Best apps like Flow: Note Taking & Sketchbook

85+ similar apps compared and reviewed

4.6 avg rating
10 free apps
Updated September 2026

Whether you want more options like Flow or a completely different take on the same concept, our curated list of 85+ similar apps has you covered. Updated for 2026 with the latest ratings and comparisons.

Top Alternatives to Flow

Sketchbook®#1

Sketchbook® by Sketchbook, Inc

Draw, paint, & sketch anywhere
Editor's Choice
🎨 Graphics & Design
4.8😊(220K ratings)
FreeIn-App Purchases
#37in Graphics & Design
Sketchbook® screenshot 1
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This app provides a professional-grade drawing and painting experience for artists and illustrators. It offers a natural drawing feel with customizable tools, layers, and guides for precision. Unlock advanced features like custom brushes and canvas resizing with an optional premium purchase.

What We Love

  • 🚀 Amazing, free, and no ads
  • 👍 Lots of brushes and customization options
  • 👍 Intuitive and easy to use
  • 👍 Great for beginners and professionals
  • 👍 Smooth performance and no lag
  • 👍 Unlimited layers and canvases
  • 👍 Copic color palette

Room to Improve

  • 🐛 Occasional freezing and crashing issues
  • 🐛 Blurry or corrupted images when saving or copying
  • 🐛 Glitches with color selection and layers
  • 🐛 Inability to rotate canvas or access gallery easily
  • 🐛 Lack of blurring and clipping mask tools
Sketch Pro: Draw & Create Art#2
4.7😊(11K ratings)
FreeAdsIn-App Purchases
Sketch Pro: Draw & Create Art screenshot 1
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This professional art app offers advanced AI tools for digital painting, illustration, and animation. Create stunning artwork with custom brushes, text-to-image generation, and intelligent editing features. It's designed to streamline your creative workflow on iPads and iPhones.

What We Love

  • 🚀 Powerful drawing tools
  • 👍 Intuitive interface
  • 🎨 Extensive brush and material options
  • 💡 Customizable brushes
  • 🎨 Versatile for various art styles
  • 👍 Easy to use for beginners
  • 🚀 Efficient workflow
  • 👍 Helpful for improving digital art skills

Room to Improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezing issues
  • 🔒 Concerns about subscription model and lifetime access
  • 🔍 Difficulty finding and adjusting certain features
  • 🔍 Steep learning curve for some advanced tools
  • 💰 Subscription fees for full functionality
Adobe Fresco: Draw & Paint App#3

Adobe Fresco: Draw & Paint App by Adobe Inc.

Painting and Animation Studio
Worth Considering
🎨 Graphics & Design
4.7😐(61K ratings)
FreeIn-App Purchases
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This free digital art app lets you draw and paint with a vast array of brushes, including live, pixel, and vector options. Create animations with motion paths and frame-by-frame tools, and enhance your workflow with symmetry guides and layer support. Seamlessly integrate with other Adobe creative tools.

What We Love

  • 🎨 Great art tools
  • 💻 Seamless integration with Creative Cloud
  • 🎨 Realistic watercolor and oil brushes
  • 🎨 Variety of vector brushes
  • 👍 Accessible for beginners
  • 🎨 Smooth drawing experience with Apple Pencil

Room to Improve

  • 💰 Expensive subscription model
  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and stability issues
  • 🔍 Limited file import/export options
  • 🔍 Clunky UI and navigation
  • 🔍 Lacking key features like perspective grids
  • 🔋 High storage and battery consumption

More apps like Flow

4
ibis Paint X
ibis Paint X
ibis Paint X
High-performance painting app
Free

This versatile drawing application offers a professional-grade digital art experience on mobile devices. It provides an extensive library of brushes, materials, and fonts, along with advanced layer management and drawing tools. Users can also record their creative process and share it with a community of artists.

Over 47,000 brushesUnlimited layersDrawing process recording
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Drawing Desk: AR Trace & Paint
Drawing Desk: AR Trace & Paint
Drawing Desk: AR Trace & Paint
Learn to draw, Sketch on Paper
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Unleash your creativity with a comprehensive digital art studio. Explore a vast array of tools for drawing, sketching, painting, and pixel art. Create masterpieces, relax with coloring, or design intricate mandalas.

105+ drawing tools200+ brushesLayer support
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6
Drawing Pad -
Drawing Pad -
Drawing Pad -
Easy Sketch, Draw, Digital Art
Free

Create sketches, doodles, and digital art with a variety of brushes, stamps, and effects. Features include a coloring book, video recording of your drawing process, and photo editing tools. Export your creations to physical products.

Sketching and doodling toolsDigital art creationColoring book with multiple categories
🎨 Graphics & Design
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7
Sketchar: AR Drawing App
Sketchar: AR Drawing App
Sketchar: AR Drawing App
Learn how to draw with AR
Free

Learn to draw with augmented reality and AI-powered lessons. This app offers a comprehensive drawing tool, community contests, and personalized learning plans to enhance your artistic skills. Practice art to relieve stress and impress others with your creations.

Augmented Reality drawing guidanceAI-powered personalized learning plans550+ drawing lessons
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8
AR Drawing How to Draw Sketch
AR Drawing How to Draw Sketch
AR Drawing How to Draw Sketch
Trace & Paint picture on paper
Free

Learn to draw with interactive video lessons and augmented reality tracing. Project reference images onto paper to practice sketching, improve hand control, and build confidence. Offers structured guides for beginners to advanced artists across various popular themes.

AR tracing modeStep-by-step video lessonsStructured drawing guides
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Artstudio Pro: Draw, Paint
Artstudio Pro: Draw, Paint
Artstudio Pro: Draw, Paint
Drawing, Painting, Sketching
Free

This powerful app offers advanced drawing, painting, and photo editing tools for creative professionals and enthusiasts. It features a robust engine, flexible layer system, and an advanced brush engine for realistic strokes. Users can also create animations and import/export various image formats.

GPU accelerated ArtEngineUnlimited layers and large canvas sizesAdvanced brush engine with 150+ brushes
🎨 Graphics & Design
(4K)
free with in-app purchases
10
Tayasui Watercolor & Painting
Tayasui Watercolor & Painting
Tayasui Watercolor & Painting
Sketches: Art and Drawing
Free
$7.99 | 100% OFF

This app offers a realistic watercolor painting experience with over 20 drawing tools, including wet and dry brushes. It features a tracing projector, precision tools for composition, and robust layer management. Projects are synced across devices for easy access and organization.

Realistic watercolor brushes (wet/dry)Over 20 drawing toolsTracing projector
🎨 Graphics & Design
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subscription