What are the Best Procreate Alternative for Windows?
Are you looking for the best Procreate alternative for Windows devices?
I have thoroughly researched the 10 best alternative programs to Procreate.
Procreate is a very popular platform for digital art exclusive to iOS, but unfortunately, it’s not available to Windows users.
Whether you are a novice or a professional, there is a digital art program for you!
Creating artwork digitally rather than physically has so many advantages.
For example, you can easily undo mistakes, you do not have to clean paintbrushes after and you can easily share your artwork online.
Continue reading to discover which of these 10 Procreate alternative for windows programs fits the description of what you’re looking for!
Table of Contents
Procreate Alternative for Windows
- Krita
- Inkscape
- Adobe Fresco
- Concepts
- Medibang Paint
- Sketchable
- Autodesk Sketchbook
- FireAlpaca
- Corel Painter
- Adobe Illustrator
Quick Links
1. Krita
The first Procreate alternative for windows program is Krita.
Krita is reviewed as the number 1 best alternative to Procreate, in fact, some even claim it’s easier to use!
Also, Krita is designed for illustration and is excellent for newbies and professionals to use.
It’s easy to navigate, with its interface not being cluttered with tools.
Krita allows you to customize the interface to your preference.
So, all your favorite brushes and pencils are just one click away!
Manga and comic artists choose Krita over any other program due to its finetuning for this style.
There are many brushes to choose from, but not too many that it’s overwhelming.
In addition, you can even create your brushes!
Krita offers many other techniques such as oil paint, chalk art, and watercolor.
Another benefit to Krita is its forum for its users where you can share artwork and have discussions.
The best part?
It’s completely free! It’s a top-quality digital art software without a high-end price tag.
However, some issues that users report about Krita are that it can have a slow responding time.
Aside from that, the program has some software issues.
Another downside is that there are not enough tutorials on the application, so I suggest looking some up on YouTube!
Price: Free
2. Inkscape
Another free alternative is Inkscape.
Inkscape has every tool that you as a digital artist will need and is also very simple to use and utilize.
This application is especially fantastic at creating vectors.
Which are scalable graphics that won’t blur when you manipulate or resize them.
‘Draw freely’ is Inkscape’s motto and what better way to describe the capability of this software.
Inkscape is open-source software.
Users can study, learn, edit, and share the software and its source code with everyone and for any purpose.
There are many tools available on Inkscape such as texts, transparency effects, patterns, and much more!
Furthermore, Inkscape also offers an incredible support team for any issues or queries you may have.
A downside to Inkscape is if you want a better selection of brushes and pencils, you have to purchase them.
It also comes with a steep learning curve for its new users, but once you get the hang of it, it’s very straightforward and worth it!
Price: Free
3. Adobe Fresco
The third Procreate alternative for windows is Adobe Fresco, a known rival of Procreate for many reasons.
It is a very popular tool for assisting digital artists, web designers, and graphic designers with their creations.
Fresco is especially praised by artists for its ability to accurately create watercolor art, with its exceptional bleeding and blurring effects.
What makes Fresco unique is its option to work in both vector and/or raster.
This is in comparison to Photoshop which only works with raster, and Illustrator which only works with vectors.
Fresco has an exceptionally clean interface that is easy to navigate, and also its tools work realistically and give you excellent control.
In addition, it provides access to live brushes and pixel brushes.
This program creates artwork that is so accurate, that it can be mistaken for artwork created with a physical art tool!
The pencil tool even responds to pressure as if you were sketching on paper.
Adobe Fresco works especially well on a tablet.
So, if you prefer a tablet to a desktop for your artwork, then I would highly recommend this application.
Without a stylus, this can be a difficult application to utilize.
However, Fresco does not offer a symmetrical drawing mode which is very popular amongst digital artists.
So if this is a feature you enjoy, you may have to consider a different software.
If you are someone who doesn’t want to spend a lot of time learning how to navigate a new program, well then Fresco is perfect for you!
Its interface is very intuitive and similar to that of Photoshop.
Fresco comes with a fee of $9.99/month, however, it seems to be very much worth it!
Price: $9.99/month
4. Concepts
Concepts is an amazing app for both vector drawings and sketching.
There are a variety of tools available, with their thickness, opacity, and color all easily adjustable.
Concepts is designed for both amateurs and professionals.
Both vector and raster creation tools are available.
These allow you to easily adjust, edit, undo and manipulate your artwork.
Concepts also provides an infinite canvas size, which allows for unlimited creativity!
Some may say that Concepts isn’t the easiest software to navigate.
However, it does not contain an overwhelming amount of brushes, pencils, and other tools.
There is quite a steep learning curve that comes with this application.
Although, many of its users state that it is well worth the time and effort!
A basic version of Concepts is available to download, which has all the necessary tools.
However, if you want to have more variety, you can purchase the Essentials pack for $9.99.
Or you can also get everything the software offers for $9.99/month or $29.99/year.
Moreover, if you don’t want to spend any money, the free version has everything that you as an artist will need!
Price: Free/ optional subscription
5. Medibang Paint
If you are a professional or an aspiring digital artist, I would highly recommend Medibang Paint.
It is free software with an enormous amount of tools at your disposal that will give you professional-looking results.
This app offers over 800 backgrounds, 50 brushes, and 20 fonts.
Also, it allows you to easily transfer work from your desktop to a table, or vice versa.
This application allows you to customize your canvas size to your preferred width and length.
In addition, Medibang Paint can be quite complicated for beginners as its interface is quite overwhelming, with a huge amount of tools.
I would recommend this app to someone who already is experienced in the world of digital art.
Medibang Paint also has an online community which I recommend you join, as it is a place to share your work and ask questions.
They also frequently run competitions for you to submit your creations!
There are in-app advertisements, which if you find annoying, you can pay a monthly fee to be advertisement free along with Krita.
Most importantly, Medibang is one of the best alternatives to Procreate.
However, if you are searching for software to create live images or GIFs, then this is not the app for you as Medibang is designed for still art only.
Lastly, another downside to Medibang is it can take quite some time to save your work.
Price: Free
6. Sketchable
Sketchable is another Procreate alternative for windows that makes the transition from paper to digital effortless.
It is an open canvas, providing you with space to sketch, think and create!
This app is perfect for beginners as it is easy to navigate, and minimal knowledge about digital art and photo editing is needed.
Sketchable offers an aesthetic interface with every tool you need to create a masterpiece which includes the following:
- a paintbrush
- paint bucket
- magnification tool
- color picker
- color palette
- Others
It is important to note that Sketchable solely uses a stylus, so it is not necessary to have a mouse or keyboard.
Also, stencils, symmetry, canvas rotation, and layers are more examples of the many beneficial features available.
Unlike Medibang Paint, the software on Sketchable comes with the power of DirectX acceleration, which means it loads incredibly fast!
Lastly, Sketchable is free to download, with in-app purchases.
Or you can also buy the entire collection of tools and features for a one-time payment of $11.99.
Price: Free, with optional purchases
7. Autodesk Sketchbook
Sketchbook has a very elegant interface with an impressive selection of 190+ customizable brushes, colors, and other tools necessary for you as a digital artist.
The smudge brush is a very useful and accurate addition to creating unique and natural art.
While drawing or painting, distractions stay minimized as the interface can be easily hidden, which also maximizes the available drawing space.
As creativity may arrive at you at the most unexpected times, a feather in Sketchbook is beneficial!
It allows users to use their device camera as a scanner.
Sketchbook also offers predictive stroke technology which some users may find convenient, as well as drawing with mirror images.
Speaking of convenience, there is a Quick Tour window, which guides you on how to use Sketchbook to its fullest capability.
Overall, Sketchbook is an exceptional application for beginners but can be utilized by digital artists of all levels.
If Autodesk Sketchbook appeals to you, you can download it and avail of its 15-day free trial, which allows you to test out all of its properties.
After this period, you can purchase the program for a one-time fee of $19.99.
Price: $19.99
8. FireAlpaca
FireAlpaca is advertised as ‘an easy and simple illustrator tool’, and it lives up to this statement!
If you are a digital artist working on a slightly older laptop or computer, I would choose this free program.
This app is very powerful and compatible with older devices!
FireAlpacas website also links to what is known as Alpaca School, where you can learn useful techniques and the basics of this software.
In addition, FireAlpaca also has a much larger backup space compared to some other programs such as Clipstudio and Photoshop.
It is also available in 10 languages, which makes it available to a huge amount of people.
Some tools that FireAlpaca lists include the following:
- pen
- pencil
- airbrush
- watercolor
- edge brush
- smudge tool
- stickers
- symmetry brushes
- and others
There are also the tools to resize, flip, layer support, rotate, and filter.
However, if that isn’t enough, you can download more tools.
FireAlpaca also is useful if you want to create animations, simply click ‘view’ at the top and then ‘onion skin mode’, and this feature allows you to layer your artwork.
Moreover, FireAlpaca can do a lot considering it is free, however, it cannot do everything.
You can only use it on a desktop, so if you prefer a tablet or mobile device, this software is not for you.
Also, FireAlpaca also doesn’t offer much when it comes to layer options.
Price: Free
9. Corel Painter
Corel Painter may be one of the more expensive options at $299/year, however, this price is justifiable.
If you are someone who has not yet switched to digital art and prefers the traditional way, well this app is the perfect transition!
Corel Painter replicates a canvas painting beautifully and realistically.
Some features that make Corel Painter worth its prices include the Property Bar, the Brush Accelerator, and the color enhancements.
The Property Bar customizes itself to your preferences, so it makes searching for your favorite brushes and pencils much more accessible and quick.
While the brush accelerator allows basic manipulations such as rotating, copy and pasting, and zooming to be much more accurate and smooth.
This feature determines the specifications of your system and configures Corel Painter so that it performs optimally on your device.
Also, color enhancement is an excellent and very specific tool that allows you to mix colors to your desired outcome.
Painter also has a ‘favorites’ library, which allows you to tag your favorite tools, so you don’t have to go searching all the time.
One negative about Corel Painter is I wouldn’t recommend it to amateurs as it can be quite overwhelming.
There are over 900 brushes, and even though they are arranged alphabetically, it can still be quite daunting.
I would only recommend it for artists who are serious about their career and want to take it to the next step, especially considering the price.
Whether you are advanced or not, I recommend taking advantage of the free trial first to get a feel for this application.
Price: $299/year
10. Adobe Illustrator
Last on our list of Procreate alternative for the windows program is Adobe Illustrator.
If you are searching for a program to create more detailed and complicated artwork in the shortest time possible, then Adobe Illustrator is for you.
It is a very powerful and useful tool that allows its users to realistically express their creative minds.
Whether your niche is graphic design, illustrations, or typography, you will find this app extremely easy to use and navigate.
It has a clean interface, leaving you with fewer distractions on your screen and more room to work.
The software allows you to create complex graphics without wasting time setting up layers.
I would recommend this program to companies or businesses looking to create materials for advertisements, social media, or blogs without image pixelation.
Illustrator has a very large option of tools and brushes that some users may find overwhelming.
But if you prefer this, then it shouldn’t be a problem for you!
You have the option to create your own personalized brushes or use the ones that come with the application.
One feature that makes Adobe Illustrator unique is its 3D Enhancements which create realistic, 3D images.
Another huge benefit is the fact that Adobe Illustrator is constantly being updated, and the creator listens to user feedback and incorporates it into updates.
The price of the application is $20.99/month if you sign up for a year’s subscription, but if you don’t want to commit then you can sign up for one month for $31.49.
Price: $20.99/month for a year
Final Thoughts
If you are a Windows user looking for something that replicates all the features and tools of Procreate, then don’t worry as you have many incredible options.
Whether you are a beginner or professional, willing to pay or want it for free, just choose from this list of Procreate alternative for windows.
It doesn’t matter whether you prefer using a tablet and stylus, or a desktop and keyboard, there are many options for you.
Digital art is the new future due to its convenience, and ability to create art on the go, with no mess or clean up!
As digital art is rapidly growing in popularity, I suggest you get started quickly and be ready to amaze everybody with your wonderful creations!
I hope this article helped, thank you for reading!
We hope you enjoyed these 10 Procreate alternative for windows programs!
For more articles, please do check our other reads below:
Leave a Reply