iPad apps that will make you want more free time

If you want to get creative, there are a variety of iPad apps that can help you get started. The iPad started out as a simple device that could be used to stream content or browse the web on the go, but Apple essentially turned it into a powerful device that could be used for tasks like digital art creation and video editing.

We’ve put together a list of the best iPad apps to unleash your creativity available on the App Store.

Before we dive in, it’s worth noting that Adobe’s creative apps are often the top choice for creativity on the iPad, but they’re not included on this list because they’re already well-known. Instead, we’re focusing on lesser-known apps that you might want to know and try.

lake

Not every creative app needs to have a blank page staring at the user. Lake takes a more relaxed approach, allowing independent artists to digitally color hand-drawn drawings using more than 700 colors and a variety of brushes.

If you want to let your imagination run wild, ~can do Color and draw on a blank canvas. You can also write down your thoughts in a coloring journal.

This app is great for people who are just starting to explore their creativity or who want to de-stress for a while. You don’t even have to be artistic to use it. There is no penalty for drawing outside the lines here.

Lake makes a limited number of illustrations available for free. To unlock the full catalog of illustrations and features, you’ll need to pay a subscription fee of $9.99 per month.

spawn

Procreate is one of the most popular drawing apps on iPad, and for good reason. This app lets you create digital paintings, sketches, and illustrations using dozens of different types of brushes. Procreate is easy to use and has a simple interface with built-in gesture controls.

This app lets you use high-resolution canvases up to 16K x 8K on a compatible iPad Pro. You can also create storyboards, GIFs, animatics, and simple animations. You can also import image files such as JPG, PNG, and TIFF. Procreate includes several features designed to assist you during the creative process on iPad, including QuickShape, StreamLine, Drawing Assist, and ColorDrop. These tools take away the technical burden so you can focus on the fun part.

Once you’re done creating your piece, you can relive your creative journey with the app’s time-lapse “play” feature, watch the incredibly satisfying process unfold together, and share 30-second clips on social media.

You can access Procreate for a one-time payment of $12.99.

Lumafusion

LumaFusion is a great app for video editing if you’re ready to graduate from iMovie. The app has a variety of user-friendly features that are perfect for videographers or aspiring indie filmmakers on a budget.

LumaFusion lets you create multi-layered edits with 4K ProRes and HDR media. You can add a variety of effects, choose from dozens of transitions, and record voiceovers. This app lets you create multi-layered titles and import fonts and graphics. You can also fine-tune your audio with graphic EQ, parametric EQ, voice isolation, and more.

The app lets you create projects in a variety of aspect ratios, including 16:9 landscape, 9:16 portrait, square, widescreen film, anamorphic, and more.

LumaFusion is available for a one-time payment of $29.99. You can also purchase additional features, such as multicam editing and the ability to export your project to Final Cut Pro for Mac.

Canva

Canva provides a user-friendly platform that allows anyone to create visual content, even without graphic design experience. Use over 250,000 templates to create presentations, infographics, videos, websites, social media posts, and more.

Canva has tools for editing photos, customizing content with logos and images, adding audio, and cropping and speeding up videos.

The platform also has a set of AI features designed to make the creation process easier. For example, you can use “Magic Switch” to expand an image, or “Magic Media” to turn an idea into an image.

Canva is free, but if you want unlimited access to AI features, premium templates, and more, they offer a $12.99 monthly subscription fee.

Affinity Designer 2

Affinity Designer 2 is a graphic design app that combines vector design, pixel-based textures, and retouching in a single platform. Perfect for professional illustrators, web designers, game developers, and other creatives.

This app lets you create illustrations, branding, logos, icons, UI/UX design, typography, posters, labels, flyers, stickers, concept art, digital art, and more. Supports Apple Pencil precision, pressure sensitivity, and tilt capabilities.

Affinity Designer 2 has gesture controls to speed up your workflow and lets you customize keyboard shortcuts. You can also create your own custom fonts, zoom over 1,000,000% for absolute precision, and more.

You can access the app with a one-time payment of $18.49.

concept

Concepts is a great app for exploring ideas and experimenting with designs. You can use the app to sketch plans, create notes and mind maps, and draw storyboards and designs.

The app features Nudge, Slice, and Selection tools that allow you to easily change any element of your sketch without having to redraw it. The app features realistic pens, pencils, and brushes that flow with pressure and tilt.

Concepts gives you access to scaling and measuring tools to calculate real-world dimensions, as well as a tool wheel or bar that you can personalize to your liking.

The basic features of the app are free. Concepts offers a $4.99 per month subscription if you want access to additional features, such as the ability to create your own brushes and premium editing tools.

Tayasui Sketches

Tayasui Sketch is a great, user-friendly sketching and drawing app. It has several features such as realistic watercolor brushes, digital acrylic brushes, the ability to mix two colors to get the perfect shade, gradient and depth tools, and more.

This app allows you to multitask by opening other apps and dragging lawyers and documents between them. There’s also a “Zen mode” that lets you create without distraction.

You can also upload images to incorporate them into your creations. Tayasui Sketch allows you to save your creations to a personal folder.

The basic features of Tayasui Sketch are free. The app offers a $2.99 ​​monthly subscription that unlocks unlimited layers, new brushes and markers, an expanded brush editor, drawing backup features, and more.

Dudel Draw

Dudel Draw is a little different than the other apps on this list. The app is designed to unleash your creativity by giving you a new shape every day to serve as a starting point for your sketches.

These everyday shapes range from basic geometric shapes to more complex and abstract designs. You can also explore your creativity further by choosing to view the shape from all angles using the app’s “flip” and “rotate” features.

You can also unleash your friends’ creativity in fun competitions by comparing different creations each day. Dudel Draw provides a great way to hone your artistic skills, challenge you to create something new every day, and simply express yourself.

Dudel Draw is available for free.

sketchbook

Sketchbook is an easy-to-use app for sketching, painting, and drawing. The idea behind the app is to give you the feeling of drawing on paper because the digital brushes and pens work like the real thing.

The app’s interface is simple and makes it easier to focus on drawing by hiding palettes and tools.

You can customize your brushes by adjusting size, opacity, flow, and more to fit your personal style. There’s also a “stroke prediction” feature that helps smooth out the lines in your drawings.

Sketchbook is available for free, but you can unlock premium features with a one-time payment of $2.99. Premium features include the ability to import additional brushes and color palettes, resize canvases once you start working, and export multiple canvases or entire albums to PDF.

This story was originally published in December 2024 and is updated regularly with new information.