The best iPad screen protectors don't cost much, and they help to protect your tablet's screen. So given the cost of replacing or repairing an iPad, you'd be mad not to get one. This is especially important if you're a digital artist who draws on your screen on a regular basis.
To help you find the right one, we've tried out a huge range of iPad screen protectors, both with the Apple Pencil and our fingers, to bring you a curated selection to choose from. Below you'll find the absolute best iPad screen protectors available today, taking account of price, ease of installation, features and protection.
None of them will, however, fit every iPad there is. So before you buy, check which iPad generation you own and make sure the screen protector is compatible. Finally, if you need to complete your set up, we have handy guides to the best iPad keyboards and the best iPad stands too.
This is our overall best iPad screen protector for digital artists. Our reviewer gave this a strong 10/10 for its excellent drawing feel, and described it as a must-have for anyone who loves drawing on paper but wants to go digital. It also comes with two hard metal nibs for the Apple Pencil. Read more in our full Rock Paper Pencil review.
This one is our pick for designers, providing easy use, solid protection, and a wonderful drawing experience. Made with (and by) design professionals and artists, this protector is designed to give your iPad the feel of paper under your stylus – and that's exactly how it performed when we tested it. Read more in our full Paperlike 2 review.
Best premum
03. Ocushield Anti Blue Light Screen Protector
Materials: Tempered glass
Finish: Gloss
The Ocushield Screen Protector is a tempered glass construction that's great at blocking blue light. This makes it easier and more comfortable to use your iPad at all times of day. It's a solid, multi-functional screen protector in general, and we found it easy to fit with the included applicator.
If you're looking for a budget alternative to the Paperlike screen protector, the ESR Paper-Feel is significantly cheaper, and you get two protectors in the pack. It's not quite the same paper-like feel, but ESR's specially-treated surface does simulate the feeling of pen on paper pretty well, and it's also nicely fingerprint-resistant.
Best privacy
05. Belkin Screenforce True Privacy
Materials: Plastic
Finish: Matte
The Belkin Screenforce True Privacy provides a privacy screen so that anyone looking over your shoulder sees nothing but darkness, but looking at the screen directly, everything is perfectly visible. It's great if you're worried about entering sensitive data in public, but doesn't offer a great deal of physical protection for your iPad.
Easy to fit
06. Spigen Glas.tR EZ Fit
Materials: 9H tempered glass Finish: Gloss
Spigen is one of the best manufacturers on the market, and this screen protector is incredibly easy to fit with its foolproof installation kit. Plus you get extra scratch and drop resistance and an oleophobic coating to see off greasy fingerprints, too. However, it may interfere with your Apple Pencil. Read more in our full Spigen review.
Best for Face ID
07. amFilm Glass Screen Protector
Materials: Tempered glass Finish: Gloss
If you have a 12.9-inch iPad Pro, amFilm's affordable Glass Screen Protector is our favourite iPad Pro screen protector. Its carefully shaped design fits neatly around the selfie camera, so Face ID still works fine. The premium-grade tempered glass is resistant and does a good job of protecting the screen from scratches. Overall, it's crystal clear and robust.
If you want to give your iPad Pro 12.9 inch more of a paper texture, the JETech Write Like Paper screen protector is another budget Paperlike alternative. It also reduces glare while making your screen more scratch- and fingerprint-resistant. JETech does warns the protector can affect the clarity of the screen.
Best for iPad mini
09. Ailun Screen Protector
Materials: 9H tempered glass
Finish: Gloss
Ailun's screen protector is great for the iPad mini. Made from 9H tempered glass, it offers great scratch and drop resistance, has an oleophobic coating to repel oils and it's very well-priced too. The package comes with two guide stickers for fitting, along with a wet wipe, a dry wipe and a dust absorber.
Technically, you can use an iPad without a screen protector. But without being rude about it, that would be really dumb, Screen protectors offer protection against scratches from everyday objects like keys and coins. And iPads are really expensive to repair or replace. Screen protectors aren't, so it makes a huge amount of sense to buy one. As a handy extra benefit, they can also help preserve the oleophobic coating that resists fingerprints.
What are the main types of iPad screen protector?
The two main types of of iPad screen protector are plastic films and tempered glass. Plastic films are more affordable and protect against scratches, but offer little impact protection if you drop your iPad. Tempered glass is costlier but provides better scratch and impact resistance, so it's the best choice if you're on the clumsy side. Another plus is that it feels closer to the original iPad screen to your fingers.
How often should I replace my iPad screen protector?
We'd recommend you replace a plastic film screen protector every 6-12 months or whenever it becomes heavily scratched or damaged. Tempered glass protectors can last longer, but should obviously be replaced if they crack or shatter from an impact.
Which is the best iPad screen protector?
The best iPad screen protector for you will depend on what you want it for. If you're going to carry your iPad in a case or sleeve and simply want a little extra protection against scratches, then you could get away with one of the cheapest iPad screen protectors like the ESR Paper-Feel.
However, if you think you're going to use it a lot without a case or sleeve and want extra confidence – particularly if you have one of the more expensive iPads, then you might want to invest in some more heavy duty protection such as the Spiegen Tempered Glass screen protector.
Artists and illustrators, or indeed anyone who is going to use a stylus a lot on an iPad might have other requirements than simply protecting the screen, wanting a surface that will enhance their experience with the stylus. For that we recommend Rock Paper Pencil or Paperlike, at numbers one and two in our list of the best iPad screen protectors, because they actually improve the feel of writing and drawing on the tablet.
What is the benefit of Paperlike screen protectors?
Paperlike is actually the brand name for this type of screen protector, but the paper-feel category of screen protectors essentially adds extra screen texture to your device screen, and creates a slight resistance between the screen and pencil, just like real paper does. So with one of these screen protectors applied, it's easier to control your strokes and get smooth lines.
Other benefits of using paper-feel protectors include fingerprint resistance, plus some are coated with anti-blue light filters which protects your eyes strain after staring at screens for long hours. The texture enhancement is also super helpful for creatives who work on a glossy iPad screen.
Does Apple recommend screen protectors?
Apple doesn't specifically say whether you should buy a screen protector for your iPad, although it doesn't sell them on its website. This doesn't mean that you can't use a screen protector for your iPad, though. Just make sure you buy one from a reputable brand like the ones listed above.
How to choose
There are a number of factors to consider when choosing the best iPad screen protector for you. First of all, think about what you need a screen protector for. Are you just trying to protect your iPad or do you want to get a paper-like feel for drawing on your iPad? Or perhaps you might want to block out blue light, or block prying eyes from seeing your iPad screen.
In the guide above, we've listed iPad screen protectors for specific use cases to make your decision easier. Of course the most important factor is compatibility. Most screen protectors have a range of sizes available but some are made/better suited to particular iPads, as we've detailed above.
How we test
To test the best iPad screen protectors, we tried them out on our own iPads for at least a couple of weeks, first of all examining how easy they are to fit, and then testing them for a range of tasks, including drawing on the likes of Procreate and writing using Notes and other apps.
We also looked at how easy it was to remove the screen protector once it was on, and also looked at whether the protector got any cracks or other damage after we'd been using it.
Where we haven't been able to test the iPad screen protectors ourselves, we've trawled through user reviews to pull out the key things users like and dislike about this product, and used that to inform our guide.
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Beren has worked on creative titles at Future Publishing for over 13 years. Cutting his teeth as Staff Writer on the digital art magazine ImagineFX, he moved on to edit several creative titles, and is currently the Ecommerce Editor on the most effective creative website in the world. When he's not testing and reviewing the best ergonomic office chairs, phones, laptops, TVs, monitors and various types of storage, he can be found finding and comparing the best deals on the tech that creatives value the most.
