Best stylus for iPad: Turn your iPad into a sketchbook

Works with: M2 & M3 iPad Air; M4 iPad Pro, iPad mini A17 Pro

The Apple Pencil Pro is essentially a replacement for the 2nd-generation Apple Pencil (below). It adds the following features:

• A gyroscope that lets you “roll” the pencil to change the orientation of shaped brushes and tools.
• A taptic engine for haptic feedback.
• Find My support.
• Squeeze sensitivity, to open palettes or change tool options like weights or colors.

Those new features are going to make them much more appealing to digital artists, but you can’t buy an Apple Pencil Pro and use it with any iPad made before May 2024.

Works with: All iPads 2018 and newer

We loved the original Zagg Pro Stylus so we were happy to hear that there was a new model.

The Pro Stylus 2 is a good alternative to the Apple Pencil with many of the same features including wireless charging, a replaceable tip and attaching magnetically to the iPad Air and iPad Pro.

One advantage is that unlike the 2nd-gen Apple Pencil the Zag Pro Stylus 2 can be used with any iPad since 2018.

The Zagg Pro Stylus 2 is comfortable to hold, has a matt coating, and comes in a selection of colors.

There are two tips: a replaceable stylus tip and a capacitive rubber tip which can be used for scrolling and also functions as the power button. To save power, the Pro Stylus 2 switches off automatically after 15 minutes of inactivity. The battery should last for around 6.5 hours.

We tested with a number of creative apps and found the experience akin to the Apple Pencil 2, however, it didn’t work well with Adobe Photoshop due to significant delays. If you are using Photoshop then look elsewhere.

Works with: iPad Pro 13-inch M4; iPad Pro 11-inch M4; iPad (10th gen); iPad Air 13-inch (M2 & M3); iPad Air 11-inch (M2 & M3); iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd-6th gen); iPad Pro 11-inch (1st-4th gen); iPad Air (4th-5th gen); iPad mini (6th gen & A17 Pro)

The Apple Pencil (USB-C) isn’t quite as good as the 2nd-gen Apple Pencil from 2018 and doesn’t even have all of the same features of the 1st-gen Apple Pencil from 2015. It includes some of the same features as the prior models (including low latency and tilt sensitivity), but is also missing pressure sensitivity and wireless charging–in fact, it is the only model with a port for charging.

It attaches magnetically to the side of the iPad for storage, like the 2nd-gen model. It is also shorter than both the 1st-gen and 2nd-gen models (6.10 inches vs 6.92 inches and 6.53 inches). You can’t engrave it, but it’s cheaper than both its Apple siblings.

Works with: iPad (from 6th gen), iPad Pro (from 2nd gen), iPad Air (from 3rd gen), iPad Mini (from 5th gen)

If you’re on the hunt for a cheap and cheerful stylus that looks and feels (for the most part) like an Apple Pencil USB-C, then the Baseus Smooth Writing 3 is one to consider. At just under £30 (there’s no current US distribution), you get a lightweight plastic construction that’s comfortable for writing and drawing. There’s a central flat edge, where you can attach the stylus magnetically to the edge of a compatible iPad, at the top of which is the USB-C port (neatly hidden under a branded rubber cover), power button and three indicator lights so you can see the current state of the battery charge. The removable rubber tip seems quite durable and Baseus includes a spare one in the box, alongside a charging cable.

Taking notes with the Smooth Writing 3 is pleasant, as the responsiveness is even and reliable. There’s also decent palm cancelling, allowing you to scribble away without suddenly finding the cursor has jumped to another part of the screen. The power button doubles as a quick command trigger, with the accompanying Baseus app giving the option of up to 32 different functions of which you can assign one at a time. These include going back to the Home Screen, muting sound, taking a screenshot, opening search, undoing the last action, and on some apps (although sadly not Apple Notes) switching to the eraser. The Baseus stylus doesn’t feature tilt or pressure sensitivity, so it isn’t good for art or more advanced graphics work, but for doodling and quick sketching it can do the job.  

Battery life is good, with Baseus claiming 17 hours of continuous use from a single charge. My arthritic hands wouldn’t allow that kind of marathon, but across a week of daily use for an hour or so there was still power left in the 140mAh cell. There’s no wireless charging, but plugging in the USB-C cable for half an hour had it back up to full capacity. 

If you want a simple, affordable and reliable writing tool, then the Baseus Smooth Writing 3 is well worth checking out.

Works with: iPad (from 6th gen); iPad mini (from 5th gen); iPad Air (from 3rd gen); iPad Pro 11-inch; iPad Pro 12.9-inch (from 3rd gen); iPad Pro 13-inch

The Adonit Note+ 2 is a slimline stylus that features an impressive amount of versatility. Housed in an aluminum body that weighs only 14g, it’s comfortable to hold and use for longer writing or sketching sessions.

On the body there are two buttons, one is for the standard power and pairing features, but once connected to Bluetooth they can both be programmed in a variety of supported apps to execute commands. So, you might set one for Undo and the other for Redo which enables you to quickly fix mistakes in your note or illustration without having to access menus.

In the box you’ll find three different replacement tips – soft, medium and hard – allowing users to tailor the physical experience to their personal preferences. The Note+ 2 supports palm rejection and pressure sensitivity, so long as the app you’re using does too (the list of compatible apps covers pretty much all the big hitters for notes and art). Adonit has also built-in an angle detection technology which means you can have thicker or thinner pen-strokes by simply tilting the stylus.

Writing and drawing with the Note+ 2 is smooth and reliable, with the slim profile nestling into the hand. There’s a flat side opposite the buttons which provides a steady grip and is also home to magnets that mean you can attach the stylus to the edge of your iPad when you’re taking a break.

Battery life tops out at eight hours, which takes one hour of charging through the USB-C port to achieve. But, if you run out of juice while in the midst of a creative frenzy, five minutes of charging will keep you going for another hour.

Works with: iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd-6th gen); iPad Pro 11-inch (1st-4th gen); iPad Air (4th-5th gen); iPad mini (6th gen)

The Apple Pencil 2nd gen, which launched in 2018, is shorter than the original Pencil and has a flat edge you can tap to trigger app-specific functions. This makes Apple’s stylus easier to hold and it stops it rolling off your desk. The 2nd gen Pencil is also magnetically attachable to the iPad, which also helps with the rolling.

Unlike the 1st gen Pencil, the 2nd-gen Pencil has no Lightning connector for charging, instead, it charges wirelessly when connected to the iPad, which is much neater. The 2nd-gen Pencil is matt white rather than the glossy white of the original (which could be a bit dazzling). You can also tell the two apart because the original had a metallic ring next to the charging cap.

Both the 1st and 2nd generation Apple Pencils are equally responsive and pressure-sensitive. You can tilt the stylus to create different textures, making it a great tool for handwriting, sketching, note-taking and illustration.

Works with: iPad (from 6th gen), iPad Pro (from 2nd gen), iPad Air (from 3rd gen), iPad Mini (from 5th gen)

Following on from the inexpensive but capable Smooth Writing 3, Baseus adds a few more features to its successor – the Smooth Writing PS4 360. Gone are the three LED power indicator lights, with the power button and its illuminations now positioned at the top of the Stylus, so it acts like the click on a ballpoint pen. You still get the lightweight plastic construction, with the same flat edge with magnets underneath that’s found on the Apple Pencil USB-C. The pen clip bearing the Baseus name is acutally a sliding panel that reveals the USB-C port inside, much like on Apple’s offering.

With the PS4, there’s now a touch sensitive area that can either be double-tapped to execute a pre-assigned command (there’s 32 to choose from, including redo, undo, erase, screenshot, etc.) or you can slide your finger up and down to scroll through documents or websites. When these features work, they’re very useful, but several of the commands are non-functional in some apps, while the scrolling is quite hit and miss – works fine in Safari, but hardly at all on Chrome.

Writing with the PS4 is a pleasant affair. The feel is a bit stiff, but you quickly find a comfortable grip and then it’s plain sailing. Tracking is fast and accurate, palm cancellation is also good, making it easy to take notes, annotate documents, or doodle quick sketches. There’s no pressure sensitivity or tilt sensitivity, meaning those of an artistic bent will no doubt prefer a more advanced stylus.

Battery life is strong, with Baseus stating that you’ll get a maximum of 17 hours of use from a single 20-minute charge. I certainly found it kept going throughout the week, with standby drain kept to a minimum.

If you want something along the lines of the Apple Pencil USB-C or Apple Pencil 2, then the Baseus Smooth Writing PS4 is a good, cheaper alternative. Availability is the US and UK appears uncertain at the time of writing, but European shoppers can pick one up for around €40 or often much less.

Works with: iPad (from 6th gen); iPad mini (from 5th gen); iPad Air (from 3rd gen); iPad Pro 11-inch; iPad Pro 12.9-inch (from 3rd gen); iPad Pro 13-inch

The Logitech Crayon was one of the first quality alternatives to the original Apple Pencil, and since then the company has updated the stylus to an improved second generation. This features a refined design and ditches the Lightning port of the first one, replacing it with the more useful USB-C.

Where the first-gen model featured orange plastic coloring at the top and bottom as an option, the new version goes for a sleeker, simpler aesthetic with a silver aluminum and grey plastic combination. 

Much of the construction remains the same, as the initial version proved so popular, meaning you get a slim, lightweight plastic chassis that’s flat on the two longer sides. This gives the Logitech Crayon a similar feel to a carpenter’s pencil, which brings the added benefit of not rolling off a table when you put it down. 

It’s not magnetized, which seems a shame as the shape lends itself to sitting flush along the side of an iPad, which also means it can’t be recharged wirelessly. This makes it akin to the original Apple Pencil and remember that the similarly priced Apple Pencil (USB-C) doesn’t support wireless charging either. 

You get excellent palm rejection, tilt support, instant pairing by simply sliding the power switch, and the Crayon writes smoothly with no noticeable lag. As with the Apple Pencil (USB-C) there’s no pressure sensitivity, so this isn’t really a stylus for graphic designers or artists, both of whom would be better off with the Apple Pencil Pro. 

The Logitech Crayon works with all iPads from 2018 or later and will give you around 7 hours of writing time when fully charged – which takes just under an hour. It also comes with three indicator lights to let you know how much charge is left in the device, so you don’t suddenly find the power goes out mid-sentence.

If you want an alternative to the Apple Pencil (USB-C) that offers the same features but with a different take on the design, then the Logitech Crayon (USB-C) is a solid choice. Plus, the original version is still available if you prefer the Lightning connector (you’ll find it further down on this list). 

Works with: iPad (6th-10th generation); iPad Pro 12.9-inch (1st-2nd gen); iPad Pro 10.5-inch; iPad Pro 9.7-inch; iPad Air (3rd gen); iPad mini (5th gen)

The second generation Apple Pencil features earlier this round-up, but we still recommend the first generation Apple Pencil, which launched way back in 2015 but is compatible with the standard iPad from 6th to 10th generation (as well as a number of older iPad models). If those are the iPads you have this is the Apple Pencil for you. We compare the two generations of Apple Pencil in Apple Pencil (2018) vs Apple Pencil (2015).

One benefit of the older Apple Pencil, assuming it works with your iPad, is that it is cheaper than the second-generation version at $99/£99 rather than $129/£129. It is still more expensive than the Apple Pencil (USB-C), which costs $79/£79, though.

The original Apple Pencil is almost entirely white, with just a metallic band at the non-writing end by the charging cap. This cap conceals a Lightning port for charging and syncing. When you want to charge the Pencil you can just plug it into the iPad’s Lightning port or use an adapter if your iPad has a USB-C port (as is the case with the iPad 10th gen). There is a downside to charging this way: you can’t use the Pencil while it is charging and it looks pretty ridiculous. Here’s how to check the Apple Pencil’s battery percentage.

The Pencil feels pretty good in the hand, with a nice weight to it. The Apple Pencil and compatible iPads have sensors that can detect the pressure you’re using and the angle you’re holding the stylus at, making it effortless to create lines of different thicknesses. In the Pencil’s tip there are two tilt sensors which the iPad’s display will keep track of to work out the exact orientation and angle of your hands as you draw. For example, you can use the side of the Pencil’s tip for realistic shading like you would with a real pencil lead. The Apple Pencil knows to ignore the wrist and palm

You get a spare tip in the box, but it’s identical to the one that comes attached to the Pencil.

Works with: iPad (from 6th gen); iPad mini (from 5th gen); iPad Air (from 3rd gen); iPad Pro 11-inch; iPad Pro 12.9-inch (from 3rd gen); iPad Pro 13-inch

If you want something that feels more like a real pen, a fountain pen at that, then the Adonit Star will be a breath of fresh air. The classic design is reminiscent of a Mont Blanc, but without some of the bulk and most of the price. Popping off the cap reveals a fountain-pen style nib, replete with the ink feed on the back, but on closer inspection, you’ll see that the metal cuts off early, with a black rubber 1mm fine tip being what will actually touch the screen.

As you might expect, the Star is very much intended for those who want to make notes and generally just write on their iPad. It doesn’t have pressure sensitivity, so you can’t have thicker or thinner strokes depending on how hard you press, which would rule it out for most artists. That’s fine though, there’s the Apple Pencil for that. Instead, you get a balanced and very comfortable writing experience, aided in no small measure by Adonit’s excellent palm cancellation feature.

Pairing is simply a matter of pressing the small button on the Star, then when the blue light comes on you should be good to go. If it starts flashing red, this means it is time for a recharge, so unscrew the bottom of the pen and there’s a USB-C port. The Star takes around an hour to charge and will then work happily for around 10 hours or so.

Adonit has come up with something genuinely unique in the Star. Classy looking, nice to write with, and it will definitely get some looks when you pull it out in a meeting to make notes. If there’s such a thing as a Stylus connoisseur, then you can bet that the Adonit Star would be a prizes part of their collection. 

Works with: iPad (from 6th gen); iPad mini (from 5th gen); iPad Air (from 3rd gen); iPad Pro 11-inch; iPad Pro 12.9-inch (from 3rd gen); iPad Pro 13-inch

While the Logitech Crayon (Lightning) was originally framed as an education tool, the cheap Apple Pencil alternative is now available to anybody that wants it. 

In many ways, the Crayon functions in the same way as the original Apple Pencil, complete with easy pairing, reliable palm rejection and tilt support, but there’s one big omission: there’s no pressure sensitivity available here. That’s likely to be a dealbreaker for graphic designers, but if you’re only looking to use a stylus for note-taking, you’re unlikely to notice a difference in performance.

You’ve also got a seven-hour battery life on offer, which should be more than enough for the majority of consumers, and it’s charged up via a hidden Lightning port. That’s not quite as premium as the wireless charging from the second-gen Apple Pencil or the second generation Crayon that uses USB-C, but it’s certainly better than the original Apple Pencil.

Works with: all iPads

The B&D Stylus is a bargain at under a tenner.

It’s made fully of aluminum and comes with twenty extra rubber tips in two different sizes so you can adjust the accuracy of lines. It’s dual tipped too, so you can use a different size on either end.

There is no need for Bluetooth or charging with this stylus.

The B&D Stylus is compatible with all iPads, iPhones, and other touchscreen devices.

Works with: all iPads

The Meko stylus can be used for note-taking, drawing, writing, and basic selection and navigation – and like the B&D option, it is also made of aluminum without any plastic parts. It uses a disc tip unlike others on this list. It’s also 100% compatible with any iPad, iPhone or touchscreen device, which isn’t always the case with stylii.