The Sketch subscription is the licence form Sketch B.V. recommends for new customers. It bundles the native Mac app, the web app and the iPhone and iPad app, and gives access to a shared Workspace. The unit of charge is the Editor. This article explains how Editors, Viewers, Guests and Workspaces are defined and counted, how the four plans differ, and how trial, cancellation and expiry work.
Roles
The Terms of Service define the roles. They are assigned by an Admin, the person who created the Workspace or was assigned the role.[1]
- Admin. Manages Workspaces, assigns Editors and Viewers and changes billing details. An Admin can invite people and assign Admin, Editor, Viewer, Guest or Finance roles, can assign themselves Editor or Viewer, and can revoke an Editor or Viewer role with immediate effect.[1]
- Finance role. A user who can see and manage billing and financial information of the Workspace and add or delete Editors.[1]
- Editor. The only role that is billed. An Editor can access the Mac app and add, modify, manage and delete documents; the Terms grant the Editor a licence to use the Mac app for as long as the person is an Editor.[1]
- Viewer. May view, comment on and inspect documents in the web app. Viewers do not have access to the Mac app and cannot upload content.[1] The pricing page states that Standard includes unlimited free Viewers and developer handoff.[2]
- Guest. Someone invited to see only specific documents. A Guest can be given edit access but must be a member of another Workspace or hold a valid Mac-only licence and Sketch Account. Guests cannot be invited to a Private Cloud Workspace.[1]
Counting Editors
The licence position of a subscription is the number of paid Editor roles. The rules that decide it are these.
- Assigned roles are charged. Sketch charges for every Editor role on each Workspace of the account, whether or not the person accepts the assignment.[1] A role that is assigned but never used still costs money, so seat reclamation is a saving.
- Seats are per Workspace. A person who is an Editor in two Workspaces of one account is counted in both. Additional Workspaces need billing details of their own, and Workspaces are a subscription-only feature.[3]
- Minimums. A Standard, Professional or Enterprise subscription must include at least one paid Editor. Private Cloud must include at least 50. Enterprise needs at least 15 paid Editors to receive Priority Support, a customer success manager, tailored agreements and custom security reviews.[1]
- Named, personal accounts. Each Editor uses a personal Sketch Account and may sign in on any device they own, but credential sharing breaches the Agreement and can lead to suspension of the account and termination.[1] The Terms also bar using the account after leaving the company that accepted them, which makes offboarding a compliance step.[1]
- Responsibility for Users. The customer is solely responsible for ensuring all Users under its account comply, including employees and contractors, and remains liable for their breaches.[1]
- Viewers and Guests are not seats, but they are not Editors either. Using the Mac app or uploading to the web app requires the Editor role, so a Viewer who does so should be moved to an Editor seat.[1]
A practical audit therefore lists the members of each Workspace with roles, then compares the number of Editors with the number paid in the Billing settings of the Workspace.
Storage
On Standard and Professional each Editor adds 50 GB of shared Workspace storage; two Editors give 100 GB regardless of how the two use it. Storage is measured by the total file size of documents with version history, embedded images and fonts, including My Drafts and the Trash.[1][4] Exceeding the cap does not block editing; the Admin is emailed and nothing is deleted.[4] Enterprise and Private Cloud are described as unlimited subject to a Fair Use Policy, under which Sketch may after repeated warnings and an offer to upgrade capacity suspend access to affected resources.[1]
Plan differences
| Standard | Professional | Enterprise | Private Cloud | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| List price per Editor per month, billed yearly | USD 12 | USD 24 | USD 44 | On request |
| Free trial | Yes | Not shown on the pricing page | No | No |
| Billing | Card only | Yearly by card | Annual invoice | Contract; one-time setup fee |
| Minimum paid Editors | 1 | 1 | 1; 15 for dedicated support | 50 |
| Storage | 50 GB per Editor | 50 GB per Editor | Unlimited | Unlimited |
[2][1][5][6] The Terms add that the Professional Plan includes SSO (SAML 2.0), project archiving and permissions groups, the Enterprise Plan adds SCIM provisioning and BYOK encryption and the Private Cloud Plan adds the private cloud environment, hosting location choice and unlimited Workspaces.[1] Private Cloud prices depend on the number of Editor seats through a one-time setup fee, and further fees may apply to custom retention, backup or configuration.[1]
Enterprise billing is a yearly commitment billed annually by invoice for every Editor seat in the contract, including unassigned seats. Seats can be added at any time and are invoiced for the prorated amount.[6] That makes Enterprise the one plan in which a seat is a commitment rather than a monthly usage count.
Buying channels
Sketch sells directly on sketch.com and through partners. From 15 July 2026 direct purchases from customers in India are not supported and customers there must buy or renew through a partner. Prices on other platforms can differ from the sketch.com prices.[2] A purchase through a partner does not include the free trial.[1]
The Mac App Store variant of the subscription is a distinct channel. It allows one Editor per Workspace, issues no licence key, uses the buyer’s Apple Account, and leaves billing and refunds to Apple. Collaboration with others goes through Guest Editors who hold their own active Sketch subscription.[7] The App Store version lacks plugins, the .fig converter, the MCP server and the command-line tool sketchtool because of Apple’s guidelines, and a Mac-only licence key cannot register it.[8]
Trial
New sign-ups on sketch.com can try Sketch for one 30-consecutive-day period for evaluation. Until payment details are added only three members can be invited to the Workspace; with payment details up to 20.[1][9] At the end the Admin must add billing details to convert; if not, Sketch may delete the Workspace content after a 90-day recovery period.[1] The trial can be skipped on request, in which case the card on file is charged immediately.[9] The trial does not apply to Enterprise, Private Cloud or partner purchases.[1]
Renewal, price changes and refunds
Subscriptions renew automatically until the customer cancels in the billing settings.[1] Sketch may change subscription fees; price changes are notified by email and take effect at the next renewal, and a customer who disagrees may cancel before the renewal date.[1] The refund policy depends on billing: annual billing receives a full refund within 30 days of the initial purchase and renewals and added seats are not refundable; monthly billing has no refunds but can be cancelled at any time.[1] Monthly subscribers can switch to yearly billing at any time, while yearly subscribers may move to monthly near the end of the billing cycle through support.[2]
Sketch may also change the features of plans. Existing customers keep features that move between plans for as long as they maintain an uninterrupted subscription; a cancelled and restarted subscription loses that grandfathering.[1] A software asset manager who relies on a feature should therefore avoid lapses.
Cancellation, expiry and deletion
When an Admin cancels, access continues until the end of the billing period. After that the Workspace is read-only: documents can be downloaded for up to 90 days, Editors can no longer open, edit or upload documents, and members cannot be added or edited. Reactivation within 90 days is possible through support if the Workspace has not been deleted. Ninety days after cancellation or expiry the Workspace and all documents are permanently deleted.[2] Sketch sends a reminder two months after expiry that gives 30 further days, and eligible Workspaces include expired trials, cancelled Standard and Professional subscriptions and legacy Personal Workspaces without a paid account.[10]
The EULA adds that an Editor of a Workspace loses access to the Mac app when the Workspace subscription expires.[11]
Education and non-profits
The Education Plan is defined as a yearly free subscription for students above 16, teachers and institutions, with the services of the Standard Plan, and access is subject to Sketch’s approval.[1] Students and employed teachers receive a Workspace with one Editor seat; institutions can receive several seats if they meet criteria. Use must be part of studies or the course taught. Self-education, non-profits, start-ups and marketing departments of institutions are excluded.[12] Recognised non-profits can instead apply for a 50% discount on a yearly Standard subscription or a Mac-only licence.[2]
Practical checks
- Export the member list of every Workspace with roles and compare Editors with paid seats.
- Identify Viewers or Guests who use the Mac app or upload files and assign them the Editor role.
- Record the renewal date, the billing option and the purchase channel (website, partner or App Store).
- Check that nobody shares credentials or retains access after leaving the company.
- For Enterprise, reconcile the contract seat count with assigned and unassigned seats.
Out of scope
- Single sign-on, SCIM and BYOK configuration, which are security features rather than licence terms.
- Data processing terms and the list of subprocessors.
- Negotiated Enterprise and Private Cloud terms.