Apps which we’re going to cover in this piece are some of the best design tools that the iPad has to offer. They all offer something unique while addressing certain design functions for enthusiasts and professionals alike.
Since the introduction of the Apple Pencil in 2015, almost overnight the iPad went from being just a cool tablet to a designer powerhouse tool with many amazing apps to accommodate the newly introduced stylus, to follow.
Now, five years have passed and what we currently have are some really awesome, innovative, and uniquely designed apps that developers have had enough time to really work on, finding the best ways to utilize the combination of both generations of the Apple Pencil with the iPad.
The apps that we’re going to cover in this piece are some of the best design tools that the iPad has to offer.
They all offer something unique while addressing certain design functions for enthusiasts and professionals alike.
You’ll hopefully be able to discover something that can inspire you and/or perhaps having the possibility to be integrated into your already existing arsenal of tools. Also, don’t forget to check the article that covers another set of graphic design software that you can use from your PC.
As Dustin from ‘Stranger Things’ has said: “Why are you keeping this curiosity door locked?”
Let us unlock this ‘door’ together… Who knows what we’ll find inside!
Important disclosure: we’re proud affiliates of some tools mentioned in this guide. If you click an affiliate link and subsequently make a purchase, we will earn a small commission at no additional cost to you (you pay nothing extra).
Price: Free
Difficulty level: 6|10
Vectornator is a vector graphics design tool that will allow you to digitally create anything, depending on how far you’re willing to push your imagination.
This software is solid through-and-through when it comes to functionality and features, which resonates well with the fact that the more sophisticated designers can appreciate what this product has to offer.
Novice users can easily take up graphic design with Vectornator, due to its intuitive interface, access to tutorial videos, and a highly populated community and support, venturing into graphic design have never been easier.
Price: $19.99
Difficulty level: 8|10
Serif Labs’ Affinity Designer is an app based on the original desktop version of the product and is no less powerful and feature-packed than what you’d get on your PC.
This product aims to capture and provide professional graphic designers with a tool with which they can create anything from illustrations to UI/UX designs and so on, all while taking advantage of everything the iPad has to offer.
Besides the ability to simply ‘draw’ with a stylus or with your finger, you’ll be able to use vector and raster functions along with advanced grids and guides to make your designs truly top-notch!
Price: $9.99
Difficulty level: 4|10
Procreate is a highly popular creativity app that is great for both professionals and beginners.
This app is packed with intuitive tools and has lots of unique features that turn your iPad together with the Apple pencil into a complete art studio.
You’ll have access to over 200 handcrafted brushes (pencils, inks, charcoals, etc.) that are also customizable, letting you fully control your brush game.
It shouldn’t take too much time digging around to truly realize the potential and the power of this great app.
📚 Check out this list of the best Procreate alternatives.
Price: $7.99
Difficulty level: 3|10
If creating fonts is something that you’re after or only now considering picking this skill up, then there’s no better app to do it with than iFontMaker.
This software is dedicated to one and only purpose, which is to allow you to create your own personalized fonts, for any reason or occasion.
Once you’re done with filling out all of the letters, numbers, and symbols (each one at a time) you’ll be able to export your newly created font and use it on your Mac, iPhone, or iPad, and that, ladies and gentlemen, in its simplicity, is a ton of fun!
Price: $11.99 monthly or $79.99 annually, with a 30 Day Free Trial
Difficulty level: 7|10
Astropad Studio is a powerful tool for professional graphic designers that is packed with perks and features, that works for both tech-savvy users and newbies.
This product was built for creative professionals, and with it, you’ll be able to turn your iPad into a graphics tablet that syncs to your Mac and allows for programs such as Photoshop and other creative tools to work as one.
Astropad Studio works best with the Apple Pencil in mind, and it’s recommended to have at least the earliest version of the iPad Pro to get the best performance out of this product… as I said, this one’s for the big boys.
Price: Free
Difficulty level: 5|10
Adobe’s Illustrator Draw is a vector-based digital drawing platform with a highly intuitive interface offering a great set of tools for your artistic use.
This product is good for making quick sketches and since it’s Adobe, you’ll be able to continue your work on your desktop thanks to the CreativeSync function, although, with a CreativeCloud subscription, you’ll be able to get much more out of this, and other Adobe products.
👀 Check out this list of the best Adobe Illustrator alternatives.
Price: Free (With In-App purchasing options)
Difficulty level: 4|10
If there’s a product you never knew you wanted or needed, Paper might just happen to be that product.
This digital sketchbook is loved and praised by many, and rightly so – you’ll be able to draw, sketch, type, paint, and create awesome collages all in one place.
With the combination of functionality, simplicity, and usability, this app can truly enhance your creativity without having to take any complicated measures, making it almost an essential app to have on your iPad (although some of the best features are unlocked only once you pay a subscription fee).
Price: Free (With In-App purchasing options)
Difficulty level: 3|10
Tayasui, when translated from Japanese to English, means ‘easy’, and that’s the whole philosophy behind this sketching tool.
But don’t be fooled by the fact that even though it’s an ‘easy’ tool to use, it’s still highly versatile and powerful.
It comes packed with features that novice users won’t have problems picking up, and those who consider themselves above the novice level will undoubtedly find things to appreciate in Tayasui, or even more so, in the Pro Version (which costs $5.99).
Price: Free
Difficulty level: 4|10
Autodesk has been around for almost five years, and over this timespan, it developed into a seasoned tool in its own, respected way.
You’ll be pleased to find that this app used to cost $4,99, but now it’s completely free along with all of its features.
Besides it being user friendly, it has professional grade tools that are simple and intuitive at the same time.
It’s unlikely that this app will ever go back to the paid version, but if it does, it’d be a shame not to give it a try in its current and most advanced form.
Price: $8.99
Difficulty level: 6|10
Here is a graphic design tool that is packed with an impressive amount of features as well as some quite dense export/sharing abilities, making it one of the few do-it-all applications that can tackle most of the digital design tasks you throw at it.
Graphic is also great for making illustrations, and works best with the combination of the Apple Pencil with the iPad Pro.
It’d take quite a while to list all of the features of this app, so instead of going that route, you can take my word for it and take a look at the features yourself. It might just be worth your while.
Price: $11.99
Difficulty level: 5|10
With Artstudio, the name basically speaks for itself. At its core, this app is a painting/photo editing tool with a ridiculously immense amount of features for most complex tasks.
To back it all up, its latest ArtEngine will take the advantage of your iPad’s GPU, which results in faster overall performance, so that your creativity won’t have to lag behind.
The learning curve is surprisingly not too bad, which makes this product a great pick for all artistic folk to have at their disposal.
Price: $4.49 per month or $24.99 for an annual subscription
Difficulty level: 8|10
From drawing and painting to creating manga and comics, Clip Studio Paint is an all-around powerhouse tool for professional digital artists.
This is a full-featured app that has everything you’d find in the desktop version, without any compromises.
Though this product isn’t for everyone, since it’s aimed more towards already established graphic designers, taking on the challenge of learning all the ins and outs of this app can indeed prove rewarding and beneficial to those who’re willing to put in the time.
At the end of the day, this product is in its own category and the last thing that it lacks are the abundant tools and features.
Price: $8.99
Difficulty level: 3|10
Notability is as straightforward as an app can be, and that’s where it excels. This app will help you capture your thoughts by allowing you to combine sketches, photos, and writing.
Since it’s not necessarily a design tool, mostly aiming towards productivity, this can be a product where your ideas are brought to life for later use.
You’ll be able to mark up photos, annotate PDFs, all of which can later be accessed across all of your devices. It really can be anyone’s handy tool, for a variety of uses.
Price: $4.99
Difficulty level: 4|10
So far, we haven’t really covered any full-on photo editing tools, so here we go. In essence, Pixelmator can be considered as a mini-Photoshop and it will definitely be able to take care of most of your photo-editing needs.
Apart from it being a powerful photo editing tool, this app also has painting and graphic design features, and there really is lots to play around with from the get-go.
The app is very simple to use, and anyone who decides to pick it up is in for a surprise of how diverse, yet user-friendly this platform is.
Price: Free (With In-App purchasing options)
Difficulty level: 7|10
Have you ever dreamt of creating your own comic book, or perhaps wondered about the process and what it takes to create one?
Well, with Comic Draw, you’ll be able to do just that and let me tell you, it’s so much fun!
You’ll have all the necessary tools along this creative journey, to get your comic looking and feeling as if professionally done.
Though at first it might feel overwhelming, and lots of work is required on your behalf, at the end of the day, most aspiring artists and those interested in creating comics will find this to be a perfect app for doing just that.
Price: $4.99
Difficulty level: 6|10
Inspire Pro is a painting app and it’s also an App Store exclusive, which we simply cannot ignore.
What you can expect to get out of this is a highly versatile platform for making drawings and realistic paintings with all the incredible features and tools to help you along the way.
Rendering at 120hz, while running on the Sorcery Painting Engine working like magic on your iPad, and when you throw Apple Pencil into the mix, watch out – VanGogh, Rembrandt, and Dali!
Price: $2.99
Difficulty level: 5|10
ArtRage is the last digital painting app that we’re going to cover, and it has some unique characteristics that both designers and artists will appreciate.
This app is a medium simulation that allows you to work with ‘real-world painting tools’ such as oils, watercolors, paint rollers, etc.
There’s an ability to add layers and import images, basically most things you’d expect from a top paint simulator.
But what’s really special about this app is its artistic community, where you’ll be able to share your work, ideas, and touch bases across all things digital art… have fun!
Price: Free (With In-App purchasing options)
Difficulty level: 6|10
With Concepts, you’ll discover a truly powerful tool for not only sketching out your ideas in one of the most satisfying fashions but a professional-level design app that’s a pleasure to work with.
Just take a look at the color wheel above, that should be convincing enough… Anyhow, all that aside, this vector-based sketching app will offer flexibility and great performance, allowing you to bring your ideas to life and let them flourish on a single ‘infinite’ canvas (you’ve got to at least give it a glance).
Price: Free (With In-App purchasing options)
Difficulty level: 8|10
This article wouldn’t be complete without a 3D modeling app, so here’s one for CAD professionals and 3D modeling enthusiasts to consider, if you haven’t already done so.
uMake 3D CAD Modeling app is a true designer’s friend and thanks to the way this product was built, it won’t take you long for you to get working on your 3D designs on the go (though the use of “long” is somewhat subjective and there is a steep learning curve, FYI).
Still, there are some great features and those willing to put in the time are bound to have a game-changing app right on their iPad (preferably with a ‘Pro’ at the end).
Price: Free (With In-App purchasing options)
Difficulty level: 5|10
Assembly is a vector design tool with which you’ll be able to create anything from illustrations to logos in a quick fashion by combining pre-designed elements.
This app uses a powerful point editing system, and the UI is quite intuitive, so even beginner designers shouldn’t have any problems quickly acclimating to this app.
It’s also important to note that Assembly works with other graphic design apps that support the SVG file type, and with options to import from other apps, this tool is simply awesome to work with, especially on the go.
