Procreate
by Savage Interactive
Procreate is a paid digital illustration and painting app made exclusively for iPad.
- Price
- $12.99 one-time
- Runs on
- iPadOS
- Rating
- ★ 4.4 on the App Store (51K ratings)
ibis Paint X
by ibis
ibis Paint X is a free, ad-supported drawing and animation app for iPhone, iPad and Android with a huge online library of brushes and materials.
- Price
- Free with ads; Premium $4.49/month or ad removal $15.99
- Runs on
- iOS, iPadOS, Android
- Rating
- ★ 4.7 on the App Store (298K ratings)
Key differences
Only Procreate has
- Ad-free
Only ibis Paint X has
- Free version: Yes, ad-supported
Feature comparison
| Feature | Procreate |
ibis Paint X |
|---|---|---|
| Price and platforms | ||
| Price | $12.99 one-time | Free with ads; Premium $4.49/month or ad removal $15.99 |
| Free version | No, paid upfront | Yes, ad-supported |
| Subscription | None | Optional Premium membership |
| Ad-free | Yes | No, ads unless removed for $15.99 |
| No account needed | Yes | Not advertised |
| iPad | Yes | Yes |
| iPhone | Separate app, Procreate Pocket ($5.99) | Yes, same app |
| Mac | No, iPad only | Not advertised |
| Android and Chromebook | Not advertised | Yes |
| Brushes | ||
| Built-in brushes | 300+ | 130,000+ |
| Brush customization | Brush Studio, 100+ settings | Customizable brushes |
| Brush import | Procreate and Photoshop (.abr) brushes | Online brush library |
| Apple Pencil | Pressure and tilt | Supported |
| Comics and manga | ||
| Comic panel layouts | Page Assist for comic pages | Not advertised |
| Screentones | Halftone filter | 46 screentones |
| Text and lettering | Vector text, custom fonts | 3,000+ fonts |
| Layers and editing | ||
| Layer limit | Depends on canvas size and device | Not advertised |
| Blend modes | 25+ | 27 |
| Masks | Layer and clipping masks | Clipping |
| Adjustments and filters | Curves, Color Balance, HSB, Gradient Map, blurs, Bloom, Glitch, Halftone, applied to the layer | 86 image filters |
| Selection tools | Automatic, freehand, rectangle, ellipse | Selection tools |
| Liquify and distortion | Liquify and Warp | Not advertised |
| Clone tool | Yes | Not advertised |
| Drawing aids | ||
| Symmetry | Vertical, horizontal, quadrant, radial | Symmetry and radial rulers |
| Perspective guides | 1, 2 and 3-point, isometric, 2D grid | Not advertised |
| Shape correction | QuickShape | Shape and vector tools |
| Gradients | Gradient Map adjustment | Not advertised |
| Paintable materials | Not advertised | Not advertised |
| Seamless patterns | Not advertised | Not advertised |
| Extras | ||
| Animation | Frame-by-frame with Animation Assist | Frame-by-frame, with music and audio |
| 3D painting | Yes | Not advertised |
| Timelapse | Yes, export up to 4K | Yes |
| Live collaboration | Not advertised | Not advertised |
| Generative AI | None. Procreate has pledged never to add it | No image generation; AI Disturbance protects art from AI training |
| Files | ||
| Photoshop PSD | Import and export | Not advertised |
| Export formats | PSD, TIFF, PNG, JPEG, PDF, GIF, MP4, OBJ, USDZ | Images and timelapse video |
| CMYK and print | CMYK color profiles | Not advertised |
| App Store | ||
| Rating | 4.4 / 5 (51K ratings) | 4.7 / 5 (298K ratings) |
| Last updated | September 18, 2026 | September 29, 2026 |
| Languages | 17 | 18 |
Price
Procreate costs $12.99 upfront, while ibis Paint X is free to download.
Procreate costs $12.99 once on the App Store, with no subscription and no in-app purchases. There is no free version or trial, so you pay before you draw.
ibis Paint X is free with ads. Ads can be removed for $15.99 once, or Premium membership, which adds extra features and materials, costs $4.49 a month or $27.99 a year on the US App Store.
Platforms
Both run on iPad. Only ibis Paint X runs on iPhone and Android.
Procreate is made for iPad only. On iPhone you need Procreate Pocket, a separate $5.99 app, and Procreate does not list versions for Mac, Windows or Android.
ibis Paint X is one app for iPhone and iPad, and it is also available on Android.
Brushes
Procreate ships with more than 300 brushes and Brush Studio, which exposes over 100 settings per brush. It imports Photoshop .abr brushes as well as Procreate brushes, and third-party Procreate brush packs are sold all over the web.
ibis Paint X advertises more than 130,000 brushes along with 30,000+ materials and 46 screentones, which makes it one of the biggest brush collections of any drawing app.
Comics and manga
Procreate has Page Assist for laying out multi-page comics and a Halftone filter, and many artists add third-party panel templates and screentone brushes.
ibis Paint X is popular for manga, with 46 screentones, more than 3,000 fonts for lettering and a large online library of inking brushes.
Layers and editing
Procreate: Layers come with layer masks, clipping masks and 25+ blend modes, and the number of layers depends on your canvas size and device. Adjustments such as Curves, Gradient Map and Gaussian Blur are applied directly to a layer rather than kept as separate adjustment layers.
ibis Paint X: It offers 27 layer blend modes, clipping, 86 image filters, vector tools and a reference window, which is a lot of power for a free app.
Drawing tools and extras
Procreate: Drawing aids include QuickShape, symmetry, 1, 2 and 3-point perspective and isometric guides, and vector text. Procreate also has frame-by-frame animation with Animation Assist, 3D painting on imported models, and a timelapse you can export in 4K.
ibis Paint X: Drawing aids include radial and symmetry rulers. ibis Paint X also does frame-by-frame animation with music and audio, records a timelapse, and has an AI Disturbance feature meant to protect your art from AI training.
Which should you choose?
Choose Procreate if
- You rely on third-party Procreate or Photoshop brush packs
- You want to paint directly on 3D models
- You prefer one upfront price to a subscription
- You need PDF, GIF, MP4 or 3D model export
Choose ibis Paint X if
- You want a huge library of brushes, materials and fonts
- You want a powerful free app and do not mind ads
- You also draw on an Android phone or tablet
- You mostly draw on a phone
Frequently asked questions
Is Procreate better than ibis Paint X?
Neither is better for everyone. Procreate is the better pick if you rely on third-party Procreate or Photoshop brush packs, or you want to paint directly on 3D models. ibis Paint X suits you better if you want a huge library of brushes, materials and fonts, or you want a powerful free app and do not mind ads.
Is Procreate free?
No. Procreate costs $12.99 once on the App Store, with no subscription and no free version. The iPhone version, Procreate Pocket, is a separate $5.99 purchase.
Is ibis Paint X free?
Yes, ibis Paint X is free with ads. You can remove ads for $15.99 once, or subscribe to Premium for $4.49 a month or $27.99 a year for extra features and materials.
Which works on iPhone, Procreate or ibis Paint X?
Procreate has a separate iPhone app, Procreate Pocket ($5.99). ibis Paint X runs on iPhone in the same app as on iPad.
Do Procreate and ibis Paint X work on Android?
Procreate does not list an Android version. ibis Paint X has an Android version.
Do Procreate or ibis Paint X use generative AI?
Procreate has publicly pledged never to add generative AI to its apps. ibis Paint X does not advertise AI image generation, and its AI Disturbance feature is designed to make your artwork harder for AI to learn from.
Sources
Facts checked on October 2, 2026. Prices are from the US App Store, and features from each app's listing and official site. Apps change often, so check the App Store for current prices and features. Procreate and ibis Paint X are trademarks of their respective owners. App icons come from each app's App Store listing and belong to their owners. Paintrix Studio is not affiliated with the makers of Procreate and ibis Paint X.