Skip to content
Gratistack, home
Menu

Free alternatives to Procreate

Top pick: Adobe Fresco. Switching saves about $13 USD one-time.

Procreate, Procreate for iPad, one-time purchase

$12.99 USDone-time

$17.99 CAD

Every pick below has a free version.

Runs on
  • iOS
Key file formats
.procreate.psd

Filter alternatives

5 alternatives

Top pick

1 tool

The editor’s first choice for most people switching.

  1. Rank 1: Adobe Fresco

    Best for a free iPad painting app with live brushes

    License: Freeware
    • Windows
    • iOS
    Status: Verified
    • PSD: opens and saves, partial fidelity. Built to hand work off to Photoshop; PSD layer fidelity was not tested

    Free since 23 Oct 2024 on iPad, iPhone and Windows, with an Adobe account. Export finished work from Procreate as PSD to continue it here.

Strong

3 tools

Covers most of the same work, with trade-offs noted on each card.

  1. Rank 2: ibis Paint X

    Best for free drawing with a large brush library

    License: Free tier
    • Windows
    • macOS
    • iOS
    • Android
    Status: Verified
    • PSD: opens and saves, partial fidelity. Imports PSD through the share menu; exports PSD with layers preserved or flattened

    Free with ads on mobile. A Premium Membership removes ads and unlocks more features. Export from Procreate as PSD to move work across. Free version: Free with ads on mobile. Premium Membership costs US$4.49 a month or US$27.99 a year; the Windows free mode caps editing at 1 hour a day.

  2. Rank 3: Sketchbook

    Best for quick sketching on phones and tablets

    License: Free tier
    • Windows
    • macOS
    • iOS
    • Android
    Status: Verified
    • PSD: opens and saves, partial fidelity. Layers, groups and most blend modes carry over; text is rasterized and Sketchbook glow modes reset to Normal

    Mobile apps are free. The US$2.99 Premium Bundle adds custom brushes and canvas resizing. Export from Procreate as PSD to move work across. Free version: Mobile apps are free; a US$2.99 Premium Bundle adds custom brushes and canvas resizing. Desktop Sketchbook Pro costs US$24.99.

  3. Rank 4: Infinite Painter

    Best for natural-media painting on tablets

    License: Free tier
    • iOS
    • Android
    • ChromeOS
    Status: Verified
    • PSD: opens and saves, partial fidelity. Reads regular RGB bitmap layers into a new project; exports multilayer PSD without masks or adjustment layers

    The free version limits layers to 3 and the canvas to screen size. A one-time in-app Pro purchase lifts those limits. Free version: Free version has 3 layers and a canvas limited to screen size. Pro is a one-time in-app purchase that unlocks HD canvases and masks.

Situational

1 tool

Right for specific needs, or not yet mature enough to recommend widely.

  1. Rank 5: Krita

    Best for desktop painting, but it has no iPad version

    License: Open source
    • Windows
    • macOS
    • Linux
    • Android
    Status: Active
    • PSD: opens and saves, partial fidelity. Layers, groups, masks, styles and text carry over; adjustment layers and smart objects are not documented
    • TIFF: opens and saves, full fidelity
    • PNG: opens and saves, full fidelity
    • JPG: opens and saves, full fidelity
    • WEBP: opens and saves, full fidelity

    Krita shares no platform with iPad-only Procreate, so it suits people who move to a desktop or a pen tablet. Export from Procreate as PSD to move work across.

Sponsor this page: $149 for 30 days. Sponsors appear above the ranking, labeled; the ranking itself is not for sale.

Feature parity

How each alternative covers what people use Procreate for. Numbers link to editor notes.

Feature parity with Procreate
FeatureAdobe Frescoibis Paint XSketchbookInfinite PainterKrita
Painting
Brush engine with custom brushesYesNote 1YesNote 2PartialNote 3PartialNote 4YesNote 5
Editing
Layers, masks and blend modesYesNote 6YesNote 7YesNote 8PartialNote 9YesNote 10
Input
Apple Pencil pressure and tiltYesNote 11YesNote 12YesNote 13YesNote 14PartialNote 15
Animation
Frame-by-frame animationYesNote 16PartialNote 17NoNote 18NoNote 19YesNote 20
Compatibility
.procreate file compatibilityNoNote 21NoNote 22NoNote 23NoNote 24NoNote 25
Parity score80%70%50%40%70%
  1. Adobe Fresco, Brush engine with custom brushes: Raster, vector and live brushes
  2. ibis Paint X, Brush engine with custom brushes: Many brushes and custom brush options
  3. Sketchbook, Brush engine with custom brushes: Many brushes; custom brushes need the Premium Bundle
  4. Infinite Painter, Brush engine with custom brushes: Natural brushes and blending; HD canvases and masks need the Pro purchase
  5. Krita, Brush engine with custom brushes: Deep brush engine with custom brushes
  6. Adobe Fresco, Layers, masks and blend modes: Unlimited layers
  7. ibis Paint X, Layers, masks and blend modes: Layers and blend modes
  8. Sketchbook, Layers, masks and blend modes: Layers and blend modes
  9. Infinite Painter, Layers, masks and blend modes: The free version has 3 layers
  10. Krita, Layers, masks and blend modes: Layers, masks and blend modes
  11. Adobe Fresco, Apple Pencil pressure and tilt: Built for iPad and Apple Pencil
  12. ibis Paint X, Apple Pencil pressure and tilt: Apple Pencil support on iPad
  13. Sketchbook, Apple Pencil pressure and tilt: Apple Pencil support on iPad
  14. Infinite Painter, Apple Pencil pressure and tilt: Stylus pressure support on iPad
  15. Krita, Apple Pencil pressure and tilt: Pressure works with pen tablets and Android styluses; there is no iPad app
  16. Adobe Fresco, Frame-by-frame animation: Frame-by-frame animation and motion paths
  17. ibis Paint X, Frame-by-frame animation: Animation tools are included; the community shows animations
  18. Sketchbook, Frame-by-frame animation: No animation tools
  19. Infinite Painter, Frame-by-frame animation: No animation tools
  20. Krita, Frame-by-frame animation: A built-in animation workspace
  21. Adobe Fresco, .procreate file compatibility: Cannot open .procreate files
  22. ibis Paint X, .procreate file compatibility: Cannot open .procreate files
  23. Sketchbook, .procreate file compatibility: Cannot open .procreate files
  24. Infinite Painter, .procreate file compatibility: Cannot open .procreate files
  25. Krita, .procreate file compatibility: Cannot open .procreate files

Not covered by any free alternative yet: .procreate file compatibility. See all feature gaps

File formats

Can each alternative open and save Procreate files?

Opening and saving Procreate files
FormatAdobe Frescoibis Paint XSketchbookInfinite PainterKrita
.procreateNoNoNoNoNo
.psdOpens and savesNote 1Partial fidelityOpens and savesNote 2Partial fidelityOpens and savesNote 3Partial fidelityOpens and savesNote 4Partial fidelityOpens and savesNote 5Partial fidelity
  1. Adobe Fresco, .psd: Built to hand work off to Photoshop; PSD layer fidelity was not tested
  2. ibis Paint X, .psd: Imports PSD through the share menu; exports PSD with layers preserved or flattened
  3. Sketchbook, .psd: Layers, groups and most blend modes carry over; text is rasterized and Sketchbook glow modes reset to Normal
  4. Infinite Painter, .psd: Reads regular RGB bitmap layers into a new project; exports multilayer PSD without masks or adjustment layers
  5. Krita, .psd: Layers, groups, masks, styles and text carry over; adjustment layers and smart objects are not documented

What switching saves

Switching saves about $13 USD / $18 CAD one-time. Prices checked .

Based on Procreate for iPad, one-time purchase. Price source.

About this page

Last verified . Ranking: tier first, then the published score.

Something wrong or out of date? Report outdated info.

Related

Procreate is a product of Savage Interactive, named here for comparison only. Platforms listed for Procreate: iOS.