Comparison

ShadowDraw vs Tools for Procreate

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

ShadowDraw

Learn to draw with guided, step-by-step lessons designed for beginners. Follow the strokes of professional artists to build confidence and master fundamental techniques. Explore thousands of tutorials across various popular art subjects.

Highlights
  • Step-by-step guided drawing lessons
  • Thousands of tutorials
  • Manga, anime, people, animals, and nature subjects
  • Art Teacher Mode
  • Sketch My Way Mode
  • Builds drawing fundamentals
Features
Read full description

Learn to draw with confidence using your Apple Pencil. Featured by Apple as App of the Day in 2023 and 2025. ShadowDraw® is the easiest way for beginners to learn how to draw on iPad using their Apple Pencil. Our guided lessons teach you step-by-step by showing the real strokes of professional artists, helping you build confidence, accuracy, and real drawing fundamentals from your very first session. LEARN TO DRAW THE SMART, BEGINNER-FRIENDLY WAY
 ShadowDraw breaks every drawing into simple, guided steps. You follow the same strokes as a professional artist, learning: * Line control * Shapes & construction * Proportions * Shading * Final detailing
 Each step unlocks only after you complete the previous one, giving you a structured, supportive learning path—like having a private art teacher with you on your iPad. THOUSANDS OF STEP-BY-STEP LESSONS
 Explore beginner-friendly drawing lessons across the most popular art subjects: * Manga & Anime Characters * People & Portraits * Animals (cats, dogs, horses, birds, dragons, and more) * Architecture & Buildings * Botanical & Nature Drawing * Birds & Butterflies * Coloring & Simple Shading * Holiday & Seasonal Art * Warm-Ups & Foundations * Sketching Basics
 With over 2,000 guided tutorials, there’s always something inspiring to draw. PRACTICE YOUR WAY
 ShadowDraw offers two flexible learning modes: Art Teacher Mode
 We pick brushes and colors so beginners can focus on fundamentals. Sketch My Way
 Choose your own tools and colors for creative freedom. BUILD A DAILY DRAWING HABIT 
Short, approachable lessons help you build confidence and stay consistent. ShadowDraw makes daily practice easy, fun, and motivating—even for busy beginners. RECOGNIZED BY APPLE & TRUSTED WORLDWIDE 
ShadowDraw has been featured in the App Store collections, including: * Incredible iPad Apps * Great with Apple Pencil * Apple Pencil Starter Kit * Better with Apple Pencil * The Best Drawing Apps * The Best Apps for Creatives ShadowDraw has also ranked as the #1 Drawing App in its category. Apple writes: 
“With over 1,500 hand-drawn lessons developed by real artists, ShadowDraw is a drawing app for beginners who want to improve their skills through daily step-by-step exercises.” PRAISED BY THE PRESS
 The New York Times
“ShadowDraw… teaches drawing forms by having you follow along the animated pen strokes of another artist in an updated take on the ‘copying the masters’ approach.” MacBreak Weekly — Pick of the Week
“…the next generation of step-by-step.” Also featured by CNET and Creative Bloq. LEARN TOGETHER WITH SHADOWDRAW+
 A ShadowDraw+ membership unlocks the full library and supports Family Sharing, so everyone in your household can learn to draw at their own pace. WE’RE HERE TO HELP 
Need support or have feedback? Contact us anytime through in-app Chat Support. Email: support@shadowdrawapp.com
 Website: shadowdrawapp.com 
Instagram: @shadowdraw For our EULA agreement, please visit: 
https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ ShadowDraw® and Shadow Draw™ are trademarks of Shadow Draw Inc.

About

Tools for Procreate

This app provides a comprehensive toolkit for Procreate users, offering a vast collection of brushes, fonts, 3D models, and design assets. Enhance your digital art with one-tap installation of unique brushes, AI-generated references, and curated color palettes. Elevate your illustrations and creative projects with professional-grade tools.

Highlights
  • 120+ handmade Procreate brushes
  • AI-generated art references
  • Curated color palettes
  • Unique fonts for Procreate
  • Digital fashion and stickers
  • 3D models and textures
  • AI soundscapes for focus
Features
Read full description

Meet Brushes, Fonts, Digital Fashion, Stickers, Textures, 3D Models, Academy, Color Palettes, Tools Sound, AI References, and Anime brush sets for Procreate in ONE APP. ONE TAP install for ALL of this for Procreate for iPad and for Procreate Pocket! Perfect for creative professionals and aspiring artists, we make best-in-class tools for the amazing Procreate, the leading creative application made for iPad. Offering more than 120 handmade brushes, a toolbox of innovative tools we create the essential and best-in-class toolbox for Procreate. Your Procreate illustrations will be absolutely gorgeous with the Tools for Procreate app. - BRUSHES for PROCREATE Unique brushes for Procreate for iPad and Procreate Pocket for iPhone. With our brushes for Procreate, you will be able to make outstanding illustrations in Procreate app! Brushes were created by professional designers and categorized into sets, and compatible with Procreate app. Just tap on the brush and it will be installed in the Brush Library in Procreate app. - AI References With our AI References, you'll be able to quickly and easily find the perfect inspiration for your next masterpiece, whether you're creating stunning digital paintings, eye-catching graphics, or intricate illustrations. Our advanced algorithms ensure that you always have access to the highest-quality images and resources, so you can focus on unleashing your creativity and bringing your vision to life. - AI Sound Our music is carefully curated by experts in the field, combining soothing sounds, relaxing melodies, and energizing rhythms to help you find the perfect balance between relaxation and focus. Whether you're working on a creative project, studying for an exam, or simply trying to stay productive throughout the day, our AI Sound music will help you stay in the zone and achieve your goals. - Anime With our Anime brush sets, you'll be able to create stunning artwork that captures the essence of your favorite anime characters and worlds. Our brushes are carefully designed to mimic the strokes and textures of traditional anime art, allowing you to create artwork that's both authentic and breathtaking. - FONTS compatible with PROCREATE Every line of each letter was drawn so many times to create the perfect shape. Only unique and bewildering fonts to use in your gorgeous artworks - STICKERS perfect for Procreate Perfect for social media. Add a little charm with a drag-and-drop PNG sticker created by our team. Perfect for stories and exceptional for posts. - TEXTURES amazing for Procreate Perfect background for your illustration is our job and we have plenty of them. - COLOR PALETTES: Procreate essentials As illustrators, we know how extremely exhausting is the process of matching colors. So we did this job and created hand-picked color palettes for your unique atmosphere in the artwork. Just use and install them easily! Download Tools for Procreate and make your illustrations bewildering! Privacy policy: https://www.notion.so/Privacy-Policy-d1a93af3066a4d7c831cee767eabaa89 Terms & Conditions: https://www.notion.so/Terms-Conditions-c9f974f537cc4eef86b7ba0478a36e95 Our app is not connected with Procreate. The app must not be regarded as an app made by Procreate team. Apps are different and must be regarded as such. To use brushes you need to install procreate by Savage LTD.

Screenshots

Tools for Procreate4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: ShadowDraw at 59% against Tools for Procreate's 24%. Tools for Procreate's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and rating (4.6 vs 4.1). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. ShadowDraw sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month and Tools for Procreate sells 19 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Tools for Procreate holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Tools for Procreate has 16K ratings behind it against 1.7K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 59% of ShadowDraw's written reviews are positive against 24% of Tools for Procreate's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ShadowDraw ships an update every 6 weeks, Tools for Procreate weekly. Both last shipped on October 18, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
ShadowDraw versus Tools for Procreate: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterShadowDrawTools for Procreate
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.1 (1.7K ratings)4.6 (16K ratings) — better
Positive reviews59.3% of reviews — better23.7% of reviews
Number of ratings1.7K16K — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksWeekly — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS16.016.0
Further details — not scored
Size820 MB143 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperShadow DrawTools Products FZ-LLC

Customer experience

ShadowDraw

All ratings1,622 ratings
Positive77.0%
Neutral6.4%
Negative16.6%
Written reviews482 reviews
Positive59.3%
Neutral13.1%
Negative27.6%

Tools for Procreate

All ratings16,318 ratings
Positive88.3%
Neutral4.1%
Negative7.6%
Written reviews727 reviews
Positive23.7%
Neutral8.3%
Negative68.1%

User reviews

ShadowDraw

From 1.7K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Helpful for beginners
  • 🎨 Variety of drawing topics
  • 👍 Intuitive step-by-step guidance
  • 💡 Relaxing and therapeutic experience
  • 🤖 Responsive customer support

Room to improve

  • 💰 Many features locked behind paywall
  • 🐛 Buggy and glitchy at times
  • 🤔 Tracing-focused approach may not teach drawing fundamentals
  • 🔍 Difficulty finding purchased content
  • 🔀 Jumping between steps too quickly

Tools for Procreate

From 16K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎉 Lots of brushes and tools
  • 🎨 Helpful for digital art
  • 💻 Works well with Procreate
  • 🤩 Amazing app

Room to improve

  • 💰 Everything is behind a paywall
  • 🙄 Subscription model is expensive
  • 🤔 Unclear what's free vs premium
  • 🐛 Bugs and crashes
  • 🤷‍♀️ Poor customer support

Bugs and requests

ShadowDraw

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Drawings disappearing after completion
  • App crashing on launch for some users
  • Eraser tool not working properly with coloring feature

Requested features

5 requests
  • More free drawing content
  • Canvas rotation and reference image positioning
  • Ability to save progress on drawings
  • Clearer visual indicators for brush/pen changes
  • Side-by-side drawing mode to practice without tracing

Tools for Procreate

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Brushes won't install properly
  • App crashes when trying to access content
  • Subscription issues and inability to cancel

Requested features

4 requests
  • More free brushes and tools
  • Better search and organization
  • Ability to create and share custom brushes
  • Lifetime purchase option instead of subscription

In-app purchases

2 purchases

ShadowDraw

Subscriptions2
  • ShadowDraw: Monthly Plan7 Days trial$7.991 Month
  • ShadowDraw: Yearly Plan7 Days trial$49.991 Year
19 purchases

Tools for Procreate

Subscriptions14
  • Tools Premium - Weekly$5.997 Days
  • Tools for Procreate Monthly$9.991 Month
  • Get 3k+ Brushes for Procreate$9.991 Month
Show 11 more
  • Tools for Procreate Weekly$9.997 Days
  • Tools Premium - 3 Months$12.493 Months
  • Premium Sound - Annual$14.991 Year
  • Premium Sound - Yearly3 Days trial$19.991 Year
  • Yearly Sale Offer$19.991 Year
  • Tools Annual Subscription$29.991 Year
  • Premium Annually Special Offer$34.991 Year
  • Unlimited Access to Tools7 Days trial$44.991 Year
  • Premium - Annually$44.991 Year
  • Brushes for Procreate3 Days trial$44.991 Year
  • Annual Unlimited Access$59.991 Year
One-time5
  • Tools 1 Conversion$0.99
  • Tools 1 Conversion$2.99
  • One Selected Challenge$4.99
Show 2 more
  • AI References 10 Requests$6.99
  • Tools Premium Lifetime$99.99

Questions

Is ShadowDraw free?
ShadowDraw is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Tools for Procreate free?
Tools for Procreate is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, ShadowDraw or Tools for Procreate?
Tools for Procreate is rated higher. ShadowDraw averages 4.1 out of 5 from 1.7K ratings, while Tools for Procreate averages 4.6 from 16K ratings.
Do ShadowDraw or Tools for Procreate have ads?
ShadowDraw shows ads; Tools for Procreate does not.
Which is updated more often, ShadowDraw or Tools for Procreate?
ShadowDraw ships an update every 6 weeks, and Tools for Procreate weekly. Most recently, ShadowDraw was updated on October 18, 2026 and Tools for Procreate on October 18, 2026.

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