Procreate vs. Adobe Fresco: Which Digital Art App Is Best?
What I love, what surprised me, and why I’ve been reaching for Fresco more this year
If you’ve been following my art journey for a while, you’ll know I’ve used Procreate for years. It was the whole reason I bought my first iPad, and for a long time, it was the app I used for everything — from sketching ideas for my shop to creating final illustrations for client projects. But over the past year or so… things started to shift 👀
As my creative business grew and I started taking on more commercial projects, I found myself reaching for Adobe Fresco more and more. I never expected to love it this much (honestly, I used to find Adobe apps a bit intimidating!), but it’s become such a powerful part of my workflow — especially for scalable, client-ready artwork.
So in this blog post, I wanted to share an honest look at how I use both Procreate and Fresco, what I love about each one, and why Fresco has quietly become my go-to for a lot of my work in 2025.
(And yes — there’s a full video review at the end if you want to see everything in action too!)
✏️ Let’s start with Procreate
I’ve been using Procreate for over five years now, and I still adore it. It’s incredibly beginner-friendly, super intuitive, and honestly? Just fun to draw in.
Here’s why I still love it:
A super clean, minimal interface that’s easy to learn
The brush library is dreamy (and totally customizable)
Page Assist turns the layers of your canvas into pages, making it a mini digital sketchbook
It’s a one-time purchase, so no subscriptions
Animation Assist is amazing for quick GIFs or playful content
I still use Procreate a lot — especially for brainstorming, sketching, and illustrating for my own shop, Patreon, or content. It’s like my digital creative journal at this point. Cozy, familiar, and perfect for creative play.
🖌️ Let’s Talk About Adobe Fresco...
When I started working on more client projects, especially surface pattern designs and brand illustrations, I ran into a problem: I needed vector versions of my artwork. And exporting vector files from Procreate… is not the vibe 😬 I used to have to go through the lengthy process of exporting each of my procreate layers as individual files and then vectorising them one by one in Illustrator.
Then I hear that Adobe Fresco had vector brushes that support in-app vector illustration, so I gave it a try — and I was honestly surprised by how much I liked it.
Here’s what won me over:
Vector brushes – absolute game-changer for scalable art
Live brushes – especially the watercolour tool, which reacts just like real paint
Draw Inside mode – kind of like clipping masks but quicker
Export to Illustrator – one tap and it’s on my desktop, ready to go
It integrates so well with the rest of my Adobe tools (Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere Pro)
Fresco felt like a missing puzzle piece — especially for artists who are starting to monetize their work, license their illustrations, or just want more flexibility with how their artwork can be used.
💬 So… which one do I recommend?
Honestly? Both.
It depends on where you are in your creative journey and what your goals are.
✨ Procreate is amazing if you’re:
Just getting started with digital art
Drawing for fun or creative self-care
Creating content, social posts, or simple shop products
✨ Adobe Fresco might be better if you’re:
Creating client work or commercial pieces
Wanting to make art that scales (literally and metaphorically 😅)
Already using Adobe products and want a seamless workflow
Starting to think about licensing, product mockups, or brand partnerships
That’s where I’m at right now — and why I’ve found myself reaching for Fresco more and more in 2025.
But if you want to see the two apps side by side (plus a little peek into how I use each one for real projects), I’ve put it all together in this ✨ honest ✨ YouTube review:
🎥 Watch the Full Review:
Procreate vs. Adobe Fresco ✏️ Which Digital Art App is Best in 2025? (Honest Review!)
