Procreate is still one of the best digital-painting apps for iPad, but it is not available for Mac.
That remains true even on an Apple Silicon Mac. Apple allows some iPhone and iPad apps to run on Macs, but only when the developer makes them available in the Mac App Store. Procreate does not currently appear there, and there is no Mac version to download or a confirmed release date to wait for.
The good news is that you do not need to settle for a clumsy workaround. There are now several excellent Mac drawing apps, whether you want free painting software, professional illustration tools, comic and animation features, or realistic watercolour and oil effects.
Our top pick is Affinity for a free, polished Mac creative app that combines vector, pixel and layout tools. If your work is mainly illustration, comics or animation, Clip Studio Paint is the closest all-round replacement for a serious Procreate user. Krita is the best completely free open-source option for digital painting.
The Best Procreate Alternatives for Mac at a Glance
| App | Best for | Price model | Main caveat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Affinity | Best free all-round creative app | Free with a Canva account | More of a full desktop creative suite than a simple painting app |
| Clip Studio Paint | Illustration, comics and 2D animation | Perpetual Mac licence or subscription | More features and a steeper learning curve than Procreate |
| Krita | Free digital painting | Free and open source | Interface can feel less polished at first |
| Rebelle 8 | Realistic watercolour, oils and traditional media | One-time licence | A specialist painting app rather than an all-purpose design suite |
| Artstudio Pro | Apple Silicon Mac and iPad users | One-time Mac App Store purchase | Current Mac version requires an M-series Mac |
| Sketchbook Pro | Simple sketching and concept art | One-time store purchase | Less capable for comic production, animation and advanced designing |
| Adobe Photoshop | Artists already using Adobe Creative Cloud | Subscription | Powerful, but expensive and unnecessarily complex for many beginners |
Prices and availability can vary by country and store. The recommendations below were checked in October 2026.
Can You Get Procreate on a Mac?
No. Procreate is made for iPad, and Procreate Pocket is made for iPhone. Neither is currently offered as a Mac app.
That means you cannot legitimately install the iPad version on a Mac, including an M-series Mac. Be wary of sites offering a “Procreate for Mac download” or an unofficial emulator build: they are not an official way to use Procreate and can expose you to unreliable or unsafe downloads.
If you already own an iPad, the best way to keep using Procreate is simply to create on the iPad and transfer or export your finished artwork to the Mac. You can then use the Mac for file management, layout, retouching or delivery.
However, the founder of Procreate has previously stated that the company is working on a desktop version of the app and the first release is likely to be on macOS (although that was way back in 2024 so don’t hold your breath!)
What about Sidecar?
Sidecar is useful, but it does not run Procreate on a Mac. It turns a compatible iPad into a second display for your Mac and lets you use Apple Pencil in Mac apps that support it. It is an excellent way to draw in Affinity, Photoshop or Illustrator on a Mac, but Procreate itself continues to run on the iPad. For a look at how it works and other methods, check our guide on how to use Procreate on a Mac.
1. Affinity — Best Free Overall Procreate Alternative for Mac
Affinity is now the best starting point for most Mac users who want serious creative software without a subscription. The current app brings professional vector, pixel and layout tools together in one Mac application and is free to download with a Canva account.
For a former Procreate user, its Pixel Studio is the important part. It gives you a proper layered raster workspace for painting, compositing and retouching, while its vector tools make it easy to turn a loose sketch into a scalable logo, icon or graphic without moving into another app.
Affinity is not a like-for-like recreation of Procreate’s touch-first canvas. Its interface is more desktop-oriented and it rewards learning keyboard shortcuts, layers and selections. But it is remarkably capable for free, runs natively on Apple Silicon and Intel Macs, and is a far better long-term choice than an old, abandoned Paint-style app.
Choose Affinity if you want to combine drawing with graphic design, photo editing, social graphics, print work or page layout.
Pros
- Free professional-grade Mac app
- Combines raster, vector and layout work in one place
- Strong choice for illustration that may become a logo, poster or print design
- Native support for Apple Silicon and Intel Macs
Cons
- Less immediate than Procreate for casual sketching
- Requires a free Canva account to download and activate
- The current unified app is Mac and Windows only; an iPad version is still to come
2. Clip Studio Paint — Best for Illustration, Comics and Animation
Clip Studio Paint is the strongest Procreate replacement for illustrators who want more control, especially for comics, manga, webtoons, character art and 2D animation.
It has a deep brush engine, excellent pen stabilisation, a huge library of downloadable brushes and materials, flexible layer controls and useful vector layers. Unlike a conventional vector program, Clip Studio Paint lets you draw expressive lines naturally, then refine or scale them without losing quality.
Version 5 is available for macOS, with a perpetual licence for Mac and Windows as well as monthly and annual plans. At the time of writing, a Clip Studio Paint PRO 5 perpetual licence is US$63, though regional prices and promotions vary. A perpetual licence remains usable indefinitely for the version you buy; future major-feature updates follow Clip Studio’s update-pass or version-upgrade policy.
The interface is denser than Procreate’s, so it is not the best choice for someone who only wants to doodle. But once you get past that, it is the best Mac app here for serious illustration that includes comics, multi-page work or animation.
Choose Clip Studio Paint if you want the most capable dedicated drawing app for Mac, particularly for line art, comics or animated work.
Pros
- Excellent brush, pen and line-stabilisation tools
- Purpose-built features for comics, manga, webtoons and 2D animation
- Vector layers and editable line work
- Perpetual Mac licence remains available
Cons
- More complicated than Procreate
- The best animation and multi-page tools are in the more expensive EX edition
- Keeping up with every future feature requires an update pass or later upgrade
3. Krita — Best Completely Free Painting App for Mac
Krita is the best free, open-source alternative to Procreate for painting and illustration. It is a fully fledged raster art application rather than a limited free trial, and it continues to receive current macOS releases.
Krita offers an advanced brush engine, brush stabilisers, layers and masks, colour-management tools, assistants for perspective and symmetry, and support for PSD files. It also has animation tools, so it is a sensible free option for artists who want to experiment with hand-drawn motion work.
It takes longer to learn than Procreate and its menus can feel busy. That is the trade-off for getting so much capability at no cost. Give it a little time with a pen tablet before judging it from a first five-minute test.
Choose Krita if you want serious digital-painting tools for free and do not mind a more technical interface.
Pros
- Free and open source, with no subscription
- Powerful brushes, layers, masks and colour tools
- Good PSD interoperability
- Active macOS releases
Cons
- Less beginner-friendly than Procreate
- Interface is more technical and configurable than elegant
- Some setups take more setup than in a commercial Mac app
4. Rebelle 8 — Best for Realistic Watercolour and Oils
Rebelle 8 is the specialist choice for artists who want their work to behave more like physical paint. Its focus is on natural-media effects, including watercolour, acrylics, oils and wet-on-wet blending, rather than the broad graphic-design toolkit found in Affinity or Adobe apps.
That makes it a compelling alternative to Procreate when the feel of the brushstroke matters more than exporting a social-media graphic. It is particularly satisfying with a pressure-sensitive tablet and offers both regular and Pro editions. Rebelle 8 costs from US$89.99 for the standard edition at the time of writing, while the Pro edition is priced higher.
Rebelle supports modern Macs, including Apple Silicon, but check its current system requirements if you use an older Intel machine or work on very large canvases.
Choose Rebelle 8 if you mainly paint and want more convincing traditional-media behaviour than Procreate or Photoshop provides.
Pros
- Excellent natural-media simulations
- One-off licence rather than a monthly subscription
- Supports Apple Silicon Macs and graphics tablets
- Better choice for painterly work than a conventional vector app
Cons
- More specialised than the other choices here
- Not the natural choice for logo design, comic production or page layout
- Can feel demanding on older Macs with large, complex canvases
5. Artstudio Pro — Best Mac App Store Choice for Apple Silicon Users
Artstudio Pro is a polished painting and photo-editing app for macOS, iPad and iPhone. It is particularly attractive if you want a more Apple-like, touch-friendly app than a traditional desktop package provides.
It includes custom brushes, layers, masks, blend modes, animation tools and support for PSD, ABR brush and other common creative-file formats. It also has iCloud integration, making it practical for moving a project between an iPad and Mac.
The important limitation is compatibility: the current Mac App Store listing requires macOS 12 or later and an Apple M1 chip or later. It is therefore not a suitable recommendation for an Intel Mac unless the developer’s listing changes.
Choose Artstudio Pro if you have an Apple Silicon Mac and want a paid, Mac-and-iPad-friendly alternative without committing to Adobe.
Pros
- Strong brush, layer and animation features
- Supports PSD and ABR brush imports
- Works across Mac, iPad and iPhone
- One-off App Store purchase
Cons
- Current Mac edition is Apple Silicon only
- Smaller ecosystem of tutorials and community resources than Photoshop or Clip Studio Paint
- Less suitable for an Intel Mac or a large production studio
6. Sketchbook Pro — Best for Straightforward Sketching
Sketchbook Pro is a good choice if what you love about Procreate is the feeling of opening a canvas and getting on with drawing. Its uncluttered approach makes it well suited to early ideas, thumbnails, concept art and everyday sketching.
The desktop edition is sold as a one-time purchase through the Mac App Store rather than a subscription. It is actively maintained, but it deliberately remains less elaborate than Clip Studio Paint, Photoshop or Affinity.
That simplicity is a virtue if you do not need publishing, advanced animation or large file-production support. It is the one to consider before paying for a much bigger design suite that you may never fully use.
Choose Sketchbook Pro if you want a focused desktop sketching app rather than a full creative-production platform.
Pros
- Clean, approachable drawing experience
- One-off purchase
- Good for sketches, concepts and quick visual ideas
- Regular Mac updates
Cons
- Fewer high-end comic, animation and design features
- Not the best choice for complex professional deliverables
- Less flexible than Krita or Clip Studio Paint for power users
7. Adobe Photoshop — Best if You Already Subscribe to Adobe
Adobe Photoshop is not the cheapest or simplest Procreate alternative, but it is an excellent painting app if you already pay for Creative Cloud. Its Brush and Pencil tools, customisable brush settings, ABR brush support, layers, masks and selection tools make it highly capable for illustration, concept art and photo-based artwork.
Photoshop’s real advantage is the wider Adobe suite. You can take an illustration into Illustrator, InDesign, Premiere Pro or After Effects without complicated exporting, and a huge number of tutorials, brushes and professional resources are available.
However, do not subscribe to Photoshop solely as a basic replacement for Procreate unless you also need its photo editing or Adobe integration. Krita, Affinity, Clip Studio Paint and Rebelle are better value for many purely digital-painting.
Choose Photoshop if you already work in Adobe Creative Cloud or need to combine painting with high-end image editing.
Pros
- Industry-standard image-editing and compositing tools
- Excellent brush customisation and ABR support
- Works smoothly with other Adobe applications
- Extensive learning resources and third-party assets
Cons
- Ongoing subscription cost
- More complicated than most people need for drawing alone
- Less focused on the relaxed, touch-first drawing experience of Procreate
Which Procreate Alternative Should You Choose?
Use this as a quick shortcut:
- Choose Affinity if you want the best no-cost Mac app for illustration, graphic design and photo work in one place.
- Choose Clip Studio Paint if you draw comics, manga, webtoons, character art or 2D animation.
- Choose Krita if you want a genuinely capable free painting app and do not mind learning a more technical interface.
- Choose Rebelle 8 if you want watercolour, oils and other traditional-media effects to feel more realistic.
- Choose Artstudio Pro if you have an M-series Mac and want a paid Mac/iPad-friendly app without a subscription.
- Choose Sketchbook Pro if you want the simplest desktop sketching experience.
- Choose Photoshop if you already use Adobe Creative Cloud for design or photo editing.
If your work is mostly logos, icons or scalable illustrations, use Affinity’s vector tools or Adobe Illustrator instead of trying to force a raster-painting app to do vector work.
How to Make a Mac Feel More Like Procreate
The app matters, but the input device matters just as much. A trackpad or mouse is fine for selections and retouching, but it does not reproduce Procreate’s drawing experience.
For the best result, use a pressure-sensitive pen tablet or pen display from a reputable Mac-compatible brand such as Wacom, Huion or XP-Pen. Our guide to the best drawing tablets for Mac explains the differences between a screenless tablet and a pen display.
If you already have a compatible iPad and Apple Pencil, try Sidecar with a Mac drawing app before buying extra hardware. It gives you the closest equivalent to drawing directly on a Mac application with an Apple Pencil, although it still does not turn Procreate into a Mac app.
For more ways to create artwork on macOS, see our guide to how to draw on a Mac.
FAQ
Can I download Procreate on a MacBook or iMac?
No. As of October 2026, Procreate is not available as a Mac app, and its iPad version is not offered as an iPad app that can run on a Mac. This applies to both Apple Silicon and Intel Macs.
Can I use Procreate on my Mac through Sidecar?
No. Sidecar only uses your iPad as a display and Apple Pencil input device for Mac apps. You can use it with compatible drawing apps such as Affinity, Photoshop or Illustrator, but it cannot run Procreate on macOS.
Is there any way to run the iPad version of Procreate on a Mac?
No, you can’t run the iPad version of Procreate on a Mac. Although you can run some iPad apps on a Mac, Procreate isn’t one of them.
When you search for Procreate in the Mac App Store and switch to the “iPhone & iPad” apps tab, it doesn’t appear meaning you can’t “sideload” it onto a Mac this way.
Is Affinity Designer 2 still the best alternative to Procreate?
The old separate Affinity V1 and V2 apps are no longer sold. The current recommendation is the newer free Affinity by Canva app, which combines vector, pixel and layout tools. It is a particularly good alternative when you need both raster drawing and vector design, rather than only a dedicated painting canvas.
Is Adobe Fresco available for Mac?
No. Adobe Fresco remains an iPadOS and iOS drawing app. If you want an Adobe desktop app on a Mac, Photoshop is the better option for raster painting, while Illustrator is the better choice for vector illustration.
What is the best free Procreate alternative for Mac?
Krita is the best free choice if your priority is a dedicated digital-painting app. Affinity is the better free choice if you also want professional vector, photo-editing and layout tools.
Can I use a Wacom, Huion or XP-Pen tablet with these apps?
Usually, yes. Most major Mac drawing applications support pressure-sensitive graphics tablets, but support for shortcut buttons, pen tilt and pressure levels can vary by app, tablet model and driver. Install the manufacturer’s current Mac driver and check the app’s compatibility information before buying hardware.
Can these apps open Procreate files?
Do not assume that they can. Export your artwork from Procreate in a common format such as PSD, PNG, JPEG, TIFF or PDF, depending on whether you need editable layers, a finished image or a print-ready file. PSD is normally the best starting point when you want to preserve layers for further editing.
Bottom Line
There is still no Procreate for Mac, and a mirrored iPad screen is not a substitute for a native desktop drawing app. Fortunately, Mac users now have much stronger choices than an old MS Paint-style app or an unreliable emulator.
Start with Affinity if you want a free all-round creative app, Clip Studio Paint if you want the best serious illustration replacement, or Krita if you want free digital painting. Pair any of them with a good drawing tablet — or Sidecar and an iPad you already own — and your Mac can become a genuinely capable place to create artwork.