Procreate review
A focused iPad art app with deep painting, animation, and 3D tools.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Procreate is a raster-based digital art application for iPad artists, illustrators, and creative professionals. Its toolkit covers sketching, painting, illustration, animation, presentation-oriented page layouts, and 3D model painting. Apple Pencil support, layered artwork, color and adjustment tools, vector text, time-lapse recording, and broad file-format support make it particularly suitable for artists who want a focused iPad workspace rather than a general desktop design suite.
The strongest part of Procreate is the depth of its drawing and painting feature set. More than 300 handcrafted brushes can be customized through Brush Studio, while the layer system includes masks, groups, and blend modes. QuickShape, Drawing Assist, StreamLine, and stroke stabilization support controlled mark-making. Animation Assist adds frame-by-frame animation with onion skinning, and Page Assist supports multi-page documents, comics, and concept decks. Artists can also paint and add texture to USDZ and OBJ models, with tools including Warp, Symmetry, Liquify, filters, and image adjustments.
Its ecosystem fit is clear and focused: the app runs on iOS, works with Apple Pencil and iCloud Drive, and supports Adobe Photoshop PSD files. Import and export options also include PDF, PNG, TIFF, OBJ, USDZ, GIF, and MP4, while time-lapse recording supports 4K export. Procreate is distributed as a one-time purchase rather than a subscription, which suits buyers who prefer a single paid app. Choose it for iPad illustration, digital painting, animation, and 3D texture work; choose another option if desktop access or broader platform coverage is essential.
Procreate pros and cons
- Where it wins
- Over 300 customizable brushes with Brush Studio
- Advanced layers, masks, groups, and blend modes
- Animation, 3D painting, and broad export format support
- Where it doesn't
- Available only on iOS
- No free plan
- Not suited to desktop-first workflows
Procreate fact sheet, pricing and score →
Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.
Last updated · How we research and update