I want to finally learn digital drawing this year and I'm not sure which app I should get for my iPad. Procreate costs €13 as a one-time purchase, but Clip Studio Paint has a lot of features too. Which one would you recommend to a total beginner who also wants to draw comics?
Have you already thought about whether you might want to do illustrations or concept art later on, or are you really just sticking with comics?
I'd be honest with you: Start with Procreate. The 13 euros are a no-brainer, the interface is super clean, and you won't feel overwhelmed by a hundred options. But the biggest advantage is really the community - if you ever get stuck, there are thousands of tutorials on YouTube from beginners who had exactly the same problem. With Clip Studio Paint, the community resources for total beginners aren't as readily available.
The subscription thing with Clip Studio Paint is also annoying, even if you go with the Easy model. And yeah, the comic tools are better there, but honestly? If you're just starting out, you don't need those specialized features yet. You'll first need to learn how to draw lines, think in perspective, and set shadows - Procreate is totally sufficient for that. If in 6-12 months you realize you're missing the comic-specific tools, you can always switch. One tip I can give you: Already start watching a few let's-play videos of both programs (from beginners too, not just from pros!). Then you'll get a feel for which interface seems more comfortable to you while watching. That's often more important than any feature lists. 🎨
For comics, I'd recommend Clip Studio Paint because it's just better equipped for that - especially with the comic tools, panels, speech bubbles, and the whole workflow. Procreate is great for free drawing and painting, but with Clip Studio Paint you can tell right away that it was developed for manga and comic artists too. As a beginner, you benefit from these specific features instead of missing them later.
The pricing model is a point though: Procreate is really cheap with a one-time payment, but Clip Studio Paint needs a subscription (there are lifetime options too, but they're more expensive). If money is the only thing holding you back and you're serious about drawing comics, Clip Studio makes more sense. But if you want to experiment first and don't have a big budget, you can start with Procreate - there are plenty of tutorials for beginners and it's not like you won't learn to draw with it. You can always switch later.
Best thing is to check out a few YouTube videos on both programs, specifically about comic drawing. Then you'll see for yourself which interface clicks with you and which tools appeal to you more.
I'd go with Procreate for starters, because it's just intuitive and you only pay once instead of dealing with subscription models. Clip Studio Paint does have better comic tools built-in (panels, speech bubbles, all that stuff), but as a total beginner you won't notice that right away - you need to get the basics down first, like how to hold a pen, draw lines, work with layers. If after half a year you realize you actually want to make comics and need those specific features, you can always switch. With Procreate you'll learn everything you need for digital drawing just as well.
What matters more to you - seeing quick results early on or staying flexible long-term? Honestly, Procreate is the easier entry point and has a huge community with tons of tutorials specifically for beginners, which makes getting started a lot more relaxed. Clip Studio Paint does have all these comic features, but that's exactly where the trap is: as a beginner you won't need most of them anyway and you'll just end up feeling overwhelmed by the complexity. Start with Procreate, learn the fundamentals properly, and if you later realize you're missing those specialized comic tools, you can always switch - the cost for Procreate is minimal anyway.
That's actually a trickier question than it seems, because both programs work for beginners and won't hold you back. Procreate is more intuitive and faster to learn - the interface is just cleaner and you don't need to spend as much time fiddling around and hunting for settings. Clip Studio Paint, on the other hand, has a steeper learning curve because there are more options that confuse you at first rather than help.
If you want to draw comics, I'd still recommend Procreate first though - sounds counterintuitive, I know. The reason: as a beginner you need to nail the fundamentals first (line work, perspective, shading) and Procreate is just better suited for that because it doesn't distract you. All those comic-specific tools in Clip Studio are cool, but if you can't draw yet, they're useless to you. Procreate also costs just a one-time payment - that's a huge advantage over subscriptions. You can always switch to Clip Studio later if you realize you're missing specific features.
My advice: start with Procreate, spend a solid half year learning to draw properly with it, and check out Clip Studio when you feel like the limitations are starting to bug you. Most beginners realize pretty quickly though that they actually have all the features they need in Procreate - and everything else is more of a nice-to-have than a necessity.
If you really want to make comics, you'll eventually need Clip Studio Paint anyway - it's just built for sequential art, and you can't get around the specialized panel tools and comic workflow. Procreate is great for learning and doing illustration stuff, but at some point you'll hit its limits with comics. Maybe a compromise: start with Procreate to get warmed up, and if you realize comics are really your thing, switch later. You're not losing the 13 euros anyway.
I tried both myself and ended up sticking with Procreate because I just got into the flow faster - the interface feels natural and you don't have to watch endless tutorials before you can get started. But honestly: if comics are really your main goal, the investment in Clip Studio Paint is probably worth it despite the subscription, because all those specialized tools will save you time and you won't end up frustrated later that something's missing. My tip would be to start with Procreate first (it doesn't cost much anyway), and if you notice that the comic features are holding you back, you can switch - you won't have lost much either way.
I'd say: Start with Procreate and see later if you really get into comics. Most beginners only figure out which features they actually need once they start drawing - and by then you'll have already learned a lot with Procreate without feeling overwhelmed by too many options. When you realize you're missing specific comic tools, switching to Clip Studio isn't a big deal. Plus, paying once for Procreate is psychologically easier than a subscription where you constantly feel like you need to "get your money's worth."
just try out the free versions before you spend money - procreate has a trial and clip studio paint has demo versions too. that's more important than all the debates here, because only you'll notice which interface actually feels right for your brain.
for comics i'd go with procreate if you want to stay motivated quickly, because the community is huge and you'll find tutorials everywhere. clip studio paint does have more specialized comic features, but you don't need those as a beginner yet - you learn the basics first, and procreate just teaches those faster.
But with one caveat - if comics are really your main goal, you should be aware that you'll probably switch to Clip Studio Paint in the medium term 😅 Procreate is absolutely ideal for learning because the interface is intuitive and you see quick results without getting lost in menus. The community is huge and you'll find a tutorial for pretty much any problem. But for clean comic panels, automatic speech bubbles, and the specific workflow for stories, you really need Clip Studio's tools - that's a big difference. My tip: start with Procreate, learn the fundamentals of digital drawing there, and make the switch later once you know comics are really your thing. 13 euros isn't much lost if it saves you weeks of learning time.
Start by trying out Procreate first - it's cheaper and you'll quickly figure out whether digital drawing is even your thing. Most beginners haven't gotten far enough after a few weeks to actually need Clip Studio's specialized comic features, and by then you'll have a better sense of what matters to you. Here's a trick a lot of people overlook: actively search YouTube for beginner tutorials for *both* programs and see which interface feels more intuitive to you just watching - that often matters more than what the features look like on paper.
Procreate is a one-time purchase, while Clip Studio Paint comes as either a subscription or one-time payment - that's an important point I'd check before you commit to anything. Clip Studio is definitely more specialized for comics, but honestly you don't need that as a complete beginner because the fundamentals are the same everywhere. I'd start with Procreate because the interface is more straightforward and you'll see your first results faster - if you later realize you actually need more specialized comic features, you can always switch. The community and tutorials for Procreate are really massive, which makes learning way easier.
You really don't need to stress about it so much - both work fine for beginners, the difference is more about what you're used to. The others are right that Procreate is more intuitive, but there's one detail that often gets overlooked: Clip Studio Paint offers a free full-featured trial version on iPad, so you can just try it out before you pay for anything. If you're still unsure anyway, I'd start with that and then see if you like the comic tools there - otherwise you really just need Procreate.
I've tried both and I gotta say: Procreate wins for beginners just because of how easy it is to use. The interface is cleaner, you find tools faster and you don't get lost in menus. If you want to learn comics, at first you don't need all of Clip Studio's specialized tools - that's more for people who already know how to draw and want to become more efficient.
The bigger problem with Clip Studio is the subscription model. Sure, there's a purchase version too, but when you're starting out you don't feel confident committing to it if you don't even know whether you'll stick with it. Procreate costs 13 euros one-time - that feels less like an obligation. Plus: the community is huge, tutorials for absolute beginners are free everywhere.
One thing a lot of people ignore: don't start with "perfect" brushes. Procreate has good default brushes, learn to use those properly first before you download external ones. And for comics specifically: you can get pretty far with Procreate's panel tools, they're just less powerful than Clip Studio's, but totally enough for learning. If you later realize you only want to draw comics and something's missing, you can always switch.
You could start by using the free or cheap trial versions of both programs to see which interface feels better to you - that'll save you money and frustration. Procreate is more beginner-friendly and cheaper, but Clip Studio Paint has those special comic features like panel tools and better brushes for that, which'll save you a lot of time down the road. My tip: check out a few tutorials on YouTube for both and pay attention to which workflow lets the creators work faster - then you'll know which one fits your goal better.
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