# Procreate vs Adobe Illustrator

Procreate and Adobe Illustrator both sit at 4.4 stars, but that hides the real split: 70% of Procreate's written reviews are positive against 13% of Adobe Illustrator's. Procreate also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 4) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 2 months). Adobe Illustrator's advantage is price (Free vs $12.99) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 16.3). On rating, ratings volume, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Adobe Illustrator is free to download; Procreate costs $12.99 up front. Adobe Illustrator sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Procreate asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.4 for Procreate against 4.5 for Adobe Illustrator. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 51K and 37K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 70% of Procreate's written reviews are positive against 13% of Adobe Illustrator's.

Procreate ships an update every 2 weeks, Adobe Illustrator every 2 months. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Procreate | Adobe Illustrator |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $12.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [4.4 (51K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/procreate/id425073498/reviews) | **[4.5 (37K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/adobe-illustrator-graphic-art/id1018784575/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **51K** | 37K |
| Positive reviews | **69.7% of reviews** | 13.2% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 weeks** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Best chart rank | **#90** | — |
| Size | 1.1 GB | 856 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.3 | **14.0** |
| Devices | iPad | iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Savage Interactive Pty Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/363433636) | [Adobe Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/331646274) |

## What reviewers say

### Procreate

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/procreate/id425073498)

**Currently charting:** #90 Top Paid · Graphics & Design (US App Store)

This app provides a comprehensive digital art studio for iPad, offering tools for sketching, painting, illustration, and animation. It features a vast brush library, advanced layering, color management, and precision design tools for creative professionals and aspiring artists.

**Highlights:** Hundreds of handmade brushes, Advanced layer system, High resolution canvases, 3D Painting with Lighting Studio, Frame-by-frame animation, Precision design tools, Continuous auto-save

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Smooth and intuitive drawing experience
- 💡 Vast selection of customizable brushes
- 👍 Simple and clean user interface
- 🚀 Efficient workflow with gestures and shortcuts
- 👍 Great value for the one-time purchase price

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional freezing and crashing issues
- 🔧 Limitations in the animation and audio features
- 🔧 Frustrations with the fill bucket tool and color selection
- 🔧 Lack of advanced organization tools like folders within folders

**Reported bugs**

- Random freezing and crashes, especially after recent updates
- Issues with the fill bucket tool not working as expected
- Problems with exporting animations and preserving the animation quality

**Requested features**

- Implement a proper stroke stabilizer and shape tools
- Add the ability to import audio and sync animations to audio
- Improve the fill bucket tool to work across layers
- Introduce a folder system for better organization of artworks


### Adobe Illustrator

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/adobe-illustrator-graphic-art/id1018784575)

Create logos, illustrations, and graphics on your iPad with intuitive Apple Pencil support. Design vector art, manipulate type, and create patterns on the go, even offline. Seamlessly sync your work across devices and other Adobe apps.

**Highlights:** Vector drawing with Apple Pencil, Advanced typography tools, Pattern creation, Image vectorization, Cross-device syncing, Gradient and color tools

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Illustrator on iPad : Monthly | $9.99 | per month |
| Adobe Design Mobile: Monthly | $14.99 | per month |
| Illustrator on iPad : Yearly | $79.99 | per year |
| Adobe Design Mobile: Yearly | $149.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Smooth and intuitive
- 👍 Great for on-the-go vector work
- 🚀 Seamless sync with desktop Illustrator
- 👍 Useful for quick sketches and illustrations

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezes
- 🔍 Missing key desktop features
- 🔍 Buggy layer and selection handling
- 🔍 Limited export options and quality
- 🔍 Unintuitive interface in some areas

**Reported bugs**

- Layers disappearing or not updating properly
- Eraser tool behaving inconsistently
- Pasting content causing unexpected issues
- Frequent crashes when working on complex files

**Requested features**

- Ability to rotate canvas
- More brush and stroke customization options
- Implement Gaussian blur and other effects
- Add support for keyboard shortcuts
- Improve file management and cloud sync


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Procreate free?

Procreate costs $12.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Adobe Illustrator free?

Adobe Illustrator is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Procreate or Adobe Illustrator?

Adobe Illustrator is rated higher. Procreate averages 4.4 out of 5 from 51K ratings, while Adobe Illustrator averages 4.5 from 37K ratings.

### Do Procreate or Adobe Illustrator have ads?

Neither Procreate nor Adobe Illustrator shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Procreate or Adobe Illustrator?

Procreate ships an update every 2 weeks, and Adobe Illustrator every 2 months. Most recently, Procreate was updated on September 24, 2026 and Adobe Illustrator on September 24, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*