If you’ve ever thought of becoming a digital artist as your profession, a good program is a necessity. There are many excellent softwares, but there are two that are frequently talked about. These are none other than Procreate and ibisPaintX. 

Both apps can be found in the Apple App Store, but Procreate can not be found in the Google Play Store. ibisPaintX is free while Procreate is a one-time cost of $12.99. They can be utilized with a stylus, Apple Pencil, and even your finger if you don’t own either one. 

ibisPaintX was the first drawing software I’ve ever used. It includes an online gallery where a user can see art other people have done using the app and there are some tutorials to get started. There are also tracing sketches for poses, buildings, chibis, hands, and feet. Ibis also includes different types of patterns for clothes and backgrounds. There is no layer limit, but the app will run slower if one adds too many layers. I’ve used this software for a few years, and although it’s decent, there are a few flaws.

 First off, there are too many ads. There’s also a storage limit on the app, and if the user wants to remove ads, use all brushes, use premium filters, poses, patterns, and gain more storage, a monthly fee of $2.99 or a yearly fee of $27.99 has to be paid. The app also glitches depending on the type of device the user’s using.
On the other hand, Procreate doesn’t include any ads, there’s unlimited storage and access to every brush. The app also includes Animation Assist for those wanting to animate. Layers can also be grouped without them merging together. One can also change the quality of their time-lapse and the DPI. DPI is the quality of a drawing that comes out of the printer and it’s recommended to have a DPI of 300. 

However, there is a limit to layers for drawings with a higher resolution. For example, if a user would like to create a drawing that has a resolution of 3000 x 2060, they would have a layer limit of 165. The higher one goes, the fewer layers they have. 

Both softwares do include a Clipping Mask, Alpha Lock, Blending Modes, Liquify, Reference Window, Text, and many other features, Procreate is more efficient and easier to use once the user gets the hang of it. If you want a quality software with no distractions and have access to every feature, go with Procreate. If you don’t mind ads and want to spend no money, go with ibisPaintX. I recommend Procreate because there isn’t a monthly or yearly fee, no advertisements, and a bonus animation feature is included.