10 Best Drawing Apps for Macbook: Ignite the Artist Within You

As a digital artist, you need to have the right tools for the job. There is nothing worse than having an amazing idea and not being able to bring it to life. I’m sure that you are looking for the perfect drawing app for mac to complete your digital art.

I know this because I’ve been there too, and I spent hours trying different apps until I found the best one. After testing out over 15 different apps, I picked the best 10 amongst them.

I’m sure that you are looking for the perfect drawing app to complete your digital art. This is because when it comes down to it, we all want something that will be quick and easy while also being able to produce outstanding results.

It can take a lot of time searching through options before finding just the right one! However, after testing out over 15 different apps myself, here’s my list of favorites.

10 Best Drawing Apps for Mac Users

1. Adobe Photoshop Express

This app is number 1 on my list because it’s incredibly easy to use. It works great for beginners and has the features that veteran artists are looking for. You can make adjustments to your photos or create an entirely new one from scratch. For drawing, you will need a drawing pad compatible with MacBooks and a stylus.

Adobe Photoshop remains the first choice of many professionals and it’s also available for Mac. Although, it is a little expensive as compared to other options. But Adobe’s timely updates, new features, and support attract artists to this platform.

Features of Adobe Photoshop:

Best selection of brushes
Allows drawing with a stylus pen for artists
Wide range of filters and effects
Best color correction tools
Supports layering feature
Best support from Adobe
Efficient cropping tool
Best professional retouching features

2. Krita

Krita is a free and open-source digital painting software that is designed for concept artists and texture painters.

It has been called an excellent tool for anyone who wants to start painting digitally. Thankfully, it is completely open-source which means that it has an active community that is always willing to help.

My favorite feature of Krita is the ability to let you draw with your stylus or your fingers. It has a fantastic user interface and a lot of great built-in brushes for your convenience.

And the best part is the price – it’s free! If you are looking for a free drawing app for mac then, Krita is the best option.

Features of Krita:

It is completely free
Available for all three major platforms – Windows, Mac, and Linux
Supports a wide range of brushes, including tablet pressure sensitivity
Offers four different drawing modes
Fully supports all the major file formats to work with
Has a vast number of filters and special effects

3. Affinity Designer

Affinity designer is a strong competitor of adobe photoshop in this list. It is an excellent option for users who want a simpler and more lightweight alternative to Photoshop. Best of all, it is also cheaper.

It offers a wide range of drawing and painting tools that allow you to create just about anything your mind can imagine. The best part about this app is that you can quickly resize your project to any size without the quality of the image suffering.

The learning curve for this app is a bit steep, but if you take the time to learn it, you will find that there are few drawing apps for mac that can compete with it.

Affinity Designer also has a companion touch app that allows you to draw and paint on your iPad or Android device. Moreover, the companion program works with a Wacom stylus so you can have a more natural drawing experience.

Features of Affinity Designer

Fully scalable with no loss of image quality
Supports most vector and raster formats
Full support for Retina displays on Mac or iOS
Comes with several different brushes (ink, chisel tip, etc.)

4. MediBang Paint

If you are looking for a simple yet powerful drawing and painting app, MediBang Paint is a great option. This program offers several tools that make it easy to create almost anything. Best of all, you get to use these tools for free.

The drawing engine also performs very well, allowing you to zoom in and out of your images without any lag. It has more than 100 built-in brushes that you can use, and it also supports a wide range of styles from different manufacturers.

Luckily, MediBang Paint also comes with some great tutorials to get you started. Best of all, this app is regularly updated by the developers and is available for Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android.

Features of MediBang Paint:

Supports a wide range of formats
Allows you to customize your canvas size
Provides easy access to shortcuts and tools with the quick menus
Comes with an unlimited undo feature
Regularly updated by the developers
Offers easy sharing options for your projects

5. Inkscape

Do you wish to draw vector-based drawings on mac? Inkscape is a great option to consider. The best part is that this program supports a variety of vector-based formats, including SVG and AI, and all of this is completely free.

The learning curve for this app is also fairly easy, which means that you can master its features within a few hours.

Best of all, you also get to use it on Linux, Windows, and Mac. Keep in mind that it takes some time to master the tools and features of this app.

Features of Inkscape:

Offers objects such as lines, circles, pages, polygons, text, etc.
You can automatically export your work in SVG format for easy sharing
Supports layers and transparency features
Comes with a vast number of tutorials and guides

6. Sketchbook Pro

SketchBook Pro is another great drawing app for mac that you can use to create sketches, illustrations, storyboards, and more. It’s also the finest option for both novices and experts.

This app has that familiar feel of a drawing pad, and it’s really easy to use. The best part is, you can use your iPhone, iPad, and Mac to draw on the same drawing. The interface is straightforward, and you won’t need to spend time learning how to use it.

SketchBook Pro also comes with many features, like the ability to import vector shapes and layers, unlimited undo’s, real-time brush adjustments, and other excellent features. Best of all, it’s pretty affordable, and you can get your copy for only $19.

Features of Sketchbook pro:

Unlimited undo/redo
Multiple layers and limitless painting
Real-time brush adjustments
Affordable

7. Corel Painter 2020

Another great option for mac drawing apps is Corel Painter 2020s. It has revolutionized the way that people paint and draw.

The problem with traditional drawing is that it doesn’t have the same quality as digital art. Most traditional art has a sketchy feel to it, which you don’t get with this app.

Corel has revolutionized the art world by creating a program that acts and feels like traditional media, but it’s digital.

This program is so realistic that movie studios use it to create their special effects. The use of this app brings the power to create real art that looks like traditional media but still has that digital feel.

This app truly is the best of both worlds, and it can really help you to step up your game. It’s a little more expensive than the other apps on this list, but it’s definitely worth it. You’ll be amazed at how realistic the results are.

Features of Corel Painter 2020:

Realistic artwork with a digital feel
Create and render 3D art
Wet and dry media brush effects
Extremely realistic results

8. Procreate

Procreate is where the future of digital art is headed. Its advanced features and realistic brushes make it one of the best options for mac drawing apps. Despite Procreate being a drawing app, it’s also suitable for painting and sketching.

Procreate comes with a bunch of really cool brushes, like the Acrylic paintbrush, Watercolor brush, and Airbrushes. You can even mix and blend your colors to get creating. Procreate is one of those apps that truly extend your creative potential.

It’s also easy to share and collaborate with other artists on this app. But best of all, you can view the drawing from any angle, thanks to the perspective preview. If you’re looking for a high-end drawing app, look no further than Procreate.

Features of Procreate:

Advanced features and realistic brushes
Mix and blend colors
View your art from all angles with a perspective view
Share and collaborate with other artists easily

9. Adobe Illustrator

Adobe Illustrator is another awesome drawing app for mac. It comes with everything you need to create illustrations, graphics, logos, and more.

A great feature about Adobe Illustrator is that it’s easy to use. This software provides all the tools you need to start creating digital artwork right away. Plus, it works with other Adobe apps, like Photoshop and InDesign, so you can easily transfer your work to those programs as well.

With this app, you can create scalable vector graphics, editable shapes and objects, and a whole lot more. If you want to create some killer artwork for any purpose, check out Adobe Illustrator.

Features of Adobe Illustrator:

Easily create scalable vector graphics
Editable shapes & objects
Create logos, graphics, illustrations, and more
Works with Photoshop & InDesign

10. ArtRage

The last one on our list of best drawing Apps for MacBook is ArtRage. This app is another great option for mac drawing apps, and it’s also pretty affordable.

ArtRage comes with a bunch of excellent tools that will help you create realistic artwork. You can quickly sketch out your ideas for whatever purpose and be very satisfied with the results.

One thing that we really like about this app is that it offers a huge selection of tools. You can draw with pencils, paint with paints, sketch out ideas with markers, and even use the felt pen for more precise lines.

Not only are all these tools awesome to have in one program, but they also work together seamlessly. So you’ll be able to create pretty much whatever you want.

ArtRage is definitely one of the best drawing apps on our mac list, and it’s also one of the most realistic. If that’s what you’re looking for, then this app is for you!

Features of ArtRage:

A huge selection of tools to draw with
Create art using pencils, paint, markers, and felt pens
Sketch out ideas seamlessly with other tools
Realistic results

Wrapping Up

Finding the perfect drawing app for mac that suits your needs can be challenging. There are so many apps out there, and most of them have their own strengths. I hope this list will help you narrow down what’s best for you!

Did any of these top 10 make the cut? If not, don’t worry because we’re constantly updating our lists with new recommendations.