ArtStudio Pro or Procreate, which one should you get?
Here's my detailed comparision, Lets goo.
(The device I use is Ipad Pro 11 inch 2020 model, if that helps.)
Cost
ArtStudio Pro costs $14.99 while Procreate cost $12.12. I think they both are affordable. ArtStudio Pro definitely has a lot more features so it is natural that it would cost more. I personally think cost really shouldn't be a factor that decides which one you should get because they relatively cost the same.
Features
Ok so here's where the real inportant stuff begins. I am not going to talk about every feature each of them has to offer but rather focus on what is unique to each one.
Procreate
⭐️Animation : Procreate has an inbuilt animation feature where your layers act as frames. Since the number of layers are limited based on the canvas size the frames are also limited. And so far there is no audio support. However this is an awesome feature and I personally use this a lot for making gifs. There is onion skin, ability to change fps, set background and foreground, a clean timeline and export in a lot format. Although there are a lot of Ipad Animation apps, this one is special because you have access to a lot of amazing brushes. So if animation is your thing, Procreate is a great option.
⭐️Better documentation and Resources : Procreate makes a ton of tutorials and they have a really good Handbook. This is especially good for beginners who have no idea how tools work. And the app's popularity has lead to an overwhelming amount of tutorial and videos online. So this is great for anyone who wants to learn digital art.
⭐️Beautiful Interface : This may be sujective but most people agree that Procreate has nailed it when it comes to UI. Their gallery is probably the best when comparing to other art softwares. I love how the stacking works. It's hard to beat Procreate when it comes to aesthetics.
⭐️Everything is smooth : I have never had any issues with the tools or functionality or gestures, it is never laggy at all and I think this is super important.
⭐️Ambitious 5x plans : With the new M1 Ipads, Procreate has given some sneak peak into what is potentially going to coming out soon and they are super exciting. Check it out on their official website.
ArtStudio Pro
⭐️Adjustment Layers : These are non-destructive and powerful layers that can be used to make adjustments anytime (and change them too)
⭐️Wet Brushes : There are two kinds of brushes here and they both behave differently. Normal ones use an opacity slider while wet ones use "flow" slider. If you don't know what Flow is then checkout this.
⭐️Luminosity Lock : This a new feature and I absolutely love it. This allows you to "lock" the value and saturation when you slide to pick different colors.
⭐️Customizable Top Menu : You can pretty much add any option on your top menu.
⭐️Unlimited Layers
⭐️Floating Menus : All the menus float (layer panel, color panel, text options etc) just like how it works on desktop apps.
⭐️FX on layers
⭐️Smoothening and Transform Tool : I found there are more options for smoothing here than on Procreate (streamline). The transform tool is also slightly better (less haze)
⭐️27 blend modes
Support and Updates
Both are exceptionally good in this aspect. They are super friendly on Twitter.
Ok that's a lot of information. My fingers hurt from typing sobs
My personal take
I use both of these apps for my work. I have used Procreate for much longer since I got it first but these days I use ArtStudio Pro because I LOVE the wet brushes. I personally feel that ArtStudio Pro is very underrated. I think they lack in marketing.
Also try visiting Procreate's website and then go to ArtStudio Pro's official page, you will get what I mean. Hopefully more people discover and try it because it deserves it.
Sometimes I sketch on Procreate, select using lasso tool and copy paste on ArtStudio for finishing it. This way I get to use both of them and switch easily whenever I want. In fact all the art you in this site are made this way.
Final Verdict
They both get a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ from me. If I had to absolutely nitpick and give my rating then probably I will give Procreate 4.8 and ArtStudio Pro a solid 5.
If you are curious to see my art done on these softwares checkout @cryptofoxdraws, I always mention which software I used in the hashtags.
Anyway, that's it from me. Hope this helps :3