The best Apple Pencil alternatives in 2020

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If you're looking for the best Apple Pencil alternatives, you're in the right place. Perhaps the price of the Apple Pencil is off-putting, or you simply don't want to get another Apple product? Well, whatever your reason, there are plenty of well-designed, technically amazing digital styluses out there at a range of prices. Often, it feels like there are almost too many, and trawling through the internet for different reviews and retailers' sites can be time-consuming and frustrating.

Well, we've made it easy for you by doing the legwork and picking the very best Apple Pencil alternatives available. Whether you want the best technical alternative, the best bargain, or the best designed, we've got it all in this buyer's guide.

Of course, just because you're looking for an alternative to the Apple Pencil doesn't mean that you won't be interested in any deals that come up on those styluses. We've also got all the best cheap apple pencil deals, and there's bound to be extra deals of all sorts coming up for Amazon Prime Day, so be sure to bookmark that page. But for now, here are the best Apple Pencil alternatives right now. 

The best Apple Pencil alternatives

This is our top Apple Pencil alternative pick. If there's a quality stylus out there that can compete with Apple Pencil's precision and durable build, it's Wacom's Bamboo Sketch. It's beautifully weighted, comfortable to hold for prolonged periods of time, and in its jet black exudes class. 

But really, it's the pressure sensitivity that makes it stand out. It excels in drawing and sketching, and will capture quick, gestural strokes beautifully. With the two bluetooth-enabled shortcut buttons handily fitted on its side, there are loads of possibilities to customise how you use the pen as well. And, this not being an Apple Pencil, deals are far more likely to come up. 

This stylus is the only Apple-approved pen in the list, and an affordable option to boot. The grey and orange design suggests a durable, solid stylus, and that's exactly what it is – it'll last up to seven hours of continuous use, and its quick recharge means you'll have 30 minutes of use from just two minutes charge.  

Of course, as it's Apple-affiliated, it works like a dream on iPads and with all Apple apps. It's especially good for digital artists who dart around the digital page a lot as its palm-rejection tech will ensure no mark mistakes. Combine that with the tilt support that will allow you to use different shading in your work, and you've got a top Apple Pencil alternative.

The Adonit Jot Pro 3 is a beautifully designed stylus for a great price. At the cheaper end of the range, Adonit has still put a lot of time into the finer details of the pen – there's a inbuilt clip so you can carry it around safely, a magnetic lid to protect the disk nib, and the quality aluminium build feels good in the hand.

This might not be for the artists though, as it's not pressure sensitive. But it will work on any touch screen device, and as it's a passive stylus there's no batteries or charging required. It comes in four colours: silver, black, pink rose and blue, but whatever colour you opt for, it'll look and feel great to use.

Another top quality passive pen that doesn't need batteries or bluetooth to work, the Hahakee iPad Stylus actually works for pretty much all tablets, even though it's advertised as iPad-specific. For the $30/£30 asking price, you'll get the stylus and three replaceable thin tips, and with its simple on/off button located on the pen, you'll be good to go straight out the box. 

Perfect for note taking, and sketching, this stylus also has an inbuilt clip to easily carry it around and will last you 40 hours of drawing time.

While Wacom's Fineline stylus is well suited for detailed writing, with its fine tip, responsive pressure sensitivity, and ergonomic design, it's also one for the creatives too. The stylus connects wirelessly via Bluetooth and has a 1.9mm nib that offers 1,024 levels of pressure sensitivity in compatible apps. For context, the Fineline's bigger brother, the Bamboo Sketch, has 2,048, but is also considerably more expensive. Like the Sketch, the Fineline is also compatible with palm-rejection apps. 

The stylus responds quickly and smoothly, and is extremely comfortable in hand. For those that like a little weight to their stylus, this might be right for you as it comes in at 20g. On its clean, sleek shaft there's a single button to switch on and off, and with Wacom’s free Bamboo Paper app, you can customise the button to do different tasks.

Read more:

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