Procreate is a raster painting app built around the iPad and the Apple Pencil, and its brush engine is the reason illustrators keep choosing it over desktop suites. Layers, blend modes, selection tools, and a timelapse recorder all come with a single purchase, which has become unusual enough to count as a feature. It suits illustrators, concept artists, and anyone sketching on a tablet.
Who it is for
Illustrators and concept artists working primarily on an iPad.
Key features
- Customisable brush engine with pressure
- Layer modes and clipping masks
- Timelapse recording of the canvas
- QuickShape for clean geometry
- Exports PSD, PNG, and PDF
Where it falls short
There is no desktop version and no vector tools, so anything destined to become a scalable logo or a print-ready CMYK file has to be redrawn elsewhere.
Pricing
One-time purchase per platform; no subscription, and major version updates have historically been free.
Prices move; the tier structure is the part that stays true. Check current pricing on Procreate.
Alternatives to Procreate
Frequently asked
How much does Procreate cost?
Procreate is paid software. One-time purchase per platform; no subscription, and major version updates have historically been free.
What is Procreate best for?
Illustrators and concept artists working primarily on an iPad.
What are the best alternatives to Procreate?
The closest substitutes we list are Canva, Photopea and Blender. They sit in a similar price bracket but make a different trade-off, so read the weaknesses section of each review before switching.
Which platforms does Procreate run on?
Procreate is available on iOS.