Is Procreate Worth It? – In-Depth Review with Pros, Cons & More

Do you want to purchase an affordable digital artwork application for your iPad?

We have just the tool for you. Procreate is the best tool to learn how to sketch and draw flat illustrations. 

In this post, we will discuss features and benefits, pros and cons, factors to consider, and alternatives of Procreate in detail. 

Procreate

Procreate

Procreate is a digital art app. It has become quite popular because it facilitates experts and beginners alike. There are many important factors to consider when you use this app, especially as a beginner. Luckily, this program does not have a big learning curve 

Alternate #1

Clip Studio Paint

Clip Studio Paint is another popular digital drawing software that is mostly used for drawing comics. It is affordable and compatible with multiple operating systems. However, it does not have the best UI.

Clip Studio Paint

Alternate #2

Adobe Photoshop

Photoshop is among the top illustration and drawing software. Many digital artists prefer Photoshop over any other graphic design software. Although, it comes with high pricing plans.  

Adobe Photoshop

Quick Summary of Procreate

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Procreate is a great app for beginners to get started with digital art. This is why we believe it will be great for your students. 

The Procreate app is a one-time purchase for $9.99 from the Apple Store

An important thing to consider before you decide to invest in the Procreate app is that it works on iPad Pro specifically. If you do not have an iPad Pro, you cannot use Procreate.

Moreover, we suggest that you should also get an apple pencil. Procreate has a pressure-sensitive technology that requires finger drawing. 

However, we suggest an Apple Pencil because it will give your drawings more precision. It is quite compatible with Procreate and allows you to draw with more ease.

Screen protectors will help avoid the stylus from slipping on the screen. You should get the Paperlike Screen Protector which will give a traditional paper-like texture.

Remember that a cheap stylus or a cracked screen of an older iPad will not give you a good Procreate experience. 

So you might need to buy a new iPad, Apple Pencil, and iPad case. 

This might sound expensive, however, the art you create through Procreate, an iPad, and Apple Pencil will be totally worth the money. 

Features and Benefits

iPad and Apple Pencil 

There are many requirements to use Procreate.

For example:

The iPad tablet must be running on iOS 11.1. However, we assure you that this iPad app gives a memorable experience with creating art or learning digital art.

Once you have invested in Procreate, you can learn new techniques with their tutorials which are easy to understand. Our team guarantees a fun experience for your online art course. 

The pressure that the Apple Pencil applies can achieve greater precision. It is quick with pen-strokes and draws straight accurate line drawings.  

Learning Digital Art

You can use the Procreate app to create complex art such as sketches and flat illustrations. This can benefit your students to learn sketching on the digital medium as beginners.  

Brushes

Let’s discuss the Procreate tools. You can purchase additional Procreate brushes whenever new ones are introduced.   

Procreate also allows you to download brushes from third parties or create your own on your device. You can import Photoshop (.abr) brushes into your Procreate app with the latest 5.0 version. 

Workflow

As an artist, you will experience a smooth workflow with Procreate just like we did. The time-lapse recording allows you to review your work by watching your time-lapse videos. 

This allows you to review your brushstrokes and practice areas of your artwork that can be improved. No additional video-recording apps are required!

Digital Lettering 

Procreate allows you to create art better than a traditional paper experience. The painting quality closely imitates a traditional medium of paint and watercolors.  

In less time and with greater features, you can:

  • Create transparent backgrounds for digital lettering.
  • Easily resize and move items around on your images. 
  • Create fantastic paintings in a shorter time.

Procreate iPad App Features 

In this section, we will talk about what makes using Procreate on an iPad easier. 

There are benefits of using Procreate on an iPad, such as:

  • One-time purchase for $9.99.
  • Traditional feel.
  • A range of brushes is available in different sizes and styles.
  • Different canvas sizes.
  • Layers to work on separate pieces of your artwork. Project layers are available with more storage.   
  • Variety of export options.

Factors to Consider Before you Decide to Buy Procreate 

Formats

Procreate can work with:

  • PNG
  • PSD
  • TIFF
  • JPEG
  • PDF

The 5.0 version works with CMYK and RGB for easy printing.

Learning Curve

There are many hidden features in Procreate that you might stumble upon accidentally. Therefore, research and tutorials can help you a lot.

Free Trial

Procreate does not have a free trial period. 

While it is quite affordable, a free trial could help you understand whether this iPad app is the best option for you.

Pricing

The iPad Procreate app is available for a $9.99 one-time purchase. No monthly subscription plans are required. 

Advantages and Disadvantages of Procreate

What we likedWhat we didn’t like
CMYK and RGB compatible
Quick learning curve
Smooth workflow
Affordable
Traditional pen, brush, pencil, and paper feel
No free-trial
Only available for iPad Pro users
No masks, vectors, adjustment layers

Social Proof

Artists from all around the world have highly recommended Procreate. Customers have reported a fun experience with this tablet app. It offers great features with a traditional feel and does not cost too much either. 

With an Apple pencil and paper-like screen protector, the drawings come out quite brilliant. 

Some of the many positive comments regarding Procreate include:

procreate social proof
procreate social proof
procreate social proof
procreate social proof

Procreate Alternatives (Recommendations)

#1: Best User-Friendly Digital Art Program – Clip Studio Paint Review 

Clip Studio Paint had two versions:

  • EX version
  • PRO version

You can create comics and storybooks with the EX version

However, the most suitable for your online art course would be the PRO version with which you can create concept art and illustrations. 

Clip Studio Paint is compatible across:

  • iOS devices
  • macOS
  • Windows
  • Chromebook
  • iPad
  • Galaxy

Factors to Consider Before you Decide to Buy Clip Studio Paint

Formats

Clip Studio Paint supports the following export formats:

  • BMP
  • JPEG
  • TGA
  • PNG
  • TIFF
  • PSD
  • PSB

Learning Curve

The Clip Studio Paint user interface is extremely cluttered which can be intimidating for beginners. This will involve a huge learning curve to get accustomed to tools and site navigation.

Free Trial

Clip Studio Paint has a generous trial period for different platforms:

  • Galaxy: 6 months 
  • Windows, Android, Chromebook, MacOS: up to 3 months
  • iPad: Free every day 

Pricing

Both the EX and PRO versions are available for a one-time purchase at different prices:

  • EX version: $219.00
  • PRO version: $49.99
What we liked What we didn’t like
Customizable interface
User-friendly
• Dark theme to prevent eye strain
Permanent business license available for up to 50% discount
Smooth brush-strokes 
Cluttered main-interface
A huge price difference between EX and Pro versions due to importing OBJ files.
Limited brushes system with incompatible extension for other software

Best User-Friendly Digital Art Program

Clip Studio Paint has become a favorite for artists around the world. An artist with a passion for comics can benefit from this app a lot. As an online course creator, you can use this tool to create concept art for your students.

#2: Best User-Friendly Graphic Designer – Photoshop Review 

photoshop

Photoshop has been used by professional photographers for photo editing. Recently, it has also indulged in concept art and visual development.

As an online course creator, it can help you create digital graphics for your online course site. Photoshop is considered to be the most popular image editing and video editing software.

We highly recommend this software for creating raster graphics, images, and digital illustrations. 

It features a multitude of tools for:

  • Lens corrections
  • HDR
  • Retouching
  • RAW image adjustments

Factors to Consider Before you Decide to Buy Photoshop

Formats 

You can upload multiple file formats such as:

  • JPEG
  • PSD
  • PNG
  • GIF
  • EPS
  • TIFF
  • PDF

Learning Curve 

Adobe is famous for its highly intuitive user interface. The main interface is clean and allows a smooth workflow which contributes to a quick learning curve.

Free-Trial 

You can avail 7-day free trial to test-run tools and features.

Pricing 

The Single Plan to use Photoshop features involves:

  • $20.99/month
  • 100GB Cloud storage
  • Desktop and iPad versions
  • Adobe Fresco
  • Adobe Spark
What we liked What we didn’t like
Intuitive user-interface
Smooth work-flow
Easy-to-use 
Huge stock library integration
Multipurpose software
Long-term expensive subscription plans
Few features available in the toolbar

Best User-Friendly Graphic Designer 

Adobe Photoshop is a very popular image editing and graphic design software highly recommended by experts and professionals. The idea behind Photoshop is not only to adjust image needs but to bring artists quality tools. 

Guide to Buy

is procreate worth it

The demand for graphic design programs is increasing in the digital art world. Every person looks for certain factors in these apps that fulfill their needs. 

The factors that you should consider as an online course creator are:

Formats

Find graphic design apps compatible with different operating systems that support multiple file formats. 

This will allow you to work on multiple devices according to your convenience. You can create artwork on the go.

Learning Curve

The learning curve of software is mainly connected to its interface. If the user interface is clutter-free and easy to navigate then tools will be easier to find.

The learning curve will be smaller if you can easily find your way around the app.

Free-Trial

Majority of the graphic design software on the market offer free trials. This can be a huge advantage and can save you money.

You will be able to figure out which programs best suit your needs before you pay for them.

Pricing

Pricing is a very important factor to consider before purchasing a graphic design program. These apps can cost a fortune with expensive subscription and payment plans. 

Make sure the features are abundant in variety and have high quality if you plan to purchase expensive software.

We have created a VERY detailed guide for you in which we talk about every single thing you need to know about making money by creating, selling, and managing online courses.

Wrapping Things Up…

This concludes our post on Procreate. 

Procreate is an incredible app available for iPad Pro. It can help you teach an online art course on sketching and painting for beginners. 

However, you require a lot of Apple products to use this particular app. Therefore, at the end of the day, we highly recommend Adobe Photoshop.