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Procreate vs. Procreate Pocket: What You Need to Know

If you’re looking for a high quality digital art program, you’re probably thinking about Procreate. There’s no doubt that it’s a top choice for artists of all levels. But, when considering Procreate vs. Procreate Pocket, which one is best? What should you choose?

Procreate is a digital art program designed for iPads. Procreate Pocket is the same program, but it is designed to be used on iPhones. While there are differences between Procreate and Procreate Pocket, they are extremely similar aside from the devices they’re compatible with.

When thinking about Procreate vs. Procreate Pocket, the #1 question you want to ask yourself is this:

Do I want to be drawing on my iPad or on my iPhone? Is my iPad or iPhone compatible with Procreate?

If you want to be drawing on your iPad and your iPad is compatible with Procreate, you’ll want to choose Procreate.

procreate dog drawing with apple pencil ipad

If you want to be drawing on your iPhone and your iPhone is compatible with Procreate Pocket, you’ll want to choose Procreate Pocket.

procreate pocket dog drawing example

Or, like me, you’ll want to choose both! 

Even with these key questions answered, it’s important to know how Procreate and Procreate Pocket are unique. If you don’t, you might end up disappointed if the program you pick isn’t working how you thought it would.

Let’s dive into Procreate and Procreate Pocket so you can make the best choice for you and your art life.

procreate vs procreate pocket

What is Procreate?

Procreate is a digital drawing and illustration program designed for iPads. Created in 2011 by Savage Interactive, Procreate has quickly become a popular program used by beginning artists and experts alike who enjoy creating art on their iPads.

Like I said, Procreate only works on iPads. It was designed exclusively with the iPadOS system in mind and doesn’t work with any other tablets or systems. If you already have an iPad, or plan to buy an iPad to use Procreate, check here that your iPad is compatible with it.

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iPad? Check. 

In addition to an iPad though, you’ll also need a stylus in order to use Procreate to it’s full abilities. While you can draw with your finger on Procreate, many people prefer to draw with styluses.

There are only two types of styluses that are confirmed to be compatible with Procreate. Procreate no longer supports 3rd party styluses, so you’ll want to have either an Apple Pencil or a Logitech Crayon (the Logitech Crayon is a cheaper option if you’re on a budget).

apple pencil styluses
Apple Pencils have been my go-to for my own Procreate art

Once you have your iPad and stylus ready, it’s time to download Procreate! Luckily, this will be the cheapest part of your experience.

Procreate is a one-time payment of $12.99. No subscription fees, no additional up charges, no hidden payments. $12.99 and you’ll get full access to everything Procreate has to offer.

And, what exactly does Procreate have to offer? Almost everything you can imagine. Procreate has become so incredibly popular for good reason. It’s an amazing program for beginners, but also is used regularly by professional artists.

If you want to create it, it’s likely that you can find a way to do it with Procreate. 

woman holding ipad symmetry design
I made this with Procreate’s symmetry tool! I have a full guide on Procreate’s symmetry tool that I suggest checking out if you want to learn how to use it!

That said, there is one thing that Procreate can’t do when comparing it with other digital art platforms – vector art.

Procreate is a raster based program and does not have the ability to create vector art like Illustrator can. When using Procreate, it’s really important to pick the appropriate canvas size from the beginning because scaling your work too small or large will make your Procreate work look pixelated.   

If vector graphics matter to you, you’ll want to look at the Adobe programs, like Illustrator. Other than that though, there’s very little that Procreate can’t do.

Important tip: if you’re getting started with Procreate, it can feel like there’s a lot to learn! Luckily, I have an entire collection of Procreate tutorials that can be a big help! Check them out to learn a wide variety of Procreate skills!

What is Procreate Pocket?

Procreate Pocket is a digital drawing and illustration program designed for iPhones. Created in 2014 by Savage Interactive, Procreate Pocket was created to complement Procreate’s iPad program. Procreate Pocket is very similar to Procreate, though it has features specifically designed for iPhones.

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Like I said, Procreate Pocket only works on iPhones. It was designed exclusively with the iOS system in mind and doesn’t work with any other phones or systems. If you already have an iPhone, or plan to buy an iPhone to use Procreate Pocket, check here that your iPhone is compatible with it.

No matter what type of iPhone you have though, it needs to have iOS 13.2 or newer.

iPhone? Check. 

In addition to an iPhone though, you’ll probably want a stylus to use with Procreate Pocket. While you can draw with your finger on Procreate Pocket, many people prefer to draw with styluses.

Unlike the iPad version of Procreate, you cannot use an Apple Pencil. iPhones are not currently compatible with iPhones, so you’ll need to choose other types of styluses. I have a post about styluses for Procreate Pocket if you need recommendations!

Once you have your iPhone and stylus ready, it’s time to download Procreate Pocket! Luckily, like the iPad version of Procreate, this will be the cheapest part of your experience.

Procreate Pocket is a one-time payment of $5.99. No subscription fees, no additional upcharges, no hidden payments. $5.99 and you’ll get full access to everything Procreate Pocket has to offer.

And, what exactly does Procreate Pocket have to offer? Similar to the iPad version of Procreate, Procreate Pocket offers almost everything you can imagine. Just in a smaller package!

Drawing on an iPhone can take some getting used to, but that’s an iPhone issue, not a Procreate Pocket issue. 

The really great thing about Procreate Pocket is that it’s EXTREMELY similar to the iPad version of Procreate. The main differences you’ll notice are related to how iPhones function vs. iPads.

Procreate Pocket settings

Savage Interactive didn’t just shove the iPad version of Procreate into an iPhone compatible software when creating Procreate Pocket. 

Instead, they built Procreate Pocket from the bottom up, giving it the same amazing capabilities as the iPad version of Procreate, but making sure that it was uniquely suited for iPhones.

For example, you’ll notice that the settings are tucked away so that your screen size is optimized.

When you use Procreate Pocket, it will feel like it’s specifically designed for your iPhone, which is really nice. It works really seamlessly and nicely with the iOS software.

So, what if you have either Procreate or Procreate Pocket and you want to transfer your designs from one to the other? Let’s talk about my favorite way to do that.

How to Transfer Designs between Procreate to Procreate Pocket

My favorite way to transfer designs between Procreate and Procreate Pocket is to AirDrop the native .procreate files between my iPad and iPhone. Using .procreate files will ensure that your artwork functions within the Procreate or Procreate Pocket ecosystem.

Both Procreate and Procreate Pocket use the same native file types, which is .procreate. This means that you can easily transfer them between your Procreate and Procreate Pocket programs!

Personally, I like to do this with AirDrop. Here’s how to do that, step-by-step:

1. Tap on the wrench to open the Actions tab, and then tab on the Share sub-menu.

procreate actions tab share sub menu dog drawing

2. Choose the Procreate option.

procreate file share option dog drawing

3. Choose the AirDrop option.

Make sure your iPhone is awake and can receive AirDrop files.

ipad share airdrop procreate file to procreate pocket

4. Choose to open your file in Procreate Pocket

airdrop procreate file to procreate pocket

This should open your Procreate file in Procreate Pocket so that you can keep working on it!

I have a guide on exporting files in Procreate if you want to dive deeper into moving your artwork around.

Going back to the original question we talked about at the beginning, your choice between Procreate and Procreate Pocket really depends on whether you plan to use your iPad or your iPhone for drawing.

Both programs are specifically designed for either the iPad or iPhone, so either one is a great choice depending on the device you plan to use.

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