The best iPad screen protectors, for every model.

If you bought your iPad specifically to draw, sketch, take handwritten notes, or mark up documents with an Apple Pencil — and you use the Pencil daily — strongly consider a matte paper-feel film instead of tempered glass. The difference is genuinely significant. Bare iPad glass is extremely slick; the Apple Pencil slides across it with almost no friction, which makes precise drawing and natural handwriting harder than it should be. A matte film's nano-textured surface restores the friction of pencil-on-paper. Lines go where you intend. Handwriting feels natural. There's a faint, satisfying scratchiness.

Paperlike is the original and best-known brand, and the one we'd recommend first — its texture is well-judged and its durability is good. But it's not the only option. Bersem, ELECOM, and several other brands make paper-feel matte films at lower prices, with quality that's close. For a student outfitting a standard iPad on a budget, a cheaper matte film is a reasonable call; for a professional illustrator on an iPad Pro M4, Paperlike's own brand is worth the premium.

The trade-offs are real but minor: a slight reduction in screen sharpness (visible in dark video scenes if you look for it), and faster Apple Pencil tip wear — expect to replace tips every 4-6 months of heavy use rather than 12+ on bare glass. For pure content consumption, none of this is worth it and you should stick with tempered glass. For genuine Apple Pencil creative work, the matte film pays for itself in the first week.

The one question that decides it: do you draw or write?

Everything about iPad protector choice flows from how you use the Apple Pencil. Pure consumers — streaming, browsing, reading, video calls — should choose tempered glass for maximum clarity and lowest cost. Apple Pencil creative users — drawing, sketching, handwritten notes, document markup — should choose a matte paper-feel film. Mixed users who do a bit of both can go either way; we'd lean glass unless the Pencil work is frequent.

Match the model and generation exactly

iPad generations change dimensions. An iPad Pro 11-inch protector from the 2022 model won't fit the M4 2024 model — the M4 redesign changed the dimensions and camera position. Always confirm the listing matches both your model and release year. This matters more for iPad than iPhone because iPad model naming ("iPad Air", "iPad Pro 11-inch") is reused across years with different dimensions underneath.

Apple Pencil hover and pressure

Apple Pencil hover (iPad Pro M2 and later, iPad Air M2 and later) works through any quality protector — thin glass or film doesn't obstruct proximity detection. Pencil pressure sensitivity is likewise unaffected by quality protectors at standard thicknesses. Avoid only very thick budget glass over 0.4mm, which can introduce slight parallax.

Installation on a large surface

iPad screens are far larger than phone screens, so dust control is the main challenge. Clean thoroughly with the included alcohol wipe and microfiber, use the dust-removal stickers on every visible particle, and install in a low-dust environment — a bathroom after a hot shower works well, as the humidity settles airborne dust. Allow more time than a phone install. The alignment frames included with ESR and Supershieldz iPad kits help considerably.

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