Adobe InDesign vs Procreate
Adobe InDesign
adobe.comProcreate
procreate.comSide by side
| Figure | Adobe InDesign | Procreate |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $19.99/mo | — |
| Free plan | — | — |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| API | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 9 | 4 |
| Spec score · Graphic Design Software | 9.2 (#10) | 7.9 (#92) |
| Spec score · Design tools | 9.2 (#10) | 7.9 (#90) |
| Spec score · Designing Solutions | 9.2 (#2) | 7.5 (#26) |
| Desktop app | Yes | No |
| Free plan | No | No |
| Illustration tools | No | Its features include Transform, Warp, layers with blend modes, selections, and effects. |
| Mobile app | No | Yes |
| What it does | InDesign creates and publishes books, digital magazines, posters, brochures, eBooks, presentations and other print or digital layouts. | Procreate is an iPad creative app for making sketches, paintings, illustrations, and animations. |
Plans
Adobe InDesign
- Creative Cloud Pro for students and teachers$19.99 a month
- InDesign$22.99 a month
- InDesign$22.99 a month
- Creative Cloud Pro$34.99 a month
- Creative Cloud Pro$34.99 a month
- InDesign for teams$37.99 a month
- InDesign for teams$37.99 a month
- Creative Cloud Pro for teams$99.99 a month
- InDesign annual prepaid$263.88 a year
Procreate
- ProcreatePrice not published
- Procreate Pocket$5.99, paid once
- Procreate Dreams$12.99, paid once
- Procreate for iPad$12.99, paid once
In their own words
Adobe InDesign
Adobe InDesign is a professional page-layout application for designing, preflighting, and publishing content for print, web, and tablet apps. It can produce brochures, digital magazines, eBooks, posters, and presentations, with precise typography controls and access to Adobe Fonts. Adobe describes layout and AI features including Flex Layout, layout-aware Rewrite, PDF-to-InDesign conversion, generated alt text, and Generative Expand. InDesign integrates with Photoshop, Illustrator, and Acrobat, and includes tools for sharing assets, receiving feedback, and collaborating with stakeholders. It runs on macOS and Windows as a desktop app, not a mobile app, and is available only through a membership plan. A seven-day trial provides the full version but converts to a paid Creative Cloud membership unless canceled before it ends. The InDesign plan includes 100GB cloud storage and 25 monthly generative credits; Creative Cloud Pro plans include access to 20+ apps. For versions 21.3 and later, Adobe lists at least 8GB RAM and an internet connection for activation, subscription validation, and online services.