12 Must-Try Calligraphy and Lettering Apps for iPad

Find the perfect app to turn your tablet into a blank page and learn the art of calligraphy and hand-lettering

From motivational slogans adorned with doodles to challenges like the 36 Days of Type, it’s hard to miss the incredible array of lettering, typography, and calligraphy to be found online today. Artists from all over the world express themselves through the power of words—or even single letters.

And, now the time of carrying around heavy graphics tablets and tons of equipment are long behind us, more and more of this work is turning digital. With the various models available, many artists choose the lightweight iPad as their digital art weapon of choice. With the support of the Apple Pencil, an iPad is an excellent tool for practicing calligraphy and lettering. But to get the most exciting and engaging results, the apps you use are key.

Here, we're exploring nine apps focused on everything from teaching basic calligraphy skills to professional software. Whether you want to create a new calligraphic logo for your business, or sketch out some ideas for social, these tools will allow you to take your words to the next level using just your iPad and your imagination.

Apps to get started with calligraphy and lettering

1. Calligraphy Handbook

This app is suited to newcomers, interested in getting acquainted with the basics of calligraphy. Calligraphy Handbook allows you to practice different types of strokes, mimicking the effects of a classic uncial calligraphy pen. If you want to learn more about this style, explore Joaquín Seguí's
uncial calligraphy course for beginners).

Price: Free.

2. Calligraphy Penmanship

This app is closer to the effects achieved by using a pointed ink pen. As with other apps in this list, the pressure you apply will modify the line thickness and allow you to get more confident with calligraphy. The app can show you the stroke order, or ductus, using a color-coded system. It also focuses on finishing aspects of penmanship, such as floritures, and ornaments, which can give your letters a refined and formal feel.

Price: Free (offers in-app purchases).

3. Tayasui Calligraphy

This dedicated calligraphy app from the team behind popular drawing app Tayasui Sketch is great for practicing different styles, with options for brush and ink pen tools.

The pens are also easy to customize in inclination, texture, and opacity to create different strokes and effects depending on the look you want to achieve. Other features include calligraphic papers, guides, and layers.

Price: $2.99.

Professional tools for digital calligraphy

4. Procreate

Procreate hardly needs an introduction. Thanks to the number of brushes, textures, and options it offers, and how well it integrates with both touch control and the Apple Pencil, it’s an artist favorite. Procreate is also well-suited to social media sharing, with a recording function to show your followers your entire artistic process.

To get started, check out Chiara Bacchini’s (@chiarabacchini) course on calligraphy and lettering fundamentals in Procreate, or learn custom letter design in Procreate with Jimbo Bernaus (@jimbobernaus).

Price: $9.99.

5. Affinity Designer

A versatile program that’s popular among all kinds of creatives, Affinity Designer is a pro-grade vector design application that has everything you'd expect from the most advanced Mac or PC design tools.

A popular tool among hand-lettering artists, it can be used to build custom lettering, and there’s a growing number of lettering brush packs available for download. Plus, files are 100% compatible between iPad and Mac, making it easy to start working on the tablet and switch to a desktop if needed.

To learn more, check out this introduction to Affinity Designer course, by Juan José Ros (@ros_vectors).

Price: $9.99 for iPad.

6. Adobe Fresco

This illustration and drawing tool has been designed to take full advantage of the iPad and iPhone. It offers complete control over the different brushes, up to the contact angle, and boasts the most extensive collection of raster and vector brushes on the market.

To learn more about lettering with Fresco, visit Nubia Navarro’s (@nubikini) online lettering course with Adobe Fresco.

Price: Free (offers in-app purchases).

Other tools for letter-lovers

7. Adobe Capture

If you feel more comfortable drawing letters by hand, the iPad can still be the perfect accessory for digitizing and adding the final touches to your creations. Adobe Capture allows you to convert any photo into a vector illustration and is available to all Creative Cloud users, even in the free tier.

Price: Free (offers in-app purchases).

8. Paper by WeTransfer

You probably know WeTransfer for their file transfer service, but they also have an app that’s perfect for general drawing and sketching. Great for practicing your hand-lettering, Paper by WeTransfer can be used to create mind-maps and any other kind of note you like, with a range of pen and brush tools. There are even prompts to help spark your imagination.

Price: Free (with in-app purchases).

9. iFont Maker

Perhaps you’re looking for something more uniform than the fluidity of calligraphy, and want to create your own font? The iFont Maker app allows you to design character sets using Bézier curves, refine them with all kinds of professional tools, adjust kerning or ligatures, and control other typographical elements. All of this comes together to create a custom font you can use in your projects to let your personality shine through.

Discover more tools to design and edit hand-drawn fonts.

Price: $7.99.

10. Sketchbook

From swift sketches to meticulously crafted artwork, Sketchbook accompanies your creative journey wherever it may lead.

As an award-winning application for sketching, painting, and drawing, Sketchbook caters to enthusiasts of all levels. Esteemed by artists and illustrators alike, Sketchbook boasts a suite of professional-grade features and extensively customizable tools. Its sleek interface and intuitive drawing experience appeal to all, fostering an environment free from distractions, allowing undivided attention to the task of capturing and expressing ideas.

Price: Free (with in-app purchases).

11. Linearity Curve Graphic Design

Linearity Curve is revolutionary design software that empowers graphic designers and marketing teams to create captivating content.

Whether you're creating engaging social media posts, captivating brand visuals, print materials, or intricate lettering and marketing illustrations, Linearity Curves provides everything you need to bring your stories to life.

Price: Free (with in-app purchases).

12. Fontself

With Fontself create real vector fonts in seconds to use in Procreate or Photoshop, and send cool messages with your own handwriting on iMessage or Instagram.

Fontself is a font creation app that allows you to draw handmade fonts, export them as OpenType files, or to send creative messages via chat or on social with engaging showcases & templates.

Price: Free (with in-app purchases).

Article updated by @amyvsnelling.

More calligraphy and lettering resources to grow your skills

To learn professional techniques and discover the joy of lettering, check all of Domestika’s online calligraphy and typography courses, and read on for more:

- Learn how to combine photos and letters to create striking compositions in Nubia Navarro's online calligraphy and lettering course in Procreate.

- Create custom vintage lettering designs in this course for Procreate and Photoshop, by Mark van Leeuwen.

- Practice your first pen strokes and experiment with different typography styles in these 13 free lettering and calligraphy tutorials for beginners.