iPad is the perfect digital device for artists and designers. All they need to do is to find the best drawing apps for iPad from the list below.
If you own an iPad, you can forget the traditional method that involves pencil and paper. Instead, you can draw and sketch on this device with equal convenience and flexibility. But, you need to have a robust drawing app for iPad.
There are numerous drawing apps available for iPad that can make you go lost. Don’t worry as we’ll share the list of the best apps for drawing on iPad.
Best Drawing Apps for iPad (Paid)
1. Procreate

Procreate is a powerful creative app for both professionals and aspiring artists.
- Ultra HD canvas with support for 8Kx16K
- Customizable frame-by-frame animation
- 100+ personalization options for brushes
- A full-featured layering system
- 2D and 3D coloring and designer tools
To get this best drawing app for iPad, you need to make a one-time payment of $12.99.
Download: Procreate
2. Astropad Standard

Astropad Standard comes with a fantastic feature of letting you draw on your Mac using an iPad.
- Offers unprecedented image quality
- Accurate palm rejection & true Retina resolution
- Supports 60 FPS even over Wi-Fi
- Customizable shortcuts for quick tasks
This multilingual drawing app will cost you $29.99, and you have to pay it only once.
Download: Astropad Standard
3. Affinity Designer 2

Affinity Designer 2 is an iOS16-ready app that comes with a refined interface.
- Optimized iPad gesture control for a touch-focused experience
- Knife too, shape builder tool, and vector wrap
- Unlimited artboards with linked symbols and constraints
- Flow text, zoom at 120fpsm and live pixel preview
This app is a paid app that’ll cost you $11.99 but comes with a 30-day free trial. So, you can try this best drawing app for iPad for free before purchasing.
Download: Affinity Designer 2
4. ArtRage Vitae
ArtRage Vitae is a premium painting app where you can do delicate watercolor painting, realistic color blending, and oil paint mixing.
- 4096 x 4096 Canvas resolution for all devices
- Unlimited layers with visibility control and standard blend
- Airbrush, oil brush, paint roller, paint tube, glitter tube, and crayon
- Texture and color control
This drawing app for iPad is highly affordable — it’ll cost only $4.99 once.
Download: ArtRage Vitae
Best Free Drawing Apps for iPad
5. Adobe Illustrator

Adobe Illustrator is all you need to create illustrations, graphics, and logos on your iPad.
- Pen, Pencil, and Brush tools to draw naturally
- Smart Delete, Simplify Path for pinpoint editing
- A comprehensive typing toolkit with 18,000+ fonts
- Drag and drop colors for diffused color blending
- Supports file sync and Photoshop import
This free tool comes with various in-app purchase options, starting at $9.99.
Download: Adobe Illustrator
6. Paper by WeTransfer

Whether you want to sketch, draw, paint, or collage, Paper by WeTransfer has all the perfectly-tuned tools.
- A toolkit containing pen, pencil, and eraser
- Two-tap rewind feature for undoing actions
- Supports multiple languages, including English, French, and Spanish
The in-app purchases of this free iPad drawing app start at $1.99.
Download: Paper by WeTransfer
7. Sketchbook
Sketchbook is considered one of the best drawing apps for iPad that helps you draw, sketch, and paint.
- Professional-grade and customizable tools
- App availability in multiple languages
- Pencils markers, airbrushes, smear, ruler, and stroke tools
- Color harmonies and custom gradients
- Layer grouping and layer masking
To enjoy premium features, you need to purchase the premium bundle.
Download: Autodesk Sketchbook
8. Concepts

If you use the Concepts app on your iPad, you get a flexible whiteboard to doodle and sketch as you like.
- A canvas sketchbook with numerous skins and grids
- Various realistic pencils, pens, and brushes
- COPIC color wheel
- Vector object libraries that sync across devices
- Adjustable opacity and unlimited layers
- Quick sharing via email, text, or cloud apps
- Edit, move, or organize vector-based sketching
It also offers some in-app purchases, starting at $3.99.
Download: Concepts
9. Assembly
With Assembly, you can arrange your ideas on the infinite canvas and illustrate them with multiple layers.
- Copy and rotate shapes and groups
- Facility to sync actress devices via iCloud account
- 1000+ shapes with easy shape placement
- 35 built-in color palettes
- Option to create custom color palettes
- Point editing and nested grouping
The in-app purchase of this free app starts at $1.99.
Download: Assembly
10. Comic Draw
If you’re into creating comics, Comic Draw is one of the best drawing apps for iPad.
- 34 bundled brushes with customization options
- Layer groups, layer blend, locking and merging layers
- Color blocking and share adjustment
- Customizable multiple bundled color palettes
- Supports pressure-sensitive styluses from Adonit & Wacom
This free version of this drawing tool for iPad offers only the basic features. You need to make in-app purchases to use all the premium features.
Download: Comic Draw
11. Art Set 4
Art Set 4 is one of the best free drawing apps for iPad that comes with hyper-realistic tools for advanced artistic digital drawings and paintings.
- 200 advanced and premium brushes for basic and 3D texture
- Split screen feature for multitasking
- User-editable palette and color wheel
- Supports watercolors, oil paint, oil pastel, blenders, biro pen, and wax crayon
- Blur filter and metallic color
Download: Art Set 4
12. iPastels
iPastels is a drawing app for iPad that any artist can use for painting or sketching.
- Full-screen painting and touch bar support
- Pattern editing mode
- Multiple layers and wide color
- Realistic paper/canvas textures
- Precise color blending
- Brushes and strokes for pastel simulation
You can upgrade to the pro version of this free drawing app for iPad at $4.99.
Download: iPastels
Conclusion
An iPad and a proficient app are all you need to create stunning drawings and paintings on digital canvas.
Here, you get the list of the best drawing apps for iPad. It contains free and paid drawing apps so that you can choose according to your budget and requirements.
Here is another post containing the solution to your iOS apps crash or won’t start problem.