Wacom drawing tablets are hugely popular, but they're not for everyone. The good news is that there are plenty of Wacom alternatives out there when choosing a new drawing tablet if you're an artist on a budget or simply prefer a different brand. We've featured a wide range of models that cover varying budgets, screen types and connections to offer you a great drawing tablet experience.
Wacom is hailed as one of the top digital-art brands when it comes to developing drawing tablets, with products like the Cintiq range being an industry staple. But with high quality comes a high price tag - and not everyone needs as beefy a product as one of the best Wacom tablets. So knowing what alternatives are out there is a great way to start or expand your digital art journey, whether it's a traditional style drawing tablet, or alternatives from household names like Apple and Microsoft to double up your art device as a computer tablet as well.
Our below list showcases the very best Wacom alternatives, and the hard work has already been done for you as our live widgets will show you the best prices available right now in your region. You may be looking for the best Wacom alternatives as a cheaper option for a younger budding artist - and if that's the case, we have a dedicated guide to the best drawing tablets for kids. For an all-around guide, check out our general list of the best drawing tablets overall.
The Xencelabs Pen Display 24 is one of the best drawing tablets you can buy, and it takes the top spot for the best Wacom alternative. Measuring 24 inches in width, the Xencelabs Pen Display 24 has a stunningly large display which is a breeze to draw on. This combined with the sleek and attractive design with a built-in stand gives its top marks from us, which is why we gave it 5 stars in our Xencelabs Pen Display 24 review.
Another brilliant feature of the Xencelabs Pen Display 24's screen is its responsiveness. It responds wonderfully to your every touch, makes no sound during long periods of use and it has a unique feature, called Switch Display. With Screen Display, the Xencelabs Pen Display 24 allows you to easily transition between what you're working on using the display screen, and not any additional accessories.
Speaking of accessories, the Xencelabs Pen Display 24 comes in a medium bundle (more details on this below!) with plenty of add-ons available. We can't find anything about the Xencelabs Pen Display 24 to complain about, although it might be big for some. The size reminds us of a Wacom tablet that's quite beefy in size so it's easily one of the best Wacom alternatives, just from this alone!
If you want a Wacom alternative that packs a punch with its accessories, then you need to choose the Xencelabs Pen Tablet Medium. The bundle includes two styluses with a pen case, Quick Keys, drawing glove, adapter, nibs and nib extractor and more, to give creatives an efficient and convenient drawing experience.
As our reviewer found in our Xencelabs Pen Tablet Medium review, it takes on Wacom with its expert design that's reliable, solidly built, and flawless in performance. It's ideal for digital illustrators, painters and photographers, and its drawing surface is what really sets it apart.
The surface is textured to allow for a smooth and satisfying drawing experience that reacts well to the stylus with the right pressure and sensitivity. Both styluses work wonderfully well, with one for 2D digital painting and the other for 3D. It's easy to swap between the two styluses, and the entire package is has a great build quality and value for money.
Wacom tablets come with a pretty high price tag, so if you want an alternative that won't break the bank, the XPPen Deco MW is the best one for you. It's affordable and a good entry-level tablet, so beginner drawing tablet users, students and new artists will love this.
In our XP-Pen Deco MW review, our reviewer enjoyed the simple design with its many fun colour options, and found that despite its low price, it still has a good build quality and feature specs. The medium-size drawing tablet is slimmer than you'd expect with a Wacom but this comfortable size makes it easy to work with. It also has 8,192 levels of pressure stylus with tilt which offers a pleasant drawing experience.
Professional artists will want something a bit extra, but beginners will thrive with the XPPen Deco MW.
Pen pressure sensitivity: Not specified (most users guess it's around 4,096 levels)
Connections: Lightning, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi
Reasons to buy
+
Sublime drawing experience
+
Multi-functional
+
Compatible with ProCreate
Reasons to avoid
-
Very expensive
-
And pen costs extra
Just when you thought that all the best Wacom alternatives were graphic tablets, here comes something a little bit more portable. If you’ve never tried drawing on an iPad Pro, then, well, you’ve in for a treat. Hook up the Apple Pencil and you’ll be blown away by how smooth and intuitive the drawing experience is. With all your favourite apps at your fingertips, it’s easy to set the iPad Pro up as a station for all your drawing needs, no matter what discipline you’re in.
And while it’s undeniably expensive, you do also get the advantage that an iPad can be many things as well as a drawing tablet, which isn’t the case for others. Once you’re done drawing on a Wacom Cintiq, you can’t then use it to video call your parents or watch Netflix! If you’ve got the budget, this is a superior choice.
Another affordable Wacom alternative is the XPPen Artist Pro 16 (Gen 2). A reliable pen display, the XPPen Artist Pro 16 (Gen 2) is easy to set-up and it's really enjoyable to work on. The anti-glare display only has 2K resolution which is a little lacking compared to a Wacom, but for the price, you're still getting a good screen with a wide colour coverage ratio.
A good choice for students and beginners, the XPPen Artist Pro 16 (Gen 2) has a lot of tech packed into its budget tablet. Its stylus has 16K levels of pressure and it comes with well-featured accessories, like a Quick Key remote and stand. It offers a lot in a well-made package.
A gorgeous display, for those who can live without shortcut keys
Our expert review:
Specifications
Active drawing area: 476 x 268mm
Stylus: Battery-free pen PW51 (included)
Pen pressure sensitivity: 8,192 levels
Connections: USB-C
Reasons to buy
+
Excellent colours and contrast
+
Improved pen stability
+
Beautiful design
Reasons to avoid
-
No shortcut buttons
-
KeyDial costs extra
A great choice from HUION, the Huion Kamvas 22 Plus does a wonderful job. The display itself is seriously impressive, with a 1200:1 contrast ratio and 140% sRGB colour gamut coverage. It looks simply gorgeous, and wipes away any concerns you might have about Wacom alternatives looking or feeling cheap.
The Huion Kamvas 22 Plus does keep its costs down in a number of ways, the most noticeable of which is the fact that it doesn’t have any physical shortcut buttons. It’s likely this will either bother you a lot or not bother you at all, depending on how you prefer to work. There is a Mini Keydial accessory you can buy to give yourself some buttons, though this will of course incur extra cost.
Pen pressure sensitivity: 6,384 levels of pen pressure, EMR tech
Connections: Bluetooth 5.1, WiFi, USB-C 2.0
OS: Android
Reasons to buy
+
Perfectly designed for artists
+
Lightweight and easy to travel with
+
Good stylus
Reasons to avoid
-
Lacks the power of iPad Pro
The XPPen Magic Drawing Pad has been described as "the first dedicated portable drawing tablet", and it certainly earns that award as the best portable Wacom alternative. Specifically designed for artists, the XPPen Magic Drawing Pad is in the shape of a mobile tablet but offers all the features you want from a drawing tablet.
The XPPen Magic Drawing Pad has an impressive etched display and resolution, and comes with the XPPen X3 Pro Pencil that glides across the screen with 16K levels of pressure. The screen is flexible so it reacts nicely to pen strokes, and it's super lightweight and easy to use and travel with, unlike a Wacom which can be a little on the chunky side. Simply put, the XPPen Magic Drawing Pad is magic (sorry).
FAQs
What are the best Wacom alternatives?
It entirely depends on what you want to get out of your drawing tablet, if you're after a Wacom-type drawing tablet with a pen display (a high-end drawing tablet that has its own screen), then the best solution would be a Huion Kamvas. If you don't necessarily need a screen but just a surface to draw on, then a great Wacom alternative is the affordable XP-Pen Deco MW.
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Jon is a freelance writer and journalist who covers photography, art, technology, and the intersection of all three. When he's not scouting out news on the latest gadgets, he likes to play around with film cameras that were manufactured before he was born. To that end, he never goes anywhere without his Olympus XA2, loaded with a fresh roll of Kodak (Gold 200 is the best, since you asked). Jon is a regular contributor to Creative Bloq, and has also written for in Digital Camera World, Black + White Photography Magazine, Photomonitor, Outdoor Photography, Shortlist and probably a few others he's forgetting.
