Want to make the most of these free and affordable apps for iPad? Make sure you've got an Apple Pencil – either first or second generation (take a look at our comparison guide to both models). Procreate 5, released in December 2019, brought the app's biggest ever update, and now supports ABR import, has an Animation Assist tool, plus loads more. Procreate has over 130 brushes available by default (see our pick of the best Procreate brushes), and over 50 customisable settings for each brush. Like many of the other iPad art apps here, there's an easy-to-use colour picker with customisable swatches, layer options, a fast and responsive zoom, good smudging/blending options, a great undo functionality and you can add text to your creations. This saves time and enables you to concentrate on what you're painting, rather than getting distracted by pop-up menus. It benefits from an unobtrusive UI with easy access sliders, which enable you to quickly adjust the size of your brush/opacity as you work. One of the most popular drawing apps for iPad within the artistic community, Procreate is powerful, fast and intuitive, and enables you to create large, complex works of art on your iPad. Oui by Maggie Enterrios and Welcome to the Jungle by Jill Gori show off Procreate's Text tool (Image credit: Procreate)
