Procreate vs ibis Paint X: paying for a standard, or not paying at all
One costs $12.99 and weighs 1.1 GB, the other is free at 117 MB — and has six times more ratings. We look at what the money actually buys.
The comparison people actually make is not between two drawing apps. It is between paying and not paying — and the free option here is genuinely good, which is what makes the question hard.
What the money buys
Not features. Ibis Paint has layers, blend modes, stabilisation and brush customisation too.
It buys the canvas. Procreate's engine is written for Apple hardware, and the difference shows exactly where beginners never look: forty layers deep on a large canvas, with a stylus moving fast. Ibis Paint starts lagging there; Procreate does not.
If you never get to forty layers, you are paying for something you will not use.
What free costs
Ads. They are in the free tier and they interrupt.
A subscription anyway for some brushes and features — so "free" is the entry price, not the final one.
The size is not a detail
Procreate 1105 MB
ibis Paint X 117 MB
Ten times. On a 64 GB iPad shared with photos, that is a real decision.
Who should ignore this comparison entirely
Android users. Procreate does not exist for you, and no amount of comparing changes that.
iPhone users. Procreate on iPhone is a separate app you buy separately. Ibis Paint runs on the phone you already have.
| Procreate | ibis Paint X | Which wins | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $12.99, bought once | Free; some brushes and features behind a subscription | ibis Paint X |
| Download size | 1105 MB | 117 MB — ten times smaller | ibis Paint X |
| Audience | 50,463 ratings in the US store | 295,307 ratings — six times more | ibis Paint X |
| Rating | 4.4 | 4.7 | ibis Paint X |
| Platforms | iPad only; the iPhone version is a separate paid app | iPhone, iPad and Android | ibis Paint X |
| Canvas performance | Built for Apple hardware — dozens of layers with no stylus lag | Noticeably slower on large canvases with many layers | Procreate |
| Advertising | None, and none coming — you bought it | Present in the free tier, removed by subscription | Procreate |
| Professional work | Industry standard: animation, colour profiles, PSD export | Fewer features, aimed at comics and manga | Procreate |
Procreate
The reference tool for drawing on an iPad — canvas speed, honest stylus handling, and a single purchase instead of a subscription. There is no Android version, and the iPhone app is a separate paid product.
ibis Paint X
The most popular free drawing app — thousands of brushes, full layer support and automatic process recording. You pay in advertising and a subscription for part of the toolset.