We have just finished thoroughly testing the brilliant new iPad mini 7 and this will shortly be replacing the iPad mini 6 for our portability pick. See our iPad mini 7 review here.
When it comes to the best iPad for Procreate you don't really need to spend a lot of money, because this fantastic digital art app has been designed to run on all iPads, new and old-ish, large and small (click the FAQ quick link for a full list). The real question is, do you need a large display, access to newer tech like the Apple Pencil Pro or want to also use new 2D animation app Procreate Dreams, which does only run on iPad Pro.
There are several iPad options to consider based on your specific needs and budget. And the naming system isn't particularly clear to anyone who's not an Apple obsessive, so I'm not surprised if you're a little confused about which model to buy (see our iPad generations guide to help with this).
To make it easy for you, I've brought together the best iPads for Procreate in one place, drawing on our expertise on which are the best iPads for drawing. On site, we've tested every iPad on my list below, and have included links to full reviews elsewhere on Creative Bloq, so you know I've selected these from experience. In fact, I use an iPad Pro 11-inch (M2) with Procreate, the larger model is No.1 on my list.
The Apple iPad Air (M2, 2024) comes with the M2 chip, so it'll run Procreate quickly and efficiently. And because it's cheaper than the iPad Pro, that makes it our pick as the best iPad for Procreate overall. Read more below
One of the most affordable iPads you can buy today is the iPad (2022), and it's a good choice for Procreate if you're on a budget. You get a nice, bright 10.9-inch screen, as well as a USB-C port and excellent battery life. Read more below
The new 2024 iPad Pro 13 is incredibly thin and fast and has the largest, best quality display on any iPad. We love the feel of drawing on an iPad Pro, and it's just got better with the new Apple Pencil Pro. Read more below
Although it's been around a couple of years now, the 5th generation iPad Air is still very capable indeed. Apple gave this model a big specs bump from its predecessor, including the powerful M1 processor. Read more below
Unlike other iPad models, the iPad mini hasn't had an update recently, so the 2021 model is still the most recent one you can get. The good news is that it remains a brilliant tablet, and Procreate runs well on it, and it's nice and affordable. Read more below
While it doesn't boast the improved internals or newer look of more recent iPads, this older iPad is still good enough for Procreate, and the lower price makes it a great choice if you want to save some money. Read more below
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Stylus support: Apple Pencil Pro, Apple Pencil USB-C
Storage: 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB
Reasons to buy
+
Affordable price
+
Large, beautiful display
+
Supports Apple Pencil Pro
Reasons to avoid
-
Not the most portable
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Overkill for some
Buy it if
✅ You want the best value: This offers excellent performance for Procreate at a more reasonable price point than the Pro.
✅ You need Apple Pencil Pro features: You'll get full support for the latest Apple Pencil Pro with haptics, hover, and barrel roll.
Buy it if
❌ You work with massive canvases: The 8GB RAM limitation means fewer layers at very high resolutions.
❌ You need pro-level GPU performance: Heavy 3D rendering and video work are better suited to the iPad Pro.
The bottom line
🔎 iPad Air (M2, 2024) hits the sweet spot between performance and price, making it our top choice for most Procreate artists. ★★★★
What you need to know: The Apple iPad Air (M2, 2024) isn't as powerful as the latest iPad Pro (third on our list). But given that it comes with the M2 chip, it'll run Procreate just as quickly and efficiently. So that combined with the lower price, and the fact this is such a beautiful iPad, make it our pick overall for most people.
Design and build: Despite being slightly thicker than the iPad Pro at 6.1mm (versus 5.1mm), the difference is negligible in reality, especially with a case. The build quality is excellent, and the new magnetic system for folio cases offers viewing angle adjustability. The anti-glare coating reduces reflections, though it's not quite as effective as the Pro's nano-texture option.
Display: The 2732x2048-pixel resolution display at 264 PPI delivers excellent image quality with true-tone technology and good brightness levels. While it doesn't feature the Pro's Ultra Retina XDR OLED display, the LED screen still offers impressive colour accuracy and contrast. For professional artists, the display quality will be more than sufficient for work in Procreate.
Performance: In Procreate, the M2 chip delivers smooth performance with virtually no lag. The only limitation comes with extremely large canvases: at 10,000x10,000 pixels, you're limited to six layers compared to the Pro's fourteen. However, for typical professional work, this rarely presents an issue. The GPU performance is strong enough for most creative tasks, though it may show some limitations with heavy 3D rendering or complex video editing.
Pricing: Starting at £799, the iPad Air (M2, 2024) represents excellent value for money. Even when fully configured with 1TB storage at £1,428, it remains significantly more affordable than the iPad Pro line while delivering professional-grade performance for Procreate users.
✅ You're a newbie: If you're getting started with Procreate, this is all you need.
✅ You're on a tight budget: This entry-level iPad is nicely affordable.
Buy it if
❌ You want super-smooth drawing: The lower refresh rate means there can be a touch of lag.
❌ You want a more advanced stylus: The 10th-gen iPad only supports Apple Pencil 1.
The bottom line
🔎 iPad 10 (2022) only supports the older first-gen Apple Pencil, but if that doesn't bother you, it's a great value tablet for anyone who draws in Procreate for a hobby. ★★★★½
What you need to know: Want something a bit cheaper than the first iPad on our list? The iPad (2022) is nicely affordable, and it will work well for creating art in Procreate too. This iPad features enough power to run the software, and comes with features found in more expensive modern iPads – but without the high price point. On that basis, we'd recommend it for non-professional artists.
Design and build: The 10th-generation iPad is slightly larger than the 9th-gen iteration and feels more premium, with a robust build. Featuring a 10.9-inch screen. It comes in a variety of colours.
Display: The display is dimmer than the Pros, but our tester still found it to be a pleasure to draw on, even in outdoor light. It only supports the first Apple Pencil, though, while the introduction of USB-C charging ports on this iPad means that you need to buy an additional adapter to charge it.
Performance: This tablet may be on the cheaper side, but it still includes True Tone support, which is Apple's technology that adjusts colour balance depending on the quality of light in the room. There are some compromises, however. It uses the A14 chip, rather than the more powerful M-chips now found in higher-end iPads, so while Procreate runs fine, you don't get quite as slick an experience. Also it's also only compatible with the first Apple Pencil and Apple Pencil 3, but not the Apple Pencil 2.
Pricing: Our few niggles aside, this entry-level iPad is the best value Procreate tablet you can buy right now.
✅ Money is no object: With its OLED screen, 120Hz refresh rate and Apple Pencil Pro support, this is easily the best iPad display for drawing in Procreate.
✅ You're a professional artist: We think the benefits are worth the expense for pros.
Buy it if
❌ You're not made of money: This is eye-wateringly expensive, and overkill just for using Procreate.
❌ You have an Apple Pencil 1 or 2: It's only compatible with Apple Pencil Pro and Apple Pencil USB-C.
The bottom line
🔎 iPad Pro 13 (M4) is very expensive and more than most people will need, but the incredible specs make this the ultimate iPad for Procreate. ★★★★★
What you need to know: If you want the absolute most powerful iPad available today, you want the Apple iPad Pro (M4, 2024). Released in May, this is very fast, very thin, offers OLED screen technology for improved contrast, and is compatible with the Apple Pencil Pro.
Design and build: We found that despite being just 5.1mm thick, the tablet feels very robust. The size could be a drawback for anyone who wants a more discreet device, though: the base iPad or iPad mini is more comfortable for handheld use. The design features an improved glare-free screen with a nano-texture glass option, excellent speakers, and a camera system. The new "hover" feature works with the Apple Pencil Pro, and the device manages heat well despite its thin design.
Display: The OLED display is quite incredible. Apple's calling it Tandem OLED since it's actually two OLED panels sandwiched together. Apple claims 1,000 nits of standard brightness and 1,600 nits of HDR brightness, just like the 2022 model. Our reviewer felt the Ultra Retina XDR OLED display, though, looks crisper than its predecessor, with outstanding contrast between darks and lights.
Performance: Performance-wise, the iPad Pro (M4, 2024) is extremely powerful, potentially overpowered for most users. That means it'll fly through Procreate smoothly and responsively, and excel in more resource-hungry tools such as high-polygon 3D work and video editing. We'll be honest, though: if you just want to use Procreate, this may well be overkill. In terms of processing speed, you probably won't notice much difference from M1 iPads.
Pricing: This is the most expensive iPad to date, starting at $1,299 / £1,299. However, professional digital artists may think that's worth it, due to Apple Pencil Pro support, OLED screen and fast refresh rate. Otherwise, it's probably more than you need just to use ProCreate.
✅ You're watching the pennies: Now it's the last gen model, you should be able to get a good discount.
✅ You want a more compact tablet: At 11in, the M1 Air is easy to haul around with you.
Buy it if
❌ You have an Apple Pencil Pro: If so, you'll need a 2024 iPad Pro or Air.
❌ You want to replace your laptop: The 2022 Air isn't the best tablet if you also want to use heavier creative software than Procreate.
The bottom line
🔎 iPad Air (M1) isn't the most up-to-date iPad Air. But its M1 processor is plenty fast enough for Procreate, and you should be able to buy one for less than the latest M4 version. ★★★★½
What you need to know: If you're after the best thin and light iPad for Procreate, the 5th generation iPad Air is excellent value. The M1 processor grants it very past performance, and our reviewer called it a "pretty astounding creative computer".
Design and build: Compared with the 13-inch iPad Pro, the 5th gen iPad Air is a lighter, more portable device that still feels very robust and premium with its sleek aluminium finish. Its real selling point, though, is its portability. Weighing just 462g, with dimensions of 247.6x178.5x6.1mm, this is an iPad that you can take pretty much anywhere with you, allowing you to fire up Procreate no matter where you are.
Display: The 1640 x 2360 Liquid Retina IPS LCD screen makes anything you make in Procreate look fantastic. Our review found that screen resolution is comparable to previous Pro models while backlighting was even and colour-accurate, making it a great choice for drawing. The drawbacks are lower brightness levels compared to the Pro's Ultra Retina XDR OLED display, and a refresh rate of 60Hz (compared to the Pro's 120Hz.
Performance: This Air isn't the best option for those who want a tablet that they can also use for more demanding tasks such as video editing, but for drawing, the M1 chip is plenty powerful. The one thing that does disappoint us is that it only comes with two storage sizes: a 64GB version, which is really too small these days, and a 256GB one, which may be too big for some people.
Pricing: The main reason to get this older iPad Air over the new 2024 iPad Air version is that you should be able to find it at a decent discount. Make sure you compare both prices first, though!
✅ You want something small: As you'd expect, the iPad mini is easy to carry in a bag or even a large pocket.
✅ You're looking for a bargain: As an older model, you'll almost certainly be able to find a discount.
Buy it if
❌ You want lots of working space: This has the smallest display of all the iPads.
❌ You want a powerful tablet: This isn't a device for running demanding creative software.
The bottom line
🔎 iPad mini (2021) is easy to pick up and put down, making it great for sketching on the go, and it's cheaper than the new iPad mini 2024. ★★★★½
What you need to know: Though this isn't the latest version of the iPad mini, it remains a brilliant tablet, and Procreate runs well on it.
Design and build: As the name suggests, we found the mini to be wonderfully compact, and suitable for carrying anywhere since it can fit neatly into a small bag (read our guide to the best iPad cases).
Display: The 8.3-inch Liquid Retina screen offers 2266x1488 resolution at 326 pixels per inch, and our tester found it crisp and vibrant, despite its size. The only potential downfall to the mini is the 8.3-inch screen is, well, small. But that's obviously the flipside of being compact and portable, which you may feel is a compromise worth making. Because while you may not want to work on huge and complex projects in Procreate on this iPad, but it's ideal for sketching ideas and quick doodles when out and about.
Performance: The iPad Mini hasn't been updated for a few years now, but ipacks plenty of power thanks to the A15 Bionic chip, USB-C support and 5G connectivity. You can use the Apple Pencil 2 or 3 with it, too. In our review, we found that Apple's claims of 10 hours of battery life were accurate, so you should have no problem drawing on the move, and there's up to 256GB of native storage space.
Pricing: Due to its advanced age, the iPad mini is regularly discounted with around $100 / £100 knocked off the price at third-party retailers.
✅ You're on a tight budget: This is the most affordable way to get into digital art with Procreate.
✅ You're a beginner: Perfect for those just starting their digital art journey.
Buy it if
❌ You want a premium drawing experience: The non-laminated display and first-gen Apple Pencil are dated.
❌ You need anti-glare: The basic screen coating makes it harder to use in bright environments.
The bottom line
🔎 iPad 10.2-inch (9th Gen) remains the budget champion for Procreate, offering solid performance and Apple Pencil support at an unbeatable price point. ★★★★
What you need to know: Apple doesn't really do 'budget' devices, but if you don't mind settling for older models, you can pick up some great Apple products for a lot less than the most recent versions. Even at time of release our reviewer said it's "massively capable for its price", and this is even truer now it's even cheaper.
Design and build: The traditional iPad design with larger bezels and Home button might feel dated, but it's still solidly built. At 7.5mm thick and 487g, it's slightly bulkier than more expensive models but remains comfortable for extended drawing sessions. The headphone jack is a unique feature in the current iPad lineup, potentially useful for artists who prefer wired headphones while working.
Display: The 10.2-inch screen offers a sharp 2160x1620 resolution at 264 PPI - matching the pixel density of pricier iPads. While it lacks the laminated display of higher-end models (meaning there's a small gap between glass and screen), the addition of True Tone technology helps provide more natural colour viewing. The main drawback for artists is increased glare due to basic anti-reflection coating.
Performance: While it doesn't boast the improved internals or newer look of more recent iPads, it is still runs Procreate without issue. The 3GB RAM means you'll have fewer layers available compared to higher-end models, but for beginners and hobby artists, this rarely becomes a limitation. It's worth pointing out, however, that it only supports the first generation of Apple Pencil.
Pricing: Starting at £319 for the 64GB model (double the storage of previous generations), this is the most affordable way to start creating with Procreate. The 256GB version at £459 offers ample space for artists building a portfolio. Factor in £89 for the first-generation Apple Pencil, and you still have a complete digital art setup for under £410.
We like to test Procreate on all the iPads that release. (Image credit: Ian Dean)
When testing iPads for drawing, I put each tablet through its paces with demanding brushes, layering heavy projects, and intricate line art. Each stroke is scrutinised for lag, responsiveness, and overall performance. From subtle blending to pressure sensitivity, we test how faithfully the iPad translates every nuance of the artist's hand onto the canvas.
I also look at practical considerations such as how long the battery lasts, how much storage there is for projects files, and whether the iPad offers value for money overall.
Industry-leading digital art app Procreate has transformed the iPad into an artistic powerhouse. However, it doesn't work with all iPad models, so picking the perfect one can feel a bit confusing.
The first task is to check that the model is actually compatible with Procreate. All our picks in the list above are, and we have a full list of compatible iPads in our FAQs below. Secondly, you should consider which of the three Apple Pencils you want to use, and check compatibility there too.
Thirdly, think about what screen size you prefer. A large screen means more space to draw, but also makes the iPad bigger and less portable, so there's a balance to be struck there if you plan to often be sketching on the move. Fourthly, consider whether the extra features in the latest version of Procreate are important to you: if so, you'll want one of the newest iPads, as we detail in our list above.
Procreate is a powerful and popular raster graphics editor app designed specifically for iPads and iPhones. It's typically used by artists for digital painting, illustration and sketching on the iPad. First launched in 2011, it's made by by the Tasmanian software company Savage Interactive. In 2018, Procreate became the overall best selling iPad app. Read our selection of Procreate tutorials to get started with using this app.
What's the latest version of Procreate?
The latest version of Procreate is 5.3. This includes a range of new hover features like Brush Cursor, Gallery Previews, Selections, Brush Size and Opacity Gestures. Our reviewer wrote "The fact that you can now create so many different mediums on Procreate, from animations to digital art, undeniably makes it one of the most powerful drawing apps on the market... The app keeps getting better with every update." For more details, read our Procreate 5.3 review.
Which iPads support Procreate?
To run the latest version of Procreate you need to have an iPad with iPadOS 15.4.1 or newer installed. The following iPads support Procreate:
iPad Pro (M4)
iPad Air (M2)
iPad Pro 12.9-inch (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th generation)
iPad Pro 11-inch (1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th generation)
iPad Pro 10.5-inch
iPad Pro 9.7-inch
iPad (5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th generation)
Ian Dean is Editor, Digital Arts & 3D at Creative Bloq, and the former editor of many leading magazines. These titles included ImagineFX, 3D World and video game titles Play and Official PlayStation Magazine. Ian launched Xbox magazine X360 and edited PlayStation World. For Creative Bloq, Ian combines his experiences to bring the latest news on digital art, VFX and video games and tech, and in his spare time he doodles in Procreate, ArtRage, and Rebelle while finding time to play Xbox and PS5.
