The top 2024 iPad and iPhone stylus

For the iPad, the Apple Pencil 2nd Gen has no competition. It’s super easy to pick up and use, works with a wide range of apps (yes, it even supports full pressure sensitivity and tilt in Procreate), and has a brilliant battery life.

While it’s pricey, the 2nd generation does bring some pretty vast improvements over its predecessor. Firstly, its latency is down to just 9ms compared to the previous 20ms, allowing for super precise movements. And its pressure sensitivity is honestly the best you’re gonna get outside of an expensive pen tablet. In fact, our guides editor Tilly prefers it over her Wacom and Huion pen tablets when it comes to comfort and features.

Another brilliant feature that the Apple Pencil 2nd gen boasts is its magnetic connection to the iPad, which both pairs and charges the stylus. No charge ports or cables, and no messing around with Bluetooth and device management – just snap it onto the side, and away you go.

The only real downsides for this stylus are its hefty price tag and the fact that it only really works with the iPad. Additionally, you can’t locate it via Find My App. But when it comes to digital painting on the go, nothing else really compares – especially if you can get it on sale, so be sure to keep an eye out for lightning deals!

Coming in at less than half the cost of an Apple Pencil 2nd gen is the Logitech Crayon, retailing for around $70 but matching performance almost completely.

Offering a swish 6.5-inch aluminum body, the Crayon is a rectangular shape (with smooth corners), which stops it from rolling away. There’s a discreet charging port hidden under the cap – which is attached, so no losing that either – and you can get either a USB-C or Lightning version of the stylus, depending on what port your iPad has. However, it doesn’t come with a charging cable.

You don’t need to pair this device – it’s ready to use straight out of the box with a simple press of a button. It has a seven-hour battery life and will turn off after 30 minutes of inactivity to conserve power.

However, the Logitech Crayon does have a few downsides. Firstly, it’s only compatible with iPads, so it won’t work with your smartphone or any other tablets. It also doesn’t have pressure sensitivity, making it a little limiting in the world of digital art, though its tilt detection does allow for thinner or thicker lines, and it does have palm rejection.

The Adonit Note+ 2 has a nice and sleek design, available in an interesting muted bronze color, which offers something different to Apple’s usual white accessories.

The stylus has programmable shortcut buttons, palm rejection, pressure sensitivity, and tilt functionality, which is everything you want when looking for a solid stylus, especially for digital art. However, there’s a limited range of apps that support all functions – for example, its pressure sensitivity isn’t compatible with the extremely popular Procreate.

The Adonit Note+ 2 connects wirelessly via bluetooth, and charges via a USB-C port near the end of the stylus. It’s also magnetic, so you can easily attach it to your tablet. However, we did find that it can be a little finicky to get some apps to detect this stylus – but, when it works, the latency is very low, and it does a stand-up job of emulating that Apple Pencil feel for a lower price.

Unlike the Adonit Note+, the second generation does come with a few nibs – three interchangeable nibs to be exact. These offer soft, medium, and hard tips to change up your drawing style. Unfortunately, it’s currently pretty difficult to find replacement packs for these, but the ones it comes with should last you quite a while.  Check out our full Adonit Note+ 2 review to read more.

If you want a cute and colorful stylus, look no further than the Zagg Pro Stylus 2. It’s available in hot pink, white, yellow, grey, or blue, which isn’t something offered by a lot of competitors.

Aesthetics aside, there are plenty of other good points here. The Stylus 2 has wireless charging, which is an upgrade from the first Zagg Pro, including a magnetic connection to hold it in place on chargers and iPads. Additionally, the Zagg Pro Stylus 2 has a universal capacitive tip, meaning that you can use it with other devices like the iPhone, which is another thing this neat little device has over its competitors.

The stylus has around 6.5 hours of battery life and is compatible with any apps that support the Apple Pencil. The pen has some heft to it, and it feels like excellent quality, which is great for a relatively affordable price tag.

For those who want a stress-free stylus that requires minimal effort, look no further than the Adonit Pro 4. It’s a passive stylus that works with literally everything, and has no battery or Bluetooth connectivity so you don’t need to worry about whether it works, or keeping it charged.

Obviously, as it’s a simple piece of tech, there are some lacking features like pressure sensitivity or palm rejection – so if you’re planning on using a stylus for lots of drawing, this probably isn’t your best option.

For those who want a daily item to use in place of fingers, the Adonit’s affordable price point places it at the top of our recommendations. Who wants fingerprints on their screen, anyway?