Procreate is a complete digital art studio designed for Apple’s mobile devices. Users can create impressive sketches, rich paintings, and powerful illustrations using Procreate. However, if you are a Windows user and looking for Procreate for Windows or how to get Procreate for Windows 10 or 11? Unfortunately, Procreate for WIndows is unavailable.
Don't worry. This article will discuss different alternatives to Procreate, such as Krita, Clip Studio Paint, Adobe Fresco, etc., which can be used on Windows. We will also discuss pairing Procreate with WPS Photos to enhance creativity.
Part 1: Why Procreate Wins – Features That Redefined Mobile Art
Procreate is being used widely worldwide due to its fantastic features. The following are the key features of Procreate that make it so popular.
1. Lightweight Mastery
Procreate is a lightweight application compared to Adobe Photoshop. Its install size is about 500 MB, compared with desktop applications such as Adobe Photoshop, which requires more than 2 GB. Procreate has over 200 handcrafted brushes, such as the Syre pencil for hyper-realistic sketching.
2. Gesture-Driven UI
Procreate's gesture-driven user interface makes it more useful. Users can perform a redo using a three-finger gesture and an undo using a two-finger gesture. Users can add essential tools to the Quick Menu, which allows them to switch among various tools without even using the Menu.
3. Animation Assist
Animation Assist is an excellent tool for bringing artwork to life. It allows you to effortlessly add frame-by-frame animations to your work. Onion skinning helps you view previous and upcoming frames, making the animation process easier.
4. Brush Studio
Brush Studio has a library of various brushes to help artists tailor their brushes to fit any style. These brushes include Brush Swap, Brush Sets, Dynamic Brush Scaling, and Dual Brush mode.
Part 2: Alternatives of Procreate for Windows - A World of Creativity Awaits
Indeed, Procreate is a fantastic program for artists, but it is only available for iPad and iOS users. Procreate for Windows users is unavailable. Windows users need access to equally powerful sketching, painting, and illustration tools. These alternatives ensure creative freedom, diverse workflows, and hardware compatibility. They support artists with different budgets and preferences.
Good Procreate alternatives should offer a similar feature set, including layers, brushes, pressure sensitivity, and time-lapse recording. User-friendliness is key, with an intuitive interface that supports fluid creativity. Performance and stability ensure smooth, lag-free drawing experiences. Cross-device compatibility adds flexibility for different setups. Lastly, affordability or value matters, especially for students or hobbyists seeking professional-grade tools.
I searched the Internet for the best Procreate-like apps for Windows, based on the above criteria, and found the following tools to be the best alternatives.
Part 3: Krita - A Free and Open-Source Contender
Krita is a powerful, free, and open-source digital painting program developed by artists for artists. Over the years, it has evolved into a highly respected tool in the digital art community, particularly among illustrators, concept artists, and animators. Its availability on Windows, macOS, and Linux ensures platform accessibility, helping artists who prefer or require a non-iPad solution. Krita is one of the top Procreate alternatives for Windows laptops.
Krita stands out as a strong alternative to Procreate because of its feature-rich environment, especially its highly customizable brush engine, which allows for dynamic, realistic strokes tailored to an artist’s unique style. Its layer system supports masks, blending modes, and groupings, offering a level of control typically found in professional-grade software. Krita also includes animation support, enabling frame-by-frame creation and onion-skinning tools for 2D animation projects. Krita provides a more complex but intuitive layout that can be customized to suit the user’s workflow. Artists have used Krita to create everything from detailed character illustrations to entire graphic novels and animations, showcasing its versatility and creative power.
Part 4: Clip Studio Paint - The Manga and Illustration Powerhouse
Clip Studio Paint is renowned for its specialized tools tailored to manga and comic creation, making it a favourite among illustrators and storytellers. Its features include panel layout tools, speech bubble generators, and 3D pose models that help streamline the comic-making process. It also supports vector layers, ideal for clean linework and resizing. With powerful text tools and perspective rulers, it offers a robust platform for detailed, professional-level storytelling. These specialized tools give it a clear advantage over Procreate in comic-focused workflows.
The software has an extensive brush library with thousands of downloadable and customizable brushes for all art styles. Artists can modify brush settings or create entirely new brushes, offering flexibility for any technique. While Procreate is a one-time purchase, Clip Studio Paint offers a one-time purchase and a subscription plan, depending on the platform. The active global community provides a wealth of tutorials, downloadable assets, and regular contests to support and inspire users. With this strong ecosystem, Clip Studio Paint is both a tool and a learning hub for aspiring and professional artists.
Part 5: Adobe Fresco - Blending Traditional and Digital Art
Adobe Fresco stands out with its live brushes, which remarkably realistically simulate the behaviour of real-world media like watercolour and oil paints. These dynamic brushes blend naturally on the canvas, offering a traditional painting experience in a digital format. Fresco also includes vector and raster brush support, making it versatile for illustrators and designers.
Fresco integrates seamlessly with Adobe Creative Cloud, allowing users to easily move files between Photoshop, Illustrator, and Fresco, something Procreate lacks. Fresco delivers a smooth performance on Windows, though slightly more hardware-dependent than Procreate’s highly optimized iPad environment.
While the learning curve can be steeper due to Adobe’s interface, extensive tutorials and built-in guidance make onboarding manageable. Adobe’s ecosystem and support resources give Fresco a strong foundation for beginners and professionals exploring digital painting.
Part 6: WPS Photos × Procreate – Streamlining Non-Creative Workflows
WPS Photos complements Procreate by efficiently handling non-creative tasks like organizing, converting, and sharing images. This pairing helps digital artists streamline their workflow and focus more on the creative process.
1. File Optimization & Format Conversion
AI Image Enhancement
AI image enhancement with Procreate and WPS Photos combines creative editing with intelligent automation. Procreate allows detailed manual retouching and artistic effects. At the same time, WPS Photos offers AI-powered tools for auto-enhancing brightness, contrast, and sharpness, perfect for refining artwork or preparing images for presentation and sharing.
Cross-Format Support
You can convert Procreate PSD files to lightweight, layer-preserving PDFs for seamless embedding in WPS Docs.
2. Cloud Asset Management & Collaboration
Integrated Asset Library
Easily search for assets like “watercolour textures” in WPS Photos and import them directly into Procreate, eliminating the hassle of iOS file transfer restrictions. Share custom Procreate brushes through WPS Cloud, giving team members on Windows seamless access to creative tools.Version Control & Annotations
Clients can leave precise feedback on Procreate drafts within WPS Doc, such as “Enlarge character pupils by 20%.” These comments are automatically synced to the corresponding layer notes in Procreate, streamlining revision workflows across platforms.
3. Commercialization & Publishing
Automated Portfolio Creation
Leverage WPS Photos’ Smart Layout feature to instantly convert batches of Procreate artworks into polished, responsive presentations by automatically adapting to formats like 16:9, 4:3, or print-ready layouts. Enhance your proposals with the “Art Exhibition Pitch” template from the WPS Template Market, delivering professional results in minutes.Copyright & Monetization
WPS AI scans Procreate files for unlicensed fonts or textures, seamlessly replacing them with royalty-free alternatives from the WPS asset library. Direct integration with print vendors through the WPS Template Market streamlines production and eliminates the need for third-party platforms, maximizing profit margins.
4. Actionable Setup Guide
Seamless Free Toolchain Integration
Export your Procreate files directly to WPS Photos using the iOS app for smooth cross-platform access.
Enhance your work with AI-powered optimizations and organize files using smart tags like “Character Design – 2024Q3.”
Publish professional portfolios, contracts, and client communications effortlessly through WPS Office.
FAQs - Procreate for Windows
Q1: Which Procreate alternative for Windows is the best for beginners?
Autodesk SketchBook is often considered the best Procreate alternative for beginners on Windows. It has a clean interface, intuitive tools, and is free to use—perfect for learning digital art basics.
Q2: Are there any free Procreate alternatives for Windows?
Yes, several free Procreate alternatives for Windows include Krita, Autodesk SketchBook, and MediBang Paint. These apps offer powerful drawing tools, brush customization, and layer support ideal for digital art creation.
Q3:How can WPS assist in the digital art process when using Procreate alternatives on Windows?
WPS Office supports digital artists by helping manage project planning, client communication, and file organization. Its tools like Writer, Spreadsheet, and Presentation aid in creating briefs, tracking tasks, and presenting artwork. WPS also enables PDF export, cloud syncing, and collaboration, complementing Procreate alternatives on Windows.
Final Thoughts - Procreate for Windows
We have discussed Procreate and its features in detail in this article. Procreate is a great tool for designing and creating different artworks. However, it is not available for Windows platform. Windows users can use alternatives to Procreate such as Krita, Adobe Fresco, Autodesk SketchBook, and Clip Studio Paint for creating arts. These tools have similar features and functions as Procreate.
WPS Office also helps digital artists in file organization, project planning, and client communication. WPS tools such as Writer, Spreadsheet, and Presentation assist digital artists in creating briefs, tracking tasks, and presenting artwork. WPS Office is a free software. You can download WPS Office from its official website.
