Inky - Vector Graphics Editor

Review by eFreeware

Most drawing apps for Android are built for the platform from the ground up, which means shortcuts, simplified tools and a feature set someone else decided on. Inky takes the opposite route: it is an unofficial compatibility layer whose whole purpose is to run the Inkscape desktop edition on Android. The developer is explicit that this is not Inkscape itself, but an adaptation that lets the Linux build work on a phone or tablet.

That single fact decides who the app is for. If you already work in Inkscape on a computer and want the same editor available on a tablet, Inky is aimed at you. If you have never used Inkscape, the app still gives you the real thing, but you are learning a desktop program through a touchscreen, which is a different proposition from picking up a mobile drawing tool.

It costs $1.99, carries no ads and offers no in-app purchases. The developer also points out that anyone who cannot or does not want to pay can reach Inkscape through the separate UserLAnd app instead.

The desktop editor, remapped to touch

The core of the app is Inkscape as it exists on the desktop. Inky is a free, open-source editor for creating vector images, mainly in SVG format, and it can import and export other formats too. What you get is the desktop program running on your device.

Because the interface was designed for a mouse and keyboard, Inky translates touch into the input Inkscape expects. A tap with one finger acts as a left click, and sliding one finger moves the pointer around the canvas. Pinching zooms, while pressing and holding and then sliding one finger pans the view, which is the gesture you will want when you are zoomed in on a detail. Two fingers sliding up and down scrolls.

The right-click equivalent is a tap with two fingers. When you need to type, a tap on the screen brings up a row of icons, and the keyboard icon in that row opens the on-screen keyboard.

Files, scaling and the rest of the setup

File handling is one of the more thoughtful parts of the arrangement. Your home directory contains links to places like Documents and Pictures, so the editor can reach files stored elsewhere on the device.

Desktop scaling is adjustable, but not from inside the editor. You change it through the settings on the app's service notification, and the change only takes effect after you stop and restart the app. That is a small piece of housekeeping worth knowing before you start a drawing session, rather than discovering it halfway through one.

The developer is upfront that the experience is easier on a tablet and with a stylus, while noting that a phone and a bare finger can work too. The underlying program was built for a large screen with precise pointing, so that ranking of devices makes sense.

What it asks of you

The price is $1.99, paid once, with no ads and no in-app purchases attached. The developer also notes that if the cost is a problem, or you would rather not pay it, Inkscape can be run through the UserLAnd app instead. That is an unusual thing to find in a paid app, and it gives you a genuine alternative to weigh.

The bigger cost is not money but familiarity. Inky does not simplify Inkscape into a mobile tool; it hands you the desktop program and a set of gestures to operate it. Anyone coming to it cold will be learning both a complex vector editor and a translation layer at the same time, and the gestures for panning, scrolling and right-clicking are worth committing to memory early.

I would read that combination as a sign that the concept attracts interest while the touch experience does not satisfy everyone who tries it.

Getting comfortable with the gestures

The practical advice included with the app is worth treating as a short manual. Learn the mapping before you open a real project: one finger to click, one finger sliding to move the pointer, a pinch to zoom, a press-and-hold slide to pan, two fingers sliding to scroll and a two-finger tap for a right click. Getting these into muscle memory is the difference between fighting the app and using it.

Work at a comfortable zoom level and pan rather than trying to tap precisely on a crowded canvas, since a misplaced click in a vector editor can select the wrong object or start an unintended action. If the interface feels cramped or oversized, adjust the desktop scaling from the service notification and restart the app so the setting takes hold.

Set up your file access early as well. Because the home directory links to Documents, Pictures and similar locations, you can decide where your working files live once and then open them directly, without shuffling copies in and out of the app. The developer's own recommendation of a tablet and a stylus is the setup I would aim for if you have the choice; a phone works, but the screen leaves little room for Inkscape's panels and toolbars.

A tool for people who already know Inkscape

Inky is a narrow app with a clear purpose, and it is best judged on whether that purpose matches your situation. If you already use Inkscape and want to open and edit SVG work on a tablet, the appeal is obvious: the same editor, the same file formats and direct access to your existing folders.

If you are new to vector editing, or you want a drawing app that feels native to a touchscreen, the learning curve is steep by design. The gestures are documented and learnable, but they sit on top of a desktop program, not in place of it.

My recommendation is to install Inky if you know Inkscape and have a tablet, ideally with a stylus, and you want your vector work available away from your computer. If you are unsure whether the touch approach will suit you, the free route through UserLAnd lets you find out before spending anything.

What's new in version 26.08.21

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