We all know the greatness of the Surface Pens and how beautifully they glide through.
But many times not everyone can afford them or may just have different preferences due to the different features each pen offers.
The selection process can be really intimidating and can always end up in losing your money down the drain if the right kind of pen for your purpose of use is not purchased.
Hence we have put forth a guide on the Best Surface Pen Alternatives.
FAQs on Surface Pen Alternatives
What can I use instead of a surface pen?
We would recommend a stylus like a Wacom Bamboo Ink or Adonit Creative Stylus.
If you don’t like inking, then a touch-screen compatible mouse will do the trick.
What is the best surface Pro alternative?
The Wacom Bamboo Ink is the best stylus to use for it.
It easily switches between pen and pencil mode and is pressure sensitive.
Is the surface pen worth it?
The surface pen is worth it because the feel of writing and drawing with it is different.
In order to use the surface pen properly, you need to buy a compatible device like Surface Pro 4 or Surface Book.
Comparison of Surface Pen & Slim Alternatives
| PRODUCT | DETAILS | |
|---|---|---|
TOP PICK |
Wacom Bamboo Ink
|
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Dell Active Premium
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Tesha Surface Pen
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HP Digital Pen
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Adonit Ink
|
List of the Best Surface Pen Alternatives in 2024
Following are the top recommendations for windows ink/pen/stylus alternatives:
1 – Wacom Bamboo Ink Plus – Best Overall Surface Stylus
2 – Dell Premium Active Pen – Best Surface Pen for Drawing
3 – Tesha Surface Pen – Cheap Surface Pen Alternative
4 – HP Pen – Best Pen for Surface Book
5 – Adonit Ink – Top Windows Ink Alternative
6 – HP Tilt Pen
6 Best Surface Pen Alternatives
Here are the best alternatives that we have shortlisted for you:
1 – Hybrid: Wacom Bamboo Ink Plus – Best Overall Surface Stylus
One of the most renown stylus Brands is Wacom. Wacom is the name associated with excellent pens and drawing accessories. And if there is any other pen that can give the Surface pen a tough time or perform as brilliantly as the Surface pen it is the Wacom Bamboo Ink Plus. Whether you want to draw, sketch or annotate this pen will give you a natural pen to paper experience with complete precision. It performs seamlessly on Windows Ink and shifts effortlessly to Wacom devices as well.
The Bamboo Ink Plus Bluetooth button helps you instantly let your creativity flow by launching your sketch pad on the work space and have other applications readily accessible. Furthermore, depending on your use you can switch between the three kinds of pencil nibs it comes with (firm, soft or blue nibs). You can charge it with a type C USB interface and keep your doodling on. Another great feature is its natural tilt support that gives each stroke a natural ink feels by detecting the angles with respect to the surface.
On the premium end of the spectrum, Dell Active Pen does a wonderful job with its 4,096 levels of pressure sensitivity. The Dell Premium Active Pen offers flexible, multi-protocol compatibility with select Dell 2-in-1s with a Windows Ink compatible display. The multi-protocol AES 2.0 will enable you to vary your strokes in its boldness, lightness or darkness without experiencing any lag. With it you can shade in detail and not experience any lag at all.
What makes this pen unique is its customizable buttons that enable faster drawing or sketching. For instance, with the top button you can conveniently begin writing on a locked screen. Similarly, the side buttons help in efficiently erasing the strokes.
The palm rejection technology will let you comfortably rest your wrist anywhere like on a desk or paper and write without worrying the wrist effecting the touch screen.
Finally, it can be conveniently secured on the side hook of your Dell 2-in-1 notebook or Dell supported 2-in-1 notebooks. With so much to offer, this is up for grabs at less than $100.
3 – Budget: Tesha Surface Pen – Cheap Surface Pen Alternative
An aluminum pen that is designed to work with Microsoft’s latest Surface range like the Surface Pro 2017, Surface Laptop, Surface Pro 4, Surface Pro 3, Surface Book and Surface 3 plus also works equally well with other OEM devices.
With 1,024 levels of pressure-sensitive precision tip, you can draw, write, sketch and erase comfortably without having any lag issues and get a real feel of drawing on paper. N-trig technology ensures precise writing and drawing experience. The Tesha Surface compatible pen is a battery-powered pen that comes with a battery included in the pack so you are set for the first round of use. For all amateurs trying to make it on their own at a budget, this will not let you down with its great performance and costing less than $35.
4 – Functional: HP Pen – Best Pen for Surface Book
Just what HP always deliver; functionality. Designed to be useful and not just look appealing in design, the HP Pen will work naturally with Windows Ink and deliver precise and accurate drawing. The N-trig technology is a reassurance of its precision enhancement that is enabled with the two buttons on the sides.
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HP Functional PEN is easily pairable with your laptops or tablets and is compatible with Windows Ink.
It also works fairly well with HP hybrid laptops. Its worth every penny spent and is easily available at amazon for roughly $60.
5 – Stylish: Adonit Ink – Top Windows Ink Alternative
You like things classy and not just purposeful, then the Adonit Note should be your choice of pen to use with Microsoft Ink. Its 1 mm fine point tip lets you draw with fine detail. This pen is made pressure sensitive to ensure the lines drawn are light or dark according to pressure used while drawing. Adonit also has a palm rejection technology that will let you get comfortable in writing or drawing just like you do on a paper sheet. For quick erasing option you can use the side button and save a lot of time.
Adonit has a surprising battery life of 80 hours and the battery is rechargeable with a USB. The pen clip gives it a classy touch of clipping it on your shirts while on a meeting outdoor for instance. It is easy to carry and use. Despite having the looks of a premium pen, this comes at an affordable price of $40 or so at Amazon.
6 – True-to-life: HP Tilt Pen
For a close to real-life experience, HP Tilt Pen is the best pen to work with Microsoft Ink. This is an advanced edition of the HP Pen that lets your hand naturally flow into strokes and curves allowing you to doodle away. It delivers an effortless experience that artists usually prefer to let their creativity flow without any technical hindrances. Slightly expensive than most pens we suggested but when it comes to HP you can expect it to work just the way it says on the pack. It costs about $90 or so which is a little higher than the HP Pen itself.
Conclusion
Comparing all the specs and features, Wacom Bamboo had the unanimous vote at our end. With its Universal Pen Framework (UPF) it delivers a smooth transition from Microsoft Surface to Wacom Active ES or vice versa. It is the clear winner should you want create a work of art that is intricately detailed. However, if you are not in the mood to splurge then you’ve got great options like Tesha Surface or Adonit that will get your work done comfortably without any hiccups.