PaintLassoPaintLasso vs Procreate
If you own an iPad, Procreate is the gold standard for digital illustration, and this page will not pretend otherwise. It is polished, fully offline, a one-time purchase, and home to one of the deepest brush ecosystems in the industry. The catch is simple but real: Procreate only runs on iPad. PaintLasso takes a different path. It is free to start, runs in any browser on Windows, Mac, Chromebook, Android, and iPad, needs no install, and bundles built-in AI tools. This is an honest look at where each one wins so you can pick the right tool, not the loudest one.
The short version
These two tools are aimed at different people, so the "winner" depends entirely on what you own and what you need.
- Choose Procreate if you have an iPad and an Apple Pencil and you want the most refined, dedicated illustration app available, with an enormous brush ecosystem and rock-solid offline performance.
- Choose PaintLasso if you are on a PC, Mac, Chromebook, or Android device, want something free with nothing to install, need to jump between devices, or want built-in AI image tools alongside a real painting engine.
Put plainly: Procreate is deeper at illustration; PaintLasso is more accessible and runs everywhere. Neither of those facts is an insult to the other.
Side-by-side comparison
| Feature | PaintLasso | Procreate |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free to start | One-time purchase (no subscription) |
| Platforms | Windows, Mac, Chromebook, Android, iPad (any browser) | iPad only (Pocket on iPhone, Dreams for animation) |
| Install | None, runs in the browser | App Store download |
| Best at | Free, cross-device painting with AI | Deep dedicated iPad illustration |
| Layers & brushes | Layers, 25 blend modes, 16 pressure-sensitive WebGL2 brushes | Layers plus a vast, mature brush ecosystem |
| AI tools | Built in (generator, background remover, upscaler) | Not a focus |
| Offline use | No native offline app | Fully native and offline |
Both apps cover the essentials well: pressure-sensitive brushes, layers, blend modes, and selections. The differences below are where it actually matters for your choice.
Where Procreate genuinely wins
Procreate earned its reputation, and a fair comparison says so clearly. As a native iPad app it feels effortless: tilt and pressure with the Apple Pencil are beautifully tuned, performance stays smooth on large canvases, and the whole experience is exceptionally polished.
- Brush depth. Procreate's brush engine and the huge ecosystem of community and commercial brushes around it are hard to beat. If your work lives and dies by custom brushes, this is a major advantage.
- Offline and native. It works with no internet connection and behaves like a first-class iOS app, because it is one.
- One-time purchase. You pay once and own it, with no subscription hanging over you.
- A focused illustration tool. It does one thing, drawing and painting on iPad, and does it superbly.
If you already have an iPad, Procreate is an easy recommendation and PaintLasso is not trying to replace it for you.
Where PaintLasso fits better
PaintLasso's whole reason to exist is the gap Procreate leaves: everyone who is not on an iPad. Because it runs in the browser on a WebGL2 engine, it opens on whatever device you already have, with nothing to download.
- Runs everywhere. Windows, Mac, Chromebook, Android, and yes iPad too, all from a browser tab. This is the headline answer for anyone searching for Procreate on PC or Chromebook.
- Free and instant. No purchase to try it and no install step, so you can be painting in seconds.
- A real painting engine. 16 pressure-sensitive brushes, layers, 25 blend modes, symmetry, lasso selection, and frame-by-frame animation.
- Built-in AI tools. A text-to-image generator, one-click background remover, and an upscaler live right inside the editor, which Procreate does not focus on.
The honest trade-off: PaintLasso is not as deep as Procreate's brush and illustration ecosystem, and it has no native offline app yet. For many people, running on every device for free outweighs that. For a Procreate power user on iPad, it may not.
Which one should you pick?
Make the decision on your hardware and your priorities, not on hype.
- You own an iPad and want the deepest illustration app: get Procreate. It is the better dedicated drawing tool, full stop.
- You are on Windows, Mac, Chromebook, or Android: Procreate is not an option there, so PaintLasso is the natural pick. It is one of the best free drawing apps that runs in a browser.
- You bounce between devices or want zero install: PaintLasso follows you across the browser on any machine.
- You want AI tools next to your canvas: PaintLasso bundles them; Procreate does not.
Plenty of artists happily use both: Procreate on the couch with an iPad, PaintLasso on a laptop or Chromebook when the iPad is not around.
Try PaintLasso free in your browser
No download, no iPad required. Open PaintLasso on whatever device you have and start painting with real brushes, layers, and built-in AI tools in seconds.
Open PaintLasso →Related: Free Procreate alternatives · Best free drawing apps · Brushes