Best Pocket Easel alternatives: apps like Pocket Easel

10+ similar apps compared and reviewed

4.3 avg rating
9 free apps
Updated November 2026

Pocket Easel is great, but it's not the only option. Explore 10+ similar apps for iPhone and iPad, each reviewed and rated by real users. Find free alternatives, premium upgrades, and hidden gems.

Top Alternatives to Pocket Easel

HEAVYPAINT#1

HEAVYPAINT by HEAVYPOLY, Inc.

Raw Digital Painting
Editor's Choice
🎨 Graphics & Design
4.0😊(66 ratings)
FreeIn-App Purchases
HEAVYPAINT screenshot 1
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HEAVYPAINT screenshot 4
HEAVYPAINT screenshot 5

This app offers a raw digital painting experience with unique tools for creating textured art and quick studies. It's designed for artists who embrace digital chaos and seek a streamlined, mobile art studio.

What We Love

  • 🚀 Powerful brushes and tools
  • 👍 Intuitive and easy to use
  • 💡 Unique and distilled painting experience
  • 👍 Responsive and dedicated developer
  • 👍 Great community support

Room to Improve

  • 🐛 Bugs and crashes
  • 🐛 Issues with saving and restoring purchases
  • 🐛 Inconsistent UI and missing features
HEAVYPAINT Classic#2

HEAVYPAINT Classic by HEAVYPOLY, Inc.

Graphic Painting App
Strong Contender
🎨 Graphics & Design
4.1😐(179 ratings)
FreeIn-App Purchases
HEAVYPAINT Classic screenshot 1
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HEAVYPAINT Classic screenshot 4

A streamlined painting application focused on pure colors and shapes. It offers essential tools for artists, including improved smudge and blur, layers, masking, and erasing. Ideal for quick sketches, studies, and plein air work.

What We Love

  • 🎨 Unique, innovative painting tools and brushes
  • 💡 Forces deliberate, decisive artistic decisions
  • 🎯 Minimalist interface encourages focus on fundamentals
  • 🔄 Playback feature to review artwork creation
  • 🎪 Fun, experimental approach to digital art
  • 📱 One-time purchase model (historically)
  • 🖌️ Excellent brush engines and color mixing with RGB sliders
  • ⚡ Quick ideation and sketching capabilities

Room to Improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and data loss
  • 😤 Confusing, unintuitive UI/UX
  • 🔄 Inconsistent UI changes between updates
  • 💰 Switched from one-time purchase to subscription model
  • 🚫 Poor documentation and lack of tutorials
  • 📦 Cluttered interface obscures canvas
  • 🔧 Multiple unresolved bugs persist across versions
  • ⚠️ Trial period issues for paid users
  • 🖼️ Difficult image import functionality
  • 🎯 Steep learning curve for new users
Color Study: Simplify Painting#3

Color Study: Simplify Painting by BrushLabs LLC

Simplify color, value & shape
Worth Considering
🎨 Graphics & Design
4.9(568 ratings)
FreeIn-App Purchases
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This tool helps artists analyze images by simplifying colors, values, and shapes. It provides guidance for mixing paints to match observed colors and offers advanced features for deeper artistic study. Organize your work and sync across devices.

More apps like Pocket Easel

4
ImgRef
ImgRef
ImgRef
Reference board, OCR Scanner
Free

This app is a professional reference and inspiration tool for creatives. It combines mood boards, image management, color picking, and free-form collaging across devices. Streamline your workflow with features like unlimited canvases, batch processing, and image editing.

Unlimited CanvasMulti-Select Batch ProcessingProfessional Workflow with Keyboard Shortcuts
🎨 Graphics & Design
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5
Feather: Draw in 3D
Feather: Draw in 3D
Feather: Draw in 3D
Sketch & paint from any angle
$14.99

Create stunning 3D artwork from any angle with intuitive tools and a powerful rendering engine. This app allows for seamless navigation, versatile brushes, and advanced editing features, making it ideal for artists and designers to bring their visions to life.

Intuitive 3D navigation and drawingPressure-sensitive 3D brushes3D Liquify tool for detailed editing
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6
TourBox Console
TourBox Console
TourBox Console
TourBox Tech
Free

This app allows for powerful customization of creative software workflows. It enables quick setup of functions and creation of unique presets for different applications and tasks, enhancing drawing, animation, and editing experiences.

Multi-scene supportCross-app functionalityPowerful customization
🎨 Graphics & Design
(32)
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7
Value Study: art reference
Value Study: art reference
Value Study: art reference
Drawing Grid & Simplify Shapes
Free

This app helps artists improve their drawing and painting skills by simplifying reference images into greyscale tones. It allows users to break down complex images into distinct value levels, making it easier to understand light, shadow, and form.

Simplify images into greyscale tonesAdjustable number of value levelsHighlight areas of the same value
🎨 Graphics & Design
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8
PatternDraw by Fashionary
PatternDraw by Fashionary
PatternDraw by Fashionary
Draw beautiful patterns
Free

Create seamless repeating patterns for fabric, wallpaper, and more. Sketch, paint, adjust colorways, and generate mockups directly on your iPad or iPhone. Export production-ready files for commercial use without needing desktop software.

Live pattern previewMultiple colorway generationMockup generator
🎨 Graphics & Design
(191)
free with in-app purchases
9
Head Model Studio - Art Study
Head Model Studio - Art Study
Head Model Studio - Art Study
Head Plane References
Free

Master portrait drawing with detailed 3D head models. Study facial planes and geometry with customizable lighting and rendering options. Perfect for artists looking to elevate their sketching skills.

Detailed 3D head modelsPlane and geometry studyCustomizable lighting (environmental & studio)
🎨 Graphics & Design
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freemium
10
ZBrush - 3D Model Maker
ZBrush - 3D Model Maker
ZBrush - 3D Model Maker
Design, sculpt, blend & create
Free

Create detailed 3D models and digital sculptures on your iPad. This app offers industry-leading sculpting tools, advanced detailing, and seamless integration with desktop versions for professionals and hobbyists alike.

Digital sculpting and 3D painting200+ pressure-sensitive brushesSculptris Pro & Dynamic Tessellation
🎨 Graphics & Design
(268)
freemium