15 Best Procreate Alternatives

In your quest for the ideal digital art software, understanding your options beyond Procreate can significantly enhance your creative workflow.

While Procreate holds a coveted spot among iPad aficionados, the digital art landscape is teeming with alternatives that cater to a spectrum of needs, preferences, and platforms.

From architects crafting precise sketches to illustrators dreaming up whimsical worlds, exploring Procreate alternatives opens up a realm of possibilities.

Armed with your digital pen and the diverse array of Procreate brushes, let’s delve into 15 of the top Procreate alternatives, each offering unique tools and features to enrich your artistic expression.

_{^{1. Adobe Fresco}}

Designed for illustrators and graphic designers, Adobe Fresco offers a rich set of vector and raster brushes, along with unique live brushes that mimic watercolor and oil paints beautifully. It’s available on iPad, Windows, and iPhone.

Pros: Wide range of brushes, integration with Adobe Creative Cloud, live brushes for realistic watercolor and oil effects.

Cons: Requires a Creative Cloud subscription for full access, might be complex for beginners.

Price: Free with in-app purchases; full features require an Adobe Creative Cloud subscription starting at $9.99/month.

_{^{2. Autodesk SketchBook}}

A professional-grade drawing app that’s free for everyone, SketchBook offers a minimalist interface and powerful drawing tools. It’s available across multiple platforms, including iOS, Android, and Windows.

Pros: User-friendly interface, comprehensive brush library, cross-platform compatibility.

Cons: Less advanced compared to some professional tools.

Price: Free.

_{^{3. Clip Studio Paint}}

Favored by comic and manga artists, Clip Studio Paint boasts advanced drawing, coloring, and text tools perfect for detailed frame-by-frame storytelling. It’s available on iOS, Windows, and macOS.

Pros: Advanced comic and manga tools, 3D model import capability, robust brush engine.

Cons: Steeper learning curve, subscription model on iPad.

Price: Pro version $49.99 (one-time purchase for desktop), EX version $219 (one-time for desktop); iPad version starts at $4.49/month.

^{_{4. Adobe Photoshop}}

While known for photo editing, Photoshop also offers robust digital painting tools, making it a powerful option for artists. It’s available on iPad and desktop platforms.

Pros: Industry-standard for photo editing and digital art, extensive features, and tools.

Cons: Complex for beginners, subscription-based pricing.

Price: Requires Adobe Creative Cloud subscription, starting at $9.99/month.

_{^{5. Corel Painter}}

Corel Painter is a digital art suite favored by professionals, known for its realistic brush simulation and extensive toolset. It’s available on Windows and macOS.

Pros: Realistic brush simulation, extensive toolset, customization options.

Cons: Pricey, may be overwhelming for beginners.

Price: $429 (one-time purchase), with occasional discounts and a free trial available.

^{_{6. Krita}}

A free and open-source application, Krita is designed for concept artists, illustrators, matte and texture artists, and the VFX industry. It’s available on Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Pros: Open-source and free, comprehensive brush library, supports animation.

Cons: Performance can lag on older hardware, less polished UI.

Price: Free.

_{^{7. Affinity Designer}}

While primarily a vector graphic design program, Affinity Designer offers excellent pixel art tools, making it a versatile choice for designers and artists. It’s available on iOS, Windows, and macOS.

Pros: Powerful vector and raster tools, one-time purchase, cross-platform compatibility.

Cons: Fewer brush customization options compared to Procreate.

Price: $54.99 (one-time purchase for desktop), iPad version is $21.99.

_{^{8. ArtRage}}

ArtRage focuses on mimicking traditional painting and drawing mediums with a range of tools that feel incredibly natural. It’s available on iOS, Windows, and macOS.

Pros: Natural painting tools, easy-to-use interface, realistic paint blending.

Cons: Limited text tools, fewer updates.

Price: Starts at $47 (one-time purchase), with a mobile version available at a lower cost.

_{^{9. MediBang Paint}}

A lightweight digital painting and comic creation software, MediBang Paint is known for its simplicity and ease of use, along with cloud-sharing capabilities. It’s available on iOS, Android, Windows, and macOS.

Pros: Lightweight, cloud saving, great for comic book artists.

Cons: Ads in the free version, less intuitive UI.

Price: Free with ads; Pro version available with a subscription model.

_{^{10. Infinite Painter}}

With a sophisticated brush engine and a streamlined interface, Infinite Painter is a strong contender, offering advanced features for illustrators. It’s available on iOS and Android.

Pros: Advanced brush engine, intuitive interface, great for concept art.

Cons: The Android version is more advanced than iOS, learning curve for advanced features.

Price: Free with in-app purchases; full version pricing varies by platform.

_{^{11. PaintTool SAI}}

Popular among anime and manga artists for its simplicity and ease of use, PaintTool SAI offers basic tools and functionalities for digital painting. It’s available on Windows.

Pros: Lightweight and fast, easy to learn, great for manga and anime art.

Cons: Windows only, limited update frequency.

Price: Approximately $50.81 (one-time purchase).

_{^{12. Procreate Pocket}}

Designed specifically for iPhone, Procreate Pocket brings many of Procreate’s powerful features to a smaller screen, making it a great portable option.

Pros: Procreate experience optimized for iPhone, nearly all features of the iPad version.

Cons: Limited by the smaller screen size, no Apple Pencil support.

Price: $4.99 (one-time purchase).

_{^{13. ibis Paint X}}

A versatile drawing app that offers a variety of drawing features, including more than 8000 brushes, ibis Paint X is designed for manga and anime drawing and is available on iOS and Android.

Pros: Extensive brush collection, community features, good for manga and anime.

Cons: Many features behind ads or in-app purchases, can feel cluttered.

Price: Free with ads; $8.99 for the ad-free version.

_{^{14. Concepts}}

An advanced sketching and design app favored for its vector-based drawing tools, Concepts is great for architects, designers, and illustrators. It’s available on iOS, Windows, and Android.

Pros: Vector-based with infinite canvas, customizable brushes, and precision tools for design.

Cons: Best features require a subscription, and can be complex for pure artists.

Price: Free with in-app purchases; Essentials Pack is $9.99, and a subscription starts at $4.99/month.

_{^{15. Tayasui Sketches}}

Known for its beautiful and intuitive interface, Tayasui Sketches offers a range of artistic tools that mimic real-life drawing experiences. It’s available on iOS and macOS.

Pros: Beautiful interface, good balance of simplicity and power, realistic brushes.

Cons: Pro features are required for full functionality, and fewer advanced features.

Price: Free with in-app purchases; Pro version is $5.99.

_^Conclusion

Each of these Procreate alternatives brings something unique to the table, from platform compatibility and pricing to specialized tools and features. 

Depending on your specific needs, preferred devices, and artistic goals, one of these alternatives might just be the perfect fit for your digital art journey.