The 5 best Apple Pencil alternatives in 2024

If you want a tool that will help you take notes or create drawings on your iPad, you should know that there are other options aside from the Apple Pencil, Apple Pencil 2, and Apple Pencil USB-C. If you want to check out the best Apple Pencil alternatives in the market, you’ve come to the right place because we’ve rounded up our recommendations below. Whether you just need a simple stylus or you want a premium writing or drawing instrument, there’s something for you here if you don’t think the Apple Pencil is the right instrument for you.

The best Apple Pencil alternatives in 2024

Logitech Crayon

Best Apple Pencil alternative for most iPad owners

The Logitech Crayon is equipped with Apple Pencil technology, so you can write and draw naturally as you would with the different variants of Apple’s tool, and it instantly connects to your iPad after turning it on. You can tilt the instrument to adjust the thickness of your lines, and its battery can last the whole day on a single charge. The Logitech Crayon works with any iPad released from 2018 onwards, as long as its operating system is updated to iOS 12.2 or above.

Meko Universal Stylus

Best Apple Pencil alternative for tight budgets

If you don’t need technology out of your Apple Pencil alternative because you want to stick to a tight budget, then the Meko Universal Stylus is a great choice. It’s made of stainless steel and aluminum for a premium pen feel in your hands, and it has a clear disc tip at the end that lets you clearly see where you’re writing or drawing while preventing scratches. Because it’s not a smart device, it will work with other tablets aside from the iPad and other gadgets with touchscreens.

Adonit Pro 4

Best Apple Pencil alternative for precise lines

If you want to write or draw with precise lines, you’ll love the Adonit Pro 4. Its fine point is designed as a singular piece for amazing stability, and it comes with a soft-touch precision disc that prevents scratches from touchscreens without affecting the thin lines that you write and draw. The Adonit Pro 4 isn’t a smart device so it will work on any device, not just the iPad, but it features premium craftsmanship with its lightweight aluminum body and copper twist cap. It also has a sleek grooved hook to attach to your pockets and bags.

Adobe Ink & Slide

Best Apple Pencil alternative for Creative Cloud artists

Artists who work with the Adobe Creative Cloud software should go for the Adobe Ink & Slide. The stylus and ruler combo connects to most iPad models to be able to sync with Creative Cloud, which will save every drawing and setting that you make so you can access them later on another device or on your computer. The pixel-point tip is capable of creating accurate, pressure-sensitive lines and strokes, and you can configure the tip to control size and flow. You can also personalize the tool with hundreds of LED colors to choose from, though you can also use it to show you the color that you’ve chosen for your writing or drawing.

Zagg Pro Stylus 2

Best Apple Pencil alternative for dual tips

The Zagg Pro Stylus 2 features dual tips — an active tip for precise drawing and writing, and a back-end tip for scrolling on the touchscreen. The active tip recognizes tilt so you can change thee width of your stroke, and palm rejection that will ignore your hand if it touches the display while you’re using the Zagg Pro Stylus 2. It’s equipped with a battery that can last up to 6.5 hours from a single charge, and it magnetically attaches to its included wireless charging cradle.

How we chose these Apple Pencil alternatives

Apple set the bar pretty high with its variants of the Apple Pencil, so we’re pretty strict with our choices for the best Apple Pencil alternatives. We wouldn’t recommend an instrument if it doesn’t have any clear advantage over the Apple Pencil, and we picked tools that cater to various needs and fit into different budget ranges. You’re going to have to think about what you want from the Apple Pencil alternative that you’re thinking of buying though, as that will make it easier for you to finalize your decision.

Reliability

If you’re going with an Apple Pencil alternative, you should get a tool that’s going be as reliable — or even more — than the Apple Pencil itself. To make sure of this, we only selected instruments made by trusted brands — it’s a good idea to generally avoid products made by brands that you haven’t heard of, as you can’t be sure of the quality that you’ll receive. You also wouldn’t want an Apple Pencil alternative that will break after just a few weeks or even days of use, so let’s stick with the names that have proven themselves to be dependable ones.

Compatibility

The Apple Pencil is notoriously known for compatibility constraints, which is why we’ve got a guide on which Apple Pencil works with which iPad. These Apple Pencil alternatives that we’ve picked try to solve this issue by working with a wider range of iPad models — and some even work with every other tablet or touchscreen. This may not be as important if you’re only planning to use the tool on a single iPad, but if you have multiple models of the tablet for different purposes, compatibility becomes a huge factor.

Value for money

Whether you’re looking at a cheap or expensive Apple Pencil alternative, the important thing to consider is the value that you’ll be getting in exchange for your hard-earned money. A cheap tool shouldn’t sacrifice the important features, while an expensive instrument shouldn’t command a high price if you can get a similar one with the same features for less. The Apple Pencil itself is pretty expensive, so we want you to save a few bucks while getting more out of these Apple Pencil alternatives.

This article is managed and created separately from the Digital Trends Editorial team.

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