Sketch publishes two licence contracts. The Sketch Terms of Service apply to the Sketch Platform, which the Terms define as the Mac app, the web app, the iOS app and SSO, and are headed “Version 06 October 2026”.[1] The End User License Agreement applies to the Sketch Mac App sold with a licence key and is headed “Version 06 March 2025”.[2] Sketch B.V. of Eindhoven in the Netherlands is the contracting party in both.[1] This article summarises the clauses that matter for a licence position.
Scope and acceptance
The Terms apply to any licences granted for the use of the Sketch Platform. The customer enters the agreement by checking the acceptance box when registering for a Standard, Professional, Education, Enterprise or Private Cloud plan, or by starting to use the Platform. The Agreement consists of the Terms, the Sketch Policies and any other commercial arrangements made in writing, and an addition or amendment is effective for Sketch only if it is in writing and signed by both parties.[1] A person who accepts on behalf of a company warrants that they have authority to bind it, must be of legal age, and the Terms give the minimum ages of 13 under United States law and 16 under European Union law.[1]
The customer’s own purchase terms do not apply: the Agreement states that it is the entire agreement, and that terms in a purchase order, portal or code of conduct are not applicable even if signed or accepted unless Sketch references the clause and waives its rights.[1] For an Enterprise or Private Cloud buyer who relies on a negotiated contract, this means the order form must expressly override the Terms.
The EULA applies in the same way to licences granted for the use of the Mac App. By purchasing a licence key or downloading and using the app, the user enters into it.[2] Both documents state that they may be modified without prior notice, with modifications effective on posting on the Sketch website or on notification by email.[1][2] A licence record should therefore state the version of each contract that was read and the date.
Licence grants
The Terms grant a non-exclusive, non-transferable, limited and revocable right to access and use the Platform in accordance with the Agreement, subject to payment of the fees; Sketch reserves all other rights.[1] The customer owns the Content and grants Sketch a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, transferable licence with the right to sublicense, to the extent required to provide the Platform.[1] The EULA grants a non-exclusive, non-transferable, non-sublicensable, limited and revocable licence to use the Mac App.[2]
The two contracts are connected at the Editor role. The Terms say that an Editor is granted a licence to use the Mac app for the term during which the person is an Editor, and the EULA says that an Editor of a Workspace loses access to the Mac App when the Workspace subscription expires.[1][2] So the Mac app is licensed through the EULA but the entitlement of a subscriber depends on the subscription. The Terms also say that Mac app use is subject to the EULA.[1]
Roles and what they are licensed to do
The role definitions are in the Terms. The Editor accesses the Mac app and can add, modify, manage and delete Workspace documents; the Viewer can view, comment and inspect documents and does not have the Mac app; the Guest sees only the documents they are invited to; the Admin manages Workspaces, assigns roles and changes billing details; and the Finance role manages billing and can add and delete Editors.[1] Viewers and Guests cannot access the Mac app or upload content to the web app.[1] The detailed counting rules, including that every assigned Editor role is charged, are described in Sketch subscriptions, Editors, Viewers and Workspaces.
Restrictions
The Terms list actions the customer may not take. They include using the Platform for unlawful purposes, probing or circumventing security or authentication measures, decompiling or reverse engineering, exploiting the Platform commercially such as by selling access or advertising, renting, leasing, lending, selling, sublicensing or otherwise commercially exploiting the rights to use the Platform, and assigning those rights without Sketch’s prior written approval.[1] The EULA has a parallel list for the licence key and Mac App, including the bar on assigning the key or the licence without written approval.[2]
Other customer obligations are of compliance character.
- Users. The customer is solely responsible for ensuring that all Users under its account comply with the Terms and remains liable for their breaches. Sketch need not require each individual to accept the Terms, and continued use by a User constitutes acceptance on the customer’s behalf.[1]
- Credentials. The customer must safeguard login details, may not share them with third parties, and must notify Sketch of unauthorised use. A person who accepted the Terms for a company may not use the account after ceasing to work for it.[1]
- Fonts and content. The customer warrants that it holds the rights to the content and to any font embedded in it, with an indemnity for breach.[1]
- Version currency. For some functions the Mac app version must be no older than a year, and Sketch may deprecate backend functions that break older versions.[1]
- Third-party plugins. Use is at the customer’s own risk.[1]
Subscription terms in the contract
The contractual terms behind the commercial rules are as follows.
- Trial. One 30-consecutive-day trial for evaluation; on expiry the customer is prompted for payment, and unpaid trial content may be deleted after a 90-day recovery period. The trial does not apply to Enterprise, Private Cloud or purchases through a partner.[1]
- Fees and taxes. Fees exclude taxes and bank fees. Price changes are notified by email in advance and take effect at the next renewal, and the customer can cancel before the renewal date.[1]
- Refunds. Annual billing is refundable in full within 30 days of the initial purchase, while additional seats and renewals are not; monthly billing is not refundable.[1]
- Minimum Editors. Standard, Professional and Enterprise need at least one paid Editor, Private Cloud at least 50, and Enterprise at least 15 for Priority Support and a customer success manager.[1]
- Private Cloud. A one-time setup fee applies, depending on the number of Editor seats.[1]
- Renewal. The Agreement renews automatically; the customer agrees to automatic renewal until it cancels.[1]
- Updates. Mac app updates are free during the valid subscription term, or while the person qualifies as an Editor.[1]
- Storage. 50 GB per Editor on all plans other than Enterprise and Private Cloud, which are unlimited under a Fair Use Policy.[1]
For the Mac-only licence, the EULA adds twelve months of updates after purchase, possible fees for upgrades, and a licence term that ends automatically unless renewed. See Sketch Mac-only licence keys.[2]
Suspension, termination and deletion
Sketch may terminate subscriptions and trials immediately and without prior notice if the customer fails to comply with the Agreement or law, fails to pay, or if required by law or court order, and may suspend access and terminate in writing on becoming aware of a potential violation.[1] If a payment dispute with a processor is lost, the customer must contact Sketch to reactivate. On termination the customer must cease use, Sketch will deactivate and delete accounts and data unless agreed otherwise, and the customer must return Sketch’s confidential information.[1] Sketch reserves the right to delete data within 90 days of termination, and for existing licences not tied to a Workspace within 90 days of the last access to stored content.[1] The EULA allows Sketch to block a licence key for breach, non-payment or legal order.[2]
The Terms exclude certain Dutch Civil Code provisions on rescinding or annulling the Agreement (articles 3:44, 6:228 and 6:265), a point that matters mainly to counsel.[1]
Warranty, liability and law
The Platform and the Mac App are provided “as is” and “as available”. Sketch’s total liability is capped at the amounts paid in the preceding 12 months, with exclusions of indirect and consequential damage including data loss, and the cap does not apply to death or physical injury caused by negligence, or to intent, wilful misconduct or gross negligence.[1][2] The customer indemnifies Sketch for losses arising from breach of the Agreement or use of the Platform.[1] Both contracts are governed by Dutch law and disputes are submitted exclusively to the competent court in The Hague, to the extent the law permits for the Terms.[1][2]
Audit and compliance
Neither contract gives Sketch a right to audit the customer’s records or systems. Enforcement runs through the account system, which knows who holds Editor seats and how many licences were bought, through termination and blocking rights, and through the clauses on sharing credentials and keys. A customer that wants to prove compliance should keep the member list with roles from each Workspace, the billing and invoice history, and the License Manager records of keys and devices, since those are the records Sketch itself sees.
Out of scope
- The Data Processing Addendum, privacy statement and subprocessor list, which sit beside the Terms.
- Negotiated Enterprise and Private Cloud contract terms.
- Open source components that Sketch publishes with their own licences.
- Court decisions: none involving Sketch’s licence terms were found in primary court records.