Procreate
Hacker ApprovedShares rank 4 of 17 diagramming tools by recommenders
Well-regarded iPad painting and drawing app that works well with Apple Pencil and suits novices; some people note its files can get heavy.
Well-regarded iPad painting and drawing app that works well with Apple Pencil and suits novices; some people note its files can get heavy.
23 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 23
- criticize it
- 0
- approval share
- 100%
Recommended in 6 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it carries the badge
- 23 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 6 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Good for drawing and illustration
“It's great for drawing / painting using Apple Pencil and software like ProCreate.”
Comment from 2 Mar 2026 in “Apple introduces the new iPad Air, powered by M4” “Illustrating sucks on those platforms compared to using Procreate on iPad”
Comment from 20 Oct 2026 in “Apple broke an essential presentation feature of iPads” “I didn't know Procreate could be so good at precise line art”
Comment from 8 Oct 2026 in “I gave Opus 5.5 one prompt and six hours to visualize Invisible Cities” - Comment from 20 Oct 2026 in “Apple broke an essential presentation feature of iPads”
- Comment from 20 Oct 2026 in “Apple broke an essential presentation feature of iPads”
Popular with artists and iPad users
“My killer apps for iPad: forScore, Korg Gadget, Procreate”
Comment from 17 Apr 2026 in “MacBook Neo isn't innovation: It's Apple correcting a story it pushed for years” “the only app they have installed is Procreate”
Comment from 26 Oct 2026 in “New iPad mini” “several artists I know love Procreate”
Comment from 11 Nov 2025 in “Terminal Latency on Windows (2024)” Better than other iPad image editors
“I like being able to use Procreate or other image editing software on my iPad”
Comment from 22 Sep 2026 in “Apple has added persistent 'ads' to iOS, and it's driving users crazy” “Illustrating sucks on those platforms compared to using Procreate on iPad”
Comment from 20 Oct 2026 in “Apple broke an essential presentation feature of iPads” “Some things are much better today, like Procreate.”
Comment from 4 Nov 2025 in “When stick figures fought” Feels natural with Apple Pencil
“It's great for drawing / painting using Apple Pencil and software like ProCreate.”
Comment from 2 Mar 2026 in “Apple introduces the new iPad Air, powered by M4” “Procreate just dissolves under your fingers and pencil”
Comment from 23 Apr 2026 in “MacBook Neo and How the iPad Should Be”
Other diagramming tools people recommend
The four most recommended other diagramming tools, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Krita | 77 | 11 | 88% | 12 | — | Approved |
| Excalidraw | 56 | 10 | 85% | 11 | — | Approved |
| Aseprite | 26 | 3 | 90% | 6 | — | Approved |
| ProcreateThis page | 23 | 0 | 100% | 6 | — | Approved |
| Monosketch | 23 | 4 | 85% | 2 | — | — |
What people said
19 of the 25 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“it did open the door for a very high value use cases for things like procreate”
“the only app they have installed is Procreate”
“Create Procreate document.”
“Illustrating sucks on those platforms compared to using Procreate on iPad”
“illustrating with Procreate”
“I didn't know Procreate could be so good at precise line art”
“I like being able to use Procreate or other image editing software on my iPad”
“so marvelously monumental, they inspire me to improve in my craft”
“Procreate just dissolves under your fingers and pencil”
“My killer apps for iPad: forScore, Korg Gadget, Procreate”
“I get way better results faster, and am way less frustrated, than if I start with a blank "sheet" on the iPad.”
“Procreate makes it easier, even for novice to create amazing art.”
“I love asesprite, procreate, pico8”
“Procreate, AUM, Logic Pro etc etc etc.”
“It's great for drawing / painting using Apple Pencil and software like ProCreate.”
“those files can get heavy as well.”
“there are a lot of good tools: Procreate, Art Set 4, Adobe Fresco, Artrage, etc.”
“several artists I know love Procreate”
“Some things are much better today, like Procreate.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.