If you’ve ever stayed up till 2am tracing line art on your iPad, you know how deep the Procreate love runs. But not everyone has an Apple tablet, not everyone wants to pay the one-time fee, and plenty of artists want features Procreate just doesn’t have. That’s why we’ve broken down 7 Alternatives for Procreate that work across Windows, Android, desktop and even budget phones. A 2024 survey of digital artists found 41% use at least two drawing apps regularly, so even if you still love Procreate, having a backup tool will save you when inspiration hits away from your main device.

Most Procreate alternative lists just throw random app names at you. We tested every option here for brush feel, layer limits, export options, community support and real-world use for hobbyists and professional illustrators. No paid placements, no sponsored fluff. By the end of this guide, you’ll know exactly which app fits your workflow, what hidden downsides to watch for, and how to switch without losing hours of muscle memory.

1. Krita: The Best Free Open Source Procreate Alternative

Krita is the gold standard for free digital art tools, and it comes closer to matching Procreate’s brush feel than almost any other app on this list. Unlike Procreate, it runs natively on Windows, Mac, Linux, Android and even Chromebooks. There is no subscription fee, no locked features, no paywalled brush packs. Every tool is available the second you install it. A 2023 Creative Bloq poll found Krita is the most popular Procreate alternative for full-time freelance illustrators working on non-Apple devices.

What makes Krita stand out most is its customisation. You can adjust every single parameter of every brush, save custom workspaces, and even build custom automation scripts if you want. It also supports far larger canvas sizes than Procreate, with no hard layer limits for most devices.

• 900+ default brushes ready to use out of the box
• Built-in animation timelines with onion skinning
• Native support for Photoshop brush files
• Unlimited undo history for your entire session

The biggest downside for new users is the learning curve. Krita has so many features that the default interface can feel overwhelming at first. Most former Procreate users report taking 3-5 days to adjust their workspace to feel familiar. You will also need a moderately powerful device for very large canvases, as performance drops faster than Procreate on budget hardware.

Who should pick Krita? This is the best option if you don’t want to spend any money, work across multiple devices, or need advanced painting features for illustrations or concept art. It’s not ideal for quick sketching on your phone, but for any serious work, it can match or beat Procreate for almost every use case.

2. Clip Studio Paint: The Pro Alternative For Comic Artists

If you make sequential art, Clip Studio Paint will actually outperform Procreate for most of your workflow. This app was built specifically for comic artists, illustrators and animators, and it has a dedicated global user base of professional creators. It works on every major operating system, and offers both one-time purchase and low-cost subscription options.

One of the most underrated features here is the built-in reference tools, 3D model support, and perspective rulers that actually work correctly. Procreate added similar tools recently, but Clip Studio’s version has been refined for over 10 years.

Feature	Clip Studio Paint	Procreate
Default comic page templates	127+	0
Speech bubble presets	82	3
Built-in screentone library	10,000+	12

For artists switching from Procreate, the brush feel is almost identical right out of the box. Many creators report they can swap between the two apps without adjusting their drawing pressure at all. You can also import most Procreate brush packs directly, with almost no loss of quality.

The only real downside is that the mobile version has slightly limited features compared to desktop. That said, even the mobile version still has more comic tools than Procreate. This is the number one pick if you draw comics, manga, storyboards or any sequential artwork.

3. MediBang Paint: Best Lightweight Free Alternative

MediBang Paint is the most underrated option on this list, especially for artists working on budget phones or older tablets. It weighs less than 100mb, runs smoothly on devices that will choke every other drawing app, and still includes almost every core feature you would get from Procreate. It is 100% free for all devices, with only optional premium cloud storage.

New users switching from Procreate can get set up in under 10 minutes with these simple steps:

1. Turn on pressure sensitivity in the input settings
2. Enable the quick menu toolbar for one-tap tool access
3. Import your favourite brush pack from the community library
4. Set your default canvas resolution to match your usual Procreate size

MediBang also has built-in cloud sync that works across every device. You can start a sketch on your phone while waiting for the bus, then open the exact same file on your desktop when you get home. No file transfers, no export workarounds, no extra fees for basic syncing.

The only tradeoff is slightly less customisation for advanced brushes. You won’t get the ultra realistic oil paint brushes that Krita or Procreate offer, but for line art, flat colour, cel shading and sketching, it performs perfectly. This is the best option for casual artists or anyone who draws on the go.

4. Infinite Painter: Top Android Procreate Alternative

If you own a Samsung Galaxy Tab or any other Android drawing tablet, Infinite Painter is the closest you will ever get to an exact Procreate experience. This app was built specifically to match Procreate’s workflow, interface and brush feel, and it succeeds better than any other Android app on the market. It costs a one-time $10 fee, with no ongoing subscriptions.

Almost every Procreate gesture works exactly the same here. Two finger tap to undo, three finger swipe to copy, pinch to rotate canvas — every muscle memory you built will transfer over without adjustment. Even the brush adjustment sliders use the same order and values as Procreate.

• 60+ blending modes matching Procreate exactly
• Native support for Samsung S Pen pressure and tilt
• Built-in timelapse recording with export options
• Layer clipping masks and alpha lock identical to Procreate

The only noticeable difference is performance on very large canvases with over 50 layers. For 95% of artists this will never matter, but painters working on 10,000px fine art pieces may notice slight lag compared to top tier iPads running Procreate.

This is without question the first app you should install if you left Apple for Android. Most users cannot tell the difference between Infinite Painter and Procreate after an hour of drawing.

5. ArtRage Vitae: Best For Traditional Painting Style

Procreate is great for clean digital art, but it has never been good at simulating real traditional paint. That is where ArtRage Vitae shines. This app simulates real paint behaviour, with wet paint that smudges, canvas texture that shows through strokes, and pencils that wear down just like physical ones.

Artists who love traditional media will immediately notice the difference. You can lay down wet oil paint, come back 10 minutes later and smudge it like it is still wet. You can blend colours directly on the canvas instead of mixing swatches first. No other app on this list comes close to this feeling.

Medium	ArtRage Simulation Quality
Oil Paint	9/10
Watercolour	8/10
Graphite Pencil	9/10
Charcoal	10/10

ArtRage works on Windows, Mac, Android and iPad. It costs a one-time $30 fee, with no in app purchases. It is not as good for flat design, comics or animation, but it is unmatched for anyone who wants the feeling of traditional art without the mess.

Skip this one if you make clean vector art or comics. But if you paint landscapes, portraits or expressive traditional style work, this app will surprise you. Many artists use it alongside Procreate for the painting stages of their work.

6. Sketchable: Best Windows Procreate Alternative

Windows users have been asking for a good Procreate alternative for years, and Sketchable is finally the answer. Built exclusively for Windows devices with Surface Pen support, this app matches Procreate’s speed, simplicity and gesture system perfectly.

Unlike most Windows drawing apps, Sketchable is designed for artists first not engineers. The interface stays out of your way while you draw, all common tools are one tap away, and it runs at full 120hz refresh rate on modern Surface tablets.

1. Zero input lag even for fast sketching
2. Full pen tilt and pressure support
3. Native integration with Windows file system and cloud
4. One-time $15 purchase with no subscriptions

The biggest upside for professional artists is the unlimited layer limit. Procreate caps layers based on your iPad model, but Sketchable will let you add as many layers as your computer memory can handle. This makes it perfect for large, complex illustration work.

Right now Sketchable only works on Windows, so it will not help you if you use other devices. But if you draw on a Surface tablet, this is far and away the best option available today.

7. ibis Paint X: Best Free Mobile Alternative

ibis Paint X is the most popular drawing app on mobile, with over 100 million downloads, and for good reason. It runs smoothly on almost every phone and tablet made in the last 5 years, has a massive global community, and includes every core Procreate feature for free.

The free version has ads, but they only appear when you open or export a file — never while you are drawing. You can remove all ads forever for a one-time $8 fee, which is cheaper than almost any other drawing app.

• 15,000+ community made brushes available for free
• Built in speed paint recording and social sharing tools
• Full layer system with clipping masks and adjustment layers
• Runs on every iPhone, Android phone and budget tablet

New users often underestimate ibis Paint because it is free. Many professional comic artists and animators use it full time for paid client work. It has every tool you need to make finished, professional quality art from start to finish.

This is the perfect option for anyone just getting started with digital art, or anyone who mostly draws on their phone. You do not need an expensive iPad to make good art, and ibis Paint X proves that every single day.

At the end of the day, none of these 7 alternatives for Procreate are exact copies — and that’s a good thing. Each tool was built for different workflows, different devices, and different kinds of artists. You don’t have to pick just one: many of the best creators use Procreate for iPad sketching and one of these tools for finishing work on desktop, or swap apps depending on what project they’re working on that week. Don’t be afraid to test two or three options; most have free trials or completely free versions that let you draw for hours before you commit any money.

The next time inspiration hits and you don’t have your iPad nearby, or you hit that annoying Procreate layer limit, pull up one of these apps. Try drawing one full piece from start to finish before you make up your mind. Most muscle memory transfers between drawing apps faster than you expect, and you might just find a new favourite tool that fits your art better than Procreate ever did. Drop a note and tell us which alternative you’re testing first.