7 Best Apple Pencil Alternatives
7 Best Apple Pencil Alternatives
April 18, 2024The Apple Pencil has forged a reputation as the pinnacle of digital stylus pens, with seamless integration across platforms and compelling versatility. It's ideal for virtual drawing, sketching, note-taking, or document annotation. The hover feature, especially on an iPad Pro, ensures accuracy and precision, allowing for exact placement where the stylus will contact the display. However, it comes with a hefty price tag: $129 for the second generation and $145 for the first.
However, many excellent and much more cost-effective alternatives offer numerous comparable benefits. Many fantastic Apple Pencil dupes are compatible with Apple and non-Apple devices, catering to casual drawing or professional artistry requiring stringent precision. These dupes integrate many of the same features, satisfying all your creative needs while being much lighter on the wallet. Check out our 10 most affordable Apple Pencil alternatives to find your new go-to digital stylus.
Logitech Crayon
This sleek and Apple-approved stylus offers many of the same Apple Pencil 2 features for half the price. It’s also hands-down the best Apple Pencil alternative thanks to its similar style, features, and optimal usability that enables it to integrate seamlessly with 5th-6th gen iPad Pro 12.9, 6th-10th gen iPad Pro 11, 3rd-5th gen iPad Air, and iPad Mini 5, iOS 12.2, and newer.
This pencil delivers a fast and precise result for hundreds of apps supported by the Apple Pencil, making it easy to integrate into the iOS ecosystem.
It features a super comfortable feel, uber-accurate pen tip, tilt support, and palm rejection. At 6.4 inches long and weighing only 0.7 ounces, this Logitech pencil has a lightweight aluminum body that feels cool and looks like a real carpenter’s pencil reimagined for the digital age.
Expect a lightning-fast charging experience and impressive lithium battery life that produces 7.5 hours of active writing time. You can even get 30 minutes of juice from just a 2-minute charge. With its premium style, Apple-like functions, and seamless integration across multiple devices and apps, the Logitech stylus is the perfect artistic solution for artists and business professionals.
Pros
- Thousands of 4.5-star ratings
- Much less expensive than the Apple stylus
- Roll-resistant design
- Long battery life
- Doesn’t require any pairing
- Supports dynamic line weight
Cons
- Doesn’t feature sensitivity
Adonit Mark Pen
Here's the best Apple Pencil option for a tight budget. At 5.5 inches long and weighing just 0.8 ounces, this stylus has an anodized aluminum body with silver, black, or teal color options.
It’s ultra-affordable and comfortable due to its triangular design and supports multiple iPad generations. It’s so inexpensive and kid-friendly that you might want to grab a couple to have around the house to encourage creativity or make chore lists more fun.
Pros
- Most inexpensive dupe
- Anti-roll design
- Supports many iPad generations, from iPad Air (3rd gen) to iPad Pro (4th gen), iPad Mini (5th gen), and 8th-gen iPad
- Compatible with most smartphones and tablets
- 7.5-hour battery life (active use)
Cons
- Less lack premium-precision
Adonite Note+
Enjoy the technical benefits of an Apple Pencil for less with Adonite’s upgraded Note+. This versatile digital stylus is compatible with most iPads and many apps. It has impressive battery life, tilt support, up to 2,048 pressure-sensitivity levels, and fast USB-C charging capabilities.
Pros
- Compatibility with most iPads
- Programmable short-cuts
- 10 hours of battery life
Cons
- No recording abilities
ANAKACE Stylus Pen
This 6.4-inch digital stylus offers great capabilities for a surprisingly low price. It has a responsive, 1.22mm tilt function tip that’s similar to the Apple Pencil. There’s no lag time and has built-in palm rejection for a pixel-perfect graphic experience.
Pros
- One of the cheapest options
- Pixel precision
- Excellent battery life
- Tilt feature
- Palm rejection
- Lightweight at 0.7 oz
- Compatible with 6th-8th generation iPad, any iPad Pro, 3rd-4th generation iPad Air, and 5th generation iPad Mini
- 7.5-hour battery life (active use time)
Cons
- Doesn’t work with pre-2018 iPads
ZAGG Pro Stylus
Sleek and affordable, this 8.1-inch stylus features a dual active and capacitive tip for optimal accuracy. It has tilt recognition and palm rejection. It also offers 8 hours of active writing time and feels like a premium product with its lightweight (0.6 oz) aluminum body.
Pros
- Compatible with any iPad from 2017 or later (3rd to 8th generation)
- USB-C fast-charging in 1.5 hours
- Dual active tip and universal capacitive touch backend tip for ultra-precision
Cons
- Zero pressure sensitivity
Adonite Dash 4
Get Apple Pencil quality without the price tag with this sleek and lightweight digital pencil by Adonite. It features palm rejection, a portability clip, fast USB-C charging capabilities, and up to 15 hours of battery life.
Pros
- Palm rejection
- Great battery life
- Lightweight
- Fast charging
Cons
- Doesn’t have pressure sensitivity
- No tilt support
MetaPen iPad Pencil A8
If you need an affordable stylus pen that works on an iPad, MetaPen is an ideal option for your creative needs. This digital pencil features palm rejection, two replaceable pen tips, an instant connection, and a 10-hour battery life.
Pros
- 0.1mm pixel precision
- Full-screen palm rejection
- Long battery life
- Compatible with iPad Air’s 3rd-5th generation, 5th-6th generation iPad Mini, 6th-9th generation iPad, 1st-3rd generation iPad Pro 11”, and 3rd-5th generation iPad Pro 12.9”
Cons
- Function may reduce over time
Choosing the Best Apple Pencil Dupe
The Apple Pencil sets a high bar for digital pencils if you own an iPad. Top features include a double-tap function and pressure sensitivity, making it a good choice for professional severe artists who need Apple compatibility, features, and sharp precision.
The good news is that many comparable digital pens work just as well and are compatible with many devices. Many of them work on iPhones, too.
We’ve combed products and reviews to bring you the most accessible, comfortable, and precise digital pencils that feature organic pressure sensitivity (when needed) and useful features such as a dual tip, tilt recognition, a dynamic line weight, a safe tip that won’t scratch your screen, and more.
The Most Affordable Apple Pencil Dupe
For those on a tight budget, we’ve chosen the ultra-affordable Adonite Mark as an exceptional alternative that is simple to use, features an anti-roll design, good precision, and excellent battery life.
Our Favorite Apple Pencil Dupe
We love how the Logitech Crayon looks similar to the Apple Pencil and combines many of its best features, such as compatibility, palm rejection, and tilt support, to optimize user experience.