Procreate is Apple's best-selling iPad app of 2018

Posted by IDG Connect
on December 04 2018

Art apps like Procreate Pocket and Pixelmator Pro feature in Apple's Best of 2018 lists.

Ubiquitous drawing and painting iPad app Procreate was the top-selling iPad app this year to date, according to Apple's Best of 2018 campaign. The iPad maker's regular end-of-year programme brings together the highest-grossing apps, games, books, songs and albums for its mobile devices – plus a selection of 'editor's picks' that also includes a few Mac apps too.

Procreate is the most highly regarded art app and is exclusive to the iPad, though a cut-down version – Procreate Pocket – is available for the iPhone. In the opinion of most artists and illustrators we know, no other app comes close to its toolset or fluid painting experience. Its success has lead to Adobe developing its own rival, Project Gemini, which is currently in beta.

Procreate 4.2 was released last month, adding new Quickshape and Liquify Dynamics tools – plus support for the new Apple Pencil's tappable 'buttons' that we looked at in our iPad Pro review.

Procreate 4.2 costs £9.99/$9.99 from the Apple App Store.

The £4.99/$4.99 Procreate Pocket was awarded iPhone App of the Year by the App Store's 'editors'.

Back on Mac

Low-cost Photoshop rival Pixelmator Pro was given Mac App of the Year. This combines photo-editing, layout and typography, and painting tools – building on the features of the long-standing iOS app Pixelmator.

Other apps given awards by the store include Froggipedia for iPad and Sweat for Apple TV, with games highlighted including Donut Country (iPhone – below), Gorogoa (iPad), The Gardens Between (Mac) and the beautiful Alto's Odyssey (Apple TV). We interviewed Alto's lead designer about creating an almost-mediative experience in the game, which is also available for iPhone, iPad and Android devices.

The highest-grossing apps and games included Driving Theory Test 2018 Kit, Heads Up! and Minecraft. The Greatest Showman soundtrack was the top album, with Drake's song God's Plan topping the music charts. The best-selling books were The Wife Between Us by Sarah Pekkanen, Greer Hendricks for fiction and This is Going to Hurt by Adam Kay in non-fiction.

Apple didn't announce the best-selling Mac App Store apps, perhaps because it would have been dominated by its own apps.