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If you are an artist or a designer, or just someone who likes to take notes on things on your iPad, then you know that the Apple Pencil is a great tool. However, if the Apple Pencil seemed too pricey for you, or if you are looking for an alternative, please then read on.
In this article, we have put together a guide to the latest model and best Apple Pencil alternatives that are currently in the market. We’ve also included a buying guide to help you identify the features you need if you’ve made up your mind on a cheaper alternative.
Our following list is also constantly being updated as we regularly review new products.
What are the best Apple Pencil alternatives?
Best Apple Pencil alternatives for Procreate
- Zagg Pro Stylus 2 (Active Dual-Tip)
- Logitech Crayon with USB-C Fast Charging
- Adonit Neo with Palm Rejection
Best budget iPad stylus
- Adonit Mark
- Z-NUOJIA Stylus Pen with Palm Rejection
- LUNTAK Stylus Pen
- Metapen Pencil A8 for iPad 2018-2022
- GUUGEI Stylus Pen (3-Pack)
Best Apple Pencil alternatives with pressure sensitivity
Buying guide
Best Apple Pencil alternatives for Procreate
1. Zagg Pro Stylus 2 (Active Dual-Tip)
This is a new and refreshed version of the Zagg Pro Stylus. It’s available in five attractive colors with additional features you’ll love.
The Pro Stylus 2 features an active dual-tip design. The fine tip delivers pixel-perfect drawing, while the rounded capacitive back-end tip ensures smooth navigation like swiping and document marking.
The stylus is easy to turn on, with just a press on the rounded capacitive end. It also automatically turns off after 15 minutes of inactivity.
In addition to the palm rejection technology the Pro Stylus 2 also offers tilt detection, which can be used to create complex artwork.
Features:
- Battery life of up to 6.0 hours
- Compatible with iPads from 2018 onwards
- Automatically pairs with any iPad 2018 or newer
- Compatible with apps that support the Apple Pencil
- Charges wirelessly with LED charging indicator
- Attaches magnetically to the iPad Pro 11 & iPad Pro 12.9.
2. Logitech Crayon (new) with USB-C Fast Charging
Logitech has done an excellent job of creating a stylus that feels natural in the hand. This sleeker design and much improved Logitech Crayon, like the Apple Pencil, is equipped with pixel perfect precision to give you that natural drawing and writing experience.
With just a flick off the switch, the Crayon connects instantaneously to your iPad without any delays of device pairing. In addition, Crayon’s smart tip technology allows you to dynamically adjust thicker or thinner line, giving you a personalised touch to your Procreate drawings and hand-written notes.
Features:
- Easy and comfortable use
- Instant connection
- Palm-rejection technology
- USB-C type charging – battery life up to 7.5 hours and fast charging
- Compatible with iPad models with iOS 12.2 and 3rd-6th generation iPad Pros.
3. Adonit Neo with Palm Rejection
The Adonit Neo stylus is magnetically attachable to your iPad and has native palm rejection features. The Neo’s spiral tip can also be replaced easily.
This stylus also uses USB-C charging and lets you charge while in use. Although it lacks the pressure sensitivity feature, some customers who bought it gave thumbs up for its accuracy, design and its compatibility with various popular creative apps like Good Notes, Adobe Apps and of course, Procreate.
Features:
- Magnetically attachable
- Replaceable tip
- Instant connection without Bluetooth pairing
- USB-C type charging – battery life up to 9 hours and fast charging
- Compatible with iPad Air (3rd-4th gen), iPad Mini (5th-6th gen), iPad (6th-9th gen), iPad Pro (3rd-6th gen).
Best budget iPad stylus
1. Adonit Mark
The Adonit Mark is far less advanced than the Zagg Pro Stylus or the Apple Pencil, but it’s a great budget pick for those who want an affordable stylus that still offers good performance.
The stylus is compatible with all touch screen devices and built to last. It is good for daily basic use like sketching and coloring.
Although it doesn’t perform specialized tasks like what the Apple Pencil does, the Adonit Mark still makes for a handy and useful tool.
Features:
- Budget-friendly
- No pressure sensitivity
- No connection or batteries required
- Great for simple day-to-day use, drawing or sketching
- Durable mesh tip – provides a smudge-free writing and drawing experience that will last.
2. Z-NUOJIA Stylus Pen with Palm Rejection
The Z-Nuojia iPad Stylus pen is our best choice if you’re looking for a budget iPad stylus with the all the basic features you want.
Made of aluminium, this stylus has a 1.5mm nib that is wear-resistant. It also has magnetic feature, palm rejection, tilt sensitivity and double-tap switching – which makes it easy and convenient to use.
You can use the Z-Nuojia without worrying about screen scratches, lags, misalignment, or breaking lines. This budget stylus is perfect for office workers and students and works well for note-taking, writing, and drawing.
Features:
- Light & sturdy
- Pixel-prefect precision
- Low power consumption – automatically turns off after being idle for 5 minutes.
- Compatible with iPad Air (3rd-5th gen), iPad Mini (5th gen), iPad (6th-9th gen), iPad Pro (3rd-5th gen), iPad Pro 11″ (1st-3rd gen).
3. LUNTAK Stylus Pen
The LUNTAK Stylus Pens come in 3 colour variations and they’re suitable for all-day use. The scratch prevention disc-tip is smooth and responsive and doesn’t leave any disconnecting lines on your iPad when in use.
Packaged with the pen are 4 spare disc tips. Customers who bought it love that the pen is easy to hold and the magnetic pen cover slides on nicely.
Features:
- Light & easy to use
- Energy saving – works without battery
- Compatible with iPad Air (1st-5th gen), iPad Mini (2nd-5th gen), iPad (5th-9th gen), iPad Pro (3rd-5th gen), iPad Pro (10.5”-12.9”), iPhone 11-13 Pro.
4. Metapen Pencil A8 for iPad 2018-2022
If you need a stylus pen for frequent writing or drawing on your iPad, we think that this Metapen Pencil A8 is the most ideal one to meet your needs. A highly rated stylus, the Metapen A8 also performs splendidly with the Procreate and Good Notes apps.
The pen attaches magnetically to your iPad and it’s compatible with iPads from 2018-2022 (kindly check the compatibility table in the product description page). It has palm rejection and fast charge features and definitely suitable for students, creative and business professionals.
Features:
- Magnetically attachable
- Replaceable tip – comes with 2 pen tips
- Instant connection without Bluetooth pairing – with double-tap on/off switch
- USB-C type charging – battery life up to 10 hours and fast charging
- Compatible with iPad Air (3rd-5th gen), iPad Mini (5th-6th gen), iPad (6th-9th gen), iPad Pro 11” (1st-3rd gen), iPad Pro 12.9” (3rd-5th gen).
5. GUUGEI Stylus Pen (3-Pack)
The GUUGEI Stylus Pen comes in a set of three and is compatible with all iPad models, as well as Android smartphones and tablets. You don’t have to worry about losing your pen because you have two spares here.
This GUUGEI gives you a solid grip and it feels fantastic when writing, drawing, swiping, and tapping on touchscreens.
Both ends of the pen can be used. The pen tip with its transparent disc nib provides accurate drawing and writing experience. The ultra soft fiber mesh tip at the other end gives you a much smoother tapping and swipping on your iPad or tablet.
Features:
- High precision and sensitivity
- Replaceble disc nib
- Magnetic pen cover
- Lightweight and comfortable to hold
- Universal stylus – no Bluetooth pairing required.
Best Apple Pencil alternatives with pressure sensitivity
1. Adonit Pixel Creative Stylus
The newly improved Adonit Pixel Creative Stylus has enhanced features you can use to write, sketch and draw more effectively on your iPad.
This stylus is especially useful for illustrators and digital artists who need to work on illustrations and vector graphics on various creative apps like Procreate, Autodesk, Sketchbook, Artrage, Concepts, Medibang, etc.
The Pixel stylus offers more than 2,000 levels of pressure sensitivity along with programmable shortcut buttons and offset correction. The programmable shortcut feature allows you to access commonly used tools like Undo, Redo, or Erase more quickly. Just connect Pixel to your iPad to enjoy using these features.
Features:
- Magnetically attachable
- Programmable shortcut buttons
- Enhanced pressure sensitivity & palm rejection
- Long battery life – battery life up to 14 hours
- Improved pixel point tip for increase accuracy in writing and drawing experience
- Compatible with iPad Air (3rd-5th gen), iPad Mini (5th-6th gen), iPad (6th-9th gen), iPad Pro 11” (1st-3rd gen), iPad Pro 12.9” (3rd- 4th gen), iPhone 13/Pro/Pro Max/12/11/X/XR.
2. Adonit Note+
The Adonit Note+ is a great stylus for artists and note-takers alike. This programmable stylus also offers two desirable Apple Pencil traits – pressure sensitivity and programmable gestures. The result is greater control when drawing or writing on your iPad. It also works well with ProCreate, Clip Studio, ArtStudio Pro, Zenbrush 2, and Animation Desk.
The ultra-fine 1.0 mm tip makes this stylus pen as precise as a real pen and the fine point pen tip will not scratch the screen. It offers great pressure sensitivity, as well as tilt recognition, so you can create thicker or thinner lines by adjusting the angle at which you hold it.
You can use the Adonit Note+ with any Bluetooth-enabled device running iOS 13 or later. And since it’s an active stylus, it charges while you write. Simply pair it with your iPad and start using.
Features:
- Pressure and tilt sensitive tip
- Bluetooth enabled connectivity
- USB-C type charging – battery life up to 10 hours
- Fine point for precision tasks
- Compatible with iPad Air (3rd-4th gen), iPad Mini (5th-6th gen), iPad (6th-9th gen), iPad Pro 11” (3rd gen-4th gen), iPad Pro 12.9” (3rd gen)
- Programmable and configurable short cut buttons for quick access to various app features like undo, redo or erase.
Buying guide
If you’ve decided to invest in an Apple Pencil alternative, you should take into account what features are most important to you. As promised, here are a few things to keep in mind:
Is the stylus compatible with your version of iPad?
Before deciding on an alternative to the Apple Pencil, be sure your iPad model is compatible. Just inspect the back of the device to find out. Make sure to also check if the stylus works with the apps you are using. Checking for compatibility is critical because both the stylus pen and your iPad must have a specific set of components in order to operate.
Pixel precision and control
To learn how well the stylus performs in terms of pixel precision and control, look for product reviews on YouTube to see what other people have to say about the stylus you intend to buy.
Pressure sensitivity
Find out if the stylus supports sensitivity levels in the technical specifications. This is especially important if you intend to use the stylus for drawings, paintings and creating varying line thicknesses in a single stroke.
Comfort
The structure and materials used to create the gadget have a strong influence on how the pen feels in your hand. Take note of the stylus’s shape and design. If you can, try testing the pen out to ensure an ergonomic fit.
Responsiveness
In addition to the shape and design, consider how quickly the stylus responds when in use. Take some time to read some product reviews to find out how well the stylus performs; because this will be the key factor in determining whether or not your investment will be worthwhile.
Palm rejection
Any stylus with palm rejection technology filters out accidental inputs from the touch screen and makes for great product and user experience. This is an important factor to consider if you will be using the stylus for long periods of time.
Magnetic features
The Apple Pencil 2nd generation’s magnetic attachment to the iPad makes storage easier and lowers the risk of losing the device. This feature may not be available on some alternative models. So if you want the convenience of a magnetic attachment, be sure to find out if the stylus supports it.
Charging time
When it comes to choosing a stylus, battery life and charging time are important factors to consider because they have an impact on productivity.
Extra pen tips
Stylus pens are known for their durable tips, which guarantee precise writing without lags or scratches. However, the tips do wear out over time. Pay attention if the product comes with extra tips in the box, especially if the price is low.
Final thoughts
So there you have it, our favourite Apple Pencil alternatives recommendation based on a lot of product review and research. We hope you find this article helpful.
Do you utilize a specific stylus pen with your iPad and wish to recommend it to others? Please leave your recommendations in the comments area below.
Thanks for reading!
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