Getting your art out there has never been easier than it is today. Just a few decades ago, people needed sophisticated tools and other expensive methods to show others their creative talent. Digital platforms have revolutionized this landscape and a lot of artists are getting recognized every day. However, if you're looking for drawing apps for Mac, you can find a ton of options and it can be a little overwhelming.
LibreCAD is an open source CAD tool that supports Mac, Windows, and Linux operating systems. The tool comes with 2D drawing features such as a snap tool, dimensioning, and annotations. It also supports multiple file imports and exports. 2D drawing in LibreCAD (Source). Find the best Best Vector Graphics Software for Mac. Compare product reviews and features to build your list. Krita is a free professional drawing program for. The best home design software draws on a pre-loaded library of common household objects and fittings, letting you create your ideal home room by room. Best value, best for Mac (Image credit: TurboCAD). Its drawing tools are very good and it feels more like using an illustration program. Photoshop has been around for a long time and it gets new updates every year. It's one of the most sophisticated drawing apps for Mac and will be a lot of help for a creator. You can create your own image and also edit other images to your liking. This software has a lot of love and support all over the world and it's easy to understand why.
In this article, we are going to streamline that list so that you can choose the best drawing app for you. Let's jump into it.
Contents
- 1 10 Best Drawing Apps for Mac
- 2 19 Free Drawing Software For Macbook 2021
10 Best Drawing Apps for Mac
We have compiled a list of 8 best drawing apps for Mac that you can get today. The list is ranked based on which app we think is the best, but you can choose whichever app suits your art style.
1. Adobe Photoshop
What can I say about Adobe Photoshop that hasn't been said already? Photoshop has been around for a long time and it gets new updates every year. It's one of the most sophisticated drawing apps for Mac and will be a lot of help for a creator. You can create your own image and also edit other images to your liking. This software has a lot of love and support all over the world and it's easy to understand why. There are a lot of videos online that's going to help you learn Photoshop and there's a large online community who'd be happy to help you. The newest version, Photoshop 2020, has an AI called Adobe Sensei that will help you get better selections.
Photoshop is great, but it is expensive. You will have to pay a subscription fee of $20.99/month if billed annually and you can do so here. So if you're new to the creator scene, then I'd recommend checking out other entries.
2. Autodesk Sketchbook
If you want a professional drawing app with a lot of bells and whistles and if you want it for free, then Autodesk Sketchbook is for you. This app is so versatile and feature-rich that it will appeal to a lot of people. It has a minimalistic design and is preferred by a lot of content creators. There are over 140 brushes and you can even import brushes created by other artists. You can also get custom perspective guides among other things.
You can check out more features and download the app by clicking on this link.
3. Corel Painter
Corel Painter is an app that's designed by creators for creators. It has a wide variety of tools you can use to propel your art to the next level. With over 900 brushes, this app is loved by many artists. Corel Painter also supports GPU acceleration so that you can get your work done much faster. Their website has hundreds of videos that will help you perform better.
Corel Painter costs $339.99 and there's no subscription. You can download the app here.
4. Rebelle 3
If you are into realistic painting, then you will find Rebelle 3 appealing. It's a unique app that uses realistic watercolor, acrylic paint simulations. The resulting image will look like it was made on paper with real colors and if this suits your art style, then you should definitely go for it. It makes the colors seem extremely realistic and you can even get simulated watercolor drops. This app was supposed to be an experimental software designed by Peter Blaškovič and it is popular among watercolor painters and CG artists.
You can check out Rebelle 3 and its features on its website. You can get Rebelle 3 for $89.99.
5. FireAlpaca
If you are new to digital drawing or if you have older Macs, then FireAlpaca should be a nice fit for you. It doesn't have as many features as the earlier entries on the list, but that's why it's recommended to beginners. You won't find the options overwhelming and you can worry about getting a more powerful Mac later on. It's a small app that's simple, easy and free to use.
Mac os pdf editor. You can check out the feature list of FireAlpaca on their website.
6. Preview
Preview comes pre-installed on a Mac and it can do much more than sign PDFs. If you want a simple drawing app for random doodles, the Preview should be good enough. You can open up any image on Preview and click on the Markup icon (pictured above) to access a lot more menus. It can help you doodle, make notes and even select shapes with the lasso tool. Since this is an in-built app, you don't have to download anything.
7. Clip Studio Paint
If your dream is to become the best mangaka on Za Warudo!(means 'the world' for all of my readers who are not JoJo fans), then you deserve a great manga illustrator. Clip Studio Paint is highly recommended if you draw a lot of manga panels. You can decide panel layouts and customize the tools for your art style pretty quickly. This drawing app for Mac also works great if you want to draw comics.
Clip Studio Paint is available for the free trial and you can get the standard version for $49.99. You can get the full-featured version for $219.99.
8. MediBang Paint
MediBang Paint, just like Clip Studio Paint is aimed at anime and comic-book artists. It has over 50 brushes and a large number of backgrounds that you can choose from. They have tons of tutorials for you on their website and you can snap grids and arrange the panels easily. This app is also available on iPhones and iPads. Medibang Paint is available for free and you can download it here.
9. Inkscape
Inkscape is an app that will appeal to a wide variety of creative people. It can help you create anything from sketches to website designs. It's a versatile app that's open-source and free to use. Inkscape also has a very helpful community that will help you use the app.
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You can download Inkscape for free by clicking on this link.
10. Patina
Patina is another simple app that lets you create sketches to your heart's content and simply moves everything else out of the way. It has a simple layout and it's extremely simple to use. you can use it to make a lot of sketches and doodles on other images too. Patina has a lot of essential features but misses out on stuff like multiple layers. This app is, however, perfect for beginner artists.
Patina is a free app available on the App Store and you can download here.
19 Free Drawing Software For Macbook 2021
Here is the total list of top Drawing tools and Apps for your Macbook.
- Adobe Photoshop
- Autodesk Sketchbook
- Corel Painter
- Rebelle 3
- FireAlpaca
- Preview
- Clip Studio Paint
- MediBang Paint
- Inkscape
- Patina
- Adobe Illustrator
- Leonardo
- Affinity Designer
- Krita
- Tayasui Sketches
- Paintbrush
- Tayasui Sketches
- Sketch
- Sip
Final Take
These are some of the best drawing apps for Mac. I hope that this article was helpful to you. If you have any doubts or if we missed your favorite app, then please let us know in the comments section down below and we will get back to you as soon as we can.
If you're looking for CAD software for Mac, you're not without options. We've found some standout Mac and cloud-based CAD platforms for you.
You're likely to hit a wall if you're searching for computer-aided design (CAD) software designed for Mac. There are plenty of CAD software options for Windows—you'll see many of them in our list of the top AutoCAD alternatives—but only a handful offer support for Mac.
And, if you think you'll bypass the issue by using a cloud-based CAD tool, you'll quickly find that CAD vendors haven't embraced the cloud as much as other types of software vendors have, so the offerings are still largely on-premise. According to Gartner's Hype Cycle for IT Evolution (full content available to Gartner clients), cloud-native CAD applications still have five to 10 years before they reach mainstream adoption.
But fear not, Mac users. We've done some digging and have put together this list of the top-rated CAD software for Mac. Read more about our methodology at the bottom of this article.
5 Best CAD Software for Mac (presented alphabetically)
Jump to:
CorelCAD
FreeCAD
Fusion 360
LibreCAD
Onshape
1. CorelCAD
CorelCAD offers 2D drafting and 3D design capabilities, such as the drawing constraints feature for creating different geometric shapes faster and the push and pull feature for 3D direct modeling.
3D modeling in CorelCAD (Source)
Common user feedback trends
Based on analyses of user reviews on Capterra, here's an overview of the areas of CorelCAD they like best, as well as those they feel could use improvement.
Best Drafting Program For Mac Computers
What users like:
- The short learning curve: Users mention that the tool is easy to use and beginners don't have to spend a lot of time learning it.
- Compatibility with multiple file types: Users like the fact that the tool is compatible with DWG, PDF, ACIS, DXF, STL, CDR, and other file formats.
What users think could be improved:
- Software reliability issues: Some users mention that the software tends to crash at times.
- Better dimension functionality: Some users would like a better dimensioning feature for more accurate drawings of angles and proportions.
Who can use CorelCAD
CorelCAD can be used by construction businesses for collaborative editing on multiple devices. It offers native iOS applications, which makes it easy for field crews to add annotations in graphics and share files using their iPhones and iPads. Additionally, the tool allows team members to leave recorded messages and instructions for colleagues embedded in the graphics using a voice note tool.
2. FreeCAD
FreeCAD is an open source CAD tool that works on Mac as well as Windows and Linux. It reads many common file formats such as STEP, IGES, STL, SVG, DXF, OBJ, IFC, and DAE.
It offers different modules, including a drawing sheets module that converts 3D models into 2D views, a rendering module that can export 3D objects, and an architecture module for a BIM-like workflow.
3D model of a building in FreeCAD (Source)
Common user feedback trends
Based on analysis of user reviews on Capterra, here's an overview of the areas of FreeCAD they like best, as well as those they feel could use improvement.
What users like:
- Feature-richness for a free tool: Users mention that, although it's free, the tool comes with a full set of features.
- Reliability: Users mention that the tool does not demand a lot of CPU power and works well on devices with low RAM.
What users think could be improved:
- Steep learning curve: Users mention that the tool is not the most user-friendly solution and can be difficult for beginners to learn.
- Dependent on community for updates: Users mention that modules ignored by the community tend to become outdated quickly.
Who can use FreeCAD
FreeCAD appears to be best for hobbyists and home users. It's also good for users who don't have a high budget for software but still want to tinker with CAD modeling.
FreeCAD could also be a good choice for businesses on a budget looking for a free and open-source option.
3. Fusion 360
Fusion 360 is a CAD tool from Autodesk with design functionalities such as sketching and 3D modeling. It also supports project management with features such as task management, document management, and collaborative image editing.
Document management in Fusion 360 (Source)
Common user feedback trends
Based on analysis of user reviews on Capterra, here's an overview of the areas of Fusion 360 they like best, as well as those they feel could use improvement.
What users like:
- Comprehensive design features: User mention that the tool offers all the functionalities necessary for 2D and 3D designing.
- Availability of training resources: Users like the fact that the tool comes with ample documentation and tutorials.
What users think could be improved:
- System crashes: Users mention that the tool tends to crash, especially when designing and rendering large files.
- Steep learning curve: Users mention that it can take a lot of time to learn the advanced functionalities of the tool.
Who can use Fusion 360
Fusion 360 is part of the Autodesk ecosystem designed for the AEC industry. This makes the tool suitable for construction businesses that are already using, or intend to use, other Autodesk solutions. Using a software vendor that offers multiple solutions will especially benefit larger businesses that invariably need software that can scale with their growing requirements.
4. LibreCAD
LibreCAD is an open source CAD tool that supports Mac, Windows, and Linux operating systems. The tool comes with 2D drawing features such as a snap tool, dimensioning, and annotations. It also supports multiple file imports and exports.
2D drawing in LibreCAD (Source)
Common user feedback trends
Based on analysis of user reviews on Capterra, here's an overview of the areas of LibreCAD they like best, as well as those they feel could use improvement.
What users like:
- Ease of use: Users mention that the tool offers an intuitive and easy-to-use interface.
- Lots of tutorials: Users like the fact that there are ample video tutorials that help them get started with the tool.
What users think could be improved:
- Software speed: Users mention that the software tends to lag, especially when trying to print designs.
- Add support for 3D design: Users would like to see functionalities for creating 3D designs.
Who can use LibreCAD
LibreCAD is an exclusively 2D CAD tool for drawing and designing blueprints of buildings, layouts of parks, and the like. As a free tool, the solution can be used by small and midsize businesses across different industries, including manufacturing, engineering, architecture, and construction.
5. Onshape
Onshape is a cloud-only CAD solution that comes with features such as document management with version control, collaborative design creation/editing capabilities, and reporting dashboards to understand project status.
Importing documents in Onshape (Source)
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Common user feedback trends
Based on analysis of user reviews on Capterra, here's an overview of the areas of Onshape they like best, as well as those they feel could use improvement.
What users like:
- Document version control: Users like the document management features of the tool, such as version history.
- Intuitive interface: Users mention that the tool comes with an intuitive interface for easy image editing.
What users think could be improved:
- Performance issues: Some users mention that the tool does not function well on non-Chrome browsers and has file loading issues.
- Lack of features: Users mention that the tool should improve certain features such as 2D drawing and 3D surfacing.
Who can use Onshape
As a fully-cloud based tool, Onshape is ideal for businesses that need to manage design documents collaboratively with multiple stakeholders. The tool's collaboration functionalities include document sharing, document editing, comments, and file downloads in multiple CAD formats, such as Parasolid, ACIS, STEP, and IGES.
Next steps
This report offers a mix of Mac CAD solutions—from free tools that can help you with basic 2D drawing to advanced solutions offering extensive 3D modeling functionalities.
If these tools don't meet your needs, expand your search and check out more options. To help you, we've created a CAD software comparison page where you can explore products using different filters, such as features offered and pricing options.
If you're looking to understand the CAD software market better, we also recommend that you read the articles listed below: |
Methodology
To be shortlisted, products had to fulfill the following criteria:
- Products had to be compatible with Mac and offer core CAD software capabilities, such as:
- 2D drawing or 3D modeling features
- Collaborative editing of drawings
- Products needed a minimum of 20 user reviews on Capterra (published in the last two years).
- Products had to have a high overall rating (an average of at least 4 out of 5 on Capterra).
Note: The content in this piece that provides opinions and points of view expressed by users. Mac quick fix. It does not represent the views of Capterra.
Best Drafting Program For Mac Software
Looking for Construction Management software? Check out Capterra's list of the best Construction Management software solutions.
