Procreate vs Krita
Procreate is a paid iPad-only app, while Krita is free and runs on Windows, macOS, Linux and Android.
Pick Procreate if…
You have an iPad and want a drawing app that is sold with no subscription. Procreate's price is shown on the App Store as $12.99.
Pick Krita if…
You want a free painting program or you work on a computer or Android device. Krita is free and open source under the GNU GPL.
Price
- Paid
- Free
- Open source
Starting price
Free plan
Open source
Works on
| Feature | Drawing and painting app for iPad, sold with no subscription through the App Store. | Free, open-source painting program for digital art, with brush engines and animation. |
|---|---|---|
| Price |
|
|
| Starting price | $12.99 | — |
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Open source | No | Yes |
| Works on | iOS | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android |
| Try Procreate (opens the Procreate website in a new tab) | Try Krita (opens the Krita website in a new tab) |
Procreate is made for the iPad. Its site lists over 300 brushes, Apple Pencil support, Page Assist for multi-page work and time-lapse playback, and says there are no subscriptions. The App Store listing shows $12.99 and requires iPadOS 16.3 or later.
Krita is a free and open source painting program under the GNU GPL. Its download page lists Windows, macOS, Linux and Android versions, and says iPad and iPhone are not supported.
The price is the clearest difference: Procreate is a paid purchase, while Krita's website downloads are free. Krita is also sold on stores such as the Microsoft Store and Steam, where purchases help fund development, but its download page lists no prices for these.
If you only own an iPad, Procreate is the choice of these two. If you work on a PC, Mac or Linux machine, Procreate is not available there and Krita is.
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Last updated 16 October 2026. How we make money