Procreate Pocket is a drawing and painting app made for the iPhone, created by the same team behind Procreate for iPad. It takes many of the tools artists already love and fits them into a phone-sized app that’s easy to use anywhere. Even though it lives on a small screen, it doesn’t feel like a watered-down version. It feels like a real sketchbook you can carry in your pocket.
What it’s like to use
Procreate Pocket is all about drawing whenever the mood hits. You might use it to sketch an idea on the bus, doodle while waiting for coffee, or quickly capture a thought before it disappears. You can draw with your finger or a compatible stylus (not necessarily Apple Pencil), and the app relies heavily on natural gestures. Pinch to zoom, twist to rotate, tap to undo — everything feels quick and intuitive, so you spend more time drawing and less time tapping menus.
Tools that don’t get in the way
The app comes with a wide range of brushes, from simple pencils and pens to paint-like and textured tools. You can tweak brushes to suit your style by adjusting size, opacity, and how they behave. Layers are included, too, which means you can build drawings gradually, make changes freely, and experiment without fear of messing things up. There are also tools for erasing, smudging, selecting parts of a drawing, and making small colour or blur adjustments.
Working on a small screen
Drawing on a phone is different from drawing on a tablet, and Procreate Pocket leans into that reality. It’s not trying to replace a big canvas setup. Instead, it shines at sketches, studies, ideas, and smaller finished pieces. On newer iPhones, the app supports high-resolution canvases, so your work can still look sharp and detailed. When a drawing is finished, Procreate Pocket makes it simple to use your work beyond the app itself.
You can export images as PNG or JPEG files, which is ideal for sharing on social media, sending to clients, or saving directly to your phone. If you plan to keep developing the same artwork, you can save it in Procreate’s native format and open it later on an iPad. All layers, brushes, and settings remain exactly as they were, so your work moves seamlessly between devices. This makes Procreate Pocket feel like a true extension of a larger creative setup rather than a standalone sketch app.
Easy to start, hard to outgrow
One of Procreate Pocket’s biggest strengths is how approachable it is from the moment you open it. There’s no complicated setup and no need to watch tutorials before getting started. You can jump straight into drawing, and everything feels clear and intuitive. Gestures work naturally, tools are easy to find, and the interface stays clean and focused. As your skills grow, the app grows with you. More advanced options like brush customisation, layers, blending modes, and fine adjustments are there when you’re ready, making the app just as rewarding for experienced artists as it is for beginners. Because the app runs smoothly and responds quickly, drawing feels calm and satisfying instead of technical or frustrating.
Who it’s for
Procreate Pocket works well for a wide range of users. It’s also a great starting point for beginners who want a high-quality art app without subscriptions, ads, or complex menus. While the phone screen isn’t suited to large, highly detailed illustrations, the app excels at everyday practice, creative experiments, and capturing ideas the moment they appear.
Price
Procreate Pocket is a one-time purchase on the App Store and usually costs $5.99 USD. There are no subscriptions, no ads, and no extra in-app purchases. Once you buy it, everything is unlocked, and future updates are included. That clear, honest pricing is a big part of why so many artists recommend it.
Final thoughts
Procreate Pocket feels like a sketchbook that just happens to live on your phone. It won’t replace a tablet or computer for serious studio work, but it doesn’t need to. It’s there for moments of creativity in between everything else. Simple, powerful, and fairly priced, it’s one of the best drawing apps available for iPhone users who want to create anytime inspiration shows up.