Technologies

Best iPad Drawing Apps to Try in 2023

Find your inner digital artist with Procreate’s blank canvas, creative coloring books and everything in between.

Of all my favorite hobbies, drawing digitally certainly tops the charts. Stretching my skillset with digital art on my iPad gives me the chance to explore different artistic figures, forms and styles, and create art without having to haul out all the supplies for a more traditional medium. So getting to experiment around to find the best drawing apps for iPad users looking to dive into the digital art world has been a blast.

I use a third-gen iPad Air and a first-gen Apple Pencil. But regardless of your iOS device, ultimately the best drawing app for iPad art is one that supports you in being creative and expressing yourself. So whether you can draw a symmetrical face or have more of a Jackson Pollock flair for splatters, you and digital artists across the globe will be sure to find the perfect app among our picks of the best iPad drawing apps.

Read more: Best iPad for 2023

Procreate

Best overall

The Procreate iPad drawing app — a CNET Editors’ Choice pick for 2022 — costs $13 to download, but its suite of art tools and creative features make it well worth the money. The digital illustration app is accessible whether you’re a design professional, a seasoned digital artist or a beginner to the world of digital illustration. I’ve been using Procreate for a couple years and there are still features I’m finding out about that improve my artwork (check out all of the best Procreate tips I’ve found so far).

Procreate lets you customize gesture controls so the app is ultimately personalized to you. No matter what level of artist you are, Procreate’s features like Quickshape, blend mode, layering, alpha locks and clipping masks can add a new level of professionalism to your art.

There’s a lot going on in this app, so I wouldn’t download it if you’re just looking for a place to doodle. For quick reference in the app, check out the official Procreate Handbook.

Read our Procreate review.

See at App Store

Autodesk Sketchbook

Best free drawing app

The Autodesk Sketchbook app is free, but is surprisingly packed with art tools that aren’t blocked by paywalls. You can use the free version for seven days and then you’ll be asked to make an Autodesk ID, which is also free. It’s a little less intimidating than Procreate when you’re starting off your digital art journey. When you download the sketch app, it’ll give you a quick tutorial of where all the basic tools are.

Autodesk has an extensive, well-organized brush library, and with its customizable brushes, it’s easy to adjust settings like brush size, opacity and pressure. Even with a typical learning curve of a new drawing app, the toolbar is pretty easy to figure out. I also liked that, even when extensively zoomed in, the app didn’t lose its «drawing» feel by letting you see the pixels in your stroke.

One of my favorite parts of Sketchbook is the focus on making the transition from paper to screen easy. You might’ve done cool sketching in a notebook, and with Autodesk, you don’t have to redraw the sketch in the app. Your camera doubles as a scanner so you can import your art. The image imports with a transparent background so you can immediately get to work in the app.

See at App Store

Art Set 4

Best for beginners

Art Set 4 is one of the more basic, realistic drawing apps. It’s free to download, but most of its tools are unlocked through the Premium Pro features, which cost $10. This app would be best if you’re brand-new to digital illustration — it feels similar to having physical tools and paper in front of you. I love its user interface. If you’re overwhelmed by the idea of going into a more complex app like Procreate or Autodesk, the Art Set 4 drawing tool is a good one to get started with. It’s also fun if you just want to doodle.

Something I really like about Art Set 4 is the ease with which even the free tools work together in a piece. It’s also nice that you can swap between multicolored paper styles like canvas and the rough surface of heavyweight, cold press sheets for watercolor. You can choose burlap styles, cardboard and grids without messing up a drawing you’ve already done.

When you explore the app, any items that require Premium Pro will be locked. If you tap on a locked item, Art Set will ask if you want to upgrade and unlock everything. Premium gives you full access to over 150 brushes, 3D paint, fluid watercolor, the ability to layer and use masks, enable a «wet canvas,» drawing guides like symmetry, shapes, filling and dozens of other ways to customize your workspace.

See at App Store

Shelby Brown/CNET

Lake

Best for coloring book fans

Not everything you create in an art app has to be a massive endeavor that ends with a masterpiece. Having fun is the most important part. Simply coloring can make for a creative and relaxing afternoon. Lake is a free ASMR art app packed with coloring book sheets — in all different styles — from artists all over the world.

The app’s audio element is particularly cool. For example, if you do digital painting with the paint brush, you’ll hear quiet brush sounds. If you choose the spray paint tool, you’ll hear a ball bearing rattling like it would if you shook a paint can. You can turn the ASMR off in settings.

Another thing I liked was the option to stay in the lines and add more color for shading and effects. It gives you more room to be creative instead of just tapping and filling (though you can do that if you want). Also, the artist for each coloring page puts together an optional palette for you to use if you’re not sure about colors.

You can stay on the app’s dashboard and pick from free daily images or explore All Art in the toolbar. Lake sorts the coloring pages into artist collections, kids, abstract, animal, cities, feminist, portraits, mandalas for relaxation and satisfying symmetrical images.

On Lake’s free tier, you get nine free coloring pages per day. If you subscribe to premium — $10 a month, or $40 annually — you’ll get access to all the coloring pages, more color variations in the wheel and the option to use a blank canvas.

See at App Store

More art apps to check out

ShadowDraw: Learn How to Draw: ShadowDraw is a helpful free app (with in-app purchases and subscription plans for premium content) if you’re struggling with proportions or drawing specific things like faces, bodies or animals.

Drawing Pad: The Drawing Pad app is a good simple app for those in the market for a casual doodling app. It has a free version with ads (which can be a little annoying if you’re in the middle of a piece), or you can upgrade to premium for $7 a month or $30 annually.

For more on drawing, check out these five online drawing classes you can take right now. If an iPad isn’t your drawing tablet of choice, read our list of top tablets for 2023.

More iPad advice

Best Laptops, Desktops and Tablets for Graphic Design and Creatives in 2023
The 30 Best iPad Games You Need to Play
The Best Apple iPad Apps of All Time

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Saturday, Sept. 6

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Sept. 6.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s Mini Crossword is extra-long, as usual on Saturdays. And a couple of the clues were stumpers! Need answers? Read on. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: U.S. prez who served four terms
Answer: FDR

4A clue: Hurry, in Shakespearean English
Answer: HIE

7A clue: Only country to have a musical instrument (the harp) as its national emblem
Answer: IRELAND

9A clue: Big name in rum
Answer: BACARDI

10A clue: She holds the record for most #1 Billboard hits by a female rapper (5)
Answer: CARDIB

11A clue: Ancient time-tracking device
Answer: SUNDIAL

12A clue: Ctrl-___-Del
Answer: ALT

13A clue: Opposite of SSW
Answer: NNE

14A clue: Used to be
Answer: WAS

15A clue: Jupiter or Saturn, primarily
Answer: GAS

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Small lie
Answer: FIB

2D clue: Whom Count von Count of «Sesame Street» is a parody of
Answer: DRACULA

3D clue: Takes back, as testimony
Answer: RECANTS

4D clue: 1920s U.S. president
Answer: HARDING

5D clue: Home to the W.N.B.A.’s Fever
Answer: INDIANA

6D clue: Weed gummies
Answer: EDIBLES

8D clue: Cooking grease
Answer: LARD

11D clue: Observed
Answer: SAW

Technologies

Researchers Discover 18 Popular VPNs Are Connected: Why This Matters

All are owned by 3 separate groups but CNET’s recommended VPNs are not on the list

Virtual private networks are popular ways to keep your online activity private and hide your physical location from your internet service provider and apps. But it’s obviously important to choose a safe and secure VPN.

Three university researchers have discovered that 18 of the most widely used VPNs have shared infrastructures with serious security flaws that could expose customers’ browsing activity and leave their systems vulnerable to corrupted data. These VPNs are among the top 100 most popular on the Google Play Store, comprising more than 700 million downloads.

Read more: Best VPN Service for 2025: Our Top Picks in a Tight Race

The peer-reviewed study by the Privacy Enhancing Technologies Symposium found that these VPNs, despite calling themselves independent businesses, are actually grouped into three separate families of companies.

None of CNET’s recommended VPNs — ExpressVPN, NordVPN, Surfshark, Proton VPN and Mullvad — are on the list. (If you currently don’t have a VPN, here’s why you might want to start using one.)

According to the findings, these are the three groups that contain the 18 VPNs:

Family A: Turbo VPN, Turbo VPN Lite, VPN Monster, VPN Proxy Master, VPN Proxy Master Lite, Robot VPN, Snap VPN and SuperNet VPN
Family B: Global VPN, Inf VPN, Melon VPN, Super Z VPN, Touch VPN, VPN ProMaster, XY VPN and 3X VPN
Family C: X-VPN and Fast Potato VPN

Researchers determined that the VPNs in Family A are shared between three providers linked to Qihoo 360, a firm identified by the US Department of Defense as a Chinese military company. The VPNs in Family B use the same IP addresses from the same hosting company.

Know your VPN’s parent company

It’s a cautionary tale about why it’s important to know who’s behind the VPN you’re using, says CNET senior writer Attila Tomaschek.

«It’s also crucial to know what kinds of data the VPN provider is sharing with its parent company and affiliated entities,» Tomaschek said. «Some of these companies may even be compelled to log customer activity and share it with authorities, depending on the jurisdiction in which they operate.»

Despite the warnings, Tomaschek says it’s not so easy to figure out who controls your VPN. But he says there are measures that customers can take.

«Users can do a few things to help ensure the VPN they’re using is reputable,» Tomaschek says. «Check the privacy policy — specifically for terms like ‘logging,’ ‘data sharing’ or ‘data collection.’ A Google search of the provider can help determine whether the VPN has been involved in questionable activity. Read detailed, unbiased reviews from reputable sources. Be especially wary of signing on with a free VPN, even if it’s listed as a top choice in your app store.»

The PETS researchers examined the most downloaded VPNs on Android, looking for overlaps among business paperwork, web presence and codebase. After identifying code similarities, they were able to group the 18 VPNs into three groups. The study was initially spurred by VPN Pro’s own findings, «Who owns your VPN? 105 VPNs run by just 24 companies.»

CNET’s Tomaschek has advice for anyone who has been using one of these 18 VPNs.

«I’d recommend deleting it from your device immediately,» he said. «If you suspect that any sensitive personal data may have been compromised, it’s a good idea to keep an eye on your credit report and look into services like dark web monitoring or identity theft protection.»

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for Sept. 6, #348

Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Sept. 6, No. 348.

Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.

Today’s Connections: Sports Edition was a stumper. But if you play cards, the green group is a fun one for sure. If you’re struggling but still want to solve it, read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by the Times. It doesn’t show up in the NYT Games app but appears in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can play it for free online.

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Racket time.

Green group hint: Ante up!

Blue group hint: NY signal-callers.

Purple group hint: Coach’s CV.