When it comes to the best digital art software, there are more than ever, from painting simulation software and apps designed for photo editing, to digital, art, and even painting on the go with your iPad. Whether you need the best drawing apps for your iPad or the best drawing apps for your PC, I’ve got something for you in my guide.
We’ve tested most of the software, and our reviewers evaluate each pick based on a range of criteria, including power and overall performance (see How We Test Software for more info — and note the link to the full review). If we haven’t tested a program, we have included it for good reason and have done an extensive research to back up our claims.
Many of these programs will work with the best graphics tablets you can buy, so if you already have a digital art setup, you don’t need to worry. For drawing on the go, see our picks for the best drawing apps for iPad and the best 2-in-1.
The best digital art software right now
Adobe Photoshop remains the industry standard for digital art and remains one of the best digital art applications. If you work professionally, you almost certainly use it at some point, and with a good reason for its dominance. Photoshop is basically good at everything, not only photo editing, but also drawing, digital painting, and more.
Photoshop is available on a variety of devices, including smartphones and tablets, as well as Macs and PCs. Check out our guide on how to download Photoshop to learn more. You can easily share data and access all assets, including brushes, images, colors, and styles, across all your devices. There’s also an impressive library of Photoshop plugins available to add extra functionality.
Without a doubt, Procreate is the best iPad drawing app out there. It’s an impressive drawing tool that has gained a huge following among artists, and it packs powerful tools that make it a joy to use. There are hundreds of layers at your disposal if you want, and there are masks, blending modes, and over 130 customizable Procreate brushes at your disposal. Typography tools also add an extra layer of creative functionality.
Procreate 5.2 supports the M1 iPad Pro along with 3D painting tools and AR previews, as well as an improved interface and audio feedback for a better all-around experience.
As the name suggests, Corel Painter 2023 is exceptionally good digital painting software. The latest update improves the paint flow and blending system, in particular, the new fluid brush system enables you to build paint layers in a realistic manner.
Previous versions of Corel were somewhat known for taxing computer hardware, but GPU acceleration has been tweaked in the 2022 version, and while I find it hardware-hungry, there’s a definite improvement. Corel Painter 2023 goes one step further and has been enhanced for use on the M1 Apple Mac, making brushes 4.7 times faster.
The upfront cost of Corel Painter 2023 is high, but much steeper than Affinity Photo. It’s priced at $429/£359, or $229/£180 if you’re upgrading from a previous version. That’s a lot of money, but there’s no ongoing subscription fee, and Corel occasionally offers discounts.
If Corel Painter is a little too expensive, the Rebelle 6 is probably your best bet. It features over 240 brush presets designed to mimic how painting behaves in the real world. It’s one of the best digital art software options for creating realistic watercolor or oil paintings with tons of thick effects.
In our review, we found the latest version of this impressive natural media painting app to offer a number of useful upgrades, including new stabilization and texturing features, natural RYB color blending, layer groups, and color management.
We especially like the real-world color paint mixing and gorgeous watercolor and oil painting simulations, as well as the new AI-based warping and liquification tools. It’s a bit disappointing that the standard version doesn’t come with all the features, but if you need an affordable Painter alternative that doesn’t cut corners and feels authentic.
For manga art and manga creation, Clip Studio Paint is one of the best digital art software programs. It offers a natural, traditional feel and features pen pressure detection to give you realistic brush strokes when you’re using a graphics tablet.
Clip Studio Paint is available in two versions: PRO and EX. If you need all the features and don’t mind paying for them, EX is the way to go, but if you just want to see what it’s all about, you can start with PRO. Both have 30-day trials.
Looking for a free alternative to Clip Studio Paint to create comic art or comics? Paint Pro by Japanese company MediBang is well worth looking into. It’s a free and lightweight digital drawing tool with 800 free pre-made tones and backgrounds, as well as 50+ brushes, easy comic panel creation tools and tons of free fonts.
Best of all, Mediband Paint is free.
Best Digital Art Software: Frequently Asked Questions
How should I choose the best digital art software?
There are more professional apps like Clip Art Studio that are great for cartoonists and anyone looking to replicate the style of a manga; this app has templates and guides to help, and you can plan panels and even create manga within the software.
Most of the best digital art software will offer a free trial to test it out, and it’s worth deciding whether to pay an upfront fee or sign up for a monthly fee.
Do I need a digital art drawing tablet?
There are also pen displays, which allow you to draw directly on the tablet’s screen, but these still require a laptop or desktop computer to run digital art software.
Finally there are tablets, these are great devices that can run digital art software, you can draw directly on the screen like an iPad, only these can come in a large desktop size.
If you do own an iPad, then an iPad Pro or even a standard iPad, then this is a great way to get into digital art. The Apple iPad exclusively runs Procreate, one of the best digital art apps out there, perfect for drawing, drawing and even creating animations.
