Comparison

Procreate Dreams vs Affinity Photo 2 for iPad

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

Head to head
About

Procreate Dreams

Create stunning 2D animations, expressive videos, and captivating stories with powerful yet intuitive tools. This app offers a rich brush library, advanced frame-by-frame animation features, and seamless integration of video, audio, and text for professional-quality creations.

Highlights
  • Frame-by-frame animation tools
  • Multi-track timeline
  • Keyframe animation
  • 300+ textured brushes
  • Video, photo, and audio editing
  • Real-time rendering engine
Read full description

Procreate Dreams is an award-winning animation app, packed with powerful tools that anyone can use. Create rich 2D animations, expressive videos, and breathtaking stories on iPad. With over 300 beautifully textured Procreate brushes, Procreate Dreams is perfect for creating gorgeous hand drawn, frame-by-frame animations. Highlights: - Powerful frame-by-frame animation tools. - Responsive Multi-track timeline. - Keyframes for motion and cinematic animations. - Record motion or effects effortlessly through touch. - Handcrafted animation brush library. - Next generation, realtime rendering engine. Create frame-by-frame animations: - Explore over 300 beautifully textured brushes to bring artistic soul to your work. - Compatible with all Procreate brushes - Up to 16K resolution for drawings. - Paint outside your stage. - Customizable onion skins. - Automatic, freehand/lasso, and shape selections. - Permanently transform, warp and distort your drawings. - Blend modes and clipping, luminance, and layer masking - Apply permanent filters & adjustments. Compose video, photos, audio, and type: - Import, edit and trim video. - Draw-over your content. - Add voice-overs and music. - Craft titles, type and credits with typography styling, and design attributes. Add animated motion and effects: - Add keyframes to your content for precise transitions of motion and effects. - Modify easing to refine your timing. - Move, scale, rotate, warp & distort animations. - HSB, opacity, gaussian blur, lens blur, noise, and sharpen effects. - Group content to unlock the power of layered animations. Import existing assets and content: - Import video & photos in JPG, PNG, TGA, Procreate, MP4, GIF, and ProRes format. - Import audio in MP3, AIFF, WAV, FLAC, AAC, CAFF, M4A, AC3, and MP2 format. - Import custom and purchased Procreate brushes. - Import layered Procreate files. - Import Procreate Animation Assist as a Flipbook. Share your work with the world: - Export MP4s and MOVs in H264, HEVC, and ProRes codecs. - Export transparent video. - Export PNG sequences with transparency for professional pipelines. - Export your current frame as a transparent image. - Share your .drm files with your audio and video included. Next generation technology - Seamlessly mix drawing, frame-by-frame animation, keyframing, video editing, and compositing. - Real-time rendering makes waiting a thing of the past. - Never lose artwork again with continuous auto-save and undo history.

About

Affinity Photo 2 for iPad

A professional-grade photo editor for iPad, offering advanced tools for editing, retouching, and creating complex designs. It supports a wide range of file formats and color spaces, with optimized performance for iPad hardware and Apple Pencil.

Highlights
  • Non-destructive editing
  • Advanced masking tools
  • RAW image development
  • Layer support
  • Object removal
  • PSD file compatibility
  • 16-bit and 32-bit color editing
Features
Read full description

The next generation of the iPad App of the Year, Affinity Photo 2 for iPad is a genuine desktop-grade, professional photo editor used by photographers, graphic designers, illustrators, artists, and other creators around the world. Wielding tons of incredible new features, hundreds of enhancements and a completely redesigned UI, the award-winning photo editing app has everything you need to edit images, retouch photos, create multi-layered art, beautiful raster paintings, designs, and so much more – no matter where you are. OPTIMIZED FOR IPAD • Fully integrated and optimized iPad gesture controls to speed up your workflow • iOS16 ready, including optimization for virtual memory swap, dramatically increasing performance on large documents • Sensitive to pressure, tilt, and angle, the app harnesses the full power and precision of Apple Pencil • Command controller hosting on-screen modifiers • Quick Menu for context-sensitive access to commands • Full iCloud drive integration for seamless file management, storage, and sharing • External display support with separate configuration options POWERFUL TOOLS & FUNCTIONALITY • Non-destructive RAW development of linked/embedded RAW images • Non-destructive Live Mesh Warp filter and other live effect layers • Luminosity, hue range, and band pass live masks • Compound masks • Multiple shadow, outline, and overlay layer effects per object • Normals adjustment for editing normal maps from material and texturing workflows • JPEG XL file import and export • OCIO v2 support – particularly useful for video editors, VFX, film, and 3D artists PERFORMANCE & POWER • Massive image support (100+ Megapixels) • Pan and zoom at maximum refresh rate • Open, edit, and save Adobe Photoshop ® PSD/PSB files • RGB, CMYK, Greyscale and LAB color spaces • Full 16-bit and linear unbounded 32-bit per channel editing • Work with all standard formats like PNG, TIFF, JPG, JPEG XL, GIF, SVG, EPS, EXR, HDR, and PDF UNSURPASSED PRODUCTIVITY • Full support for unlimited layers, layer groups, adjustment layers, filter layers, and masks • Edit live filters, adjustments, effects, blend modes, and masks non-destructively • Remove objects or erase backgrounds with magic eraser tool, blur photos, add filters for pictures, cut, crop, and more with ease • Savable history with alternate futures • Customizable shortcuts with attached keyboard or new quick menu • Isolate, edit, and duplicate spare channels with a simple touch • Link layers to edit simultaneously • Stitch picture-perfect panoramas on location PROFESSIONAL IMAGE PROCESSING • Open RAW in a dedicated 16-bit development workspace and edit straight from your camera • Adjust exposure, blackpoint, clarity, vibrance, white balance, shadows, highlights, etc. • Advanced lens corrections including chromatic aberration, defringe, vignette, and noise reduction • Paint areas or use fully customizable gradients to mask adjustments • View histograms, blown highlights, shadows, and tones as well as detailed EXIF information • Focus Merge, HDR Merge, and Tone Mapping for advanced image processing QUALITY RETOUCHING & CORRECTION TOOLS • Intuitive selection brush and refinement for precise selections like strands of hair • Dodge, burn, clone, patch, blemish, red eye, advanced inpainting, and object removal • Smooth and retouch skin with built-in frequency separation • Dedicated Liquify persona gives freehand control over warps, twirls, pinch, punch, and turbulence ADVANCED BRUSH ENGINE • Huge library of painting, drawing, textures, and professional DAUB® Brushes included • Create custom brushes and nozzles with full control over advanced dynamics FAST, CUSTOMIZABLE EFFECTS • Massive collection of effects available, including blurs, distortions, tilt-shift, shadows, glows, lighting, and many more • Swipe-able split or mirrored screen always available for before and after views • Path text capabilities

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Affinity Photo 2 for iPad at Free against Procreate Dreams's $12.99. Affinity Photo 2 for iPad also leads on rating (4.6 vs 3.9) and ratings volume (3.2K vs 592). Procreate Dreams's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1). On review sentiment, update cadence, ads and monetization model 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

Affinity Photo 2 for iPad is free to download; Procreate Dreams costs $12.99 up front. Affinity Photo 2 for iPad sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Procreate Dreams asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Affinity Photo 2 for iPad holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Affinity Photo 2 for iPad has 3.2K ratings behind it against 592, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 41% of Procreate Dreams's written reviews are positive against 43% of Affinity Photo 2 for iPad's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Procreate Dreams ships an update monthly, Affinity Photo 2 for iPad every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Procreate Dreams versus Affinity Photo 2 for iPad: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterProcreate DreamsAffinity Photo 2 for iPad
Price$12.99Free — better
Rating3.9 (592 ratings)4.6 (3.2K ratings) — better
Positive reviews41.0% of reviews43.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings5923.2K — better
Update frequencyMonthly — betterEvery 6 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPadiPad
Requires iOS16.315.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size1.7 GB1.7 GB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSavage Interactive Pty LtdSerif (Europe) Ltd.

Customer experience

Procreate Dreams

All ratings537 ratings
Positive71.9%
Neutral10.8%
Negative17.3%
Written reviews2,226 reviews
Positive41.0%
Neutral24.4%
Negative34.6%

Affinity Photo 2 for iPad

All ratings2,131 ratings
Positive89.4%
Neutral3.1%
Negative7.5%
Written reviews358 reviews
Positive43.0%
Neutral12.0%
Negative45.0%

User reviews

Procreate Dreams

From 592 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Smooth animation experience
  • 🚀 Intuitive interface
  • 💡 Potential for great app
  • 🚀 Powerful animation tools
  • 👍 Clean and simple UI

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezes
  • 🔍 Missing key features like lasso tool and layer management
  • 🔍 Lack of brush customization and import options
  • 🔍 Clunky timeline and onion skin functionality
  • 🔍 Unintuitive navigation and hidden features

Affinity Photo 2 for iPad

From 3.2K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Powerful features
  • 💡 Robust photo editing capabilities
  • 👍 Great value for the price
  • 🚀 Efficient workflows
  • 👍 Seamless integration with iPad

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes
  • 🐛 Buggy performance
  • 👎 Confusing UI and navigation
  • 👎 Lack of basic functionality
  • 👎 Unstable after update

Bugs and requests

Procreate Dreams

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Undo/redo issues, sometimes undoing more than intended
  • Crashes and freezes when working with complex animations
  • Inconsistent behavior when importing assets from Procreate

Requested features

6 requests
  • Lasso tool for selecting and transforming parts of drawings
  • Ability to merge, reorder, and manage layers
  • Custom brush creation and import options
  • Improved timeline controls and onion skin visibility
  • More intuitive UI and better discoverability of features
Show 1 more
  • Ability to set custom canvas size and frame rate

Affinity Photo 2 for iPad

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Crashes when adjusting white balance
  • Issues with importing and opening photos
  • Brush tools not working as expected
  • Layers and masks not functioning properly
  • Exporting issues causing loss of work

Requested features

5 requests
  • Auto subject selection
  • Improved help and documentation
  • Better file management and export options
  • Support for more RAW formats
  • Astrophotography tools like the desktop version

In-app purchases

None

Procreate Dreams

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Affinity Photo 2 for iPad

One-time1
  • Photo 2 for iPad LicenseFree

Questions

Is Procreate Dreams free?
Procreate Dreams costs $12.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Affinity Photo 2 for iPad free?
Affinity Photo 2 for iPad is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Procreate Dreams or Affinity Photo 2 for iPad?
Affinity Photo 2 for iPad is rated higher. Procreate Dreams averages 3.9 out of 5 from 592 ratings, while Affinity Photo 2 for iPad averages 4.6 from 3.2K ratings.
Do Procreate Dreams or Affinity Photo 2 for iPad have ads?
Neither Procreate Dreams nor Affinity Photo 2 for iPad shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Procreate Dreams or Affinity Photo 2 for iPad?
Procreate Dreams ships an update monthly, and Affinity Photo 2 for iPad every 6 weeks. Most recently, Procreate Dreams was updated on November 5, 2026 and Affinity Photo 2 for iPad on November 3, 2026.

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