The best iPad stylus for drawing and note-taking

If you choose an Apple Pencil as the best iPad stylus for you, you’ll need to choose the right one for your iPad. The newest is the Apple Pencil Pro, which is only compatible with the iPad Pro 13-inch (M4) as well as the iPad Pro 11-inch (M4), the iPad Air 13-inch (M2) and the iPad Air 11-inch (M2).

The Apple Pencil 2 is compatible with the iPad Air (4th-generation and up), plus all iPad Pro models since 2018, and the most recent iPad mini (6th-gen). 

The first-generation Apple Pencil works with the current standard iPads (the 2020 10.2-inch model / 2022 10.9-inch model) plus older iPad Pro, Air and mini models. For more details see our guide to the Apple Pencil vs Apple Pencil 2 where we cover in length the differences between the two models as well as their compatibility. If you’re not sure which iPad you have, check our iPad generations list.

The best iPad stylus for you will depends a lot on your needs, but for most people, a comfortable hold is critical. A stylus is no good if using it is less comfortable than simply using your finger on the touchscreen. A good stylus should sit easily in your hand and be comfortable to use for long periods. Of course, you also need a tip that won’t scratch your screen, which is the reason why you should avoid super-cheap styluses from dodgy-looking websites.

If you want a stylus simply to navigate on your iPad and maybe take down notes, those two criteria may be enough, and you may even opt for a budget passive stylus with no wireless connectivity. However, if you want to use your iPad stylus to sketch or illustrate, then you’ll want to consider paying more for more sophisticated features. The terms below are the ones to look out for.

Pressure sensitivity: This is important for drawing and you’ll see it mentioned a lot in our guide above. Cheaper styluses have only two states of operation – drawing a line, or not drawing a line. However, premium styluses with pressure sensitivity can detect how hard you’re pressing and vary the thickness of the line accordingly. In digital art, this is hugely important.

Different styluses offer different levels of pressure sensitivity (as do different tablets). Styluses with 2,048 distinct levels of pressure sensitivity are fairly common, but some offer as many as 8,192. Apple is notably quiet about how many levels its Pencil can detect, though it’s clearly quite a few. 

Palm rejection: With palm rejection, you can rest your hand comfortably on the surface of the tablet while you’re drawing without it impacting on your work, just as you would a piece of paper. Without it, the tablet may get confused with the multiple input signals. If you’re planning to spend long sessions drawing, a stylus with palm rejection will make things much more fluid and comfortable. 

Tilt sensitivity: like with pressure sensitivity, tilt sensitivity allows you to fine-tune your drawing. It allows the tablet to detect the angle at which the stylus is being placed against the screen. This allows you to vary line shape and thickness in a very intuitive manner, just as you would with a pen or pencil. 

Wireless connectivity: Some of the above features require the stylus to be connected to your tablet, via Bluetooth or other wireless technology. This differentiates them from passive styluses, which have no connection are are work in the same way as using your finger.

A stylus that has been certified or designed specifically for an iPad, like the Apple Pencil or a third-party option like a Zagg Pro Stylus, will be made with a soft tip and therefore will be unlikely to run any risk of damaging an iPad. The only real danger will be if you use a stylus that isn’t intended for an iPad, and hasn’t been optimised specifically for an iPad screen. It may damage the iPad screen, and also probably won’t work all that well. So stick with an iPad-specific stylus and you shouldn’t run into any problems. 

In theory, yes. Passive styluses that don’t have wireless connection can be used with any tablet because they work in a similar way to using your finger, simply by applying pressure to the screen. That said, we recommend only buying from a reputable brand to avoid damaging your tablet’s display (see the question above).

However, if you want to take advantage of more sophisticated features, you’ll want an iPad stylus that connects to your tablet in order to provide it with more input. There are hundreds of such styluses advertised as iPad-compatible, but they provide different features and experiences. We recommend the Apple Pencil since it’s one of the few choices that provide full pressure sensitivity, tilt recognition and palm rejection support for a better drawing experience.