Procreate
by Savage Interactive
Procreate is a paid digital illustration and painting app made exclusively for iPad.
- Price
- $12.99 one-time
- Runs on
- iPadOS
- Rating
- ★ 4.4 on the App Store (51K ratings)
Clip Studio Paint
by CELSYS
Clip Studio Paint is a subscription illustration, comic and animation app for iPad, with desktop and Android versions.
- Price
- Subscription: PRO from $4.89/month, EX from $9.69/month
- Runs on
- iPadOS, macOS, Windows, Android, ChromeOS
- Rating
- ★ 4.7 on the App Store (14K ratings)
Key differences
Only Procreate has
- No account needed
Only Clip Studio Paint has
- Mac: Yes, desktop version
Feature comparison
| Feature | Procreate |
Clip Studio Paint |
|---|---|---|
| Price and platforms | ||
| Price | $12.99 one-time | Subscription: PRO from $4.89/month, EX from $9.69/month |
| Free version | No, paid upfront | 30-day free trial; saving and exporting need a plan |
| Subscription | None | Required to save and export |
| Ad-free | Yes | Not advertised |
| No account needed | Yes | Clip Studio account needed to buy a plan |
| iPad | Yes | Yes |
| iPhone | Separate app, Procreate Pocket ($5.99) | Separate app, Clip Studio Paint for iPhone |
| Mac | No, iPad only | Yes, desktop version |
| Android and Chromebook | Not advertised | Yes |
| Brushes | ||
| Built-in brushes | 300+ | Built-in set plus thousands of community brushes |
| Brush customization | Brush Studio, 100+ settings | Brush shape, texture, paper quality and more |
| Brush import | Procreate and Photoshop (.abr) brushes | Clip Studio Assets community brushes |
| Apple Pencil | Pressure and tilt | Supported |
| Comics and manga | ||
| Comic panel layouts | Page Assist for comic pages | Panel frames; multi-page projects with EX |
| Screentones | Halftone filter | Yes |
| Text and lettering | Vector text, custom fonts | Text and speech balloons |
| Layers and editing | ||
| Layer limit | Depends on canvas size and device | Not advertised |
| Blend modes | 25+ | Yes |
| Masks | Layer and clipping masks | Masks and clipping across multiple layers |
| Adjustments and filters | Curves, Color Balance, HSB, Gradient Map, blurs, Bloom, Glitch, Halftone, applied to the layer | Non-destructive color adjustment layers, gradient maps, filters |
| Selection tools | Automatic, freehand, rectangle, ellipse | Lasso, magnetic lasso and more |
| Liquify and distortion | Liquify and Warp | Liquify, mesh transform, puppet warp |
| Clone tool | Yes | Not advertised |
| Drawing aids | ||
| Symmetry | Vertical, horizontal, quadrant, radial | Symmetry ruler |
| Perspective guides | 1, 2 and 3-point, isometric, 2D grid | Perspective rulers and 3D shapes |
| Shape correction | QuickShape | Figure tools and rulers |
| Gradients | Gradient Map adjustment | Gradient tool and gradient maps |
| Paintable materials | Not advertised | Not advertised |
| Seamless patterns | Not advertised | Not advertised |
| Extras | ||
| Animation | Frame-by-frame with Animation Assist | Frame-by-frame; unlimited frames with EX |
| 3D painting | Yes | 3D figures for reference, not painting |
| Timelapse | Yes, export up to 4K | Yes |
| Live collaboration | Not advertised | Not advertised |
| Generative AI | None. Procreate has pledged never to add it | None advertised |
| Files | ||
| Photoshop PSD | Import and export | Import and export |
| Export formats | PSD, TIFF, PNG, JPEG, PDF, GIF, MP4, OBJ, USDZ | PSD, PNG, JPEG, TIFF and more |
| CMYK and print | CMYK color profiles | CMYK export for print |
| App Store | ||
| Rating | 4.4 / 5 (51K ratings) | 4.7 / 5 (14K ratings) |
| Last updated | September 18, 2026 | September 8, 2026 |
| Languages | 17 | 10 |
Price
Procreate costs $12.99 upfront, while Clip Studio Paint is free to download.
Procreate costs $12.99 once on the App Store, with no subscription and no in-app purchases. There is no free version or trial, so you pay before you draw.
Clip Studio Paint on iPad is a subscription. There is a 30-day free trial, after which you need a plan to save and export: PRO starts at $4.89 a month and EX, which adds multi-page comics and unlimited animation frames, at $9.69 a month on the US App Store. Plans are priced by how many devices you use.
Platforms
Both run on iPad. Only Clip Studio Paint runs on iPhone, Mac, Windows, Android and Chromebook.
Procreate is made for iPad only. On iPhone you need Procreate Pocket, a separate $5.99 app, and Procreate does not list versions for Mac, Windows or Android.
Clip Studio Paint runs on iPad, with a separate app for iPhone, desktop versions for Mac and Windows, and versions for Android and Chromebook. Buying a plan requires a Clip Studio account.
Brushes
Procreate ships with more than 300 brushes and Brush Studio, which exposes over 100 settings per brush. It imports Photoshop .abr brushes as well as Procreate brushes, and third-party Procreate brush packs are sold all over the web.
Clip Studio Paint ships with brushes that mimic real art materials and lets you adjust brush shape, texture and paper quality in detail. Its Clip Studio Assets community offers thousands of artist-made brushes and materials.
Comics and manga
Procreate has Page Assist for laying out multi-page comics and a Halftone filter, and many artists add third-party panel templates and screentone brushes.
Clip Studio Paint is the most complete comic tool here: panel frames, speech balloons, text, effect lines and screentones, with multi-page projects for print, web comics and webtoons in the EX plan.
Layers and editing
Procreate: Layers come with layer masks, clipping masks and 25+ blend modes, and the number of layers depends on your canvas size and device. Adjustments such as Curves, Gradient Map and Gaussian Blur are applied directly to a layer rather than kept as separate adjustment layers.
Clip Studio Paint: Layers support masks and clipping across multiple layers, non-destructive color adjustment layers and gradient maps. Liquify, mesh transformation and puppet warp let you fix proportions after you draw, and Color Match pulls colors from a reference image.
Drawing tools and extras
Procreate: Drawing aids include QuickShape, symmetry, 1, 2 and 3-point perspective and isometric guides, and vector text. Procreate also has frame-by-frame animation with Animation Assist, 3D painting on imported models, and a timelapse you can export in 4K.
Clip Studio Paint has posable 3D figures and 3D shapes for reference and perspective, perspective and symmetry rulers, Shading Assist for lighting, and frame-by-frame animation, with unlimited frames in EX.
Which should you choose?
Choose Procreate if
- You rely on third-party Procreate or Photoshop brush packs
- You want to paint directly on 3D models
- You prefer one upfront price to a subscription
- You need PDF, GIF, MP4 or 3D model export
Choose Clip Studio Paint if
- You make comics, manga or webtoons and want panels, balloons and screentones
- You want posable 3D figures as a drawing reference
- You want non-destructive adjustment layers
- You want the same software on a Windows or Mac computer
Frequently asked questions
Is Procreate better than Clip Studio Paint?
Neither is better for everyone. Procreate is the better pick if you rely on third-party Procreate or Photoshop brush packs, or you want to paint directly on 3D models. Clip Studio Paint suits you better if you make comics, manga or webtoons and want panels, balloons and screentones, or you want posable 3D figures as a drawing reference.
Is Procreate free?
No. Procreate costs $12.99 once on the App Store, with no subscription and no free version. The iPhone version, Procreate Pocket, is a separate $5.99 purchase.
Is Clip Studio Paint free?
Not fully. Clip Studio Paint has a 30-day free trial on iPad, but saving and exporting need a paid plan afterwards. Plans start at $4.89 a month for PRO and $9.69 a month for EX on the US App Store.
Which works on iPhone, Procreate or Clip Studio Paint?
Procreate has a separate iPhone app, Procreate Pocket ($5.99). Clip Studio Paint has a separate iPhone app, Clip Studio Paint for iPhone.
Do Procreate and Clip Studio Paint work on Android?
Procreate does not list an Android version. Clip Studio Paint has an Android version.
Do Procreate or Clip Studio Paint use generative AI?
Procreate has publicly pledged never to add generative AI to its apps. Clip Studio Paint does not advertise any generative AI features.
Sources
- Procreate on the App Store
- Procreate's statement on generative AI
- Clip Studio Paint on the App Store
Facts checked on October 2, 2026. Prices are from the US App Store, and features from each app's listing and official site. Apps change often, so check the App Store for current prices and features. Procreate and Clip Studio Paint are trademarks of their respective owners. App icons come from each app's App Store listing and belong to their owners. Paintrix Studio is not affiliated with the makers of Procreate and Clip Studio Paint.