Best Apps for Android

What is actually new in Android drawing apps in 2026

Quick answer

Four releases matter this year: Clip Studio Paint Ver. 5.0 on 11 March 2026 and Ver. 5.1.0 on 28 July 2026, ibisPaint 14.0.0 on 31 March 2026, MediBang Paletta arriving on Android for the first time on 14 May 2026, and Krita's Android specific fixes across March to June 2026. Sketchbook, Infinite Painter and Drawpile each shipped one smaller but real change.

This is a check of what shipped, not a review. We did not install these apps. We read the dated release notes, changelogs and vendor announcements, and every claim below is traced to one of them with a month and a year attached. Where a source was thin, or where we could not confirm something, we say so instead of filling the gap. For the wider picture of which apps to start with, see our best drawing apps for Android roundup.

Clip Studio Paint: Ver. 5.0 in March, Ver. 5.1 in July

Clip Studio Paint made the largest version jump in this category, and Android went out alongside desktop. Celsys announced Ver. 5.0 on 11 March 2026 and named Android among the launch platforms. It added Smart Shape for clean lines and shapes, 3D hand models to use as drawing reference, grouped 3D objects, faster rendering and fill, multi-layer tonal correction, and continuous save with restore.

Ver. 5.1.0 followed on 28 July 2026. The official release note page states it went out for Windows, macOS, iPad, iPhone and Android that day, with Glow, Inflate and Drop shadow filters, a Lab colour space in the sliders and palettes, painting directly onto 3D characters, 3D head replacement, a Vivid watercolour edge style and a reworked material palette. The same page dates 5.0.1 to 13 March, 5.0.2 to 30 March, 5.0.4 to 21 April and 5.0.5 to 14 May 2026.

The catch is the money. On Android there is no perpetual licence, only a subscription: the 5.0 announcement lists about $4.49 a month or $26.99 a year for PRO, and $8.99 a month or $76.99 a year for EX. Celsys documents a free tier of one hour a day on smartphones. Stop paying and you stop drawing. The heaviest new features want a capable tablet, and Celsys lists Android 9.0 as the floor. Parity with desktop is the vendor's claim, not something we confirmed.

Painting canvas showing a digital portrait with brush size and opacity sliders set to 0.8 and 100 above the bottom tool barAnime illustration on canvas with the Color Mixer window open, showing blended peach tones and a swatch row3D hand model posing tool with finger bend sliders and a second view of the hand placed against a head modelCanvas comparing two versions of a cartoon astronaut illustration with brush sliders reading 215.4 and 100 belowMesh transformation applied to a character drawing, with a triangle grid, control points and Cancel or OK buttonsMaterial library panel of brush and texture thumbnails open below a canvas with a rotation and move gizmo active
Screenshots from the Clip Studio Paint listing on Google Play, published by its developer, not captured by us · Google Play
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Painting canvas showing a digital portrait with brush size and opacity sliders set to 0.8 and 100 above the bottom tool bar
Canvas
Anime illustration on canvas with the Color Mixer window open, showing blended peach tones and a swatch row
Color mixer
3D hand model posing tool with finger bend sliders and a second view of the hand placed against a head model
3D hand pose
Canvas comparing two versions of a cartoon astronaut illustration with brush sliders reading 215.4 and 100 below
Canvas
Mesh transformation applied to a character drawing, with a triangle grid, control points and Cancel or OK buttons
Mesh transform
Material library panel of brush and texture thumbnails open below a canvas with a rotation and move gizmo active
Materials
Swipe to browse · tap ✕ to close

ibisPaint 14: the manga and colour release

ibisPaint shipped version 14.0.0 on 31 March 2026 across iPhone, iPad, Android, Windows and Mac, according to the official news entry, which names Android among the platforms. This is a real major release. It added Speech Bubble and Thin Arrow shapes for manga work, CMYK output for JPEG and flattened PSD, grayscale 8-bit and binary 1-bit colour spaces, multiple named colour palettes shareable by QR code, brushes reorganised into categories, Lasso Selection for the vector, text and frame divider tools, Layer Lock, Brush Lock, and Parallel and Concentric Gradation pens.

The point releases have kept coming. The same news index lists 14.0.6 on 6 July 2026, 14.0.8 on 28 July 2026 and 14.0.9 on 29 July 2026, which is a steady cadence by the standards of this category.

Two caveats. The free build, ibis Paint X, is heavily ad-gated, with several brushes and features unlocked by watching ads or paying for Prime, and a separate paid ad-free app exists, which makes the lineup confusing to buy into. The CMYK support is a save option, not a colour-managed print workflow, so do not plan a print job around it.

ibisPaint canvas with a blue and grey portrait drawing, undo and layer icons along the top, brush size and opacity sliders at the bottomDrawing app canvas with an anime character illustration and an in-app reference image window with a close button; toolbar above, sliders below
Screenshots from the ibis Paint X listing on Google Play, published by its developer and cropped by us to the app screen · Google Play
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ibisPaint canvas with a blue and grey portrait drawing, undo and layer icons along the top, brush size and opacity sliders at the bottom
Canvas
Drawing app canvas with an anime character illustration and an in-app reference image window with a close button; toolbar above, sliders below
Reference window
Swipe to browse · tap ✕ to close

MediBang Paletta: the only new arrival on Android

MediBang's corporate announcement, dated 14 May 2026, says Paletta came to Android for the first time after an iPad-first debut, and links the Play listing. It is a separate app from the older MediBang Paint, which is still being updated. The pitch is a fully customisable workspace: floating colour and layer panels, rearrangeable layouts, manga panel tools, a screentone library, and export for print and social. A MediBang launch-sale page and app directory listings show an update on 16 May 2026.

On cost, MediBang's own FAQ states the download is free with ads shown once every 30 minutes, and that an optional one-time purchase removes them, with no monthly subscription required. It is closed source and some features need an online account.

The honest warning: it is brand new on Android, so its behaviour across the enormous range of Android hardware is unproven, and an ad every half hour interrupts you mid-drawing. It also muddies MediBang's lineup rather than replacing anything. We could not read the Play Store rating or install count because that listing renders in JavaScript, so we quote no numbers for it.

Drawing canvas with a golden anime character, circular tool buttons across the top and two brush size and opacity sliders at the bottomEditor canvas showing a white-haired anime character, with undo, redo, flip and FX tool buttons and the brush sliders in viewColor picker panel open over the canvas, showing a hue ring, saturation square, swatches and the hex value 000000Layer panel open over an illustration, listing Watermark, Final and Backup layers with blend mode menus and an opacity sliderBrush panel open beside a portrait drawing, listing pencil brushes with stroke previews and one rough pencil entry highlightedLandscape tablet layout of the editor with a docked brush list on the left, tool column and a floating colour wheel at top right
Screenshots from the MediBang Paletta listing on Google Play, published by its developer, not captured by us · Google Play
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Drawing canvas with a golden anime character, circular tool buttons across the top and two brush size and opacity sliders at the bottom
Canvas
Editor canvas showing a white-haired anime character, with undo, redo, flip and FX tool buttons and the brush sliders in view
Canvas
Color picker panel open over the canvas, showing a hue ring, saturation square, swatches and the hex value 000000
Color picker
Layer panel open over an illustration, listing Watermark, Final and Backup layers with blend mode menus and an opacity slider
Layers
Brush panel open beside a portrait drawing, listing pencil brushes with stroke previews and one rough pencil entry highlighted
Brush list
Landscape tablet layout of the editor with a docked brush list on the left, tool column and a floating colour wheel at top right
Tablet layout
Swipe to browse · tap ✕ to close

Krita 5.3: Android finally got its own fixes

Krita 5.3.0 shipped on 24 March 2026, at the same time as 6.0.0 on desktop. What matters here is that the mobile build got dedicated attention rather than leftovers. 5.3.1.1, on 8 April 2026, was an Android-only hotfix: it fixed a crash on Android 12 and older when touching text controls, and repaired stylus workarounds for Xiaomi and OnePlus devices. 5.3.2, on 27 May 2026, moved asset copying off the main thread so Android stops killing Krita at startup. The official releases index also dates 5.3.1 to 31 March 2026 and 5.3.2.1 to 2 June 2026. A roadmap post of 12 March 2026 commits to QML tool option dockers shared between mobile and desktop, and to making the interface usable on tablets.

Krita is free and fully open source under the GPL, with no ads, works offline, and the Google Play build is the same APK as the one on krita.org. The supporter purchase is a donation.

Now the part people skip. Krita's own site still calls the Android build a beta aimed at tablets and Chromebooks and says it is not suitable for real work yet, and there is no phone interface. Krita 6 is not on Android at all, which the 5.3 and 6.0 release notes state outright. The better sounding Android items in the 29 June 2026 monthly report, an interface scale prompt on first run, timelapse export through Android's MediaEncoder, stylus barrel rotation and buyable resource packs via a Google Play subscription, are described as landing in the next release. Treat them as upcoming, not shipped.

Krita canvas showing a painted house entrance with ivy, layers docker and brush preset panel on the rightKrita welcome screen with Start, Community and News columns plus a recent document thumbnail of a character drawingKrita workspace with a painted autumn road landscape on canvas and the layers and brush preset dockers openKrita editing an anime character illustration with the triangular colour selector and a multi layer stack on the rightKrita showing a black and white comic page with multiple panels open on canvas and vector and paint layers listedKrita canvas with a cartoon cat character in a yellow and orange outfit and a long layer list in the docker
Screenshots from the Krita listing on Google Play, published by its developer, not captured by us · Google Play
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Krita canvas showing a painted house entrance with ivy, layers docker and brush preset panel on the right
Canvas
Krita welcome screen with Start, Community and News columns plus a recent document thumbnail of a character drawing
Welcome screen
Krita workspace with a painted autumn road landscape on canvas and the layers and brush preset dockers open
Painting
Krita editing an anime character illustration with the triangular colour selector and a multi layer stack on the right
Layers
Krita showing a black and white comic page with multiple panels open on canvas and vector and paint layers listed
Comic page
Krita canvas with a cartoon cat character in a yellow and orange outfit and a long layer list in the docker
Character art
Swipe to browse · tap ✕ to close

Sketchbook 6.2.5 and 6.2.6: two new tools, both paid

Sketchbook has been coasting for years, so two new tools count as news. The official release notes date Android 6.2.5 to 12 April 2026. It introduced Draw Outline, which strokes a selection with the active brush, and Lasso Fill, which fills a lasso selection with solid colour. Both sit inside the paid Premium Bundle. The same release added Copy, Cut and Paste to the selection toolbar, an active swatch indicator in palettes, fill tools wired into Randomize Color, and a batch of Scan Sketches fixes specific to Android. 6.2.6, on 31 May 2026, tidied the new tools: Draw Outline tracking when zoomed out, Lasso Fill artefacts caused by multi-touch, and a crash when creating layers mid-fill.

The base app is free and works offline. The two headline tools are behind a $2.99 one-time Premium Bundle. CG Channel's article of 27 April 2026 on Sketchbook Pro 9.4 states the same two features are in the 6.2.5 mobile builds for Android and iOS inside that bundle.

This is catch-up, not a leap. Rivals shipped equivalents years ago, the new tools are paywalled, and iOS received them two days later, so there is no Android exclusive angle.

Sketchbook canvas with a painted portrait, the top tool bar visible and the vertical brush palette open along the left edgeColour editor panel with HSL wheel, analogous swatches, hex value BDDBA3 and H, S and L sliders over a green landscape drawingBrush library open over a red flower painting, showing the Synthetic Oil brush selected inside the Basic Extended brush gridPencil drawing of a dog's head with a vertical symmetry guide down the centre and the symmetry tool bar above the canvasPainted sky with cloud shapes on the canvas and the brush palette down the left side with a stamp brush selectedLayer3 options overlay showing Copy, Cut, Merge, Lock Layer and HSL Adjustment buttons, opacity 100 and Blending set to Normal
Screenshots from the Sketchbook listing on Google Play, published by its developer, not captured by us · Google Play
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Sketchbook canvas with a painted portrait, the top tool bar visible and the vertical brush palette open along the left edge
Canvas
Colour editor panel with HSL wheel, analogous swatches, hex value BDDBA3 and H, S and L sliders over a green landscape drawing
Color picker
Brush library open over a red flower painting, showing the Synthetic Oil brush selected inside the Basic Extended brush grid
Brush library
Pencil drawing of a dog's head with a vertical symmetry guide down the centre and the symmetry tool bar above the canvas
Symmetry
Painted sky with cloud shapes on the canvas and the brush palette down the left side with a stamp brush selected
Stamps
Layer3 options overlay showing Copy, Cut, Merge, Lock Layer and HSL Adjustment buttons, opacity 100 and Blending set to Normal
Layer menu
Swipe to browse · tap ✕ to close

Infinite Painter 7.2.9: text layers, reported in May 2026

Infinite Painter finally got a text tool. The APKMirror upload of 7.2.9, dated 11 May 2026, carries a changelog describing fully editable text layers with snapping and alignment guides, custom font import with variable font settings, controls for alignment, spacing and letter casing, advanced justification called Scale Justify and Balance Lines, and support for right-to-left scripts and emoji. The same build is reported to improve timelapse recording and to fix project version Restore. Earlier 2026 uploads on that page are 7.2.3 on 7 January, 7.2.4 on 15 January and 7.2.7 on 29 January 2026.

We rate this one medium confidence. Our source is a changelog on a mirror listing rather than a dated vendor announcement, we did not verify the text tool ourselves, and the changelog is shared with the iOS build, so some lines in it are not Android relevant. It is also one feature in a point release, and text layers are table stakes in Clip Studio Paint and ibisPaint. The app is a free download with a paid Pro unlock covering HD canvases, more layers, adjustment and live filter layers, groups and masks. Development is slow, and Android 9.0 or newer is required.

Phone drawing app showing a red pencil portrait sketch of a woman on canvas texture, with a small toolbar and colour dots at the bottom.Drawing app with a brush menu open over a painted forest scene, listing brush categories and named strokes such as Old Oil and Palette Knife.Phone showing a black and white painted street scene with hanging lanterns, a vertical tool column on the left and small icons top right.Drawing app tools panel over a blue painted landscape, with Create and Edit tabs and rows for tools, guides, shapes, symmetry and perspective.App screen with a colour wheel picker at bottom left and a small reference photo pinned top right, over a painting of a girl holding flowers.
Screenshots from the Infinite Painter listing on Google Play, published by its developer and cropped by us to the app screen · Google Play
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Phone drawing app showing a red pencil portrait sketch of a woman on canvas texture, with a small toolbar and colour dots at the bottom.
Sketch canvas
Drawing app with a brush menu open over a painted forest scene, listing brush categories and named strokes such as Old Oil and Palette Knife.
Brush menu
Phone showing a black and white painted street scene with hanging lanterns, a vertical tool column on the left and small icons top right.
Greyscale sketch
Drawing app tools panel over a blue painted landscape, with Create and Edit tabs and rows for tools, guides, shapes, symmetry and perspective.
Tools panel
App screen with a colour wheel picker at bottom left and a small reference photo pinned top right, over a painting of a girl holding flowers.
Colour wheel
Swipe to browse · tap ✕ to close

Drawpile 2.3.1 beta: collaborative drawing, sideload only

Drawpile is the niche pick: several people paint on one canvas at once. The project's news page announced 2.3.1-beta.1 on 16 May 2026, and F-Droid added that build for net.drawpile on 18 May 2026. The previous stable, 2.3.0, was added to F-Droid on 22 November 2025. The beta is largely an Android maintenance round: autorecovery now resumes automatically because the OS silently kills backgrounded apps, dynamic scaling was added, devices older than Android 8 work again, first-attempt session disconnects on some devices were fixed, stylus barrel rotation on Wacom artist pens is no longer misread as tilt, and save filenames are remembered on reconnect because Android will not let you overwrite files. Timelapses and animation improvements are in there too.

It is free and open source under GPL-3.0-or-later, with no ads, and local drawing works offline, though the collaborative part needs a network session. The caveats are large. This is explicitly a beta on F-Droid's beta channel as of that date, so you would have to enable beta updates or sideload it, and no stable 2.3.1 has been announced. We did not verify a Google Play listing. The userbase is tiny, and the app targets group and stream drawing rather than solo illustration.

What we checked and found quiet

Half the value of a check like this is the apps where nothing much happened. We looked at these and found no 2026 headline worth writing:

  • Concepts: its own Android roadmap lists hover preview of the active brush or tool with a stylus in 2026.3 (March 2026) as the only real addition. 2026.4 was described as fixing a few minor issues, and 2026.06.4 covered gallery performance plus stability in layers, sign-in and selection. Object Sharing and Cross Platform Convergence are listed as under construction with no dates.
  • HiPaint: the 6.3.x builds in mid-2026 added a Curve Tuning filter and a navigator flip. Incremental.
  • Fossify Paint: 1.4.0 was added to F-Droid on 1 February 2026, but it is still a beta-labelled basic doodle app.
  • Adobe Fresco: still no Android version as of mid-2026.
  • Procreate: no Android announcement. The vendor's position remains Apple only.
  • Adobe Photoshop on Android: it exists, but that launch was June 2025, not 2026, and it is photo editing rather than drawing.

If your shortlist is still open, start from our best drawing apps for Android roundup and treat this page as the 2026 addendum to it.

Which Android drawing app had the biggest update in 2026?

Clip Studio Paint. Ver. 5.0 arrived on 11 March 2026 with Smart Shape, 3D hand models as drawing reference and multi-layer tonal correction, and Ver. 5.1.0 followed on 28 July 2026 with Glow, Inflate and Drop shadow filters, a Lab colour space and painting directly onto 3D characters. Android shipped on the same dates as desktop. The trade-off is that Android is subscription only, with no perpetual licence.

Is there a genuinely new drawing app on Android in 2026?

Yes. MediBang Paletta reached Android for the first time on 14 May 2026, after an iPad-first debut. It is a separate app from MediBang Paint, which is still being updated. Per MediBang's own FAQ the download is free with an ad every 30 minutes, and a one-time purchase removes the ads with no monthly subscription. Because it is new on Android, its stability across different hardware is unproven.

Is Krita on Android ready for serious work yet?

Not according to Krita itself. The project's site still calls the Android build a beta aimed at tablets and Chromebooks and says it is not suitable for real work yet, and there is no phone interface. Krita 6 is not on Android at all. What did land in 2026 is stability work: an Android-only hotfix on 8 April 2026 and a startup fix on 27 May 2026.

Which of these apps are free with no ads?

Krita and Drawpile. Both are open source, Krita under the GPL and Drawpile under GPL-3.0-or-later, and neither shows ads. Krita's supporter purchase is only a donation. ibis Paint X and MediBang Paletta are free but ad-supported, Sketchbook's two new 2026 tools sit behind a $2.99 one-time bundle, Infinite Painter has a paid Pro unlock, and Clip Studio Paint on Android is subscription only.

Can I get the new Drawpile from Google Play?

We could not verify a Google Play listing. The 2.3.1-beta.1 build was announced on 16 May 2026 and added to F-Droid on 18 May 2026 on its beta channel, so you would need to enable beta updates in F-Droid or sideload it. It is explicitly a beta and no stable 2.3.1 has been announced. The previous stable, 2.3.0, was added to F-Droid on 22 November 2025.

New Android Drawing Apps in 2026: What Actually Shipped