> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.sevenpens.com/drawtab/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.sevenpens.com/drawtab/recs/comparisons/2025-drawtab-tier-list.md).

# 2025 Drawing tablet tier list

## How the tiering is done

* Price is NOT considered
* The primary consideration is drawing experience and, for tablets with screens, their display experience
* The only ranking is the different tiers
* Tablets are not left-right ordered within a tier
* The tiering reflects my opinion as well as feedback from others, collected during a livestream on Nov 12, 2025

## Differences from 2024 tiering

Unlike the [2024 Drawing tablet tier list](/drawtab/recs/comparisons/2024-drawtab-tier-list.md):

* In addition to pen tablets and pen displays, we also ranked standalone tablets, and pens
* Instead of a single tier list, we created one for each category
* Instead of using a pre-built tier maker, we used a vibe-coded one built in 3 hours using Google AI Studio

## Livestream

{% embed url="<https://youtube.com/live/eA1Yjo0vGEg?feature=share>" %}

## Livestream vs this page

As always, as I learn more and get feedback I update the tier lists shown on this page.

## Tiering strategy

* COST does not affect the tier
* TIERING and RECOMMENDATIONS are based on overall DRAWING EXPERIENCE
* Some tablets might not be recommended for drawing, but they might work well for note-taking, whiteboarding, etc. These tasks are not about creative drawing or painting.
* Pens are the primary determinant of how pressure works for a tablet (IAF, MAX PRESSURE, PRESSURE RANGE). So it is always important to understand the pen included with the tablet.
* UD-EMR pens offer OK performance. So tablets with UD EMR pens TEND to be the C tier.

## Tier definitions

<figure><img src="https://1457921496-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FNde0PQIvNcFZNVxuTO0G%2Fuploads%2FlEvO2ZkbdvruOc6WhiLy%2Fimage.png?alt=media&amp;token=77e6fbb9-d54f-46ce-b13c-aa7cb1debcb8" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

## Pen tablets

<div align="left" data-with-frame="true"><figure><img src="https://1457921496-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FNde0PQIvNcFZNVxuTO0G%2Fuploads%2F4QUZtlpKvsDHiNu0Dj5D%2F2025_pen_tablets_20251112_191437.png?alt=media&amp;token=3e50a9b2-c358-412b-a660-e23753e52f0d" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure></div>

## Pen displays

<div align="left" data-with-frame="true"><figure><img src="https://1457921496-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FNde0PQIvNcFZNVxuTO0G%2Fuploads%2FEiOPFIytyHNqoQzs2zE5%2F2025_pen_displays_20251112_191248.png?alt=media&amp;token=31dbe941-ed1d-4385-9545-122079537508" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure></div>

## Standalone

<div align="left" data-with-frame="true"><figure><img src="https://1457921496-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FNde0PQIvNcFZNVxuTO0G%2Fuploads%2FpdvWymvQxRIZANSY7KKl%2F2025_standalone_20251112_191612.png?alt=media&amp;token=8bc851b1-d866-4afe-9ad4-33c0de104ce4" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure></div>

## Pens

<div align="left" data-with-frame="true"><figure><img src="https://1457921496-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FNde0PQIvNcFZNVxuTO0G%2Fuploads%2FdjRRL6nA6KP3PX9Y6Nuj%2Fimage.png?alt=media&amp;token=4f6a821b-9c23-4ce3-9835-f243be7d5f0f" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure></div>