Procreate vs Clip Studio Paint: Which One Is Better in 2024?

Procreate and Clip Studio Paint are essential tools for businesses and designers, offering powerful features to enhance creativity and productivity. We'll compare Procreate and Clip Studio Paint to determine which one best meets the needs of artists and designers.

A Quick Overview of Procreate and Clip Studio Paint

What is Procreate?

Procreate is focused on amplifying human creativity through powerful and intuitive apps designed for creative professionals and aspiring artists. The company offers a range of products including Procreate for iPad, Procreate Dreams, and Procreate Pocket.

Procreate for iPad is a complete art studio available for a one-time purchase price. The company’s decision to not incorporate generative AI into their apps sets them apart from competitors, emphasizing the value of human creativity.

What is Clip Studio Paint?

Clip Studio Paint is a software application developed by Celsys, Inc. It is designed for digital artists, illustrators, and animators, providing tools for drawing, painting, and creating comics and animations.

Clip Studio Paint offers high-quality brushes that mimic real art materials and an extensive material library with tens of thousands of free and community-made resources. Its fully customizable 3D drawing figures and models provide a unique advantage, helping artists achieve accurate poses and proportions for complex illustrations and animations.

Features of Procreate and Clip Studio Paint

Similarities

Procreate and Clip Studio Paint share several key features that make them popular choices among digital artists. Both applications are designed to enhance creativity and provide a comprehensive suite of tools for various artistic needs.

• High-Quality Brushes: Both Procreate and Clip Studio Paint offer a wide range of customizable brushes that mimic traditional art materials.
• Layer Management: Both applications provide robust layer management systems, including features like masking, clipping, and non-destructive editing.
• Color Mixing: Both software allow for realistic color mixing, similar to traditional painting techniques.
• 3D Models: Both offer 3D model tools to assist with drawing complex poses and perspectives.
• Smart Coloring Features: Both have features that simplify the coloring process, such as fill tools that work even with line gaps and transparency locking.

Differences

While both Procreate and Clip Studio Paint are powerful tools for digital artists, they have distinct features that set them apart. Here are the key differences:

• Procreate: Offers a one-time purchase model, making it a cost-effective option for long-term use.
• Clip Studio Paint: Provides advanced vector tools, which are essential for creating scalable line art.
• Procreate: Focuses on an intuitive user experience with a streamlined interface, ideal for quick sketches and detailed illustrations.
• Clip Studio Paint: Includes comprehensive tools for comic and animation creation, such as frame-by-frame animation capabilities.
• Clip Studio Paint: Supports a wide range of plug-ins and additional materials through its Asset Store, enhancing its functionality.

User Interface and Usability

Procreate's user interface is streamlined and intuitive, designed to facilitate quick sketches and detailed illustrations. The app's layout is minimalistic, reducing distractions and allowing artists to focus on their work. In contrast, Clip Studio Paint offers a more complex interface with extensive customization options, catering to both beginners and advanced users. The software's interface can be tailored to individual preferences, which may initially overwhelm new users but provides flexibility for experienced artists.

Procreate emphasizes ease of use with a straightforward user experience, making it accessible for artists of all skill levels. Its one-time purchase model adds to its appeal for long-term use. Clip Studio Paint, on the other hand, provides a rich set of features for comic and animation creation, which can enhance the user experience for those needing advanced tools. However, its subscription model may be a drawback for some users. Overall, Procreate offers a more user-friendly interface and usability.

Collaboration

Procreate does not emphasize collaboration features, focusing instead on individual creativity and powerful tools for personal artistic creation. The absence of specific collaborative tools suggests that Procreate may not be designed with teamwork in mind, which could be a limitation for groups looking to work together on projects.

Clip Studio Paint also lacks explicit real-time collaboration tools, but it does offer community-driven resources like shared brushes and materials. While these features support a form of indirect collaboration, the software does not provide tools for multiple users to work on the same project simultaneously, limiting its effectiveness for direct teamwork.

Neither Procreate nor Clip Studio Paint stands out as superior for collaboration.

Procreate and Clip Studio Paint Pricing

Procreate offers a straightforward pricing model with a one-time purchase fee of $12.99 for the iPad app. This makes it a cost-effective option for long-term use without recurring costs. There are no subscription plans or additional fees, which simplifies the decision-making process for users.

Clip Studio Paint provides multiple pricing options, including a one-time fee of $54.00 for the PRO version and $237.00 for the EX version. Additionally, it offers subscription plans starting at $0.99 per month and a 12-month license for $26.99. This flexibility caters to different budgets and needs.

Overall, Procreate's one-time fee is more affordable, but Clip Studio Paint's varied pricing plans offer more options for users.

Comparing Procreate and Clip Studio Paint to Piktochart

Piktochart transforms complex ideas into captivating visuals that inform and engage your audience. With Piktochart AI, you can create stunning infographics, reports, and presentations in seconds, perfectly aligned with your brand. No design experience required.

Pros of Piktochart

• AI-Powered Design Generator: Piktochart's AI-powered design generator allows you to create stunning visuals quickly, saving you time and effort.
• Extensive Template Library: With a wide variety of customizable templates, Piktochart caters to different use cases, making it easy to create professional-looking designs.
• Versatile Visual and Video Tools: From infographic makers to video editors, Piktochart provides a comprehensive suite of tools to meet all your visual communication needs.
• Industry-Specific Solutions: Piktochart supports various industries, including education, healthcare, marketing, and nonprofits, offering tailored solutions for each sector.
• Discounted Plans for Education and Nonprofits: Special pricing plans are available for students, teachers, and registered nonprofits, making Piktochart an affordable option for these groups.

Piktochart's Pricing

• Free: $0 (Free forever)
• Pro:
  • $29 per member/month (billed monthly)
  • $14 per member/month (billed annually, save 52%)
• Business:
  • $49 per member/month (billed monthly)
  • $24 per member/month (billed annually, save 52%)
• Enterprise: Custom Pricing (Contact for details)

What Are Others Saying?

Procreate Reviews

Overall, users have given Procreate a rating of 5.0 out of 5. While many appreciate its intuitive interface and powerful features, some find it challenging to master and experience occasional crashes.

"The app can be overwhelming for beginners and crashes with heavy files." - John D., 3.5/5

"Scaling artwork often results in pixelation, which is frustrating." - Sarah L., 3.8/5

"Limited to certain iPads, which restricts accessibility." - Mark T., 3.9/5

Find more of Procreate reviews on G2!

Clip Studio Paint Reviews

Overall, users have given Clip Studio Paint a rating of 4.5 out of 5. While many appreciate its features, some find the lifetime license misleading and experience lag issues with the new version. Here are a few reviews:

"Lifetime license? yeah right." - Rogelio A., 1/5

"Design on the Go!" - Kevin O., 3/5

"A Versatile Illustration App That's Perfect for Beginners and Pros" - Verified User in Education Management, 3/5

Find more of Clip Studio Paint reviews on G2!

Piktochart Reviews

Our users have given Piktochart an overall rating of 4.4 out of 5. They appreciate its ease of use, extensive template library, and powerful design tools.

• "Easy to create content even if you're not a designer." - Jessica D.
• "My Go-To for ALL Professional Presentations!" - Jennifer K.
• "Incredibly intuitive design app." - Katie S.

Find more of our reviews on G2!

Why choose one over the other?

Why choose Procreate over Clip Studio Paint:

• Procreate is ideal for artists who prefer a one-time purchase model and a streamlined, intuitive interface. This makes it perfect for creative professionals and aspiring artists who use iPads.

Why choose Clip Studio Paint over Procreate:

• Clip Studio Paint is suited for those who need advanced tools for comic creation and animation, including vector layers and 3D models. It caters to professional illustrators, comic artists, and animators who require a comprehensive set of features.

Why choose Piktochart over Clip Studio Paint and Procreate:

• Piktochart is designed for users who need to create a variety of visual content quickly and easily, without requiring design experience. It is ideal for educators, marketing professionals, and small teams looking for an all-in-one visual communication tool.

Procreate, Clip Studio Paint, or Piktochart: Which is the best platform for you?

Whether you're an artist, illustrator, or someone looking to create stunning visuals without design experience, there's a tool for you. Procreate and Clip Studio Paint offer powerful features for digital artists, but if you're seeking an all-in-one solution for diverse visual content, we recommend Piktochart. With its user-friendly interface and AI-powered design tools, Piktochart makes it easy to transform complex ideas into captivating visuals.