comparison

Best scrapbook apps for iPad

Seven apps for making scrapbook pages, collages, and moodboards on an iPad — what each one is good at, how much the Apple Pencil matters, what it costs, and when to pick something else.

The short answer

It depends on what your pages are made of. For pages that are mostly drawn, Procreate is the strongest option on iPad and costs $12.99 once. For pages assembled from photos and kept in books, a freeform scrapbook app like Nooka fits better. For sketching and collage in one ongoing journal, Paper has been doing it since 2012.

Disclosure: Nooka is our app, and it is first in the table below because this is our site — not because we scored it highest. Every entry here, Nooka included, lists the cases where it is the wrong choice. Prices were checked in August 2026 on the US App Store and each app’s own pricing page; subscription prices change, so treat them as a guide and confirm before buying.

The apps at a glance

App	Best for	Platforms	Price
Nookaour app	Freeform scrapbook pages kept in books on a shelf	iPhone, iPad (iOS/iPadOS 17+)	Free, with an optional Nooka Pro subscription
Procreate	Drawing and painting, with scrapbooking as a side effect	iPad (Procreate), iPhone (Procreate Pocket)	$12.99, one-time
Paper: Sketch, Draw & Create	Sketching and collage in a single ongoing journal	iPad, iPhone (iOS 13+)	Free; optional Paper Pro subscription
Canva	Template-driven layouts and anything you need to print or post	iPhone, iPad, Android, web	Free tier; paid Pro subscription (monthly or annual)
PicCollage	Fast grid collages to post the same day	iPhone, iPad, Android	Free with ads; VIP $4.99/month or $35.99/year
Shuffles by Pinterest	Cutout moodboards built from Pinterest images	iPhone, iPad, Android	Free, Pinterest account required
Milanote	Professional moodboards and project planning	iPhone, iPad, web	Free tier with a note limit; paid subscription for unlimited

Each app in detail

Nooka(our app)

iPhone, iPad (iOS/iPadOS 17+) · Free, with an optional Nooka Pro subscription

Nooka is a freeform scrapbook and collage app for iPhone and iPad. You cut subjects out of photos, layer them on a blank page, draw and sticker over the top, then keep finished pages in books on a bookshelf you style yourself. Everything is stored on your device.

On iPad: The bookshelf and the open-book spread are built for a tablet: on iPad you see a full two-page spread at once, and cutting out a subject is far more precise with an Apple Pencil than with a fingertip.

Pick it if

You want pages that look made by hand, not filled into a template
You like the idea of finished pages living in books on a shelf
You want your pages stored on your device and working offline
You want cutouts without learning a design tool

Skip it if

You need Android or a web version — Nooka is iPhone and iPad only
You want ready-made templates to drop photos into; Nooka starts you on a blank page
You want to order a printed photo book at the end; Nooka exports images, it does not print
You need to collaborate with other people on the same page

More on what Nooka does: the scrapbook app page, the sketchbook app page, and pricing.

Procreate

iPad (Procreate), iPhone (Procreate Pocket) · $12.99, one-time

Procreate is a professional illustration app, not a scrapbook app — but its layer system and brush engine make it capable of scrapbook-style pages if you are willing to build everything yourself. It is a one-time purchase with no subscription.

On iPad: This is the app Procreate was built for. Pressure and tilt with an Apple Pencil, a full brush engine, and no subscription. If your pages are mostly drawn rather than mostly assembled, nothing else here competes.

Pick it if

You draw or paint and want serious brush and layer control
You want to pay once instead of subscribing
You own an Apple Pencil and will actually use it

Skip it if

You want scrapbook structure — there are no books, shelves, or page templates
You mainly arrange photos rather than draw
You want a gentle learning curve

Nooka vs Procreate, head to head · Procreate website

Paper: Sketch, Draw & Create

iPad, iPhone (iOS 13+) · Free; optional Paper Pro subscription

Paper, published by Evernote and originally built by FiftyThree, is a long-running sketching app with pencils, brushes, and scissors for cutting and collaging. Work is organised into journals that sync across devices. Its own listing claims over 30 million people have used it.

On iPad: Paper has been an iPad-first app since 2012 and still feels like one. The gesture-driven interface hides its menus, which works beautifully on a large screen and gets cramped on a phone.

Pick it if

You want sketching and collage tools in the same app
You want an uncluttered, gesture-driven canvas
You want your journals synced across devices automatically
You want a mature app with a long track record

Skip it if

You want a bookshelf or a styled place to keep finished work
You mostly assemble photos rather than draw
You want everything stored locally rather than synced to an account

Nooka vs Paper, head to head · Paper website

Canva

iPhone, iPad, Android, web · Free tier; paid Pro subscription (monthly or annual)

Canva is a general-purpose design tool with a very large scrapbook and collage template library. You pick a layout, drop photos into it, and swap fonts and elements. It runs everywhere and exports to almost any format, including print-ready files.

On iPad: The extra screen space makes Canva's panel-heavy interface far more usable than it is on a phone, and the same file opens on a desktop later. It is still cloud-first, so it needs a connection.

Pick it if

You want a finished-looking layout in a few minutes
You already design in Canva and don't want another app
You need the same file on a phone, tablet, and desktop
You want print-ready export

Skip it if

You want the page to feel handmade — templates tend to read as templates
You want to work offline; Canva is cloud-first
You dislike subscription pricing for personal, non-commercial use

Nooka vs Canva, head to head · Canva website

PicCollage

iPhone, iPad, Android · Free with ads; VIP $4.99/month or $35.99/year

PicCollage is a long-running collage app built around grids, templates, stickers, and backgrounds. It is quick, familiar, and designed for output you share immediately rather than pages you keep and return to.

On iPad: It runs on iPad but was designed for a phone, and it shows — the layouts and export sizes are built around social posts rather than around a large canvas.

Pick it if

You want a collage finished in under five minutes
You want a very large sticker and background library
You are posting to social media rather than keeping an archive

Skip it if

You want a blank canvas rather than a grid
Ads in the free tier bother you
You want your work organised into books over time

PicCollage website

Shuffles by Pinterest

iPhone, iPad, Android · Free, Pinterest account required

Shuffles is Pinterest's collage app. It cuts objects out of images automatically, pulls from your Pinterest boards, and adds animation effects. Collages are social objects inside Pinterest rather than private files you own.

On iPad: Functional on iPad, but built for phone-shaped output and phone-shaped browsing. The automatic cutouts are the reason to use it, and they work the same on either device.

Pick it if

Your references already live on Pinterest
You want automatic cutouts for free
You want your boards seen by other people

Skip it if

You want your work private and stored on your own device
You don't want a Pinterest account
You are collaging your own photos rather than found images

Shuffles by Pinterest website

Milanote

iPhone, iPad, web · Free tier with a note limit; paid subscription for unlimited

Milanote is a moodboard and planning tool aimed at designers and creative teams. Boards hold images, notes, links, and files on an infinite canvas, and can be shared with collaborators. It is a work tool rather than a keepsake.

On iPad: An infinite canvas needs room, so Milanote is materially better on iPad than on a phone. It is the closest thing here to a desktop tool that happens to run on a tablet.

Pick it if

You are moodboarding for client or studio work
You need to share a board with other people
You want links and files alongside images

Skip it if

You want something personal and playful rather than professional
You want cutouts, drawing, and stickers
You want it to feel like a scrapbook, not a workspace

Milanote website

How to choose

An iPad changes the question. There is enough canvas to see a whole spread, and enough precision with a Pencil to cut cleanly — so the trade-offs are different from the ones that matter on a phone.

Are your pages drawn, or assembled?

This is the deciding question on iPad. Drawn pages — illustration, lettering, painting over photos — belong in Procreate or Paper, where the brush engine is the product. Assembled pages, built from photos you cut out and layer, belong in a scrapbook app where importing, cutting, and organising are the product. Most people do some of both, so pick for the majority.

How much does the Apple Pencil matter?

More than for any other step, it matters for two: cutting a subject out of a photo, and handwriting. A Pencil makes both noticeably better in every app here. Everything else — importing, arranging, resizing, stickers — works fine by touch, so a Pencil is an improvement rather than a requirement.

Do you want one finished image, or a growing collection?

Collage tools are built around one output you export and share. Scrapbook apps are built around keeping pages over time, in books or albums, so the thing you build gets bigger. Procreate sits oddly here: it makes excellent single pages and has no concept of a book to put them in.

Where do the files live?

Milanote, Canva, and Shuffles are cloud-first, which makes sharing easy and offline work hard. Paper syncs journals to an account. Nooka and Procreate store files on the device. On a Wi-Fi-only iPad away from a network, that difference decides whether you can work at all.

questions

Frequently asked questions

What is the best scrapbook app for iPad?+

For pages that are mostly drawn, Procreate is the strongest option on iPad. For pages that are mostly assembled from photos and kept in books, a freeform scrapbook app like Nooka fits better. For sketching and collage in one ongoing journal, Paper is the long-running choice. The right pick follows what your pages are made of.

Is an Apple Pencil needed for digital scrapbooking on iPad?+

No, but it changes two steps noticeably. Cutting a subject out of a photo is far more precise with a Pencil than with a fingertip, and handwriting looks like handwriting rather than like a finger drawing. Everything else — importing, arranging, resizing, stickers — works fine by touch.

Is scrapbooking better on iPad than on iPhone?+

For making pages, yes: more canvas means you can see a whole spread at once and place things precisely. For capturing material, the phone wins, because it is the device the photos were taken on. Apps that store work on-device let you draft on the phone and finish on the tablet.

Is there a free scrapbook app for iPad?+

Yes. Nooka, Canva, PicCollage, Paper, and Shuffles all have free tiers on iPad. Procreate is the exception — it is a one-time $12.99 purchase with no free tier and no subscription. Free tiers usually cap how much you can make, or add ads or watermarks.

Can Procreate be used as a scrapbook app?+

It can, and people do. Procreate has the layers and brushes to build scrapbook-style pages, and imports photos fine. What it has no concept of is books, albums, or shelves, so organising pages over time is something you have to invent and maintain yourself.

Which of these apps work offline on iPad?+

Nooka and Procreate store files on the device and work fully offline. Paper syncs journals across devices, and Canva, Milanote, and Shuffles are cloud-first. On a Wi-Fi-only iPad away from a network, that distinction decides whether you can work at all.

If you want the assembled kind

Nooka is free to download on iPad and iPhone. On iPad you get the full two-page spread and precise cutouts with an Apple Pencil. The free tier includes a guided first page with every tool unlocked, then a book and a canvas of your own.

Download on theApp Store