Drawboard PDF Review: Features, Pricing, and Free vs Pro Explained

Part 1. What Is Drawboard PDF?

Drawboard PDF is a PDF annotation and editing app designed primarily for Windows devices. Known for its smooth performance, it has gained strong popularity among Surface users and professionals who need an intuitive tool for marking up documents.

With the Drawboard PDF free version, you can easily highlight text, add notes, and make quick edits, while the Pro upgrade unlocks advanced tools for collaboration and document management. Its user-friendly interface, pencils, brushes, and font options make PDF editing simple and efficient.

Key Features of Drawboard PDF

Drawboard PDF is a handy app that lets you read, edit, and mark up PDFs with ease. The free version covers basic needs, while Drawboard PDF pro gives you more advanced tools.

• Handwriting and Annotations Use a stylus or your Surface device to write, draw, or highlight directly on PDFs. You can choose different pens, brushes, and colors.
• PDF Editing Tools Add text, shapes, or images to your file. You can also manage pages by adding, deleting, rotating, or moving them around.
• Collaboration and Sync (Pro only) With the Pro plan, you can work with others in real time and keep your files synced across devices.
• Extra Features Merge or split PDFs, add signatures, and even open images as PDFs. Pro users also get Document Builder and advanced measuring tools.

Part 2. Drawboard PDF Pricing and Versions: Free vs. Pro

Is Drawboard PDF Free?

Yes, Drawboard PDF free is available for personal use. It covers the basics like highlighting text, adding notes, inserting signatures, and managing pages (add, rotate, or delete). This version is great for students or anyone who needs light PDF editing. However, it comes with limitations: no advanced tools, limited cloud sync, and no real-time collaboration.

Drawboard PDF Pro

For users who need more, Drawboard PDF Pro offers advanced features. Plans start at $4.19/month (billed annually) and include:

• Advanced inking (pressure-sensitive ink, ink-to-shape/line).
• Real-time collaboration and cloud sync across devices.
• Document Builder (merge, split, and extract pages).
• OCR (turn scanned images into searchable text).
• Unlimited signatures, templates, and annotation history.
• AI-powered text editing.

Drawboard PDF Free Trial

New users can explore the Drawboard PDF free trial for 7 days . This allows access to Pro features without payment. After the trial, you’ll need a subscription to keep using those tools.

Drawboard PDF Free Vs. Drawboard PDF Pro : Quick Comparison

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Part 3. How to Download and Use Drawboard PDF

Now that we’ve explored what Drawboard PDF is and the difference between the free and Pro versions, let’s move on to the most important part how to get started.

Whether you’re downloading Drawboard PDF free for quick annotations or considering Drawboard PDF Pro for advanced editing and collaboration, setup is simple. Below is a step-by-step guide to help you download the app and start drawing on your PDFs.

1. How to Free Download Drawboard PDF for Windows

• Go to the Drawboard PDF download page.

• Click Windows Download (available via Microsoft Store). Drawboard is also available for macOS, iOS, Android, and web.
• Follow the installation process. Once installed, launch the app from your Start Menu or desktop.
• Create a free Drawboard account or log in. This lets you sync documents and access Pro features if you upgrade later.

2. How to Draw on a PDF with Drawboard PDF

Once installed, here’s how you can draw on a PDF like pen on paper:

• Open a PDF Document Launch Drawboard PDF and upload your file by dragging it into the app or using File → Open.

• Select the Pen Tool On the toolbar, choose the Pen or Highlighter. If you’re on a Surface or using a stylus, Drawboard automatically optimizes for smooth, pressure-sensitive ink.

• Customize Your Ink Adjust pen color, thickness, and opacity to your preference. You can also duplicate pens in different colors for faster switching.
• Start Drawing or Writing Use your stylus, mouse, or finger to draw directly on the PDF. Add diagrams, notes, or freehand annotations just like writing on paper.

Part 4. Alternative to Drawboard PDF – Best PDF Reader & PDF Editor

While Drawboard PDF is popular for stylus-based annotation on Surface, it has limits. It’s Pro version is pricey, and the free version lacks key features. More importantly, it doesn’t fully support advanced PDF editing, conversion, or batch management, making it less practical for users who need a complete all-in-one PDF solution.

That’s where Tenorshare PDNob steps in. Designed as a world-class PDF solution, it goes beyond basic annotation by offering powerful editing, professional conversion, and advanced document management. With support for more than 10 output formats and 100+ editing functions, it stands as one of the most versatile PDF editors available for Windows and Mac today.

Why Choose Tenorshare PDNob PDF Editor?

• Powerful PDF Conversion: Convert PDFs to Word, Excel, PPT, TXT, EPUB, images, and PDF/A without losing formatting.
• Advanced Editing: Edit text, images, links, watermarks, and backgrounds directly.
• Easy Document Management: Merge, split, or protect PDFs with passwords.
• OCR Technology: Turn scanned PDFs into editable, searchable text.
• All-in-One Solution: Annotate, convert, secure, and organize PDFs in one lightweight tool.

How to Edit PDF with Tenorshare PDNob PDF Editor

• Open PDNob PDF Editor, then click on the "Open PDF" button to import any PDF file you’ve downloaded.

• Click the “Edit” button on the top toolbar, then select the text you want to modify. A text box will appear, allowing you to change the text, font, style, size, and color.

• To add new text, click “Add Text” under the “Edit” section and place it where needed.
• To insert images, click the “Add Image” button and choose the image file to add.

• Once you have made all the necessary edits, click on the "Save" button in the top left corner.

Part 5. FAQs of Drawboard PDF

1. Is Drawboard PDF free?

Drawboard PDF offers a free "Essentials" plan with basic PDF editing and viewing. Users can also access free PDF tools on its website without an account. Advanced features require a subscription to the Pro plan.

2. What is the difference between Adobe and Drawboard?

Adobe Acrobat is an all-in-one PDF tool for editing, converting, and managing documents. Drawboard PDF focuses on annotation and markup, optimized for touch devices with a simple, user-friendly interface.

3. Can Drawboard edit PDF?

Yes, Drawboard PDF is designed as a powerful PDF editor and reader. It allows users to not only view PDFs but also to edit, annotate, and collaborate on them.

4. Does Drawboard PDF work offline?

Drawboard PDF supports offline use through Drawboard Projects. Users can download drawings or entire projects to Windows or iOS devices, allowing markup and work without an internet connection.

Conclusion

Drawboard PDF works for Surface users with stylus notes, but the free version is limited and Pro is expensive. Tenorshare PDNob goes further, offering seamless editing, annotation, PDF conversion, batch processing, OCR, and secure document management. Its all-in-one features make it ideal for professionals, students, and businesses who need efficient, complete PDF handling.

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PDNob PDF Editor Software- Smarter, Faster, Easier

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• Instantly read, summarize, and extract insights from PDF
• Convert PDF to 30+ formats like Word, Excel, and images
• Edit text, images, watermarks, links, and backgrounds for PDF
• 99% OCR precision for making scanned PDFs editable and searchable

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