Drawing App reviews from Reddit
Summary
We analyzed 222 Reddit reviews across 41 subreddits and 69 posts to rank the best Drawing App brands recommended by redditors, including communities like r/androidapps, r/DigitalArt, r/iPadPro, r/StableDiffusion, r/DigitalPainting. Top-rated brands include Krita (4.5/5), Clip Studio Paint (3.8/5), Ibis Paint (4.4/5).
Stats
Reviews222
Subreddits41
Posts69
Brands72
Products53
222 reviews from
and
By Brand
/By Product
#1
Krita
4.5
(18)
"Try Krita"
"Found Krita app for free."
"Krita"
"Krita is an excellent tool for digital painting and illustration."
"Krita AI Diffusion is much better"
"It's free, and has way more tools"
"Krita"
"Tons of awesome brushes from the community, can be used for illustration, line art, painting, and concept art."
"It's free and even has some vector and animation functionality."
"Krita"
#2
Clip Studio Paint
3.8
(16)
"My fav is clip studio paint."
"Runs on computer and tablet, and has a built in cloud storage that can be used to transfer projects between devices."
"Great software with a fantastic brush and asset library, plus a nice posing tool that can auto pose from a photo."
"Clip Studio Art and Procreate are the two big ones"
"Clip Studio Paint."
"Clippaint studio (or something like this) I'm think it's good"
"Clip Studio Paint has a simple UI mode that somewhat replicates procreates setup. My Chromebook has 8gb RAM and since updating to 2.0 it's quite laggy for me but I like the UI."
"Clip Studio Paint is fantastic, but has recently switched to a subscription based price plan. You can still get a one-off license, but you won't get feature updates."
"I use clip studio and like it a lot."
"Subscription-based but offers a free trial."
#3
Ibis Paint
4.4
(14)
"IbisPaint Premium is the best and it's cheap."
"Ibispaint is always good"
"One of the best drawing apps with extensive features."
"Best I've found is Ibis paint. In-app purchases are minimal and it's extremely functional."
"Work great for me. Easy learning curve."
"I use Ibis Paint X!! It's free."
"Ibis Paint is a good free app with lots of functionality and a good layer system."
"IbisPaint X has a feature that lets you resize layers easily and offers a stroke filter to adjust lineart thickness."
"Ibis Paint offers features that enhance the experience for manga artists."
"It's free and it's what I use. You just have to make sure to let it load in/out all the way, otherwise it'll corrupt the file."
#4
Procreate
4.6
(10)
"Procreate if it's an apple product!"
"ProCreate is definitely the market leader."
"Procreate has fantastic features."
"Procreate has a ton of features and is a one-time payment for everything. There aren’t any subscriptions, just 10$ for everything!"
"It’s the best there is. Buy it for $10 one time and never look back."
"Procreate and Adobe Fresco work well together, each has positive attributes the other doesn’t."
"You can just use a vector brush in procreate that will make lines easier to vectorize."
"Procreate is easier to pick up on iPad but lacks some functionality that Ibis offers."
"User-friendly interface and great brush studio."
"Designed for illustration. Can import Photoshop brushes but it will change the brush."
#5
Infinite Painter
4.3
(9)
"Infinite Painter"
"Infinite Painter is an amazing app for digital painting!"
"For drawing, definitely Infinite Painter. I find it is the least 'cluttered'."
"Infinite painter is very good, and probably most like procreate in interface"
"Not the same UI as Procreate but a good app."
"Highly rated for its user-friendly interface."
"It has nice tools, tho limit to 3 layers but the premium version is cheap."
"The Procreate for Android."
"Traditional interface with useful tools and filters, but buggy export."
#6
Sketchbook
4.1
(9)
"Sketchbook is a great app with the best price."
"Sketchbook is really good too."
"Sketchbook is good."
"Sketchbook."
"Great app developed by Autodesk, offers a one-time purchase."
"The closest you can get is with sketchbook."
"Sketchbook may be the most popular one."
"Seems pretty good for line art."
"Only has 3 star reviews and hadn't been updated since July 2021."
#7
Savage Interactive
4.6
(8)
"Procreate is an amazing app for digital art!"
"Procreate has an incredible range of customizable brushes, making it a standout choice for digital artists."
"Procreate is an amazing app for digital art!"
"I vote for Procreate as well."
"One of the best hands down. And it's affordable, one time purchase!"
"Procreate is the best there is, but imo it is not beginner friendly at all. The good thing is that since it's so popular there's lots of tutorials out there."
"Procreate is excellent for painting."
"Procreate is a slammin' deal and a permanent purchase. The brush engine is very slick and the UI is built around touch and stylus navigation."
#8
Clip Studio
4.7
(7)
"I've always used ClipStudio."
"Clip studio literally built for this"
"Clip Studio for sure."
"Clip Studio is heckin' cheap per month."
"It's a subscription for the tablet/app version, but worth it imo."
"Clip Studio is more powerful and has a wider range of useful tools."
"Clip Studio is a great app, but my phone is too old for it."
#9
Autodesk
4.4
(7)
"Sketchbook is my favourite app."
"I like SketchBook by Autodesk. It's simple and it works well."
"It's free, you can do things like add typed text, import photos, and it has all the basic features I think people could want."
"The most commonly used app is Autodesk Sketchbook."
"The free version of Sketchbook has been able to do everything I've needed it to."
"It's free and seems less taxing than my other digital art programs."
"Sketchbook looks very slim and a little bit clunky compared to Procreate."
#10
Apple
3.8
(8)
"IPad Pro 2020 is a great model, but for your budget, I'd go for iPad Air 5 - M1 chip, Apple Pencil 2, same RAM as Pro models and great screen."
"IPad Air 5 - M1 chip, Apple Pencil 2, same RAM as Pro models and great screen."
"As a Procreate beginner you could enjoy iPad 10 too."
"Get the new air with 256 storage and a real Apple Pencil Gen 2, you won't regret it. 60Hz is good enough for drawing."
"The iPad Pro 3rd gen is great for drawing in Procreate, but you don't necessarily need it for basic tasks."
"The iPad Air 5th gen with M1 chip is a solid choice and offers great performance."
"The iPad Air 4th gen is also a good option if you're looking for something cheaper."
"Procreate lacks essential features for my workflow, leading to disappointment with the iPad."
#11
Unnamed
4.7
(6)
"I feel I’ve been looking for such a « nestable sketching app » for a while now and your work seems to scratch that itch perfectly!"
"This app works great! Congrats on an awesome achievement!"
"What a sweet toy for kids! Really nice - 50% fun and 50& serious diffusion =)"
"Look out. I downloaded this on my daughters phone and she is in love with it."
"Very cool. I agree with others, set up some type of rate limiting in case this thing takes off."
"Pretty nice! I tested it on Mac (yes, iPhone version works perfectly) and get good result."
#12
ControlNet
4.5
(6)
"Thank you so much for sharing this app! I've been studying, practicing, creating, firing on all cylinders with SD for the past month."
"That looks great! Now I'll be able to (maybe) tell what my 5yo is drawing."
"I just tried it and it's soooo cute!"
"Just tried it, and I'm actually very impressed with what you made, the generation speed is incredible."
"Looks fun and useful, well done!"
"I just spent 30 minutes playing with this on my ipad. It is very cool and fun."
#13
HiPaint
4.3
(6)
"HiPaint"
"HiPaint has that feature and there is no paywall, no layer limits and no tools that are only available by payment."
"HiPaint is free and very similar to Procreate. It's like a clone of Procreate."
"It's UI is so clean and I think it's good"
"I tried it on hipaint just now. It makes perfect oval."
"Try hipaint"
#14
Drawing Desk
4.6
(5)
"It's really easy to use with a lot of simple drawing lessons!"
"It has a lot of simple anime drawing lessons with step-by-step guidelines that can really help you out."
"It's great for both beginners and professionals, and it's super easy to use."
"The Drawing Desk app is easy to use and offers over 200 drawing lessons in various categories."
"Interesting app, but less popular."
#15
Autodesk Sketchbook
3.6
(5)
"Hmm maybe Autodesk Sketchbook?"
"Free and good for desktop porting."
"I guess you are looking for this"
"Sketchbook is another good app to check out, and it also has export for Photoshop capabilities."
"I've searched many apps, including sketchbook, krita ibase paint x and artflow, and none had this option."
#16
Adobe Fresco
4.3
(4)
"Amazing live brushes. Handles vector and raster."
"I like concepts, but i also have access to adobe fresco and clip studio."
"Do they have Adobe Fresco on Android? That’s what they moved to supporting on iOS at least."
"Procreate and Adobe Fresco work well together, each has positive attributes the other doesn’t."
#17
Adobe
4.3
(4)
"Adobe fresco has great smoothing settings. Along with snap to shape too. (And is free now)"
"Photoshop is the industry standard with a nice learning curve, easy to pick up and master."
"Adobe Fresco is amazing and mostly free, offering powerful features."
"We have Adobe suite through my work but it’s a bit too complex whenever we’ve tried."
#18
Samsung Notes
5.0
(3)
"I pick samsung notes because it doesnt need wifi, and the spen features is good."
"Its the best ui imo and its free too"
"Samsung notes the best for writing"
#19
Ibis Paint X
4.7
(3)
"Ibis paint x is great or procreate !"
"I use ibis paint x :)"
"It's great app that is also free."
#20
MediBang
3.5
(4)
"I tried MediBang Paint Pro, it seemed light enough, and I really liked it."
"My partner draws on the PC, and they use MediBang. I don't think they paid."
"Medi-bang paint is free and is specifically designed for making comics. The interface is a little clunky though."
"Seems like designed for manga and line art."
#21
Inkscape
4.0
(3)
"I’d bust out the laptop and download Inkscape on it. Give it a whirl."
"Inkscape. You can upload your image, then do an Image Trace and clean up if needed."
"You can use Inkscape, silhouette business, Adobe illustrator."
#22
MediBang Paint
4.0
(3)
"Medibang has a strong felt stabilizer, which helps with precision when drawing."
"Free and similar to Clip Studio Paint."
"I've only heard good things about it"
#23
Android
3.7
(3)
"Sketchbook is the best Android app. You can't go wrong."
"Concepts is a really good Android app. The free version has a lot of tools not hidden behind a paywall."
"There are alternatives like Clip Studio Paint, Krita, and others, but none match Procreate on Android."
#24
IbisPaint X
4.5
(2)
"Ibispaint x is free and you can put a reference window!"
"I recommend ibisPaint X, it has ads every once in awhile."
#25
Art Studio Pro
4.5
(2)
"Most underrated art app on the App Store. It's the best"
"Art Studio Pro is great for photo editing."
#26
Penup
4.5
(2)
"Free app with no ads, great for sharing artwork."
"In there you can comment and ask artists things."
#27
Paint Tool Sai
4.5
(2)
"It's super light weight when it comes to space!"
"I use sai or krita for drawing (pc)"
#28
Concepts
4.5
(2)
"Concepts is an excellent app for creative professionals."
"Concepts is very good"
#29
Microsoft
4.5
(2)
"Download Windows 98 sim and use MS Paint, trust me!"
"Onenote as well!"
#30
Onshape
4.0
(2)
"I second taking a look at Onshape."
"Maybe give a look at Onshape?"
#31
Artflow
4.0
(2)
"Artflow was always one of my favorites."
"Artflow"
#32
Affinity Designer
4.0
(2)
"I really like Affinity Designer. It's not free, but it's not terribly expensive and can be bought as a one-time purchase."
"Affinity Designer for vector."
#33
Celsys
3.5
(2)
"Clip Studio Paint is excellent for creating spritesheets!"
"Functionally, though? Procreate doesn't have shit on CSP. If you're going to be constantly tuning colors, text, cutting pasting, i mean really going nuts, working with art/graphics full-time? CSP is the prime contender."
#34
Artrage
3.5
(2)
"Specifically designed for painting only, you can create real life painting effect."
"Specifically designed for painting only. You can't add your own brushes."
#35
Boox
3.0
(2)
"The note app on Boox devices uses an immediate update mode for e-ink, providing a smooth drawing experience."
"The native apps for e-ink notes are not good for drawing, but Boox Tab Ultra C allows some non-native apps."
#36
Anime Drawing App
5.0
(1)
"Hello! You can try Anime drawing app, which uses AR technology to project the image onto paper using camera"
#37
Samsung
5.0
(1)
"PENUP"
#38
Procreate Pocket
5.0
(1)
"If you have an iPhone, Procreate Pocket"
#39
Escape Motions
5.0
(1)
"I dig Rebelle 6 by Escape Motions."
#40
Miro
5.0
(1)
"We use it constantly at work as a collaborative whiteboard, and the free tier allows up to 3 boards."
#41
Vblast
5.0
(1)
"My kid uses FlipaClip a lot and likes it. There is a one time purchase for everything."
#42
Learn How to Draw
5.0
(1)
"This app allows you to learn drawing by tracing step-by-step tutorials."
#43
GIMP
5.0
(1)
"GIMP is a very good, free Photoshop knock-off for image manipulation and drawing."
#44
Leonardo
5.0
(1)
"The Leonardo app is a fantastic one-time purchase for $29."
#45
Marker Wizard
5.0
(1)
"It’s simple but has AI-powered features that can enhance your artwork."
#46
Sketchbook Pro
5.0
(1)
"It's free and offers a premium lifetime upgrade."
#47
Diagrams.net
5.0
(1)
"DRAW is a great tool for creating diagrams easily."
#48
draw.io
5.0
(1)
"Its web based, but has native clients and works pretty well."
#49
Paint.NET
5.0
(1)
"Paint.NET is a powerful and user-friendly image editing software."
#50
Catrobat
4.0
(1)
"For a more MSPaint type deal that is free."
#51
Autodesk SketchBook Pro
4.0
(1)
"Sketchbook pro, medibang paint."
#52
Zen Brush
4.0
(1)
"I think 'zen brush' (the newest one) might have this option and ArtRage Vitae as well."
#53
Adobe Animate
4.0
(1)
"Or adobe animate"
#54
Adobe Photoshop
4.0
(1)
"Photoshop LMAO"
#55
TVPaint
4.0
(1)
"TVPaint also meets the criteria but is less intuitive for animating."
#56
Kids Draw Magic
4.0
(1)
"It looks like it was taken off the app stores, but you can still download the apk [here](https://apkpure.com/kids-draw-magic/com.warpmagicfactory.DoodlePoodle/download)."
#57
Joy Xtra
4.0
(1)
"Joy Xtra running on iPad Pro."
#58
IbisPaint
4.0
(1)
"If you want one on phone, there's IbisPaint"
#59
Pocket Paint
4.0
(1)
"A solid free option for drawing."
#60
Pixaki
4.0
(1)
"Pixaki is excellent for pixel art."
#61
PlanGrid
4.0
(1)
"Can handle and slipsheet multiple drawings, works seamlessly with the iPen, user friendly interface."
#62
Paper
4.0
(1)
"It has paid features, but you can do a lot for free."
#63
Tayasui
4.0
(1)
"Tayasui Sketches is great for sketching."
#64
JadePug
4.0
(1)
"It's definitely simple, but it's free and ad free, saves decent quality images and is pretty lightweight."
#65
aPaper
4.0
(1)
"Have you tried aPaper and aPen?"
#66
Microsoft Whiteboard
3.0
(1)
"Idk if it's available on the Mac but Microsoft whiteboard has that feature"
#67
Bluebeam
3.0
(1)
"1 time cost & provides some basic PDF mark up functionality."
#68
Tayasui Sketch
3.0
(1)
"Really good watercolor brush engine. But very basic. Can't add your own brushes."
#69
Jump Paint
3.0
(1)
"Specifically designed for manga."
#70
PF sDraw
3.0
(1)
"Decent free drawing app."
#71
FireAlpaca
2.0
(1)
"FireAlpaca is very basic and not suitable for advanced users."
#72
Concept
2.0
(1)
"No blending. No bucket tool. Limited brush. Designed for 3D concept designers."
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