Astropad converts your iPad into a drawing tablet for Mac and PC

Over the last 4 years, the app has been so well received (with 5 stars on the App Store and thousands of reviews), that Astropad is expanding to PC compatibility as well. The beta version of the PC/iPad mirror function, Project Blue, is currently free open to the public, and can be used with any Windows studio drawing or animation program like Photoshop, Illustrator, Blender, etc.

Although Astropad does not magically give your iPad 3D touch capabilities, it is compatible for use with the Apple Pencil (with both Mac and PC programs) for pressure sensitivity as well as pencil-like precision.

The full app isn’t free in the App Store, costing a moderate $29.99 to use the Standard Version. You can also get the Studio Version for a subscription of 79$/year, which has more features and is maximally optimized for the Apple Pencil. A complete graphics tablet with a display, however, can cost over 500 dollars, so we can’t complain. Astropad also conveniently connects to your computer over WiFi, as well as through a USB cable. 

Although it cannot replicate all of the functions of a professional graphics tablet completely (such as thousands of pressure levels), it does the job amazingly well in most aspects, mirroring your drawing canvas to the handheld gadget complete with customization UI’s and sidebars.

In case you were wondering about the differences between the two Astropad purchase options, Tom Froese‘s got them listed out for us (Windows support is coming to both):

• 30-day free trial period
• Crystal clear and ultra fast
• Gesture shortcut customization
• Keyboard support
• Customizable pressure curves
• Magic Gestures – create your own gesture shortcuts with touch-pencil combinations
• Shortcut Sets
• Unlimited upgrades
• WiFi and USB connection
• Pressure sensitive
• Designed exclusively for Apple Pencil
• Color Corrected – true to your source material
• Needs iPad iOS 91 or later; iPad mini 2(2013+), iPad Air (2013+), iPad Pro (2016+), iPad 5th gen (2017+)
• Needs Mac OS X 10.11 or later
• Windows Support Coming Soon
• Optimized for iPad Pro and Apple Pencil
• Priority creative pro support
• Unlimited updates
• Syncing of settings across devices

• No trial period — you have to buy to try
• WiFi and USB connection
• Pressure sensitive
• Supports Apple Pencil
• Customizable shortcuts
• Works with iPad iOS 9.1 or later, iPad mini 2 (2013+), iPad Air (2013+), iPad 5th gen (2017+)
• Needs Mac OS X 10.11 or later
• Continual updates to improve performance