Digital illustration app for iPad
Visit WebsiteThe Bottom Line
Entry price
From $12.99/mo
Biggest pro
Best iPad drawing app
Biggest con
iPad only
TL;DR - Procreate
- Procreate is a digital illustration app for iPad artists and designers
- It provides professional brushes, layers, and animation in a native app
- One-time purchase at $12.99 on the App Store
What is Procreate?
Available on: iOS
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Best iPad drawing app
- One-time purchase
- Professional features
- Great brushes
- Good performance
Cons
- iPad only
- Learning curve
- No subscription perks
- Limited animation
- Single-page focus
Ratings Across the Web
Procreate holds an aggregate rating of 4.8 out of 5 from 202 reviews across G2 and Capterra, last checked August 23, 2026.
Ratings aggregated from independent review platforms. Learn more
Key Features
Pricing Plans
Pricing checked Aug 23, 2026
Procreate (iPad)
$12.99/one-time
Full version for iPad
- All brushes & tools
- Unlimited layers
- Animation assist
- Time-lapse recording
- PSD import/export
- Lifetime updates
Procreate Pocket (iPhone)
$5.99/one-time
For iPhone
- Optimized for iPhone
- Core Procreate features
- Touch gestures
- All brush types
- Lifetime updates
Procreate Dreams
$12.99/one-time
Animation app
- 2D animation
- Storyboarding
- Scene management
- Audio support
- Export to video
Is Procreate worth the price?
Procreate at $12.99 one-time is the best value proposition in digital illustration, bar none.
No subscription, no in-app purchases, no feature tiers. You pay once and get every feature, every update, forever.
The app that professional illustrators, concept artists, and hobbyists use daily costs less than a single month of Adobe Illustrator. The only real cost is the iPad itself, Procreate is iPad-exclusive, so you need Apple hardware ($329-2,499) to use it.
But if you already own an iPad, $12.99 for a professional-grade illustration tool is absurd value.
Hidden Costs & Gotchas
iPad requirement
Procreate is iPad-exclusive. The cheapest compatible iPad is $329 (10th gen). For a professional experience with Apple Pencil 2, budget $449-799 (iPad Air or iPad Pro). This is the real cost, not the $12.99 app
Apple Pencil is sold separately
1st gen $99, 2nd gen $129, Apple Pencil Pro $129. Procreate works with finger input but Apple Pencil is essential for serious illustration
Procreate Pocket (iPhone) and Procreate Dreams (animation) are separate purchases, $5.99 and $19.99 respectively. Files sync via iCloud but each is a distinct app purchase
Brush packs from third-party creators cost $5-50 each. While Procreate includes 200+ brushes, professional illustrators typically buy 5-15 specialty packs over time, adding $50-200 to the total investment
No Windows, Android, or web version. If you switch from iPad to a Surface Pro or Android tablet, you lose access to Procreate. No cross-platform alternative exists with the same file format
Layer count is limited by iPad RAM
iPad 10th gen gets ~22 layers at 4K canvas, iPad Pro M4 gets 100+. For complex illustrations with many layers, you need a newer, more expensive iPad
iCloud storage for large Procreate files (500MB-2GB per complex illustration) can fill up quickly. Apple's free 5GB iCloud fills after 3-10 illustrations. Additional storage: $0.99-9.99/mo
No CMYK color mode for print work, Procreate works in RGB only. Print designers need to convert colors in another app, which can shift colors unpredictably
How Procreate Compares to Competitors
Adobe Fresco (free basic, $9.99/mo premium or included in CC) offers vector and raster brushes with live Adobe brush library sync. Fresco is better for artists who also use Photoshop and Illustrator, the ecosystem integration is seamless. But at $120/yr for premium vs Procreate's $12.99 one-time, the value proposition is dramatically worse for standalone use. Clip Studio Paint ($49.99 one-time or $2.49-7.49/mo) is the manga and comic art standard with dedicated panel tools, vector layers, and 3D pose models. Better than Procreate for comics and manga. Available on Windows, Mac, iPad, and Android, the cross-platform advantage. Affinity Designer 2 ($21.99 iPad, $69.99 desktop) is a vector illustration alternative with some raster capabilities. Better for graphic design and logo work. Procreate is better for freehand illustration and painting.
Krita (free, open source, desktop only) is the closest free alternative with professional painting tools. But it runs on desktop only, no iPad version, and the interface is more complex. For iPad artists, there is no free equivalent to Procreate.
How Procreate's pricing compares
At $12.99/mo, Procreate is mid-range of its 2 direct competitors ($4.99 to $169.99/mo across the set).
Entry paid plan, monthly. Pricing checked Aug 23, 2026.
Reviews
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Across 202 verified user reviews on Capterra, G2
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Procreate FAQ
How does Procreate support professional illustration workflows?
Which teams would benefit most from using Procreate?
How is Procreate priced?
Can Procreate be used on devices other than an iPad?
What kind of limitations does Procreate have compared to other digital art software?
How does Procreate compare to Clip Studio Paint for digital artists?
Source: procreate.com