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Head-to-head · Digital Painting Software

Procreate vs Adobe Fresco

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 1 check side by side
Higher score Procreate #3 in Digital Painting Software 9.1/10 Paid ✓ 0 of 4 features Visit Procreate
Adobe Fresco #6 in Digital Painting Software 8.8/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 0 of 4 features Visit Adobe Fresco

Procreate leads on 0 checks, Adobe Fresco on 1, and 0 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 1 yes/no, price and count check where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreProcreate · 9.1/10
  • Free planonly Adobe Fresco

Procreate scores higher on our rubric for digital painting software: 9.1 against 8.8 out of 10; our editors rank them #3 and #6.

Adobe Fresco offers free plan; Procreate doesn't.

Procreate is the better fit for iPad artists wanting a polished painting workflow. Adobe Fresco is the better fit for adobe users painting across desktop and iPad.

  • Procreate fits best

    iPad artists wanting a polished painting workflow

  • Adobe Fresco fits best

    Adobe users painting across desktop and iPad

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Side by side

Feature Procreate 9.1/10 Visit ↗ Adobe Fresco 8.8/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.1 8.8
Ranking #3 in Digital Painting Software #6 in Digital Painting Software
Best for iPad artists wanting a polished painting workflow Adobe users painting across desktop and iPad
Pricing model Paid Free
Starting price — Free
Free plan — ✓ (best)
Free trial — —
Deployment Mobile Desktop, Mobile
Platforms iOS Windows, iOS, macOS
Support Docs Community, Docs
Built for Solo, Small business Solo, Small business
Features Procreate 0/4 · Adobe Fresco 0/4
Brush customization Not checked yet Not checked yet
Layer support Not checked yet Not checked yet
Pressure sensitivity Not checked yet Not checked yet
Stroke stabilization Not checked yet Not checked yet
Specs
Supported platforms Not checked yet Not checked yet
Color management Not checked yet Not checked yet
Our review
Pros
  • Over 300 customizable brushes with Brush Studio
  • Animation, 3D painting, time-lapse, and layered artwork tools
  • Imports and exports PSD, PDF, PNG, TIFF, GIF, and MP4
  • Pixel, live, and vector brushes in one app
  • Unlimited layers, animation, symmetry, and vector tools
  • Cloud documents connect workflows across Photoshop and Illustrator
Cons
  • Available only on iOS
  • No free plan
  • No desktop app
  • The paid tier bundles Photoshop on iPad rather than Fresco alone
  • Free cloud storage is limited to 5 GB
  • Collaboration allows one collaborator to edit at a time
Our verdict

Procreate is a raster-based digital art application for iPad artists, illustrators, and creative professionals. Its workspace combines customizable brushes, layered artwork, color and adjustment tools, vector text, animation, time-lapse…

Read the review →

Adobe Fresco is a digital painting and drawing application for artists, illustrators, and other digital creators. It runs on supported Windows devices and iPhone or iPad, with touch and stylus workflows. Its toolset spans pixel, live, and…

Read the review →
  1. ProcreateDigital Painting Software 9.1Paid
  2. Adobe FrescoDigital Painting Software 8.8Free plan

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Procreate — where it wins

    • Over 300 customizable brushes with Brush Studio
    • Animation, 3D painting, time-lapse, and layered artwork tools
    • Imports and exports PSD, PDF, PNG, TIFF, GIF, and MP4

    Where it doesn't

    • Available only on iOS
    • No free plan
    • No desktop app
  • Adobe Fresco — where it wins

    • Pixel, live, and vector brushes in one app
    • Unlimited layers, animation, symmetry, and vector tools
    • Cloud documents connect workflows across Photoshop and Illustrator

    Where it doesn't

    • The paid tier bundles Photoshop on iPad rather than Fresco alone
    • Free cloud storage is limited to 5 GB
    • Collaboration allows one collaborator to edit at a time

More comparisons

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update