Best Apple Pencil Deals 2023: Want a new stylus for your iPad this holiday season? Here are the best places to buy an Apple Pencil.
Apple Pencil deals are fairly common, so you can often find one at a discount, which isn’t the case with a lot of Apple products. That’s great news if you want to take your iPad note-taking or sketching up a notch since the Apple Pencil is the stylus to get. We’ve done the hard work of searching all of the major retailers for their best Apple Pencil deals and rounded them up in one place.
Apple’s first-party stylus offers precise pressure sensitivity and pairs with Apple’s tablets for a fluid experience. The Pencil experience comes with a premium price tag, though, so it’s nabbing the Apple Pencil while it’s on sale when you can.
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Below is a current breakdown of the best Apple Pencil deals available right now, with a quick look at historic low pricing for both models.
Apple Pencil pricing 2023
| Model | Apple Store price | Best price right now | Best all-time price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apple Pencil (1st Gen) | $99 | $95 | $70 |
| Apple Pencil (2nd Gen) | $129 | $89 | $89 |
Beyond the Apple Pencil, there are a few great Apple Pencil alternatives that are also worth considering, and there are frequent deals on those which we’ve highlighted farther down the page.
Best Apple Pencil (1st gen) deals
Apple’s first-gen Apple Pencil was originally released in November 2015 and has stuck around since then. At its debut, it worked only with the first iPad Pro model before support was added to subsequent models. It has a Lightning connector built into the end for charging the Apple Pencil right from your iPad, and has a removable tip that can be changed out after your current one starts to get worn down.
The first-gen Apple Pencil is compatible with all pre-2018 iPad Pro models, the iPad Air 3, the iPad Mini 2019 and all base-model iPads since 2018.
Apple Pencil (1st gen): $95
The original Apple Pencil has dropped as low as $70 in the past but the best price you’ll find right now is just a few bucks below its retail price.
Best Apple Pencil (2nd gen) deals
The second-gen Apple Pencil was launched in October 2018 alongside the third-gen iPad Pro, and while it may look similar on the surface there are quite a few differences between the two models. One big difference is that the Apple Pencil 2 charges magnetically while attached to newer iPads, meaning there’s no Lightning connector. The design is slightly refined as well, with one flat side that’s used to charge and a sensor near the tip that enables Double-Tap features.
The second-gen Apple Pencil works with all 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pros (2018 and later models), as well as newer iPad Air (2020 and 2022) models and the iPad Mini 6. Here are the best Apple Pencil 2 deals you can get right now.
Apple Pencil (2nd gen): $89
Apple Pencil 2 is back down to its new record-low price ahead of Christmas. You can save $40 on the device at various retailers and score one for just $89.
Best cheap Apple Pencil alternatives
While the Apple Pencil offers one of the best experiences when paired with the iPad, it may not be the best choice for everyone. There are a number of cheaper Apple Pencil alternatives that you can take a look at. Here are some of the best ones that are on sale right now.
Logitech Crayon: $70
The Logitech Crayon works with just about every iPad, unlike the Apple Pencil. It doesn’t have the fancy instant pairing or magnetic charging, but other than that it works very similarly to the Apple Pencil for a fraction of the price.
Jamjake Stylus Pen for iPad: $30
This stylus is a great cheap alternative to the Apple Pencil if you want the overall style of the Pencil without the price tag. It has removable tips, can be turned on and off and even recharges via USB-C. Use the on page coupon for the full savings.
Adonit Note Stylus: $39
This stylus pen has a nice sleek design and offers a black option that Apple does not currently have for its Pencil models. It offers up to 12 hours of battery per charge, and a 4-minute charge can give you an extra hour of battery life. It uses Micro-USB for charging and can charge and write at the same time. Note that offers may vary by color.
Zagg Pro Stylus: $45
Zagg’s Pro Stylus offers an Apple Pencil-like experience without the price tag. It features palm rejection and tilt-recognition tech like the first-party option, offers automatic pairing and even attaches magnetically to the side of your iPad Pro or iPad Air (though you’ll need to charge it via USB-C). It’s 35% off directly at Zagg’s site right now (discount applied at checkout).
Apple Pencil vs. Apple Pencil 2: Which should you buy?
The decision here is simple: You have to buy the one that’s compatible with your iPad. Unfortunately, Apple does not let you pick which Apple Pencil you want to use with which iPad. Instead, iPads are only compatible with a specific model of the Apple Pencil.
As outlined above, the original Apple Pencil works with the first- and second-gen 12.9-inch iPad Pro, 10.5-inch iPad Pro, 9.7-inch iPad Pro, iPad Air 3 and fifth-gen iPad Mini and all of the base-model iPads since the sixth-gen model. If you have a newer iPad Pro, fourth- or fifth-gen iPad Air or the sixth-gen iPad Mini, you’ll need to opt for the Apple Pencil 2.
If you want to avoid this confusion, you can select from one of the non-Apple alternatives listed above, which generally have broader compatibility.