate), reusable Symbols and Components, design system management (Libraries, Variables), and the Assistants framework for automated design validation. Real-time multiplayer collaboration was added in May 2021, and the platform now also ships a web app for viewing/commenting, an iOS View & Mirror app, and developer handoff tooling with free inspection and design-token export.

The company monetizes through tiered subscriptions (Standard, Professional with SSO/permissions, Enterprise with dedicated CSM and custom terms), a perpetual Mac-only license option for individuals, an Authorized and Premium reseller channel, and Private Cloud self-hosted deployments available in US and EU regions. A free Education tier serves students and educators. Distribution is product-led via direct website download and the Apple Mac App Store (since November 2023), supplemented by partner resellers for enterprise deals. The platform supports SAML SSO across major identity providers (Okta, Microsoft Entra ID, Google Workspace, OneLogin, Ping Identity, TrustLogin), is ISO 27001 certified and SOC 2 compliant, and extends GDPR protections globally. A growing AI feature set — including a dedicated Sketch AI module, a public MCP Server for AI integrations, and partnerships such as the Salesforce Lightning Design System Linter Assistant — extends the platform into AI-assisted design workflows. Sketch has raised a single disclosed $20 million Series A from Benchmark in March 2019 and remains an independent, founder-influenced company with Pieter Omvlee (CEO) and Emanuel Sá (Co-founder, CDO) in senior leadership.

Name

Sketch

Legal name

Sketch B.V.

Website

https://sketch.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Sketch is an independently held, Netherlands-based SaaS company that builds a native macOS design platform used by individual designers, design teams, and developers for vector design, prototyping, real-time collaboration, and developer handoff.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Design Software

NAICS

Graphic Design Services (541430), Graphic Design Services (54143)

SIC

Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro primary industry

Whiteboarding & Visual Collaboration (BPAMAMAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Digital Whiteboards, Annotation & Collaborative Canvas Tools (EDAFAGAD), Game UI/UX, Scripting & Visual Authoring Tools (MPAFAFAK)

Keywords

• Digital design software
• UI/UX design platform
• Vector design tools
• Design collaboration software
• Prototype development tools

Headquarters

HQ city

Eindhoven

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Operations

Revenue model

1. Subscription Plans (Standard, Professional, Enterprise): Recurring subscription revenue billed annually or monthly. Standard plan for teams, Professional adds SSO and advanced permissions, Enterprise includes dedicated support and custom terms.
2. Mac-only Licenses: Perpetual license option for individual Mac users who prefer one-time purchase over subscription
3. Partner Reseller Revenue: Revenue generated through Authorized and Premium partner resellers who purchase Sketch on behalf of clients
4. Education Program: Free Workspace access for students, teachers, and academic institutions

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Sketch is a native macOS design application that enables UI/UX designers to create vector-based interface designs, build interactive prototypes with Smart Animate, collaborate in real-time with teammates, and hand off designs to developers. The product is delivered as a native Mac app, a web app, and an iOS viewer/mirror app, with subscription and perpetual licensing options.

Product overview

Sketch is a unified SaaS design platform consisting of a native macOS app, web app, and iOS app. The core Sketch product includes Design (vector editing), Collaboration (real-time co-editing), Prototyping, Developer Handoff, and AI modules. The platform offers subscription tiers (Standard, Professional, Enterprise, Private Cloud) plus free Education plan and Mac-only perpetual license. An MCP Server enables AI integrations. The product ecosystem includes third-party plugins and free design resources.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Sketch for macOS: The native Mac application for design, prototyping, and collaboration
• Sketch Web App
• Sketch View and Mirror
• Professional Plan
• Enterprise Plan
• Private Cloud

Products and services

• Sketch for macOS A native macOS design application providing vector editing, prototyping with Smart Animate, real-time collaboration, design system management, developer handoff, and AI integrations for individual designers and design teams.
• Sketch Web App

Quantifiable outcome

• Create a working prototype in less than 10 clicks
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration12 records

AI capability4 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Accenture - Ops InteractivecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAccenture's Ops Interactive team uses Sketch as their primary creative tool for their global and remote product design team. They leverage Sketch's Libraries, Smart Layout, and collaboration features to deliver consistent, cohesive digital experiences at scale.
• SalesforcecoreTechnology or IntegrationSalesforce's Lightning Design System integrates with Sketch through a dedicated plugin, UI design kits, and an Assistant (Lightning Design System Linter) that validates designs against their design system rules. Salesforce has built extensive tooling around Sketch for their design system workflow.
• Authorized PartnerscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized resellers who list in the Partners Directory and have their own purchasing page for managing customer subscriptions. Includes non-partner resellers who can purchase Sketch on behalf of clients.
• Premium PartnerscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPremium tier partners receive advanced resources, co-marketing opportunities, and higher tier support for driving awareness and demand. Includes dedicated Partner Success team access.
• Framework DesignminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAward-winning design studio using Sketch from ideation through handoff, featured in Sketch's #MadeWithSketch series as an example of successful Sketch workflow.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Framer: Design and web publishing platform combining visual design with code output and native publishing; competes with Sketch on the design-to-code and prototyping workflow.
• Axure: Long-standing prototyping and design tool focused on wireframing, interactive prototypes, and documentation; competes with Sketch on the prototyping segment.
• InVision: Prototyping and design collaboration platform; historical direct competitor to Sketch on prototyping and freehand, though the company has significantly scaled down operations.
• Figma: Browser-based collaborative UI/UX design platform acquired by Adobe; the dominant direct competitor to Sketch with similar vector editing, prototyping, real-time collaboration, and design-system features.

Broad incumbents

• Adobe: Owner of Figma and broader Creative Cloud suite including Illustrator, XD, and Photoshop; competes with Sketch via Figma and adjacent graphic-design tooling for professional designers.
• Canva: Broad visual design and content creation platform with growing UI/UX capabilities; competes with Sketch at the overlap of design teams and non-designer collaboration.
• Microsoft Designer: Microsoft's AI-powered design tool bundled with Microsoft 365; competes with Sketch on accessible design generation and benefits from deep enterprise distribution via the Microsoft ecosystem.

Emerging players

• Penpot: Open-source, browser-based design and prototyping platform; an emerging alternative to Sketch targeting teams that want self-hosting and open standards.
• Visme: Visual content creation platform for presentations, infographics, and lightweight design; overlaps with Sketch at the entry-level and SMB design use cases.
• Uizard: AI-powered UI design platform that generates mockups and prototypes from text, sketches, or screenshots; an emerging threat to traditional design canvases like Sketch.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/sketch
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@sketch
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sketchbv
• Instagraminstagram.com/sketch

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sketch