Apple Pencil vs Logitech Crayon: A Designer’s Verdict

Apple Pencil vs Logitech Crayon: A Designer's Verdict

As the founder of Inkbot Design, I've spent over a decade equipping and managing a remote graphic design team. This means I'm the one who signs off on the hardware. I've tested, bought, and ultimately seen what gets used and what gathers dust.

And let me tell you, the “which stylus?” debate is one I've had with myself—and my finance manager—many times. You have two main contenders: the Apple Pencil, the sleek, “default” creative tool, and the Logitech Crayon, the pragmatic, robust workhorse.

This isn't another tech review. This is a business owner's analysis. I don't care about “magical” unboxings. I care about ROI, durability, and whether a tool actually makes my team's workflow faster.

Before we dive in, let's clear the air. I have a few pet peeves with this entire discussion:

1. The “Pro” Hype: Stop assuming “Pro” on the box means it's the right choice. Most business tasks—annotating, wireframing, signing contracts—don't need a £129 stylus.
2. The “Magic” Myth: A tool doesn't make you a better designer. A world-class idea sketched with a Crayon will always beat a bad idea sketched with a Pencil Pro.
3. Durability Snobbery: The Pencil is a beautiful, fragile, and expensive piece of white plastic that is prone to rolling off tables. The Crayon is a tool. It's built to be tossed in a bag. I know which one I'd rather replace.

My core thesis is this: The Apple Pencil is a specialist's instrument for digital illustrators. The Logitech Crayon is the workhorse for 90% of everyone else, including many designers.

Let's get into it.

📈 The Quick Answer: Who Should Buy Which?

No time for 3,000 words? Here's the executive summary.

Buy the Apple Pencil (2nd Gen or Pro) if…

• You are a professional digital illustrator, painter, or calligrapher.
• Your primary job is inside apps like Procreate or Affinity Photo.
• You absolutely, unequivocally need pressure sensitivity for variable line weight.
• You value the convenience of magnetic wireless charging above all else.

Buy the Logitech Crayon if…

• You are a business owner, entrepreneur, project manager, or student.
• Your main tasks are note-taking, marking up PDFs, and annotating client work.
• You are a UI/UX or logo designer whose work is 90% wireframes, vector shapes, and brainstorming (where pressure doesn't matter).
• You are provisioning hardware for a team and care about durability, lower costs, and avoiding Bluetooth pairing.

The Head-to-Head: A Feature Breakdown

Technical specifications are often boring, but the differences here directly impact your wallet and workflow. I'm focusing on the Apple Pencil (2nd Gen) and the Logitech Crayon (USB-C), as they are the most common competitors.

The Feature Battle: What Actually Matters for Design Work

Let's go beyond the spec sheet. Here's what these features mean for my team's day-to-day.

The Big One: Pressure Sensitivity (Pencil Only)

This is it. This is the entire decision.

When you draw in an app like Procreate with an Apple Pencil, pressing harder makes the line thicker and more opaque. A light touch makes it thin and faint. This is essential for digital painting, blending colours, and creating the “tapered” look of inked line art.

The Logitech Crayon does not have this feature.

If your job is 80% in Procreate, stop reading and buy the Apple Pencil. You need it.

But for logo designers? It's debatable. Most modern logo work is vector-based. You're drawing clean lines, shapes, and curves. You are not “painting.” For brainstorming, sketching out concepts in an app like Concepts or FigJam, the Crayon is identical in function.

Tilt Sensitivity: The Crayon's Secret Weapon

This is the most misunderstood feature. People confuse “pressure” with “tilt.”

Tilt is when you angle the stylus to shade, similar to how you would with the side of a pencil's lead. Both the Crayon and the Pencil do this.

For a designer, this is arguably more important than pressure for quick sketching. You can lay down thick “marker” strokes to fill in a wireframe or shade a quick concept sketch. The Crayon does this flawlessly.

Charging & Pairing: Convenience vs. Annoyance

Apple's solution is elegant. You snap the Pencil 2 to the side of the iPad. It pairs. It charges. It's beautiful.

It's also annoying.

If you have a protective case (which you should), it may not charge. If you throw the iPad in a bag, the Pencil gets knocked off and is dead when you need it. It's always “on,” sipping battery.

The Crayon's method is practical.

1. Charging: It has a USB-C port. You use the same cable that charges your iPad, Mac, and phone.
2. Pairing: It doesn't “pair” via Bluetooth. It has a physical “on” button. You press it, a green light comes on, and it works. On any iPad.
3. Power: It has an “off” button. When you're done, you turn it off. The battery lasts for ages (7+ hours of writing time).

For a remote team, Crayon's “it just works” simplicity is a massive operational win.

Ergonomics & Build: The Tool vs. The Jewel

The Apple Pencil is a piece of art. It's weighted, seamless, and feels premium. It also feels like it will shatter if you drop it on tile. And it will roll under the one piece of furniture you can't move.

The Logitech Crayon is a piece of kit. It's made of aluminium, and its flat-sided design feels solid and purposeful. It reminds me of a carpenter's pencil. It has never, not once, rolled off my desk.

It feels designed to be dropped, used, and tossed in a bag. As someone who has to buy replacements, my wallet prefers the Crayon.

The iPad Compatibility Minefield: A Clear Guide

This is where Apple creates its own logistical nightmare, and where the Crayon truly shines. The Pencil ecosystem is a mess.

• The Pencil 1 (with the nightmare Lightning cap) works with older iPads.
• The Pencil 2 (magnetic) works with most Pro, Air, and Mini models.
• The Pencil (USB-C) (a Crayon competitor) works with USB-C iPads but has no pressure sensitivity.
• The Pencil Pro (with squeeze) is compatible only with the latest M4/M2 iPads.

It's a disaster.

The Logitech Crayon (current USB-C model) has a simple, yet beautiful, compatibility list: it works with all iPads released in 2018 and later.

That's it.

For a business owner, this is the deciding factor. I don't need to check serial numbers or models. If we buy a new iPad, the Crayon works. If a team member has an older iPad Air and another has a new iPad Pro, they can share the same stylus.

This simplicity is part of building a stack of the best remote work tools. You want interoperability and low-friction hardware. The Crayon provides that; the Pencil provides lock-in.

Real-World Design Scenarios: My Team's Workflow

This is the “Human Effort” section. I asked my team and looked at my own workflow. Here's what we actually use, and why.

Scenario 1: Initial Logo Brainstorming & Sketching

• Task: Scribbling 20-30 quick, rough concepts for a new brand identity. Getting ideas from brain to screen as fast as possible.
• App: FigJam, Miro, Apple Notes, or Concepts.
• Winner: Logitech Crayon.
• Why: This is pure speed. We're drawing simple vector shapes, arrows, and notes. Pressure sensitivity is not only irrelevant; it's unwanted. We need consistent, clean lines. The Crayon's shape and “on” button make it a faster tool to grab and use. This is the first step in our logo design process, and it's all about volume, not fine art.

Scenario 2: Detailed Digital Illustration (Brand Mascots, Custom Icons)

• Task: Creating a complex, textured brand illustration or a detailed mascot with shading and varied line weight.
• App: Procreate or Affinity Designer 2.
• Winner: Apple Pencil (2nd Gen or Pro).
• Why: No contest. This is the 10% of the job where pressure sensitivity is everything. The illustrators on my team live in Procreate, and they need the ability to build up layers, blend, and create tapered strokes. This is what the Pencil was built for.

Scenario 3: Client Feedback & PDF Markups (The Business Owner's Job)

• Task: My job. Reviewing a branding proposal, circling typos, annotating a web design, and signing a contract.
• App: GoodNotes, Notability, or just the iPadOS Markup tool.
• Winner: Logitech Crayon.
• Why: I'm using a digital red pen. I need a tool that allows me to write, circle, and highlight. The Crayon is 100% capable and half the price. It's the ultimate executive markup tool. Spending £129 for this is financial malpractice.

Scenario 4: Wireframing & Team Whiteboarding (UI/UX)

• Task: Building out user flows, low-fidelity wireframes, and collaborating on a digital whiteboard.
• App: FigJam, Miro.
• Winner: Logitech Crayon.
• Why: This is identical to the brainstorming scenario. You're using a digital sharpie to draw boxes and arrows. The Crayon's flat-sided grip feels more natural for this “architectural” style of drawing. Again, pressure sensitivity is irrelevant.

Scenario 5: Provisioning a New Remote Designer

• Task: Sending a “welcome kit” to a new hire (a hybrid UI/Logo Designer).
• Winner: Logitech Crayon (default).
• Why: This is an ROI decision. I sent them a Crayon. It's durable, it will 100% work with their iPad (or the one we send), and it covers 90% of their job. My instruction is simple: “Use this for everything. If you find you are constantly limited by the lack of pressure for illustrative work, we will approve the upgrade to a Pencil.”

Nine times out of ten, they never ask for the upgrade.

The Financial Case: Beyond the Sticker Price

Let's talk Total Cost of Ownership (TCO). This is what small business owners live and die by.

The “Apple Crayon”? What About the Pencil (USB-C)?

Apple recently released the Apple Pencil (USB-C) for £79. This is their direct competitor to the Crayon.

And guess what? It has no pressure sensitivity.

Apple has, in effect, acknowledged that a significant portion of its user base doesn't require this “Pro” feature. This £79 Pencil is Apple's version of the Crayon, but with two key disadvantages:

1. It still needs Bluetooth pairing.
2. It doesn't have a simple on/off button.

At this point, the £69 Logitech Crayon, with its instant-on, no-pairing connection, remains the superior practical choice for the price.

My Recommendation as a Design Agency Owner

This choice is simpler than you think. It's not about which is “better”; it's about your job title.

• For Professional Illustrators: Get the Apple Pencil (2nd Gen or Pro). Your art demands pressure sensitivity. This is a non-negotiable tool of your trade.
• For Hybrid Designers (Logo, UI/UX): Get the Logitech Crayon. Start here. It will handle 90% of your workflow, from brainstorming to wireframing. You'll be surprised how little you miss pressure sensitivity. If you find your work evolving into heavy illustration, then upgrade.
• For Business Owners, Entrepreneurs, and Project Managers: Get the Logitech Crayon. Do not waste your money. You need a reliable and durable tool for taking notes, making markups, and signing documents. This is it.

A stylus is a tool to capture an idea. The Crayon is the most efficient, reliable, and cost-effective tool for the job. Spend the £60 you save on something that actually grows your business.

Your Next Step

Choosing the right tool is the first step. The next step is applying it with skill and experience. If your business is ready for a professional brand identity that stands out, our logo design team puts these tools (both of them!) to work every day for clients around the world.

We're a no-nonsense team focused on results. When you're ready to see what we can build together, request a quote from our team.

Or, if you're still in research mode, you can explore more of our practical business and design guides on the Inkbot Design blog.

❓ Apple Pencil vs Logitech Crayon (The TL;DR)