As an infographics artist, I rely on a Wacom drawing tablet to get sketches into my computer. Drawing on the iPad has been challenging due to the limitations of the typical rubber-tipped stylus: difficulty in seeing what’s under the wide stylus tip, and the headache of accidental taps caused by other parts of my hand resting on the iPad screen.

We evaluated a current crop of styluses, to see which ones are the most helpful on the iPad Air. Of course, the iPad Pro has the Apple Pencil. Unfortunately, other iPads, such as the Air and the mini, cannot pair with the Pencil, so I ruled that out.

A rubber-tipped capacitive stylus interacts with the screen the same way your fingertip does, so it is ready to use instantly. An active stylus contains a battery and must be powered on for the iPad to recognize it. Active styluses often have smaller, hard-plastic nibs in place of the rubber tip, making this type of stylus more precise.