Procreate
An app that turns your iPad and Apple Pencil into a full art studio.
What Procreate does
Procreate is a painting and drawing app for iPad. You pay $12.99 once and get the whole thing: hundreds of brushes, layers, simple animation and time-lapse replays of your work. It needs an iPad, and it works best with an Apple Pencil.
Procreate is the app a lot of people picture when they hear "drawing on an iPad." It feels fast and responsive, and the brush library covers pencils, inks, paints and textures. You can tweak any brush in Brush Studio or import Photoshop brushes you already own.
Layers work the way you would expect from desktop software, with masks, groups and more than 25 blend modes. Helpers like StreamLine smooth shaky lines, QuickShape cleans up circles and straight lines, and perspective and symmetry guides keep things in place.
It also does more than still pictures. You can make short frame-by-frame animations with onion skinning, paint on 3D models, and export a time-lapse of your whole drawing. Files go out as PSD, PNG, PDF, GIF or MP4.
The catch is the hardware. Procreate only runs on iPad, so if you draw on an iPhone you need Procreate Pocket, and on Android you need something else entirely.
Alternatives to Procreate
Who it's for
Skip it if: Anyone on Android, Windows or a Chromebook. People who want a free app to try drawing first.
Pricing
Procreate costs $12.99 once on the App Store. There is no subscription, no free version and no in-app purchases listed.
Prices can vary by country. Checked 19 Oct 2026.
What people like
- Pay once, no subscription
- Deep brush and layer tools
- Fast and smooth with an Apple Pencil
- Exports to the formats other apps use
Watch out for
- iPad only
- No free version or trial
- Animation tools are basic next to dedicated animation apps
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Questions people ask
Is Procreate free?
No. It is a one-time $12.99 purchase on the iPad App Store, with no subscription.
Does Procreate work on iPhone or Android?
The main app is iPad only. On iPhone there is a separate app, Procreate Pocket. There is no Android version.
Do I need an Apple Pencil for Procreate?
You can draw with your finger, but the app is built for Apple Pencil pressure and tilt, so a pencil makes a big difference.
Can Procreate animate?
Yes, for short frame-by-frame animations and GIFs. For longer animations with sound, the same team makes Procreate Dreams.