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We put stylus pens from Apple, Samsung, JamJake, and more to head to head tests
The Apple Pencil is such a pleasure to use we find ourselves drawing way more often than usual.
Credit: Clark Tate
By Clark Tate ⋅ Senior Review Editor ⋅ Feb 2, 2024
Are you looking for the best stylus pen to suit your needs? We researched 60 before buying the top 11 to test head-to-head in search of the perfect creativity tool for you. It can be overwhelming to figure out which stylus will work with your tablet and which features will satisfy your note-taking and art-creating aspirations. To help, we tested these pens on five different touchscreen devices for weeks, from jotting quick reminders to taking notes at meetings, creating social marketing masterpieces, and drawing just for fun. We discovered impressive pens at reasonable price points for every type of touchscreen — keep reading to find yours.
We know people are working from home more than ever. If you often find yourself sketching from the couch, check out our best lap desks. If you're looking for a tablet for the whole family, check out our best kids tablet review. We've also tested plenty of other electronics and products to spruce up your home office, from best printers to the best wireless mouse.
Editor's Note: We updated this review on February 2, 2024 to share some stylus pens we recommend as alternatives to our top award choices.
Nib: Pencil tip | Devices: iPad Pro 11"/12.9", iPad Air, iPad Mini (gen dependent)
REASONS TO BUY
Precise with no lag
Sensitive to pressure and tilt
Palm-rejection is key
Wireless, magnetic charging
REASONS TO AVOID
Can squeak
Pricey
Limited device compatibility
The Second Generation Apple Pencil is a joy. Using it to swirl vibrant, smudge-proof colors across the screen in Adobe Fresco is hypnotic. It's a cinch to pair with your iPad, and a magnetic docking strip on the right stores the pen while charging it, so you never run out of power. You can easily convert your handwriting to text in Notes or use Apple's Scribble feature to have any text field decipher your handwriting. The Pencil soared in our precision writing and drawing tests, and the rigid nib makes it easy to place your lines and shapes right where you want them. Apple touts the Pencil's imperceptible lag, and our testers agree. It also responds to pressure, pooling more "paint" or ink in its wake when you press down and leaving the faintest trace of color with a light touch. The Pencil also allows you to rest your hand on the screen while writing or drawing, featuring excellent palm rejection.
Our gripes about the Pencil are the high price and the fact it only works with newer iPad versions. Apple claims it is tilt sensitive and that laying the stylus nib over will create broader strokes like a real pencil, but we couldn't get it to work during testing. It's finicky at best. We noticed the nib can also squeak disconcertingly during tasks like rearranging app icons. Still, if you want a top-of-the-line pressure-sensitive stylus pen that is always at the ready (and you have a compatible iPad), the Pencil is the one for you. If you're shopping on a budget, the JamJake Palm Rejection Stylus offers many of the same features but at a significantly lower cost.
If you can swing the Apple Pencil's price tag, you'll love its seamless performance and nuanced pressure sensitivity.
Nib: Pencil tip | Devices: iPad Pro, iPad, iPad Mini, iPad Air (gen dependent)
REASONS TO BUY
Precise
Palm rejection
Amazing price point
REASONS TO AVOID
Touchier angles
Recommend a glass screen protector
Requires a charger
While it's not as streamlined and sophisticated as the Apple Pencil, it is hard to argue with the value of the JamJake Palm Rejection Stylus. It does almost everything the Pencil does, nearly as well, for a fraction of the price. It's easy to pair with your iPad, and after you set it up, all you have to do is tap the top to turn it on. (That can also make it easy to turn off inadvertently, but we only did that a few times before learning to avoid it.) The pen's palm-rejection technology lets you take advantage of its precision, and we never noticed much of a lag between its tip and the lines or letters we were drawing. All told, the JamJake makes it easy to take clear notes and create detailed artwork.
We noticed this stylus pen lacks pressure sensitivity compared to the Apple Pencil and Adonit Note+. The only way to change the thickness of a line is through the settings of whatever app you're using. That means you can't vary the line thickness within a single stroke, robbing you of the nuance you can achieve with a graphite pencil or premium stylus options. It doesn't magnetically attach to your device either, and it charges with a USB cord. Lastly, it is rigid in a manner that feels harsher than the Pencil and much less forgiving than the Note+. Even the manufacturer recommends using a glass screen protector to reinforce your iPad. Despite these shortcomings, the JamJake offers a killer value for a wider range of iPad devices than the second-generation Pencil. It's an excellent choice for anyone who doesn't need a pressure-sensitive stylus. But if you do, consider the Apple Pencil or Adonit Note+.
The JamJake offers almost all the functionality of the Apple Pencil at a lower price.
Nib: Disk and mesh | Devices: Capacitive touch screens*
REASONS TO BUY
Two nib options
Comfortable and accurate
Three replacement tips
REASONS TO AVOID
Lacks palm rejection
Rubber grip on the disk side only
Only functional for navigation
If you don't need the extra features that an active stylus can provide and just need a tool to navigate your device, the Mixoo Capacitive Pen is a solid option. While the Meko Universal stylus pack offers a better overall value, if you don't need two of them, the Mixoo will do the trick for less. The Mixoo offers two writing tips, a mesh or clear disk nib. Though, without palm-rejecting technology, you can't rest your hand on the screen, which leads to messy writing. Fortunately, the mesh nib provides enough traction to help you write legibly. It works just as well as the other generalist styluses we tested.
Unfortunately, the writing disk of the Mixoo seems fragile. Luckily, it includes two replacements. We found it difficult to control the low-friction plastic disks on the screen, resulting in less precise drawings and sloppier notes. When using the disk nib, the pen offers a nice rubber grip. Since we usually use the mesh option, we would prefer a nicer grip on that end, too. Considering everything, the Mixoo is a straightforward, low-tech navigation stylus pen for those shopping on a budget. If precision is a make or break factor, consider Apple Pencil, which is our top performer in that metric.
The Meko and Mixoo pens are indistinguishable. Both are solid options.
Credit: Clark Tate
The many versatile styluses that work with all capacitive touch screens have limitations with the Samsung Galaxy tablet we tested. They let you take notes in apps like Evernote or navigate the operating system. But they did not register in apps like Fresco.
By the way, a capacitive touch screen is one with the ability to respond to the light touch of a finger. They include most modern touch screens, including the iPad, iPhone, Pixel, and Galaxy screens we used in our tests.
Nib: Flex pencil tip | Devices: iPad Pro, iPad, iPad Mini, iPad Air (gen dependent)
REASONS TO BUY
Flexible tip for comfortable writing
Tilt support allows shading
Consistent palm rejection
Pressure-sensitive in some apps
REASONS TO AVOID
Have to hunt down apps to unlock features
Easy to accidentally press shortcut buttons
Charges with a chord
The Adonit Note+ combines a normal-pen feel with a precision nib and excellent features to offer outstanding performance. Both the Apple Pencil and the JamJake are rigid. The Adonit bucks the trend with a softer, replaceable nib that feels more like your favorite ball-point pen. It also gives you a better grip on the screen, giving you more control and resulting in one of the best writing experiences in the test. And you can easily convert your handwriting to text in apps like Evernote or Apple's Notes. It even worked with Apple's Scribble, letting you write in text fields like the Google search bar. Its technical features are top-notch. Palm rejection, pressure and tilt sensitivity, and two programmable shortcut buttons give you a lot of artistic control and convenience, and we didn't notice the lines lagging behind the pen.
Although the palm rejection works across apps, the other three features only work in a handful, and none of them are Adobe. The Note+ will work as a Bluetooth or non-Bluetooth stylus. To take advantage of all of its features, you'll have to sort through Adonit's Recommended Apps webpage and sync it with whatever drawing app you choose. We linked it up with the Concepts drawing app to take advantage of the pressure and tilt sensitivity. Its shading capabilities and depth of color control pulled us right in. We are not thrilled about how easy it is to press the shortcut buttons accidentally. It doesn't improve your handwriting or snap shapes together like a Second Generation Apple Pencil does. Also, you have to plug it in to charge, making it easier to run out of juice than the Pencil, but it's also much more affordable and offers a softer touch. Still, we think it's an exceptional stylus pen if you are flexible about your art apps or already use one that supports the Note+'s most impressive features. But if you want longer battery life and shape snapping, the Apple Pencil may be a better pick.
The Adonit Note+ provides the best writing feel in the test. It's easy to accidentally press those shortcut buttons though.
Nib: Flex pencil | Devices: All Apple and Android devices
REASONS TO BUY
Active and passive modes
Palm rejection in '18 and newer iPads
Comfortable and accurate text translation
REASONS TO AVOID
Not tilt or pressure sensitive
Nib shape is not ideal for art
The Adonit Dash 4 is a unique stylus pen with two modes. If you press the top of the pen once, it turns blue. In this mode, it works with any palm-rejecting iPad (models made in 2018 and more recently). With our 2020 8th generation iPad, it easily converted our handwriting to text in the Pages and Evernote apps. It even worked well with Apple Scribble, letting us write in any text box on the screen. Since we can rest our hand on the screen and the pen itself is comfortable in hand, the writing is tidy and easy to read. Press the top again, and it turns green. In this mode, it will work with any Apple or Android device.
When in green light mode, this stylus is slightly less useful since it loses its palm-rejecting tech. We mostly use it to navigate other devices or make short lists since it's hard to write clearly without touching the screen. Without tilt or pressure sensitivity, the stylus gives you limited artistic options in both modes. It is not our favorite stylus for drawing. But if you want a comfortable option to convert notes to text on a newer iPad model and have a range of other devices, this is an impressive stylus that claims up to 15 hours of writing time. For artwork, we prefer to use a different stylus pen like the Apple Pencil or Adonit Note+.
When in blue mode, the Adonit Dash 4 is easy to write with, using the palm rejection technology that was introduced in iPad models starting in 2018.
Nib: Fine tip | Devices: Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite
REASONS TO BUY
Very smooth nib
Palm-rejection
Accurate
Easily translates to text
Tilt sensitive
REASONS TO AVOID
Lines lag in some apps
No pressure sensitivity
Thin and a little hard to hold
Specific to individual Samsung Galaxy tablet models
Each Galaxy S Pen is device-specific. The one we tested is compatible with only the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite. It is accurate, with a pleasantly responsive nib that glides over the screen easily without slipping. It's also the only stylus we tested that tracks the nib's location as you hover over the screen with a small hollow dot. This nifty feature helps you navigate your notes, pick up lines in drawings, and generally promotes precision. The S Pen works wonderfully with the tablet's included Samsung Notes app. The lines track your movements perfectly, and you can angle the pen to increase the line's thickness, making your drawings that much more intuitive. The app easily and accurately converts your notes to text. The stylus also attaches to your device magnetically, making it a cinch to stow and go.
Unfortunately, the S Pen has a noticeable lag in the other tested apps. It's particularly apparent in Adobe Illustrator Draw (now Adobe Fresco), where we observed lines trailing behind the pen's nib by as much as a quarter inch. We saw this same issue in the Evernote app. While the letters appear quickly enough to almost fool your eye, not being able to see the shapes as you create them can make a difference in legibility. Still, the S Pen has less lag than any generalist stylus did when we tested them with the Galaxy tablet. (These same styluses show minimal lag when used on the iPad.) It is also the only pen that works with the Adobe Illustrator app on the Galaxy. We like the S Pen's writing feel, but it is thin and tiring to hold for longer periods. If you own the Galaxy Tab S6 Lite, this stylus pen will provide you with the best possible performance. Those who don't own this tablet may benefit from the Apple Pencil, which is precise without the lag.
A fine nip tip and palm rejection make the S Pen pleasant to use, but the Galaxy's screen lags more than the other tablets.
Credit: Clark Tate
Why You Should Trust Us
Our editorial team researched the current stylus market for the best options to test, investigating more than 60 unique models before buying the selection presented in this review. To test these styluses, we set up an Android Pixel 3a, iPhone SE, iPad Pro 12.9" (4th gen), iPad Pro 10.2" (8th gen), and Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite with three apps — Evernote, Adobe Illustrator Draw (now Adobe Fresco), and Concepts. We also scrolled around the devices for daily use and completed standardized writing and drawing tasks with each stylus on every device they work with. Finally, we passed them around to friends and family to get an array of opinions on performance.
Our lead stylus pen tester, Clark Tate, is a writer who has begrudgingly morphed into a typist to keep up with our digital times. From the etiquette of keeping quiet during a conference to the memory benefits of writing with a pen, Clark is a big believer in upholding the legacy of the quill. In today's world, that translates to a stylus. Clark works as a freelance writer and helps environmental nonprofits with their communications. That means constant note-taking, photo editing, and digital artwork to keep websites and social streams compelling.
The Apple Pencil is easily stored with a magnetic strip, keeping it on hand at a moment's notice.
We tried out each stylus on four different touchscreen devices.
It was quite the merry-go-round to make sure we tested each option adequately.
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Analysis and Test Results
A great stylus pen can help you get the most out of your touchscreen devices. They can discreetly take notes in a meeting, create digital art on a whim, or keep your screen clean while navigating quickly and accurately. Below, we discuss the performance of each stylus in each of our testing metrics.
Value
We love the Apple Pencil and would pretty much recommend it every time, except that some darn good options cost so much less. The Adonit Note+ doesn't integrate quite as smoothly into Apple's iPad world, but it's not far behind, feels better in hand, and will save you some serious dough. The JamJake has an even more tempting price tag, though you lose key features like pressure sensitivity.
You can also, of course, spend very little to get a passive stylus that will help you navigate your device, jot a note or two, and draw rough (rough) drafts. Of these, we think the Mixoo and Meko options give you the biggest bang for your buck.
You can see how much easier it is to write clearly and compactly with a pen that has palm rejection, like the Adonit Note+, than it is with one that doesn't, like The Friendly Swede.
Credit: Clark Tate
Precision
All of the styluses tested are capable of fine lines and following your pen strokes dutifully. They diverge greatly from there. There are four things to consider when it comes to how precise you can expect your stylus to be — how easy it is to grip, what kind of nib it has, how much lag time there is between your pen stroke the line that follows it, and whether or not you can rest your hand on the touchscreen while you write or draw.
Palm rejection technology is one of our favorite features. It lets you rest your palm on the screen to steady your hand as you scribble away. Six styluses we tested have it, the Apple Pencil, Adonit Note+, Adonit Dash4, JamJake Palm Rejection Stylus, Logitech Crayon Digital Pencil, and the S Pen. It's the main reason why they are among our favorites.
Of these, the Apple Pencil earns the highest precision marks. The Pencil has what Apple calls imperceptible lag time between its movements and when the resulting mark appears on the screen. We noticed a similar lack of lag when using the Adonit Note+ and JamJake, but neither is quite as flawless. The S Pen is similarly seamless when paired with Samsung Notes but suffers from significant lag in third-party apps.
Unlike all of these options, the Adonit Dash 4 and Logitech Crayon do not pair with a device using a Bluetooth connection. Yet they are powered, and actively communicate with the devices they work with. Lag seems to be a function of how well the stylus, application, and tablet communicate. Both of these work well.
The S Pen's fine tip and palm rejection allow a lot of precision, but the pen's lag obscures fine details as you draw or write.
Credit: Clark Tate
Still, the rest of the products in the test, most of which are passive styluses with no power, also displayed very little lag time with the Apple iPad. Some of the same pens lagged significantly when paired with the Samsung Galaxy.
The remainder of the precision comes down to nib type and grip. The Apple, JamJake, Logitech Crayon, and Adonit Dash 4 have a rigid pencil-like nib supporting excellent precision. Of them, we like the feel of the Apple Pencil best. The nib on the Adonit Note+ is similar but with a gentler, almost flexible feel. It is our favorite to use by far. The S Pen has a soft nib tip that calls to mind a fine tip marker. It works well but may wear more quickly. All of these pens are easy enough to hold onto.
You can write legibly with the paintbrush but not very compactly. The Adonit Note works much better for that task.
Credit: Clark Tate
Our next favorite nib type is the metal mesh versions on the Friendly Swede, Meko, and Mixoo pens. They work similarly to the soft rubber tips on the Libberway options but glide where the rubber tends to drag.
They preserve enough friction to help you control your pen strokes and slide out much less often than disk nibs that the Swede, Meko, and Mixxo also employ. These glide so little friction that penmanship suffers greatly. The Adonit Pro4 has a higher quality disk nib that is easier to use with less lag.
Palm rejection lets you rest your palm on the screen and control your stylus like you would a regular pen or pencil.
Credit: Clark Tate
Artwork
Precise lines are essential for a stylus to excel at creating, but art-friendly features are also a big part of the picture. Pam rejection, pressure sensitivity, and tilt sensitivity give you far more control over your creations. Bluetooth styluses like the Apple Pencil, Adonit Note+, and S Pen give you all three options.
These styluses provide consistent palm rejection across every app we tested, letting you steady your hand on the screen while you write or draw. Tilt and pressure sensitivity only work with some applications and only when your stylus is paired with them via Bluetooth. The Logitech Crayon and Adonit Dash 4 both provide palm rejection technology with compatible iPads and the Crayon also provides tilt sensitivity.
Note: With tilt sensitivity, you can tilt your stylus to the side to shade a wider area, like you would with a pencil. Pressure sensitivity lets you press down harder to draw darker lines and accurately capture a light stroke.
The Adonit Note+ offers impressive pressure sensitivity in the Concepts App.
Credit: Clark Tate
The Pencil seems to offer pressure sensitivity in the greatest array of apps, including the Adobe Suite. However, we had difficulty getting its tilt sensitivity to work consistently. The Note+ offers both features in several apps but not in Adobe. The S Pen seems more limited, working best in Samsung's Notes app.
Though we prefer the feel of the Note+, having to learn to navigate the less familiar Concepts app to unlock its best artistic features was disappointing. In the end, the seamless integration of Apple's Pencil with Apple's iPad made it our favorite combination for creating.
The S Pen, Wacom (previously tested), Libberway, Mixoo, Meko, Adonit, JamJake, Apple, and Cosmonaut (previously tested) styluses all lined up.
Credit: Clark Tate
Writing Feel
The Note+ provides our favorite writing feel in the test, like a normal, lightweight pen, with a bit of give in its precise tip. The Apple, JamJake, Logitech, and Adonit Dash 4 options also stand out due to their functionality and easy-to-use nature.
The Note+ has a compressible nib that makes it extremely pleasant to use.
Credit: Clark Tate
Their rigid nature does cause them to squeak on occasion. And the JamJake is clunky. So much so that JamJake recommends adding a glass protector before using it on your device. The S Pen is very pleasant in hand, offering a soft tip reminiscent of a fine point sharpie.
Of the rest, we like the options with mesh nibs. They are smooth enough to slide but offer enough friction to make them easy to control. The rubber nibs are fine though very imprecise. We found that the disks glide a little too easily. They can feel like you're writing with a Zamboni.
The palm rejection technology supported by both the Apple Pencil and JamJake makes it easy to write with either. The Pencil's pressure sensitivity gives you more nuanced line thickness.
Credit: Clark Tate
Comfort
A good grip means you can hold onto a stylus. Comfort means you want to. Of these pens, we reached for the Adonit Note+ and Apple Pencil the most. The Pencil feels like one, with no flexibility, while the Note+ feels more like your favorite, easy-rolling pen, though it can feel slippery at times. Both are a very pleasant size and weight. The Adonit Dash 4 is a bit more comfortable to hold than the Note+, with a more pleasant weight, it's just not as functional.
Length and balance also make a big difference. The Meko, Mixoo, and S Pen are all the same length, about the size of a regular pen. That's where the similarities end. The S Pen is very thin and light, whereas the Meko and Mixoo have normal pen proportions and weigh more. Both tactics work fine, but the S Pen does feel tiring after a while. The Meko and Mixoo have some hard ridges that aren't the most comfortable in hand.
Being able to rest your hand on the screen makes the pens with palm rejection technology the easiest to use for longer time periods.
Credit: Clark Tate
What doesn't work as well are styluses like the Liberrway, which are so short and light that they take more work to hold on to. The Logitech Crayon is another interesting option, but its oblong shape makes it awkward to grasp at times.
The Apple Pencil and JamJake only work with the iPad. The S Pen only works with the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite. The rest of the pens work with all four devices (though these generalists have limited functionality with the Galaxy).
Credit: Clark Tate
Versatility
Versatility refers to how many devices and apps each stylus is compatible with and how many tasks it can complete.
The Pencil is very versatile within the realm of the most recent iPads. It works with a wide range of apps, though some of its functions don't translate to all. However, it doesn't do anything for anyone outside of the Apple Universe or those with older products.
Similarly, the Adonit Note+ works on a limited array of iPads, and its best features are only available in a narrow range of apps. While it can accomplish many tasks and even works with the iPad's Scribble function, you may have to try a new app to get the most out of the device.
The Adonit Dash 4 offers excellent writing and text conversion on iPads made in 2018 or later and works, with limited capacity, with any Apple or Android device ever made. It's among the most versatile styluses in the test.
Apple's Scribble allows you to use a stylus to write in any text field, like the Google search bar. The program will automatically convert your handwriting to text.
The Apple's specificity to the iPad is part of what makes it so easy to use. It is incredibly easy to set up, link, and charge. Simply dock it to the iPad's magnetic port.
Credit: Clark Tate
The JamJake works on a wider range of iPad devices but offers fewer features. The S Pen only works with one device, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite. It can complete all of the tasks you'd expect of a stylus and pairs well with Samsung's free Notes app.
The S Pen, Note+, Dash 4, Logitech Crayon, and Pencil all make it easy to convert your handwritten notes into text using the Samsung and Apple Notes apps.
The rest of the pens have fewer features and are capable of less. However, they work with all capacitive touch screens, more or less, making them highly versatile. There are some sneaky compatibility holes here and there. For example, no generalist pens can draw on the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite using the Adobe suite. Though they can take notes and navigate, only the S Pen can draw on the device. Of these wide-ranging pens, the Friendly Swede is the most versatile since it offers four nib types.
The Evernote app automatically converts your handwriting into text with the Adonit Note+. The Apple Pencil and S Pen also make it very easy to convert your writing to text.
Credit: Clark Tate
Conclusion
After our extensive testing, we're impressed with the high-tech capabilities of the top-tier stylus pens. But we found a wide range of performance between different models and at different price ranges. We hope that our deep dive into the wild and artful world of styluses has armed you with all the information you need to buy your perfect touchscreen companion.
