Procreate is one of the best programs for artists available today. Unfortunately, you can only use Procreate with the Apple iPad. Lucky for you, we know all about which iPads are best for using Procreate, and now you know the overall subject of today’s post.
Our list of the 5+ Best iPads for Procreate will give you the tools you need to create incredible artwork from start to finish. Before we start though, let’s take a closer look at our choices and at Procreate itself.
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5+ Best iPad for Procreate in 2022
- Apple iPad Pro 12.9 (2021) — The best iPad for Procreate overall (Editor’s Choice)
- Apple iPad (9th Gen) — The best budget iPad for Procreate
- Apple iPad Pro (11-inch, 2021) — The best value iPad for Procreate
- Apple iPad Air (4th gen) — The best portable iPad for Procreate
- Apple iPad Mini — The best beginner iPad for Procreate
- Apple iPad Air 5th Gen (2022) — The best iPad for Procreate with advanced features
If you’re interested in the iPad or Apple products, be sure to check out our posts on the best accessories for iPad.
Also see our features on the best Procreate brushes, the best Procreate courses and the best Procreate fonts.
What is the best iPad for Procreate?
Wondering which iPad is best for Procreate? Our pick go’s to the iPad Pro 12.9-inch but be sure to check out our comparison table below to get an overview of all of our choices.
How much does Procreate cost?
Surprisingly, for such an incredible program, Procreate is incredibly affordable. Once you log into Apple’s App Store, you can download Procreate for about $10 (figures may differ based on location).
his is a one-time fee so you don’t have to worry about any recurring charges or subscription fees. This makes Procreate one of the best and most affordable programs. This begs the question though, why is Procreate such a great program? Well, we’re getting to that (patience, please).
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Free Procreate Course – Learn Procreate
This is the ultimate beginner’s course for creating beautiful Procreate artwork and the best part is that you can get free access to this course for 4 weeks with Skillshare Premium as well as thousands more classes. Also see our compilation of the best Procreate courses.
5+ Best iPads for Procreate in 2022
1. Apple iPad Pro 12.9 (2021) (Editor’s Choice)
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The best iPad for Procreate overall
The iPad Pro 12.9-inch is in itself already the best tablet you can spend your money on but for Procreate users, it’s like an extension of an artist’s hand. With an incredible 12.9-inch display, everything you create will appear beautifully thanks to the tablet’s contrast and clarity. While any artist would read that and think that’s everything they need, the iPad Pro offers even more.
Apple’s M1 processor chip powers the tablet and it’s overall performance can handle anything you want to run on it from Procreate to videos and everything in-between. The App Store offers numerous apps that you can use (other than Procreate, that is) to be more productive and its storage space of up to 1TB ensures you’ll have room for everything. The only real downside? The cost. The iPad Pro is not cheap so if you’re serious about using Procreate, you can’t do better than the iPad Pro.
| Pros | Cons |
| ➕ Incredible power | ➖ Storage feels limited |
| ➕ Beautiful display | ➖ Not cheap |
Latest Price on Amazon:
- Apple M1 chip for next-level performance
- Brilliant 12.9-inch Liquid Retina XDR display with ProMotion, True Tone, and P3 wide color
- TrueDepth camera system featuring Ultra Wide camera with Center Stage
- 12MP Wide camera, 10MP Ultra Wide camera, and LiDAR Scanner for immersive AR
- Stay connected with ultrafast Wi-Fi
2. Apple iPad (9th Gen)
The best budget iPad for Procreate
While the term ‘budget’ doesn’t come to mind when many people think of iPads, the 9th generation of the iPad does certainly fit the bill when compared to other options on our list. One of the more dependable options for creating digital artwork, the iPad (9th Gen) may be underpowered when compared to the superheroic power that the iPad Pro comes with but it still provides a great experience every time.
A beautiful 10.2-inch Retina display provides incredible resolution to help every design you create look it’s absolute best. In terms of performance, while the M1 chip is noticeably absent, the A13 Bionic processor makes the iPad fast enough for all of your tasks from Procreate to Safari and everything in between. While it’s overall design could use a much-needed update, the 9th-generation of Apple’s iPad is a great budget choice for Procreate.
| Pros | Cons |
| ➕ A13 processor | ➖ Older design |
| ➕ Headphone jack | ➖ No USB-C support |
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Latest Price on Amazon:
- Gorgeous 10.2-inch Retina display with True Tone
- A13 Bionic chip with Neural Engine
- 8MP Wide back camera, 12MP Ultra Wide front camera with Center Stage
- Up to 256GB storage
- Stereo speakers
3. Apple iPad Pro (11-inch, 2021)
The best value iPad for Procreate
For some, the 12.9 inches that the iPad Pro offers can be a bit much, especially when it comes to traveling from meeting to meeting or place to place. Thankfully, the 11-inch version of the iPad Pro provides the same tech in a smaller size and more importantly, a lower price, making it an extremely amazing value.
While it uses a lot of the same tech that its bigger brother does, the 11-inch variation offers more customization with support for Apple’s Smart Folio and Magic Keyboard, which is great for those who like to write in addition to drawing. Drawing is easy with support for the Apple Pencil 2, allowing you to create whatever your imagination comes up with fluidly and with ease.
| Pros | Cons |
| ➕ Desktop PC-level performance | ➖ iPadOS doesn’t make use of M1’s power |
| ➕ Good battery life | ➖ Doesn’t come with an XDR display |
Latest Price on Amazon:
- Apple M1 chip for next-level performance
- Stunning 11-inch Liquid Retina display with ProMotion, True Tone, and P3 wide color
- TrueDepth camera system featuring Ultra Wide front camera with Center Stage
- 12MP Wide camera, 10MP Ultra Wide camera, and LiDAR Scanner for immersive AR
- Stay connected with ultrafast Wi-Fi
4. Apple iPad Air (4th gen)
The best portable iPad for Procreate
Portability is the name of the game when it comes to the 4th generation of the iPad Air, making an excellent tablet for Procreate. With a gorgeous 10.9-inch Retina display, the iPad Air is a perfect choice for any mid-level user. Its smaller size makes it a great option to take with you on the go without sacrificing performance. Using the A14 Bionic processor, the iPad Air can handle multiple tasks with ease, so drawing in Procreate and switching back and forth to reference material is easy.
While the iPad Air cannot match the processing power that the iPad Pro offers, it still does a remarkable job when it comes to creating incredible works of art from anyone’s imagination. With support for the Magic Keyboard and 1st-gen Apple Pencil, you can turn the iPad Air into a workstation that will rival many laptops currently on the market. At a cheaper price point and with multiple colors available, the iPad Air is a great portable option for Procreate.
| Pros | Cons |
| ➕ All screen design | ➖ The selfie camera could be better |
| ➕ Great range of color options | ➖ Still not cheap |
Latest Price on Amazon:
- Stunning 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display with True Tone and P3 wide color
- A14 Bionic chip with Neural Engine
- Touch ID for secure authentication and Apple Pay
- 12MP back camera, 7MP FaceTime HD front camera
- Available in Silver, Space Gray, Rose Gold, Green, and Sky Blue
5. Apple iPad Mini
The best beginner iPad for Procreate
If you’ve never used Procreate before or have never owned an iPad before (maybe you’re an Android fan), a great choice for any beginner is the iPad Mini. The newest version of the diminutive iPad packs more than enough processing power for any Procreate design you can come up with.
With an upgraded A15 processor and 8.3-inch screen, much like dynamite, big things come in small packages. The True Tone display puts out a crisp resolution of 2048 x 1536 which only helps to add to the color accuracy being presented. With support for the 2nd gen Apple Pencil, the overall size of the iPad will do nothing to hinder the creations that will flow easily.
| Pros | Cons |
| ➕ Great performance | ➖ No multi-user option |
| ➕ Long battery life | ➖ More expensive than the previous model |
Latest Price on Amazon:
- 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display with True Tone and wide color
- A15 Bionic chip with Neural Engine
- Touch ID for secure authentication and Apple Pay
- 12MP Wide back camera, 12MP Ultra Wide front camera with Center Stage
- Available in purple, starlight, pink, and space gray
6. Apple iPad Air 5th Gen (2022)
The best iPad for Procreate with advanced features
Display: 10.9-inch | Processor: Apple M1 chip with Neural Engine | RAM: 8GB | Storage: Up to 256GB | Battery Life: Up to 10 Hours | Weight: 1.0 pound | OS: iPadOS
If you are looking for an iPad and not just for Procreate but for other applications such as editing, and collaging, then you may consider buying the iPad Air 5th Gen. This iPad comes with twice the storage and runs faster than the previous model.
This iPad comes with the Apple M1 chip with 8-core GPU and Neural Engine to boost its performance. It also comes with a 12MP Ultra Wide front camera and works with Apple Pencil and Magic Keyboard.
iPad Air 5th gen lets you work with Procreate with Liquid Retina display features and advanced technologies like True Tone, P3 wide color, and an anti-reflective coating in any manner. It allows you to multitask smoothly between powerful apps and also allows you to play graphics-intensive games. You can even expand your creativity with apps like SketchUp.
The extraordinary 8-core GPU has faster graphics allowing you to draw and filter in Procreate, build 3D, and more. It allows editing faster than ever in Adobe software as well.
Pros |
Cons |
| ➕It contains solid 12MP cameras | ➖ iPad and its peripherals are expensive |
| ➕It has a strong, sharp, and colorful display | |
| ➕8-core GPU with 2x faster graphics |
Latest Price on Amazon:
- 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display with True Tone, P3 wide color, and an antireflective coating
- Apple M1 chip with Neural Engine
- 12MP Wide camera
- 12MP Ultra Wide front camera with Center Stage
- Up to 256GB of storage
Why is Procreate such a great program?
We’re glad you asked! Creating incredible works of art digitally should be an easy process – after all, just about everything we do these days has a digital or online component to it. However, there is still a belief that great art can only be created using an ultra-expensive laptop or PC and downloading Illustrator from Adobe. This is fine for some but many will still reach for their sketchbook to jot ideas down before clicking on their mouse.
Procreate is different. In incredible ways.
Instead of having to go back and forth from sketchbook to laptop, the Procreate program brings them all together into one package. Not only does it provide you with all of the tools and options that you could ever need to create beautiful artwork, but it also does this in a compact size – on your Apple iPad.
With a canvas available at just about any size, you need it to be, you can use brushes, pens, shapes, and colors to create artwork as it comes to you. No more jotting ideas in a sketchbook and “transferring” them to a laptop or PC. Add in the Apple Pencil and it’s a match made in digital heaven. If you’ve never used it before, there are courses that you can take or you can teach yourself but it does take some time to get used to it.
All in all, Procreate is one of our favorite design programs and provides you with some great features such as:
- 150+ Paint Brushes – that you can customize them and add more!
- Countless Filters, Effects, Gradients, and more
- Incredible Color Selection and Control, including Blending and Gradation
- Aids and Cheats like Clipping Masks, Alpha Locks and Quickshape
- Drawing Guides like Perspective, Isometric, and Symmetry
- Layers
- Customizable Gestures
- Animation
- Intuitive Interface
- Brilliantly Thought-Out Layout, Controls, and Functions Overall
So now that you know how incredible Procreate is, let’s look at the tech you’ll use to bring all of your creations to life.
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Top 5 Procreate iPad Picks in 2022 Summary
Procreate is an amazing tool that any artist, professional or amateur alike can use to bring their imagination to life. Combine this with our choices of the best iPad for Procreate and it’s a dream come true. So what’s your pick…
- Apple iPad Pro 12.9 (2021) — The best iPad for Procreate overall (Editor’s Choice)
- Apple iPad (9th Gen) — The best budget iPad for Procreate
- Apple iPad Pro (11-inch, 2021) — The best value iPad for Procreate
- Apple iPad Air (4th gen) — The best portable iPad for Procreate
- Apple iPad Mini — The best beginner iPad for Procreate