Concepts
Concepts (TopHatch, Inc.) is a private software company that builds an infinite-canvas, vector-raster hybrid sketching and design app distributed across iOS, Windows, Android, and ChromeOS. It sells to creative professionals and teams via a freemium subscription and one-time purchase model, with named adopters including Disney, Apple, Nike, HP, and Unity.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersSan Carlos, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Concepts does
Concepts (operating company TopHatch, Inc.) is an independent software developer of an infinite-canvas sketching and design application distributed across iOS, Windows, Android, ChromeOS, and Samsung Galaxy Store. The product is built on a proprietary vector-raster hybrid drawing engine in which every stroke is a fully editable vector, enabling users to iterate on sketches without redrawing. Differentiating technical components include infinite canvas architecture with moveable artboards, hybrid brushes combining vector precision with raster-like natural feel, the licensed COPIC professional color system from Too Corporation, infinite layers, real-world scale and measurement tools, and export to PDF, PNG, PSD, SVG, and DXF (AutoCAD). The app includes an automatic Presentation Mode designed for live whiteboarding via tools like Zoom.
Concepts monetizes through a four-tier model: a free Basic tier providing core sketching tools, a Pro subscription at $4.99/mo or $29.99/yr unlocking 200+ libraries and features across platforms, a one-time Essentials purchase ($1.99-$39.99) for permanent platform-specific unlocks, and a Teams business licensing offering at $10/mo or $100/yr per seat with self-service admin and an Enterprise tier for large deployments that includes manual billing and security audits. Concepts for Education provides free licenses to qualifying schools. Go-to-market is primarily product-led growth via app-store distribution and free-tier onboarding, with named adopters including Disney, Apple, Philips, Nike, PlayStation, Illumination, HP, and Unity. The company is privately held and headquartered in San Carlos, California, with a lean team of 1-10 employees and no disclosed funding beyond an early 2015 engagement with 500 Global.
Concepts firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Concepts
- Legal name
- TopHatch, Inc.
- Website
- https://concepts.app
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Concepts (TopHatch, Inc.) is a private software company that builds an infinite-canvas, vector-raster hybrid sketching and design app distributed across iOS, Windows, Android, and ChromeOS. It sells to creative professionals and teams via a freemium subscription and one-time purchase model, with named adopters including Disney, Apple, Nike, HP, and Unity.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Concepts industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Creative Design Software
- NAICS
- Software Publishers (5132), Software Publishers (51321), Graphic Design Services (541430)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Graphic Design & Visual Content Production (BPAFAIAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Digital Whiteboards, Annotation & Collaborative Canvas Tools (EDAFAGAD), Content Asset Libraries & Template Marketplaces (stock, characters, themes) (EDAFAHAI), Visual Identity & Brand Design Systems (BPAFAEAC), Motion Graphics & Title Design (MPADACAD)
Keywords
Where Concepts is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Carlos
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Concepts business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Pro Subscription: Monthly or yearly subscription providing access to over 200 libraries, services and features across iOS, Android, ChromeOS, and Windows platforms with continuous updates.
- One-Time Purchases: Lifetime licenses for Essentials (selection & editing tools, infinite layers, shape guides, custom brushes, custom grids, exports to PNG/PSD/SVG/DXF). Platform-specific purchases. Additional purchases include brush packs, objects, and PDF features.
- Teams Licensing: Business and organization licensing with self-service option ($10/month or $100/year per license) including Pro features, priority support, re-assignable licenses, and multiple admin support. Enterprise tier offers manual billing, security audits, and personalized support.
- Education Licensing: Free licenses for qualifying educational institutions.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Basic - Free digital sketchbook with core tools |
| Subscription | Monthly | Pro - Subscription for power users |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Pro Essentials - One-time lifetime purchase |
| Subscription | Monthly | Teams - Business & Organization Licensing |
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Education - Free for qualifying institutions |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels7 records
Marketing channels5 records
Concepts product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Concepts is a cross-platform creative sketching application that provides an infinite canvas with editable vector strokes, vector-raster hybrid brushes, professional COPIC color integration, and export to PDF, PNG, PSD, SVG, and DXF. It is offered as a free Basic tier, a Pro subscription ($4.99/month or $29.99/year), one-time Essentials purchases, and Teams/Education licensing for organizations across iOS, Windows, Android, ChromeOS, and Samsung Galaxy.
Product overview
Concepts is a single unified product—a flexible infinite canvas sketching application—offered across multiple platforms (iOS, Windows, Android, ChromeOS). The product portfolio consists of the core Concepts App with a free Basic tier, a Pro subscription tier ($4.99/mo or $29.99/yr) providing access to 200+ features and libraries, a one-time Essentials purchase option ($1.99-$39.99) for permanent platform-specific unlocks, and Teams/Enterprise/Education licensing for organizational deployment.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Concepts for Teams: Business and organization licensing with managed billing, priority support, re-assignable licenses, and multiple admin support.
- Concepts for Education
Products and services
- Concepts App A flexible infinite canvas sketching application for iOS, Windows, Android, and ChromeOS that supports editable vector drawings, realistic vector-raster hybrid brushes, layers, COPIC colors, and exports to multiple formats including PDF, PNG, PSD, SVG, and DXF.
- Concepts Basic (Free Tier) Free digital sketchbook tier providing hand-crafted vector-hybrid brushes, COPIC/HSL/RGB color wheels, five layers, infinite canvas, unlimited drawings, all paper and grid types, and basic JPG exports for individual users.
- Concepts Pro (Subscription) Monthly or yearly subscription ($4.99/month or $29.99/year) providing access to over 200 libraries, services, and features across iOS, Android, ChromeOS, and Windows platforms, with a 7-day free trial.
- Concepts Essentials (One-Time Purchase) One-time purchase ($1.99 - $39.99 per item) unlocking selection and editing tools, infinite layers, shape guides, custom brushes, custom grids, and exports to PNG/PSD/SVG/DXF, limited to the purchased platform.
- Concepts Teams Business and organization licensing at $10/month or $100/year per license with self-service billing, re-assignable licenses, multiple admin support, priority support, and regular updates. Enterprise tier adds manual billing, security audits, special services, and personalized support.
- Concepts Education Free licensing program for qualifying educational institutions, providing access to Concepts for classroom learning, student projects, and educational sketching.
Companies that use Concepts
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments8 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Concepts technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature10 records
Concepts partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Too CorporationcoreConcepts licenses the professional COPIC color system from Too Corporation. This provides users access to professional-grade COPIC colors in the app, along with HSL and RGB color wheels. This is a key differentiator providing authentic professional coloring tools.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Concepts competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Linearity Curve: Linearity Curve (formerly Vectornator) is a vector design app for iPad, iPhone, and Mac focused on precision vector illustration, UI design, and graphic design. It overlaps with Concepts' vector and UI/UX use cases for individual designers.
- Notability: Notability is a note-taking and sketching app for Apple devices combining handwriting, drawing, and audio. It competes with Concepts for the visual note-taking, education, and brainstorming segments, especially among iPad-centric students and professionals.
- Goodnotes: Goodnotes is a cross-platform digital note-taking app with handwriting, sketching, and PDF markup. It overlaps with Concepts on the Note Taking, Visual Thinking, and education use cases, particularly on iPad and across students and knowledge workers.
Direct peers
- Procreate: Procreate is the leading iPad-first digital illustration app, offering natural-feel brushes on an infinite canvas with a one-time purchase model. It is the closest direct competitor to Concepts for illustrators and visual thinkers on Apple devices.
- Affinity Designer: Affinity Designer is a professional vector and raster design tool from Serif, sold via one-time purchase across desktop and iPad. It competes with Concepts for product designers, illustrators, and UI/UX designers who want editable vector output without subscription fees.
- Adobe Fresco: Adobe Fresco is Adobe's drawing and painting app combining raster, vector, and live brushes across iOS and Windows. It overlaps directly with Concepts on vector/raster hybrid sketching and is bundled with Creative Cloud, giving it incumbent distribution advantages.
- Autodesk Sketchbook: Autodesk Sketchbook is a cross-platform drawing and sketching app with an infinite canvas, brushes, and layers. It targets the same illustrator, concept artist, and designer audience as Concepts, especially on Windows and mobile.
- Krita: Krita is an open-source digital painting application for concept artists, illustrators, and texture artists. It is a comparable sketching and illustration tool to Concepts, with strong community traction on desktop and a price-disrupting free model.
Broad incumbents
- Canva: Canva is a broad design and visual content platform used by hundreds of millions for graphics, presentations, and short-form content. It sits above Concepts in the workflow as a downstream design and publishing tool, and is increasingly adding AI features.
- Figma: Figma is a collaborative interface design platform used by product and UI/UX teams. It overlaps with Concepts on the UI/UX and Product Design use cases at the team/enterprise level, especially where Concepts' Teams and Enterprise tiers are positioned.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Concepts social profiles
Digital presenceConcepts financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Concepts leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Concepts funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Concepts M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Concepts
What does Concepts do?
Concepts is a cross-platform creative sketching application that provides an infinite canvas with editable vector strokes, vector-raster hybrid brushes, professional COPIC color integration, and export to PDF, PNG, PSD, SVG, and DXF. It is offered as a free Basic tier, a Pro subscription ($4.99/month or $29.99/year), one-time Essentials purchases, and Teams/Education licensing for organizations across iOS, Windows, Android, ChromeOS, and Samsung Galaxy.
Is Concepts a public or private company?
Concepts is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Concepts founded?
Concepts was founded in 2012. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Concepts based?
Concepts is headquartered in San Carlos, United States, in the North America region.
How does Concepts make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Pro Subscription is the primary driver. The others are one-Time Purchases, teams Licensing and education Licensing.
Who are Concepts's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are Linearity Curve, Notability and Goodnotes. Direct peers are Procreate, Affinity Designer, Adobe Fresco, Autodesk Sketchbook and Krita. Broad incumbents are Canva and Figma.
Does Concepts have an API?
No public API is recorded for Concepts.
What industry is Concepts in?
Concepts's product category is Creative Design Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAFAIAC, Graphic Design & Visual Content Production, with a secondary code of EDAFAGAD, Digital Whiteboards, Annotation & Collaborative Canvas Tools. Its NAICS code is 5132 and its SIC code is 7372.