Best iPad Pro Apps to Power Up Your Device

Finding the best iPad Pro apps can feel overwhelming with so many choices in the App Store. 

The best iPad Pro apps depend on what you need, but some stand out. For artists, Procreate is great for drawing. For students, Goodnotes or Notability make note-taking easy.

Photo editors can use Adobe Photoshop or Affinity Photo, while video creators love LumaFusion. Canva is perfect for quick designs, and ChatGPT helps with AI support. For staying organized, apps like Things 3 are excellent.

Professionals can also rely on Microsoft Office or Adobe Acrobat. With the right apps, your iPad Pro can handle almost anything—from work and school to art and editing.

Want to know which ones are worth downloading? Keep reading to discover the top iPad Pro apps!

Key Takeaways

• The best iPad Pro apps help you create, work, and relax with ease
• Choosing the right apps makes your device more powerful and useful
• A smart app setup saves time and keeps your iPad Pro organized

Protect your device in style and keep it practical. Explore our flip iPad case today and find the perfect balance of function and design.

Top Creative Apps for iPad Pro

The iPad Pro gives you powerful tools for drawing, design, and editing. With the Apple Pencil or Apple Pencil Pro, you can create art, build graphics, and edit photos with precision that honestly feels pretty close to desktop software.

Procreate for Digital Art

Procreate is a top iPad app for digital art, offering a clean interface, pressure-sensitive brushes, and natural sketching with Apple Pencil. It supports large canvases, multiple layers, and time-lapse recording.

Features like QuickShape, blending modes, and custom brushes make it versatile. You can export in PSD, PNG, or TIFF, giving artists a full studio on iPad Pro.

Affinity Designer for Graphic Design

Affinity Designer is ideal for vector and raster work. Switch between pixel and vector modes instantly—great for logos, icons, or illustrations. It supports unlimited artboards, grids, snapping, and both CMYK and RGB color modes.

With Apple Pencil, you get precise control over curves and shapes. It handles large files well and feels natural for desktop users moving to touch and pencil input.

Pixelmator and Photomator for Photo Editing

Pixelmator is built for creative edits like retouching, color adjustments, and poster design, while Photomator focuses on photo correction and batch editing.

It supports RAW files, AI-powered adjustments, and advanced color tools. Both apps are Apple Pencil–friendly for detailed edits and sync with iCloud for smooth workflow across devices.

Gaming on iPad can be next-level with the right model. Also read our guide, Best iPad for Gaming in 2025: Top Picks Compared to know which one to choose.

Best Productivity and Note-Taking Apps

On an iPad Pro, you can take quick handwritten notes, mark up PDFs, and even manage tasks in one place. The right apps help you stay organized, save time, and keep your school or work projects easy to track.

Notability for Handwritten Notes

Notability lets you write with Apple Pencil, type, or record audio that syncs with your notes. You can organize by subjects, search handwriting, and keep school, work, or personal notes in one place. Great for students and professionals alike.

GoodNotes and PDF Annotation

GoodNotes feels like digital paper with customizable notebooks and templates. Its standout feature is PDF annotation—import, highlight, and write on documents. Handwriting recognition makes notes searchable, and iCloud sync keeps everything updated across devices.

Evernote and To-Do Lists

Evernote combines notes, tasks, and files in one app. Create checklists, attach PDFs, save images, or add reminders. It syncs across all devices, making it ideal for managing work and personal tasks anywhere.

Staying organized is easier with the right digital tools. Check out our article, What is the Best iPad Planner App for Students?, and find the perfect planner.

Essential Video, Audio, and Office Apps

Your iPad Pro can handle work and creativity with tools built for video editing, audio recording, and office tasks. These apps let you create, edit, and share content without needing a computer.

LumaFusion for Video Editing

LumaFusion is a pro-level video editor with multi-track support for layering clips, audio, and images. It includes tools like color correction, keyframing, and slow motion. The touch-friendly timeline makes trimming easy, and you can export in 4K, share to YouTube, or save to cloud and external drives.

GarageBand for Audio Recording

GarageBand turns your iPad into a music studio. Record live or digital instruments, use loops, and edit with multi-track tools. It supports MIDI gear, easy exporting, and works well for podcasts, demos, or school projects.

Microsoft Office Suite: Word, Excel, PowerPoint

Word, Excel, and PowerPoint bring familiar tools to iPad Pro. Edit documents, manage data, or build presentations with touch and Apple Pencil support. Files sync via OneDrive, and features mirror the desktop versions.

Pages, Numbers, and Keynote with iWork

Apple’s free iWork apps—Pages, Numbers, and Keynote—sync with iCloud and offer clean templates. Pages is for writing, Numbers for simple spreadsheets, and Keynote for polished presentations. They’re lightweight, Apple-friendly alternatives to Office.

Nursing students need reliable tech for busy schedules. Read our article, Best iPad for Nursing Students: All Features Compared to see which model works best.

Must-Have Entertainment and Utility Apps

Your iPad Pro is more than a work tool. It also gives you powerful ways to watch, share, and listen with apps that keep your media, files, and conversations in one place.

Netflix and YouTube Streaming

Netflix and YouTube are must-have streaming apps for iPad Pro. Netflix requires a subscription but allows offline downloads in up to 4K.

YouTube is free with ads (or ad-free with Premium) and offers millions of videos, playlists, and live streams. Both look sharp on the iPad Pro’s display, and the speakers boost sound quality.

Dropbox and Slack Integration

Dropbox makes file storage and sharing simple, with support for Office, Acrobat, and iPad multitasking. Slack keeps teams connected with channels, DMs, and file sharing. Notifications sync across devices, and typing with the iPad Pro keyboard feels natural.

Audiobooks with Audible

Audible offers a huge audiobook library, plus exclusives and podcasts. You can adjust playback speed, bookmark, and download for offline listening. Progress syncs across devices, and with Bluetooth headphones, you can enjoy hands-free control.

Video editing demands power and smooth performance. Discover more in our article, Best iPad for Video Editing: From Shooting to Final Cut, and pick the right device.

Don't Forget Getting an iPad Case

Your iPad Pro 11 M4 is powerful, but it’s also thin and fragile. A small drop or bump can scratch or even crack the screen.

A good case keeps your device safe without making it too heavy. You can pick from different styles, depending on how you use your iPad.

Chesona offers a wide range of cases that balance protection and function:

• Magnetic cases snap on quickly and support auto sleep/wake.
• Keyboard cases (like Chesona’s ArmorDock Series) turn your iPad into a laptop for typing and work.
• Clear cases protect while showing off the original design.
• Cases with Apple Pencil holders keep your stylus safe and handy.
• Built-in stand cases make it easy to watch videos, draw, or type at the right angle.

Here’s a quick look at what to compare:

If you use your iPad for school, work, or travel, a case is more than just protection—it makes your iPad easier to handle every day. Chesona’s cases are built with style, toughness, and extra features in mind, so you can pick the one that fits your routine best.

✅ Recommended Chesona Picks for iPad Pro 11 M4

• CHESONA ArmorDock Series Keyboard Case – Rugged protection with full keyboard and docking features.
• CHESONA Cloud Series Keyboard Case– Slim and lightweight, perfect for typing on the go.
• CHESONA Step Series Keyboard Case – Versatile option with detachable keyboard for school or travel.

Final Thoughts

The best iPad Pro apps are the ones that fit your needs and make your device more powerful every day. Whether you’re an artist, student, or professional, there are apps to create, stay organized, or simply have fun.

Top picks include Procreate for art, Goodnotes for notes, LumaFusion for video, and Canva for quick designs. Productivity tools like Microsoft Office or Things 3 also keep you on track. With the right mix, your iPad Pro can replace a laptop.

For more tips, read our article: How Do I Find Out What Generation My iPad Is? Guide for Apple Users.

Frequently Asked Questions

What cool things can the new iPad Pro do?

You can use the Apple Pencil 2 for drawing, note-taking, and editing with precision. The M2 chip makes apps like Photoshop, Procreate, and Final Cut Pro run fast and smooth.

You can also connect it to an external display for multitasking. Stage Manager helps organize windows, and the Liquid Retina XDR display gives you top-notch video quality.

What should an iPad Pro be used for?

The iPad Pro shines at creative work like digital art, video editing, and music production. It’s also great for reading, taking notes, and managing documents.

Add a keyboard and trackpad, and you’ve got a lightweight laptop for writing, presentations, or online meetings.

How to use iPad Pro more effectively?

Set up widgets and app stacks on your home screen to save time. Use split view and slide over to run multiple apps at once.

Pair it with a Magic Keyboard or Bluetooth keyboard to type faster. Cloud storage apps like iCloud, Google Drive, or OneDrive keep your files synced across devices.

What are the disadvantages of the iPad Pro?

It costs more than many laptops with similar power. Some desktop apps still don’t have full iPad versions, so you might miss advanced features.

Battery life is good but not as long as some MacBooks. You’ll probably need to buy accessories like the Apple Pencil and Magic Keyboard separately, which adds to the price.

What apps should I download for productivity on my iPad?

If you’re into writing or taking notes, I’d go for Notability, GoodNotes, or even Microsoft OneNote. Each of them has its quirks, so you might want to try a couple and see what feels right.

Need office tools? Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace both run pretty smoothly on iPadOS. They’re familiar and reliable, which helps a lot.

For project management, Trello, Notion, and Todoist keep things organized without too much fuss. I find Notion especially flexible, but it can be a bit much at first.

If you’re working with media, check out LumaFusion for video editing. For images, Affinity Photo stands out as a solid pick.