Adobe Fresco vs Procreate

by Gralio Apr 23, 2025

Adobe Fresco and Procreate are powerful digital art applications serving creative needs within businesses. Fresco is ideal for teams integrated into the Adobe ecosystem needing cross-platform support and vector capabilities, while Procreate offers exceptional value and a highly-praised user experience specifically for iPad users, with strong brush customization features but requires a commitment to Apple hardware.

At Gralio.ai we help to simplify your decision-making process by offering detailed, side-by-side software comparisons like this one, to help you confidently choose the tool that aligns with your business goals.

This comparison was created by analysing 216 reviews and 60 websites, saving 1 hour, 42 minutes of reading.

Logo of Adobe Fresco
Logo of Procreate

About

Adobe Fresco is a digital drawing and painting app designed for touch and stylus devices. It offers a vast collection of raster and vector brushes, including their new "Live Brushes" which offer a very natural drawing experience. While aimed at creative professionals like artists and illustrators, its intuitive design makes it accessible for anyone. Adobe Fresco is available for free with the option of paid subscriptions to unlock more features.
Procreate is an award-winning app designed for professional and amateur digital artists. This versatile studio offers a complete set of tools for sketching, painting, and illustration, all in one place. Procreate stands out with its intuitive interface, extensive brush library, and advanced features that help bring your artistic visions to life on a digital canvas. It is only available on Apple devices.

Summary

Main difference
Adobe Fresco offers cross-platform compatibility (iPad/Windows) and deep integration with the Adobe Creative Cloud suite, including vector capabilities. Procreate focuses exclusively on the Apple ecosystem (iPad/iPhone) with a highly-regarded intuitive interface, extensive brush customization, and a one-time purchase model.

Relative strengths of Adobe Fresco (compared to Procreate)

  • Seamless Integration with Adobe Creative Cloud: Fresco works very well with other Adobe apps like Photoshop and Illustrator, allowing easy transfer of work between programs, which is beneficial for businesses already using Adobe products.

  • Cross-Platform Availability: Unlike Procreate which is iPad-only, Fresco is available on both iPad and Windows devices, offering more flexibility for teams with diverse hardware.

  • Vector and Raster Brushes: Fresco uniquely offers both vector and raster brushes in one application, including realistic 'Live Brushes', providing versatility for different illustration styles without needing separate software for basic vector work.

Relative weaknesses of Adobe Fresco (compared to Procreate)

  • Subscription-Based Pricing: Fresco requires an ongoing subscription, which can be more expensive over a typical 1-3 year contract compared to Procreate's single, affordable one-time purchase, impacting value for money.

  • Limited Brush Customization: Users cannot import or create their own brushes in Fresco, whereas Procreate offers extensive brush customization and import capabilities, potentially limiting artistic flexibility.

  • No iPhone Version: While Fresco works on iPad and Windows, it lacks a mobile version for on-the-go sketching, unlike Procreate which offers Procreate Pocket for iPhone.

Who should use Adobe Fresco VS. Procreate

We find Adobe Fresco is a fantastic digital drawing and painting app, especially loved for its realistic Live Brushes and seamless integration with other Adobe tools like Photoshop. It's designed for creative professionals like artists and illustrators, but we notice its user-friendly interface makes it great for beginners too. It works well across different devices, perfect for creatives on the go. Users particularly appreciate the vast brush selection for sketching and painting an easy experience to get started with digital art!

Procreate is a favorite among digital artists, both pros and beginners, looking for a powerful yet intuitive iPad app. We find its extensive brush library and smooth drawing experience make it great for sketching, painting, and illustration. While users love the one-time purchase price, remember it's only for iPad and lacks vector support. It's a fantastic tool if you're already in the Apple ecosystem.

  • From our experience, Adobe Fresco works exceptionally well for small and medium-sized creative teams or businesses (up to 1000 employees).

  • We see Adobe Fresco being particularly popular and effective within the Media & Entertainment, Software & IT, and Marketing & Advertising industries.

  • In our experience, Procreate works exceptionally well for individual artists, freelancers, and small creative teams up to 100 employees.

  • While suitable for any industry needing digital art, we see Procreate thriving most in graphic design, illustration, and creative agencies.

Adobe Fresco and Procreate features

Supported
Partially supported
Not supported
Type in the name of the feature or in your own words tell us what you need

  • Digital art studio
    Supported

    Adobe Fresco offers comprehensive tools for sketching, painting, and illustration.

    Supported

    Procreate is a comprehensive digital art studio for sketching, painting, and illustration.

  • Animation tools
    Supported

    Adobe Fresco allows creating animations using frame-by-frame and motion path techniques.

    Supported

    Procreate supports animation creation through its Animation Assist feature.

  • Mobile drawing app
    Supported

    Adobe Fresco allows sketching and painting on iPhones and iPads.

    Supported

    Procreate Pocket app satisfies the requirement for mobile drawing on iPhones.

  • Airbrush tool
    Partially supported

    Adobe Fresco does not have a native airbrush tool, but similar effects may be achieved by importing Photoshop brushes.

    Supported

    Procreate has a built-in airbrush tool for gradients and smooth transitions.

  • Canvas Tilt
    Not supported

    Adobe Fresco does not support canvas tilt for controlling paint flow.

    Not supported

    Canvas tilt to control paint flow is not supported.

  • Pen tools
    Supported

    Adobe Fresco simulates pens with vector brushes, not a dedicated pen tool.

    Supported

    Procreate offers customizable brushes that simulate various pen styles, including technical, calligraphy, and inking pens.

Qualities

  • Value and Pricing Transparency
    No data
    +0.33
    Rather positive sentiment
  • Ease of Use
    No data
    +1
    Strongly positive sentiment

Adobe Fresco and Procreate Pricing

No data
We couldn't find a pricing page for Adobe Fresco.
No data

User sentiment

Rather positive
+0.33
We couldn't find a pricing page for Procreate.

Adobe Fresco and Procreate review insights

215 reviews analysed from and

Users love

  • Realistic and diverse brush collection, including Live Brushes
  • Seamless integration with other Adobe Creative Cloud apps like Photoshop and Illustrator
  • Intuitive and user-friendly interface, similar to other Adobe products
  • Cross-platform compatibility (iPad, Windows)
  • Excellent for sketching, drawing, and digital painting
  • Intuitive and user-friendly interface, praised for ease of use.
  • Extensive brush library and customization options.
  • One-time purchase, affordable pricing.
  • Smooth drawing experience with Apple Pencil.
  • Excellent for sketching, drawing, painting, and illustration, versatile for various art styles.

Users dislike

  • Limited vector art capabilities, requiring switching to Illustrator
  • Subscription-based pricing model, considered expensive compared to Procreate
  • Limited brush customization; inability to create or import brushes
  • Occasional performance issues like slowness and crashing
  • Lack of advanced features like symmetrical drawing, Bezier handles, and pen tool
  • Limited layer availability, especially for larger canvases.
  • Only available for iPad, limiting accessibility and requiring specific hardware.
  • Lack of vector graphics support.
  • Text editing capabilities could be improved.
  • Occasional bugs and crashes, especially with larger files.

Adobe Fresco and Procreate Ratings

  • G2
    4.5/5
    (34)
  • Glassdoor
    4.3/5
    (10097)
  • G2
    5.0/5
    (65)
  • Capterra
    4.8/5
    (116)

Company health

Employee growth

3% decrease in the last year
49% increase in the last year

Web traffic

4% increase in the last quarter
4% increase in the last quarter

Financing

April 1984 - $3M
No data

How important is cross-platform device compatibility?

Cross-platform device compatibility is a significant factor when choosing between Adobe Fresco and Procreate. Fresco offers flexibility by being available on iPadOS, iOS, and Windows, which is beneficial for users working across different operating systems or collaborating in mixed-device environments. In contrast, Procreate is exclusively available on Apple devices (iPad and iPhone), making its lack of cross-platform support a notable limitation for users who rely on Windows machines or prefer not to be locked into the Apple ecosystem. Therefore, the importance of this compatibility depends heavily on the user's existing hardware and workflow requirements.

Which product offers better brush customization options?

Procreate offers better brush customization options. Procreate features an extensive library with over 200 handcrafted brushes, and importantly, each one is customizable within its "Brush Studio." Users also have the ability to download external brushes or create entirely new ones from scratch. Conversely, while Adobe Fresco is praised for its realistic brush types like Live Brushes, users specifically dislike its limited brush customization and the inability to create or import brushes.

What are the advantages of Adobe Fresco?

Adobe Fresco offers several advantages, notably its unique Live Brushes that realistically mimic natural painting mediums like oils and watercolors. It stands out by supporting both raster and vector brushes within the same application, offering greater flexibility for different artistic styles. Fresco benefits from seamless integration with other Adobe Creative Cloud applications like Photoshop and Illustrator, streamlining workflows for users already within the Adobe ecosystem. Furthermore, its availability on multiple platforms, including iPadOS, iOS, and Windows, provides broader accessibility compared to iPad-only alternatives. The inclusion of a free tier also makes it accessible for beginners or those wanting to try it out.

What are the disadvantages of Adobe Fresco?

Adobe Fresco's disadvantages include its limited vector art capabilities compared to dedicated vector software, requiring users to switch to tools like Illustrator for more complex vector work. Its subscription-based pricing model is often seen as expensive, especially when compared to competitors offering one-time purchases like Procreate. Users also report limited options for brush customization, lacking the ability to create or import custom brushes easily, and sometimes experience performance issues such as slowness or crashing. Additionally, it lacks certain advanced features found in other professional tools, such as symmetrical drawing tools, Bezier handles, and a dedicated pen tool.

Alternatives to Adobe Fresco and Procreate

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PaintTool SAI
Lightweight digital painting software specializing in line art and illustrations.
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Page co-authored by
MK
Michal Kaczor
CEO at Gralio

Michal has worked at startups for many years and writes about topics relating to software selection and IT management. As a former consultant for Bain, a business advisory company, he also knows how to understand needs of any business and find solutions to its problems.

TT
Tymon Terlikiewicz
CTO at Gralio

Tymon is a seasoned CTO who loves finding the perfect tools for any task. He recently headed up the tech department at Batmaid, a well-known Swiss company, where he managed about 60 software purchases, including CX, HR, Payroll, Marketing automation and various developer tools.

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