The 10 Best Cintiq Alternatives 2020

If you’re a digital artist working in illustration, graphic design, animation, or any other non-traditional art form, you probably already know how useful a drawing tablet can be for bringing your creations to life.

Wacom’s Cintiq tablets are hugely popular with digital artists, but they’re not the only option. If your budget doesn’t quite stretch to Wacom’s high prices or you simply want to try out an alternative brand, here are the ten best alternative drawing tablets.

How to Choose the Best Wacom Alternative 

• Screen – Every option on our list has a screen because it can be an extremely useful feature for artists. Consider resolution, color accuracy, and size when choosing the right screen for you.
  
  
• Stylus – the more pressure levels, the more accuracy you’ll have when sketching and shading. A tilt-able pen will provide a more natural work angle and better control, and a battery-free version with on-pen controls will help increase your productivity.
  
  
• Hotkeys – Hotkeys are customizable control buttons and will give you the shortcuts you need to navigate your favorite software quickly and easily. Basically, it’s usually a case of “the more, the merrier.”
  
  
• Connectivity – Wireless connectivity keeps your desk tidier and can be more convenient, but you might get a more reliable connection wired in. Some of the options on our list are standalone tablets, so you don’t actually need a laptop or desktop to be able to work with them.

10. Microsoft Surface Studio 2

The PixelSense display is spectacular and 13.5 million pixels deliver color accuracy that stands up to even the most demanding color-critical projects. 10 point multi-touch gives great control of the screen and there’s no noticeable lag as you write, draw, and gesture.

Regarding downsides: the pen won’t offer anywhere near as much control as Wacom’s tilt-able version, so painters and drawers may find this option lacking. But other than that (and the astronomical price) the Surface Studio 2 is spectacular.

9. Apple iPad Pro

The new Liquid Retina display combines with ProMotion technology to deliver a gorgeous and super responsive experience all the way to the edges. Colors are true to life, tones are natural, and the level of detail gives you the perfect device to create intricate artwork on.

Apple’s new pencil is touch responsive, so you can double tap to change functions without interrupting your workflow. It’s easy to charge, too, and magnetically attaches to the iPad to re-juice automatically.

The glass screen doesn’t feel great to draw on, so you’ll likely need a matte screen protector, but that’s a minor niggle considering how much this tablet offers.

8. Huion KAMVAS GT-221 Pro

16.7 million colors combine with 72% coverage of the NTSC color gamut for accurate and vibrant reproduction. It’s worth noting though that calibration with an external monitor can be difficult, so bear this in mind if your projects tend to be color critical.

Ten press keys and a touch bar on each side of the tablet allow for left or right handed control, and you to customize your commands to suit the program and project that you’re working on. This level of control will enhance your productivity and make multitasking easier than ever.

7. XP-Pen Artist22E Pro

16 customizable shortcut keys distributed on the left and right of the screen can be configured to various third-party design software so you can set them up to suit your personal workflow.

The price of this tablet makes it extremely appealing when compared with the 22HD, but the display lacks the sharpness that you get with Wacom’s version. This can make a noticeable difference in viewing fine detail in your drawings and paintings.

6. Huion KAMVAS GT-191

They’re ergonomically designed and feel comfortable to use, and they last weeks on every charge to keep you working for longer. The pens also come with lots of extra nibs, but they’re so hard-wearing that you might not even need them depending on your level of usage.

The included stand is robust yet lightweight, and is of a higher quality than some competitors are charging extra for.

Some users might dislike the lack of hotkeys onboard this tablet, but with the addition of external control devices, we couldn’t love this great all-rounder any more.

5. XP-Pen Artist16

It pretty much matches the Pro 16 in terms of color gamut though, supporting 92% Adobe RGB to deliver outstanding color accuracy. The pen falls short regarding pressure levels, but the pen/eraser toggle is a nice addition that helps keep your workflow nice and fluid.

The built-in, adjustable stand does a great job of keeping the drawing tablet in position and doesn’t slide no matter the angle you use it at. The stand can also be removed and replaced with a mount if you prefer.

If you’re fairly new to drawing tablets, you’ll love the included software to map the hotkeys and to set up calibration. Our only real complaint with this tablet is that the textured surface wears nibs down quickly, but we like the control and the paper-like effect enough to warrant the extra outlay on spare nibs.

4. Gaomon PD1560

In terms of productivity, ten express keys can be customized to suit your workflow, and the stand is easy to adjust to your perfect position to keep you comfortable throughout long work sessions.

This tablet has the same drawback as Huion’s KAMVAS GT-221 Pro, in that it can be difficult to calibrate colors with external monitors. Colors look pretty accurate straight out of the box though, so unless your work demands absolute color accuracy you probably won’t even notice this issue.

3. UGEE HK1560

The adjustable stand is also impressive, and the solid grip at its base keeps the tablet steady at any angle.

UGEE’s drawing tablet also offers broader compatibility, which is appealing if you’re running an older OS that none of the other options on our list will sync up with.

Wacom’s Pro 16 definitely offers advanced features and functionality when compared to this option from UGEE, and the lack of express keys is pretty frustrating. But, for the price, we were pleasantly surprised with how much this budget drawing tablet actually had to offer.

2. Parblo Mast 10"

1. Simbans PicassoTab

This pre-installed program does an equally good job of taking notes as it does drawing, which art students are sure to appreciate. If you’re looking to save work on your tablet, the 32 GB of storage is another useful feature.

Connectivity includes Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS making this tablet a great all-rounder, and there are a few added extras which makes it even better value for money, including a pre-applied screen protector and a tablet case.

The small display area and less-than-spectacular screen might frustrate pro artists, but if you’re a serious artist you probably won’t be looking at a tablet of this size anyway.

Which would I choose?

Huion’s KAMVAS GT-191 is an excellent all-rounder, and at less than $500 it will save you some serious money when compared to Wacom’s range. The screen is bright, sharp, and color-accurate, and the pens are some of the best on the market. The lack of hotkeys did annoy us, but even if you purchase an external control dial or keyboard you’ll still spend less than you would on a Cintiq.

If you want to spend even less, Parblo Mast also packs in a surprising amount of pro-level features for a shockingly low price. But, if it’s computing power you need, Apple’s iPad Pro or Microsoft’s Surface Studio 2 both offer efficiency beyond your wildest dreams.

Overview of Cintiq alternatives and features