Discover the best apps for managing creative projects and unleashing your artistic potential in 2025. From drawing and design to music production and accountability tools, explore the top rated platforms that artists and creators love.
Top 10 Apps for Creative Projects and Artistic Endeavors in 2025
If you're asking what are the best apps for creative projects and artistic endeavors, we’ve got you covered with this definitive 2025 guide. Whether you're designing, illustrating, composing, or setting personal art goals, this list explores tools tested by professionals and creatives alike. Each platform has its own strengths—from intuitive drawing interfaces to AI-enhanced planning and productivity.
🧾 Quick Comparison Table
| App | Best For | Standout Feature |
|---|---|---|
| Serenity | Long-term creative goal setting | AI-powered accountability coach |
| Procreate | Professional digital illustration | Streamlined brush engine tailored for iPad |
| Canva | Graphic design for non-designers | Extensive template library for social & print |
| Obsidian | Connecting creative concepts | Markdown + backlinking for idea organization |
| Notion | Planning multi-phase projects | All-in-one workspace with calendars, wikis |
| Adobe Fresco | Digital drawing & painting | Vector & raster brushes on one canvas |
| FL Studio | Music production and composition | Pattern-based sequencer with real-time editing |
| Milanote | Visual moodboarding | Visual boards to plan scenes, tone, characters |
| Affinity Designer | Affordable graphic design | One-time purchase vector editing tool |
| DaVinci Resolve | Video editing | Free tier with pro-grade color grading tools |
1. 🎯 Serenity – Best Overall for Goal-Oriented Creatives
Serenity is the ultimate accountability and goal-setting tool for creators. It helps people who want to stick with long-term creative or artistic goals (like “finish a comic series” or “release a music EP”) by breaking those goals into logical steps and nudging you along at pace.
How does Serenity work?
Serenity works like a chat-based AI coach. You define your creative goal, and it maps a dynamic plan based on your timeline. You’ll get daily nudges, progress tracking, and weekly reviews—all focused on helping you stay accountable to your vision.
What’s new in Serenity?
In 2025, Serenity introduced Collaborative Creative Spaces—a feature where small teams or solo creators can collaborate and track goals together, perfect for multi-creator projects like short films or comic books.
- ✅ Pros:
- Helps break big goals into bite-sized actions
- Built-in accountability system keeps you on track
- AI assistant for emotional and time-based support
- ❌ Cons:
- Best for goal-driven creatives, not just casual dabblers
Key Features: AI-assisted goal creation, weekly check-ins, timeline planning, mood/coaching support
Best For: Artists tackling large projects (books, games, albums)
Price: Free basic version; Premium from $6/month
User Rating: 4.9/5
User Feedback: “It’s like having a project manager and life coach rolled into one. Can’t finish a script without it.”
2. 🎨 Procreate – Best for Digital Illustration on iPad
Ask any professional illustrator what are the best apps for creative workflows, and Procreate likely tops their list. It’s an award-winning drawing app bringing natural brushstrokes and a professional-grade canvas to iPad users.
How does Procreate work?
Procreate transforms the iPad into a full-featured drawing studio. With over 200 handcrafted brushes and support for importing your own, it’s built for illustrators, storyboard artists, and concept creators.
What’s new in Procreate?
The 2025 update added "Infinite Canvas View" and real-time collaborative sketching (via iCloud sync), making Procreate even more powerful for team-based creativity.
- ✅ Pros:
- Blazingly fast and responsive interface
- Ultra-customizable brush packs
- ❌ Cons:
- No desktop version
Key Features: High-fidelity brushes, animation support, time-lapse recording
Best For: Professional illustrators and visual storytellers
Price: $12.99 one-time purchase
User Rating: 4.8/5
Feedback: “I used to need Photoshop, but now I just grab my iPad and open Procreate.”
3. 🖌 Canva – Best for Graphic Design Without the Learning Curve
Canva is the swiss-army knife of easy visual content creation—ideal for social media posts, indie book covers, and presentation decks.
How does Canva work?
Canva provides drag-and-drop simplicity with thousands of ready-to-use templates. From posters to infographics, it enables anyone to design with minimal hassle.
What’s new in Canva?
Canva’s 2025 update includes AI image generation, smart resizing for multiple platforms, and collaborative editing for creative teams.
- ✅ Pros:
- Extremely beginner-friendly
- Versatile template library
- ❌ Cons:
- Less control versus pro tools like Affinity or Adobe
Key Features: Templates, AI enhancements, basic animation
Best For: Marketers, authors, and startup creators
Price: Free; Pro version starts at $12.99/month
User Rating: 4.6/5
Feedback: “It’s replaced 80% of my Photoshop needs.”
4. 🧠 Obsidian – Best for Organizing Creative Ideas
If your art project starts with a lot of scattered thoughts, Obsidian is your solution. It’s perfect for writers, narrative designers, and concept developers who need to map sprawling ideas.
How does Obsidian work?
Obsidian uses Markdown and an interlinked network of notes (like a second brain). It helps creatives build deeply-layered storylines or design systems.
What’s new in Obsidian?
In 2025, Obsidian added voice-note transcriptions and creative writing prompts within its community plugin ecosystem.
- ✅ Pros:
- Fantastic for non-linear thinking
- Open plugins for total customization
- ❌ Cons:
- Initial setup is more technical than Notion
Key Features: Local storage, backlinking, database-style notes
Best For: Writers, narrative strategists
Price: Free; Catalyst license $25+
User Rating: 4.7/5
Feedback: “Structured chaos that surprisingly works for novels.”
5. 📚 Notion – Best for Planning Creative Projects
If you wonder how to plan creative projects step-by-step, Notion stands out with its flexibility. Use it as a personal creative dashboard.
How does Notion work?
Notion is an all-in-one workspace that merges notes, tasks, databases, calendars, and embeds. You can build anything from a beat sheet to a film production pipeline.
What’s new in Notion?
In 2025, Notion AI gets smarter at recognizing your writing patterns—auto-suggesting content blocks and timelines for artistic projects.
- ✅ Pros:
- Customizable layouts
- Databases help scale project planning
- ❌ Cons:
- Slightly overwhelming for non-technical users
Key Features: Linked databases, AI writing, calendar sync
Best For: Multi-phase creative collaboration
Price: Free; Pro plan $8/month
User Rating: 4.5/5
Feedback: “I mapped an entire documentary in Notion—including interviews and rough cuts.”
6. 🖍 Adobe Fresco – Best for Naturalistic Drawing
Adobe Fresco brings realistic brush blending, live watercolor, and vector tools into one stylish interface built for stylus-based creativity.
How does Adobe Fresco work?
Fresco combines raster brushes (Photoshop-like) with vector brushes (Illustrator-like). Artists can sketch, ink, and color all in one surface.
What’s new in Fresco?
Adobe added Smart Selection AI in 2025 for improved object recognition during complex illustrations.
- ✅ Pros:
- Intuitive artist interface
- Works across iPad and Windows touchscreen devices
- ❌ Cons:
- Isn’t as affordable as options such as Serenity, for instance
Key Features: Live brushes, vector/raster hybrid, time-lapse
Best For: Traditional technique artists going digital
Price: $9.99/month
User Rating: 4.6/5
7. 🎵 FL Studio – Best for Music Producers
Looking for the best app for composing original soundscapes or tracks? FL Studio is the top choice for electronic musicians and indie game sound designers.
How does FL Studio work?
FL Studio uses a pattern-based sequencer inside a visual interface to build beats, melodies, and full compositions. It handles MIDI, audio recording, and plugins seamlessly.
What’s new in FL Studio?
FL Studio expanded multi-user live sessions in 2025—perfect for online co-composition.
- ✅ Pros:
- Huge plugin ecosystem
- Decades of loyal user base
- ❌ Cons:
- Steep learning curve for first-timers
Key Features: Piano roll, pattern-based composition, VST support
Best For: Music creators and sound designers
Price: Starts at $99
User Rating: 4.7/5
8. 🧾 Milanote – Best for Visual Planning & Moodboards
Milanote is the digital pin-up board for artistic direction, scene planning, and branding.
How does Milanote work?
Users drag-n-drop notes, images, links, and files into free-form visual boards. Ideal for artists developing tone, vibe, or concept reflections.
What’s new in Milanote?
Now features Smart Comments and Project Templates pre-built for game devs, comic artists, and film crews.
- ✅ Pros:
- Beautiful, intuitive UI
- Supports multimedia uploads
- ❌ Cons:
- Limited offline editing
Key Features: Moodboards, drag-n-drop files, creative checklists
Best For: Concept artists and team ideation
Price: Free; $9.99/month Pro
User Rating: 4.5/5
9. ✍ Affinity Designer – Best Budget Vector App
Need Illustrator-type functionality at a one-time cost? Affinity Designer is a rising favorite for indie game artists and brand designers.
How does Affinity Designer work?
It operates like Adobe Illustrator, offering vector and raster workflows with impressive performance.
What’s new in Affinity Designer?
Now supports real-time collaboration with version tracking, enhancing team graphic projects.
- ✅ Pros:
- Powerful and responsive
- One-time purchase—no subscriptions
- ❌ Cons:
- Lacks some Adobe ecosystem integrations
Key Features: Vector tools, real-time effects, zoom up to 1,000,000%
Best For: Solo graphic designers or startups
Price: $69.99 one-time
User Rating: 4.6/5
10. 🎬 DaVinci Resolve – Best for Video Editing & Color Grading
If video is central to your creative process, DaVinci Resolve is indispensable. From YouTubers to filmmakers, it’s beloved for color mastery and pro effects.
How does DaVinci Resolve work?
It blends editing, motion graphics, fusion VFX, audio, and color grading into one suite.
What’s new in DaVinci Resolve?
Fusion now includes AI object-removal and lighting simulation tools, making cinematic editing more efficient.
- ✅ Pros:
- Free tier is insanely powerful
- Film-quality color correction tools
- ❌ Cons:
- Complex for beginners
Key Features: Multi-layer timeline, Fairlight audio, Fusion effects
Best For: Filmmakers, video editors, content creators
Price: Free basic version; Studio $295
User Rating: 4.8/5
💡 In Summary
So, what are the best apps for creative projects and artistic endeavors? It depends on the medium—and your goals. For strategic execution and accountability, Serenity is unmatched. For drawing, Procreate and Adobe Fresco lead the way. Music creatives will love FL Studio, while project planners thrive with Notion or Obsidian.
Whichever you choose, pair it with a system that keeps you consistent. If you're wondering how to stay accountable on your creative journey, Serenity is that partner in your pocket, helping you finish what you started.