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As a professional digital illustrator, one of the questions I get asked most often is "Does Procreate come free with the iPad Pro?" I can understand the confusion – Apple‘s high-end iPad Pro models tout their creative capabilities and are often marketed alongside the Apple Pencil stylus. You‘d think such expensive tech would come with industry-leading software like Procreate built-in…
However, the answer is no – Procreate, the powerful digital art app, is not included with the iPad Pro or any other iPad model. It‘s an independent, paid app that must be purchased separately from the iOS App Store.
In this in-depth guide, I‘ll cover everything you need to know about Procreate and iPads, including:
- What Procreate offers and how it compares to other apps
- Exact pricing and purchase details
- Which iPads are compatible
- Free alternatives to consider
- My professional take on whether Procreate is worth the cost
By the end, you‘ll have total clarity on Procreate‘s pricing and be equipped to decide if it‘s the right tool for your digital art needs. Let‘s dive in!
What Is Procreate? A Feature-Rich Digital Art Studio
First, let‘s establish what Procreate actually is. Procreate is a highly-capable digital art app designed exclusively for iPads. It packs an array of professional-grade features into a surprisingly intuitive interface, making it possible to create exceptional artwork whether you‘re a total beginner or a seasoned pro.
Here‘s a quick overview of Procreate‘s key features:
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Huge library of brushes: Procreate boasts over 200 handmade brushes that run the gamut from basic sketching pencils to specialized paint, inking, and texture brushes. Every brush is deeply customizable and you can even install custom brushes made by other artists.
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High-res, multi-layer canvases: Create your artwork on canvases up to 4K resolution with as many layers as your iPad‘s hardware can handle. Procreate‘s layering system is highly flexible, allowing for grouped layers, masks, blend modes, and more.
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GPU accelerated filters/adjustments: Procreate harnesses the graphics processing power of modern iPads to provide over 25 GPU accelerated filters, effects, and adjustments that can be applied to your art non-destructively.
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Industry standard color profiles: True-to-life color is made simple with support for P3 and wide gamut color profiles, CMYK separations, and ICC profiles. Get print-ready artwork every time.
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Powerful drawing guides: Tap into assistive tools like perspective guides, symmetry modes, and drawing assists. Customize your canvas with paper textures and preset grids.
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QuickShape: Procreate‘s intelligent QuickShape feature automatically refines your hand-sketched lines and shapes into clean, precise forms.
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Text tools: Add typography to your illustrations with a complete set of text tools including full-featured type, a glyphs panel, and even the ability to import your own fonts.
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Animation assist: Experiment with frame-by-frame animation using Procreate‘s easy animation assist timeline and export your creations as videos or GIFs.
That‘s really just scratching the surface. Procreate has an extremely deep feature set that caters to everyone from hobbyists sketching for fun to professional artists creating commercial-level work. It even provides robust options for importing/exporting your art in all the industry standard formats like PSD, PDF, TIFF, and more.
Procreate‘s Paid Up-Front Model vs. Subscription Apps
In today‘s digital art software market, many top-tier creative apps have moved to a recurring subscription payment model. Industry giants like Adobe now charge monthly fees for access to popular programs like Photoshop and Illustrator.
In contrast, Procreate has stuck with a single up-front price model since its inception. When you buy Procreate, you pay once and own the app forever. All future updates and improvements are included completely free.
As an artist who hates being nickel-and-dimed with subscriptions, I deeply appreciate Procreate‘s transparent flat pricing. I‘m not locked into paying every month if I‘m not actively using the app, and I can be certain I‘m not missing features hidden behind a paywall.
Savage Interactive, the company behind Procreate, has been able to continuously add new features and improvements for over a decade without resorting to subscription pricing. Since 2021 alone, massive updates like Procreate 5X, 5.2, and 5.3 have all rolled out completely free for existing users.
Of course, subscription models aren‘t all bad – some apps use your monthly fees to provide cloud storage and cross-device syncing, for example. But for professional-grade software you‘re going to be using for the long haul, it‘s hard to argue with Procreate‘s excellent value.
How Much Does Procreate Cost? Pricing Details
Time for brass tacks – how much will Procreate actually cost you? As of June 2023, the Procreate app for iPad is sold as a one-time purchase for $12.99 on the iOS App Store. Once bought, it can be installed on any compatible iPad you own.
There is also a companion iPhone app called Procreate Pocket which brings many of the core features to a smaller smartphone screen. Procreate Pocket is a separate purchase from the iPad app and currently costs $4.99. Nice to have but not essential if you‘re primarily an iPad artist.
So, to sum up:
- Procreate for iPad: One-time cost of $12.99
- Procreate Pocket for iPhone: One-time cost of $4.99 (optional)
Note that these prices are accurate as of June 2024 – while Procreate‘s price has remained stable at $9.99-$12.99 for years now, it‘s always possible prices could change in the future.
Is Procreate Compatible With All iPads?
An important factor to consider is whether your iPad hardware is actually capable of running Procreate in the first place. While Procreate strives to support a wide range of iPad models, older devices eventually lose compatibility as the hardware can‘t keep up with the app‘s ever-expanding feature set.
According to the official Procreate site, the latest version 5.3 is compatible with the following iPads running iOS 14.4 or newer:
- 12.9-inch iPad Pro (1st–6th generation)
- 11-inch iPad Pro (1st–4th generation)
- 10.5-inch iPad Pro
- 9.7-inch iPad Pro
- iPad (5th–10th generation)
- iPad mini (5th–6th generation)
- iPad mini 4
- iPad Air (3rd–5th generation)
- iPad Air 2
Some earlier iPad models like the iPad Air 1, iPad mini 2, and iPad mini 3 are only compatible up to Procreate version 4.3 and don‘t have access to newer features.
If you‘re not sure which iPad version you have, you can check by going to Settings > General > About and looking at the model name. When in doubt, it‘s best to reference the Procreate requirements page or contact their support before purchasing.
Free Alternatives to Procreate Worth Trying
If you‘re brand new to digital art, the idea of spending money on an app right away might be daunting. Or maybe you‘re just on a tight budget and need to keep costs down. In any case, there are a handful of great free drawing and painting apps that can help you get started:
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Autodesk Sketchbook: My top free recommendation. Sketchbook has a clean, simple UI but enough powerful tools to take you far. Over 190 brushes, layer support, rulers, and all free with no ads or IAP.
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Adobe Fresco: Adobe‘s free drawing and painting app with a great vector/raster brush system. The selection and layer features are limited unless you upgrade to premium but still very capable.
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Medibang Paint: Popular for manga/comic style art with premade templates and assets. Some really unique features like brush stabilization. Larger learning curve than other free apps though.
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Ibis Paint X: Another free app with a huge set of tools and active social community. Like Medibang, it can be a bit overwhelming for beginners but is quite powerful once mastered.
That said, if you have the budget and desire to create digital art on your iPad for the long-run, Procreate is hands-down still my top recommendation. Free apps are great for testing the waters but most eventually hit limits in features, resolution, updates, or user experience.
Pad Your Procreate Budget for an Apple Pencil
One more cost to keep in mind – to make the most of Procreate, you‘ll definitely want a pressure-sensitive stylus to draw with. While you can sketch with your finger, serious artists will find a good stylus is a must for precise linework and expressive brushstrokes.
The absolute best stylus for Procreate is the official Apple Pencil. It has phenomenal pressure and tilt detection, charges wirelessly, and feels fantastic to draw with. However, it‘s definitely a premium product:
- Apple Pencil (2nd Generation): $129
- Apple Pencil (1st Generation): $99
The 2nd gen Apple Pencil only works with newer iPad models that have wireless charging like recent iPad Pros and iPad Airs. The 1st gen Pencil is compatible with a wider range of iPads and charges with a built-in Lightning connector.
If shelling out for an Apple Pencil is beyond your budget, you can find some cheaper 3rd party alternatives on sites like Amazon. Just be aware knockoff styluses rarely match the precision and feel of the official Pencil – you really do get what you pay for.
Putting It All Together – Is Procreate Worth It?
We‘ve covered a ton of info! Let‘s summarize the key takeaways about Procreate‘s pricing and value:
- Procreate is the gold standard for digital art and illustration apps on the iPad with an enormous feature set suitable for beginners up to professional artists.
- Procreate costs $12.99 one time. It is not included with the iPad Pro or any iPad models.
- Procreate‘s a standalone purchase with no subscription fees or hidden costs. All updates are free forever.
- You‘ll need a compatible iPad model and ideally an Apple Pencil stylus to make the most of Procreate.
- There are good free alternatives to Procreate but they usually have more limited features or lack ongoing updates/support.
Is spending ~$13 on Procreate justifiable? If you‘re serious about learning digital art, I believe it absolutely is. I‘ve personally used Procreate to create professional illustrations for major clients, sell prints and products of my work, and grow a large online art following.
An illustration I made entirely in Procreate that was used for an international ad campaign.
I‘ve gotten 1000x more value out of Procreate than the measly $9.99 I originally paid years ago. The same is true for countless other artists I know. It‘s an app you can truly grow with as your skills evolve.
That said, if you‘re brand new to digital art, there‘s no shame at all in starting out with a free app like Autodesk Sketchbook to test the waters. You may find a simpler free app suits your needs just fine, or that digital art isn‘t really your jam (and that‘s ok!).
But if you catch the digital drawing bug like I did, Procreate will be waiting for you with open arms. With powerful tools, an intuitive interface, and no sneaky subscriptions, it‘s the app that turned me from a traditional paper-and-pencil doodler to a confident, capable digital artist.
The Final Verdict
Hopefully this guide has given you total clarity on how much Procreate costs, what‘s included, what you‘ll need to use it, and how to decide if it‘s worthwhile for you.
To recap:
- Procreate costs $12.99 (one-time) from the iOS App Store
- It requires a compatible iPad and ideally an Apple Pencil to use
- Procreate is absolutely worth it for anyone serious about digital art
So while I wish I could say Procreate comes free with that shiny new iPad Pro, the reality is you‘ll need to open up your wallet just a bit more. But take it from a pro – it‘ll be the best $13 you ever spent on your artistic journey.
Now go get creating with your iPad! Whether you put that $13 towards Procreate or start with a free app, any day you spend growing your skills is a great day. Happy drawing!