Procreate
Spline
| Feature | Procreate | Spline |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | From $12.99/mo | Free / from $9/mo |
| Free Plan | ✗ No | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.8 / 5 | 4.3 / 5 |
| Best For | digital-artists, illustrators, concept-artists, hobbyists | web-designers, product-designers, front-end-developers, creative-agencies |
| Founded | 2011 | 2020 |
| Digital Painting | ✓ | ✗ |
| Brushes | ✓ | ✗ |
| Layers | ✓ | ✗ |
| Animation Assist | ✓ | ✗ |
| Time Lapse | ✓ | ✗ |
| Color Tools | ✓ | ✗ |
| Apple Pencil Support | ✓ | ✗ |
| 3d Modeling | ✗ | ✓ |
| Real Time Collaboration | ✗ | ✓ |
| Animations | ✗ | ✓ |
| Interactions | ✗ | ✓ |
| Web Export | ✗ | ✓ |
| Materials | ✗ | ✓ |
| Physics | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Procreate Pros
- One-time purchase price (no subscription)
- Incredibly responsive and natural brush engine
- Massive brush library with custom brush creation
- Animation assist for frame-by-frame animation
✗ Procreate Cons
- iPad-only (no desktop or Android version)
- No vector support (raster only)
- Limited text and layout tools
✓ Spline Pros
- Browser-based with no installation required
- Easy to learn compared to traditional 3D tools
- Real-time collaboration like Figma for 3D
- Direct export to web (React, iframe, vanilla JS)
✗ Spline Cons
- Limited to simpler 3D scenes (not production rendering)
- Performance issues with complex models
- Fewer modeling tools than dedicated 3D software
The Verdict
Procreate is built for digital artists and illustrators, with a focus on digital-painting and brushes. Spline targets web designers and product designers and leads with 3d-modeling and real-time-collaboration.
Pricing is close: Spline starts at $9/mo versus $12.99/mo for Procreate — not a deciding factor on its own.
Spline has a free plan, which gives it a meaningful edge for individuals and small teams exploring their options. Procreate requires a paid subscription from day one.
Procreate edges out on user ratings (4.8 vs 4.3). While both are well-regarded, that gap reflects real differences in user satisfaction worth considering.
Bottom line: Procreate has a slight overall edge — but if browser-based with no installation required matters most to you, Spline may still be the right call.