Apple Pencil price too high? Check out these alternative iPad styluses and digital pens.

The audience laughed when Apple finally unveiled a stylus for the new iPad Pro during the company’s annual launch event in September. Apple founder Steve Jobs may be turning in his grave, once stating that “[I]f you see a stylus, they blew it,” but for years, even before the Apple Pencil, the company has been selling third-party styluses and digital pens in the Apple Store.

A stylus or digital pen, or in this case the Apple Pencil, provides new ways of interacting with mobile devices, specifically tablets. You can draw thick or thinner lines depending on the angle or pressure you are applying while using the device, and allows you to write more legibly on the tablet’s surface. The downside is that the Apple Pencil only works with the iPad Pro – bad news for users of older iPads.

Don’t feel too bad though, as there are other digital pens and styluses available and compatible for use with older iPad or even iPhones. The Apple Pencil is priced at $99, and if you think that’s too steep a price for a stylus, then check out some of the top digital pens and styluses that can make lives much easier and more productive, without breaking the bank.

Top styluses and digital pens for your iPad

Adonit

Adonit Creative Inc. offers a range of digital pens and styluses to fit different needs at a range of affordable prices. This Fall, it’s offering a limited edition Jot Pro Copper for $29.99.  Jot Dash is a click-and-go stylus that allows users to quickly jot down notes and is priced at $49.99. Other offerings include the Jot Script ($74.99), Touch ($99.99) and mini ($19.99).

The top of the line Jot Touch creates strokes as thin or as thick as you want with 2,048 levels of pressure sensitivity to allow nuanced strokes, resembling the use of an ink pen or brush. It connects via Bluetooth, offers fine-point precision, has shortcut buttons that allows for quick access to the menu without having stop what you’re doing, integrates with Adobe Creative Cloud, and has palm rejection so you can work peacefully on your tablet while using it.

Wacom’s styluses

Wacom Co., Ltd. provides various solutions for your digital pen or stylus needs, including electronic signature pads, digital pens and mobile signature pads, to name a few. Last September, Wacom introduced four new styluses that cater to different needs, including Intuos Creative Stylus 2, Bamboo Stylus fineline, Bamboo Stylus solo and Bamboo Stylus duo.

The Intuos Creative Stylus 2 is designed for artists, as it offers 2,048 levels of pressure to mimic different pens or brush stroke. It is compatible with iPad Mini 1, 2 and 3; iPad 3 and 4; and iPad Air 1 via Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity. It has a long battery life and sports a thinner tip that delivers a more precise stroke.

The Bamboo Stylus fineline is great for drawing and writing, and is also pressure sensitive. The Bamboo Stylus Solo sports a round thick end, making it great for highlighting or annotating, doodling, and generally everyday use to prevent smudges on your screen. The Bamboo Stylus duo offers a quick way for users to write on a mobile device and on paper, as one end sports a carbon fiber nib and the other end is refillable ballpoint pen. Priced at $79.99.

Livescribe’s smartpens

Livesribe, Inc. offers three different types of smartpens: the Livescribe 3 Smartpen, Sky and Echo. Each device allows you to quickly transform written or spoken words into digital relics. Livescribe 3 Smartpen is compatible for use with some iOS devices, Sky is compatible with Evernote, and Echo is compatible with Windows and Mac computers.

These smart pens are quite pricey, with the cheapest one starting at $119.95, but you have to remember that it does record voice and allows written data to be available digitally. These features may be enough to make you dismiss the fact that it is quite expensive for a digital pen.

Adobe Ink & Slide

For professional illustrators, Adobe Systems, Inc. has the right stylus in the form of Ink & Slide. Ink is the stylus portion of the system that features a rubberized nib that uses stylus maker Adonit’s pressure-sensitive “Pixelpoint” technology for precise drawing, writing or annotating.

Slide is dubbed as a digital ruler that helps users draw perfect shapes, lines and grids with ease. The two devices make it easier for users to turn tablets into a canvas for their next project or masterpiece. Priced at $99.99.

Genius Wireless Pen Mouse

If you’re looking for a stylus that can be used for more than interacting with your touchscreen device, Genius KYE Systems Corp. offers the Wireless Pen Mouse. This device is a stylus that can be used on any touchscreen device, and it also features an optical sensor that allows the device to be used as an optical mouse for your laptop or computer.

The device also has an auto-detection feature that automatically turns it off when not in use, and a simple press on any button wakes up the pen. Available in Amazon.com for $69.99.

Lynktec’s TruGlide Pro Precision Stylus

If you’re looking for a stylus for everyday use that doesn’t need to be set up, charged or be fussed over too much before its first use, Lynktec Corp. offers the TruGlide Pro Precision Stylus. The stylus features an ultra smooth fiber tip that allows it to glide across any touchscreen while still providing accuracy with its 5mm tip. This is very useful for writing, drawing or simply navigating your touchscreen device. It is light, ergonomically designed and can easily clip onto your tablet’s cover when not in use. It retails for $24.99 but is now on sale for only $14.99.

 Photo source: SiliconANGLE