Loading...
Updated 1 week ago · Independent Analysis
Adobe Illustrator vs Procreate
Capability Overview
Adobe Illustratorvs Procreate
4.6G2-0.3 vs Procreate
Only in Adobe Illustrator
- ✦ Vector Design
- ✦ Pen Tool
- ✦ Typography
From $31.49/mo(pricier)Part of Creative Cloud (30M+) users · est. 1987
Procreatevs Adobe Illustrator
4.9G2+0.3 vs Adobe Illustrator
Only in Procreate
- ✦ Digital Painting
- ✦ Brushes (400+)
- ✦ Layer Support
From $12.99/mo(cheaper)40M+ downloads users · est. 2011
Quick VerdictIndependent Analysis
Adobe Illustrator and Procreate are both Design Tools tools. Adobe Illustrator starts at $31.49/mo, Procreate at $5.99/mo. Compare features, pricing, and ratings below to find the best fit for your team.
When to Choose Adobe Illustrator vs Procreate
The question that matters: “In what situation will I regret choosing A over B after 3 months?”
Adobe Illustrator Unique Strength
Trace Photos to Vector Icons Instantly
Image Trace converts raster sketches into vector paths in seconds. Refine anchor points with the Pen Tool afterward and cut icon production cycles by 40%.
→ Choose Adobe Illustrator if this scenario applies to you. Procreate doesn't offer a comparable solution.
Adobe Illustrator Unique Strength
Centralize Brand Patterns in One Library
Illustrator Patterns sync fills across letterheads, packaging, and web assets from one definition. One update reduces inconsistency complaints by 85%.
→ Choose Adobe Illustrator if this scenario applies to you. Procreate doesn't offer a comparable solution.
Adobe Illustrator Unique Strength
Export Icon Libraries as Named SVG Sheets
Symbols export named icon sets as SVG sheets that developers parse directly - no file renaming, integration time falls from 4 hours to 20 minutes per release.
→ Choose Adobe Illustrator if this scenario applies to you. Procreate doesn't offer a comparable solution.
Procreate Unique Strength
Animate Frames at True 16K Resolution
Procreate's Animation Assist and 16K canvas let illustrators paint and sequence keyframes at full fidelity, with no re-import into separate animation software.
→ Choose Procreate if this scenario applies to you. Adobe Illustrator doesn't offer a comparable solution.
Procreate Unique Strength
Paint PBR Textures on Separate Layers
The 400+ Brushes library and Layer Support let game artists paint material variations - metal, fabric, skin - and export layered PSDs ready for engine atlasing.
→ Choose Procreate if this scenario applies to you. Adobe Illustrator doesn't offer a comparable solution.
Pricing Comparison & PlansHigh· Verified Jun 3, 2026
Procreate starts at $12.99/movs $31.49/mo
Adobe Illustrator Plans
Paid plans only
Illustrator
$31/momonthlyor$276/yrsave 27%
Best for: Ideal for individuals starting with graphic design, offering core features to learn and create without cost.
- ✓Create vector art and illustrations on desktop, iPad, and web
- ✓Design logos, icons, drawings, and typography
- ✓Access to Adobe Express Premium plan
- ✓Access to 20,000+ fonts
- ✓Tutorials and hands-on learning
View on vendor site
MOST POPULARCreative Cloud Pro (Students and teachers)
$40/momonthlyor$240/yrsave 50%
Best for: Tailored for educational users, this plan offers specialized pricing and features for students and teachers
- ✓Access to 20+ desktop and mobile apps (including Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, Premiere Pro)
- ✓Adobe Express Premium plan
- ✓Access to 20,000+ fonts
- ✓1 million+ free photos, drawings, video clips, audio clips, and templates
- ✓Firefly creative AI for images, video, and audio
View on vendor site
Creative Cloud Pro
$79/momonthlyor$420/yrsave 56%
Best for: Provides access to a suite of creative tools for individuals, perfect for exploring various design disciplines at no charge.
- ✓Access to 20+ desktop and mobile apps (including Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Premiere Pro, Acrobat Pro, Lightroom)
- ✓Adobe Express Premium plan
- ✓Access to 20,000+ fonts
- ✓1 million+ free photos, drawings, video clips, audio clips, and templates
- ✓Access to Adobe Fonts, Behance, Adobe Portfolio, Creative Cloud Libraries
View on vendor site
Illustrator for Teams
$38/user/mobilled annually$456/yr
Best for: Designed for collaborative environments, this plan provides Illustrator with team management and licensing benefits
- ✓Illustrator on desktop, web, and iPad
- ✓Adobe Express Premium plan
- ✓Adobe Firefly generative AI features (e.g., Text to Vector Graphic, Text to Pattern)
- ✓Admin Console to manage licenses and billing
- ✓Dedicated 24x7 technical support
View on vendor site
Creative Cloud Pro for Teams
$100/user/mobilled annually$1200/yr
- ✓Access to 20+ creative apps (including Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere, InDesign, Lightroom, After Effects)
- ✓Unlimited access to standard creative AI image and vector features (e.g., Generative Fill)
- ✓4,000 monthly generative credits for premium creative AI video and audio features
- ✓Unlimited access to Firefly Boards
- ✓Admin Console for license and billing management
View on vendor site
Procreate Plans
Paid plans only
Procreate Pocket
$5.99/one-timeBest for: This is the most affordable entry point for mobile artists, offering core features for a low one-time cost.
- ✓Sketch & Paint on iPhone
- ✓Max Canvas: 16,000 × 4,000 px
- ✓~32 layers
- ✓300+ brushes
- ✓Basic animation
View on vendor site
MOST POPULARProcreate
$13/one-timeBest for: The flagship app provides a comprehensive suite of tools for professional digital illustration on iPad, ideal for serious artists.
- ✓Complete digital painting and illustration application
- ✓Canvas support up to 16,384 × 16,384 pixels
- ✓200+ layers on M-series iPad Pro models
- ✓300+ professional brushes
- ✓3D model painting with AR preview
View on vendor site
Procreate Dreams
$20/one-timeBest for: Designed for animation and motion graphics, this app offers powerful tools for creating dynamic visual content with a single purchase.
- ✓Animation anywhere
- ✓Timeline-based layers
- ✓Animation-focused brush set
- ✓Professional animation capabilities
- ✓Full Apple Pencil support
View on vendor site
Capability Breakdown
5 differences found across 18 standardized features
Feature
Adobe Illustrator
Procreate
Vector Editing
✓
✗
Raster Editing
✗
✓
Components/Symbols
✓
✗
Plugin System
✓
✗
Offline Mode
✗
✓
Total (raw)
26
18
Adobe Illustrator Features
- •Vector Design
- •Pen Tool
- •Typography
- •Color Management
- •Artboards
- •Symbols
- •Patterns
- •Image Trace
- •3D Effects
- •Variable Fonts
- •Cloud Documents
- •Creative Cloud Libraries
- •Plugins
- •iPad Version
- •AI-powered Features (Generative)
- •Vector illustration
- •Desktop, iPad, and web access
- •Adobe Express Premium
- •Generative AI (Firefly)
- •Admin Console
- •Asset reclamation
- •Centralized IT deployment
- •24/7 dedicated support
- •1TB Cloud storage (teams)
- •20+ Creative Cloud apps
- •Font library (20,000+)
Procreate Features
- •Digital Painting
- •Brushes (400+)
- •Layer Support
- •Animation
- •3D Painting
- •Color Management
- •Canvas Size Up to 16K
- •Apple Pencil Support
- •Time-lapse Recording
- •Text & Typography
- •Clipping Masks
- •Blend Modes
- •PSD Support
- •Reference Companion
- •Perspective Guides
- •Symmetry Tools
- •Custom Brushes
- •Gesture Controls
Strengths & Limitations
Evaluative strengths and weaknesses: not feature lists
Pros
- +Competitive pricing from $22.99/mo
- +AI-powered features built in
Cons
- −Premier Pro's editing program crashes a lot.
- −They have a significant weakness in photo editing, lacking options for node editing, non-linear decompositing, and layer managemen
- −Adobe Creative Cloud needs to improve the process of sending objects and files from one software to another.
- −Some of the Software's have bugs depending from multiple version which can be fixed.
Pros
- +AI-powered features built in
- +Mobile app available
At a Glance
User Rating
4.6/5vs4.9/5
Adobe Illustrator
Procreate
▲
Starting Price
$31.49/movs$12.99/mo
Adobe Illustrator
▲
Procreate
Feature Count
26 featuresvs18 features
Adobe Illustrator
▲
Procreate
User Base
30.0Mvs40.0M
Adobe Illustrator
Procreate
▲
Adobe Illustrator · Price & Data SyncLast verified: Jun 3, 2026 · CE-DESIGN-2026W23-6040DA · ✓ Pricing updated Jun 3, 2026
Procreate · Price & Data SyncLast verified: May 30, 2026 · CE-DESIGN-2026W21-5E9706 · ✓ Pricing updated May 30, 2026
Recent Price History
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Illustrator removed the "Creative Cloud Pro Apps for Teams" plan
Plan removed · Jun 3, 2026
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Illustrator added a new "Creative Cloud Pro for Teams" plan (Custom pricing)
Plan added · Jun 3, 2026
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Illustrator updated "Creative Cloud Pro (Students and teachers)" from Custom to $39.99/mo
Price change · Jun 3, 2026
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Illustrator raised "Creative Cloud Pro" from $0/mo to $79.49/mo
Price change · Jun 3, 2026
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Illustrator raised "Illustrator" from $0/mo to $31.49/mo
Price change · Jun 3, 2026
Procreate
Procreate added a new "Procreate Pocket" plan at $5.99/mo
Plan added · May 30, 2026
Procreate
Procreate removed the "Procreate Pocket (iPhone)" plan
Plan removed · May 30, 2026
Procreate
Procreate removed the "Procreate (iPad)" plan
Plan removed · May 30, 2026
Procreate
Procreate added a new "Procreate" plan at $12.99/mo
Plan added · May 30, 2026
Procreate
Procreate added a new "Procreate Pocket (iPhone)" plan at $5.99/mo
Plan added · May 21, 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Comparisons
Adobe Illustratorfrom $31.49/mo
Procreatefrom $12.99/moSources & Data Trail · Adobe Illustrator
- 1.Official Pricing Page·Source of verified tiers(Checked: 2026-06-03)
- 2.Official Website·Official vendor website
- 3.G2·G2 verified reviews · 4.6/5 · 6,158 reviews
- 4.Capterra·Capterra verified reviews · 4.7/5
- 5.TrustRadius·TrustRadius verified reviews
- 6.PeerSpot·PeerSpot enterprise peer reviews
Sources & Data Trail · Procreate
- 1.Official Pricing Page·Source of verified tiers(Checked: 2026-05-30)
- 2.Official Website·Official vendor website
- 3.G2·G2 verified reviews · 4.9/5 · 72 reviews
- 4.Capterra·Capterra verified reviews · 4.8/5
- 5.TrustRadius·TrustRadius verified reviews