Adobe Fresco review
Free drawing app with live, vector and pixel brushes
- Adobe
- Free
- iPhone & iPad, Windows
Does it deserve #6?
Is Adobe Fresco worth it?
For most people, yes. Adobe Fresco scores 8.6/10 and ranks #6 in Design & Creativity. It's best for beginners and hobby painters who want a capable drawing app that costs nothing. Skip it if you draw on Android or a Mac, or want an app that links no data to you. Price: Free on iPad, iPhone and Windows; optional Adobe plans add Photoshop on iPad.
The verdict
Adobe Fresco gives you a real painting studio on iPad, iPhone or a Windows PC for free. Live brushes that blend like real paint, crisp vector brushes and pixel brushes share one canvas, and frame-by-frame animation, motion paths and Photoshop brush import round it out. There are no ads, and you can start drawing before you sign in. A free Adobe account unlocks cloud saving and every brush pack, and the privacy label links plenty of data to you.
- Live, vector and pixel brushes
- Thousands of free brushes
- Frame-by-frame animation and motion paths
- Photoshop brush import
- Pose tool for moving strokes
- Symmetry guides and perspective grids
Score breakdown
Overall = features 30% · design 20% · speed 20% · value 15% · privacy 15%. Why these weights?
What's new
- Sep 2026Simpler brush controls, Open in Photoshop, and time-lapses you can send to Premiere
- Aug 2026Motion exports with transparent backgrounds, Zen coloring pages and a floating tool bar
- Dec 2025A Pose tool for repositioning strokes, and one unified panel for picking brushes
Privacy 7.3/10
App Store label: no tracking, but financial info, location, contact info, contacts, user content, IDs, usage and diagnostics may be linked to you. Adobe says it doesn't train generative AI on your work.
What we like
- Free, with thousands of brushes and no ads
- Live, vector and pixel brushes on one canvas
- Animation built in, plus easy hand-off to Photoshop
What could be better
- Privacy label links a lot of data to your identity
- Cloud saving and all brush packs need an Adobe sign-in
- No Android or Mac version
Beginners and hobby painters who want a capable drawing app that costs nothing
you draw on Android or a Mac, or want an app that links no data to you
Questions about Adobe Fresco
Is Adobe Fresco worth it in 2026?
For most people, yes. Adobe Fresco scores 8.6/10 and ranks #6 in Design & Creativity. It's best for beginners and hobby painters who want a capable drawing app that costs nothing. Skip it if you draw on Android or a Mac, or want an app that links no data to you. Price: Free on iPad, iPhone and Windows; optional Adobe plans add Photoshop on iPad.
Is Adobe Fresco free?
Yes. Adobe calls Fresco a free professional painting and drawing app with thousands of free brushes, and optional Adobe plans bundle it with Photoshop on iPad.
Do I need an Adobe account to use Fresco?
Not to start drawing. Signing in with a free Adobe account unlocks saving to Creative Cloud, every pixel brush pack and importing ABR brushes.
Is Adobe Fresco on Android or Mac?
No. Fresco runs on iPad, iPhone and Windows.
What are the best alternatives to Adobe Fresco?
The closest alternatives are Procreate, Clip Studio Paint and Krita. See all of them ranked on our Adobe Fresco alternatives page.
Where does Adobe Fresco rank?
Adobe Fresco ranks #6 of 10 in our Design & Creativity ranking, with an overall score of 8.6 out of 10.