Only the Best for Your Pencil
Apple Pencils are useful for many applications, whether it’s art, illustration, modeling, sculpting, or even just to take class notes. Getting one is a worthy investment, and once done, you’ll probably want to keep it in the best condition.
Well, we can help you out on this front. In this article, we’ve pulled together a list of the best Apple Pencil accessories you can either buy or make. Some are compatible with either the first or second generation of the pencil, and others for both.
It’s worth mentioning that there are more accessories available for the first-generation Apple Pencil, as it has more parts and is less carrying-friendly than the newer version. The second-generation pencil doesn’t have a cap and no longer charges via a lightning cable. Instead, it attaches magnetically to your iPad and charges that way. As such, there’s less of a need for accessories to carry the second-generation pencil.
If you like any of the DIY options but can’t print at the moment, try Craftcloud by All3DP. With a wide range of materials, colors, and finishing options, you’ll surely find something you’d like.
Without further ado, let’s jump to our list.
To Buy
Not everyone has the time it takes to print and finish an accessory for their Apple Pencil. If you don’t want to go the route of a 3D printing service, luckily, many companies produce quality accessories that cater to a variety of different uses. From pencil caps to charging stations, we’ve gathered the most useful and best-looking accessories that’ll keep your Apple Pencil in top shape.
Frtma Caps, Tip Cover, & Retainer
One of the most common issues users who own a first-generation Apple Pencil experience is losing the cap. This set of accessories addresses just that: It includes a cap replacement, a cap with a retainer, a cover for the tip, and a retainer for the charging adapter.
They’re made of silicone and come in five different colors. Though small, this set is big in terms of practicality.
- Compatibility: 1st generation only
- Who designed it: Frtma
- Where to find it: Amazon
- DIY alternative: Lightning adapter and pencil cap retainers, cap retainer
Belkin Carrying Case & Stand
This carrying case has double functionality: You can use it to store your pencil when on the go, or you can keep it within hand’s reach when working stationary. The material is high gloss and in neutral colors, making it adequate for all environments. An extra cap, extra tip, and lightning adapter are included.
- Compatibility: 1st generation only
- Who designed it: Belkin
- Where to find it: Amazon
- DIY alternative: Pencil stand with storage
Fintie Elastic Band Holder
One worry when purchasing an Apple Pencil is how long it’ll be before you lose it. Surely, this isn’t something you want to happen to such an item. With a simple but effective design, this product can help to prevent you from losing your pencil.
It’s essentially a pencil holder made of synthetic leather, assembled with an elastic band so you can attach it to any iPad cover, ensuring you’ll always find your pen where your iPad is.
- Compatibility: 1st and 2nd generation
- Who designed it: Fintie
- Where to find it: Amazon
- DIY alternative: Holder, iPad case clip
Cuvr Leather Case with Pencil Holder
This product does what you need and more. Made for an 11-in iPad Pro, it’s a leather iPad case that can be adjusted to many different angles, all the while keeping your iPad safe. In addition, the cover has a special slot to keep your Apple Pencil safely stored away and even includes space for the charger so that you can charge your pen while it’s in there.
- Compatibility: 1st generation only
- Who designed it: Cuvr
- Where to find it: Amazon
- Buy alternative: iPad Pro stand with pencil holder
Fintie Pencil Holder Case
This case is perfect for keeping your pen and all its accessories (including the lightning cable) safely stored. It has a tough exterior and a soft interior to keep your pen and accessories safe from bumps and bruises on all fronts. On the inside, elastic bands keep everything in place, and it’s even wide enough to keep some extra pens, earphones, and your charging cable.
- Compatibility: 1st and 2nd generation
- Who designed it: Fintie
- Where to find it: Amazon
- DIY alternative: Magnetic accessory case
Tranesca Ergonomic Grip
A grip could be just what you’re missing to produce truly amazing drawings. These grips make your pen less slippery and keep it safe from bumps. It’s made with a material called “cushion silicone” and, according to the brand, it helps reduce finger joint pressure and wrist fatigue. Three grips come in a pack with options in white, black, and orange.
- Compatibility: 1st generation only
- Who designed it: Tranesca
- Where to find it: Amazon
- DIY alternative: Ergonomic pen grip
Timovo Charging Stand
This charging stand has just about everything you need in one place. It allows you to charge your pencil via USB, while also providing a slot to place your pencil cap while it charges. Additionally, a battery display lets you know when your pencil has fully charged. The stand is available in white, black, or pink.
- Compatibility: 1st generation only
- Who designed it: Timovo
- Where to find it: Amazon
- DIY alternative: Rocket charging dock, foldable charging station
TechMatte Female-to-Female Adapter
The first-generation Apple Pencil was designed to be charged by plugging it into your iPad’s charging slot. This, however, isn’t the most comfortable charging position and can lead to accidents and a damaged pencil. That’s why most people would rather charge it via a lightning cable.
The problem is both the lightning cable and the pencil have male connections, but there’s a very simple fix: a female-to-female adapter. With this simple accessory, you can now charge your pencil as you would other Apple devices.
- Compatibility: 1st generation only
- Who designed it: TechMatte
- Where to find it: Amazon
- DIY alternative: None
Apple Pencil Tips
Many things can happen to your pencil’s tips. They can get damaged, lost, or simply wear down with time. Apple sells extra tips, in a pack of four, to replace your old ones when the time comes.
Switching them is quite simple, as it only requires taking out the previous one and inserting the new one – no screwing or calibrating necessary.
- Compatibility: 1st and 2nd generation
- Who designed it: Apple
- Where to find it: Amazon
- DIY alternative: None
Silicone Case
A combination of cute and practical, these pencil covers are made of silicone for the second-generation Apple Pencil. They help with grip and prevent the pencil from scratching or suffering a hard hit, all while remaining thin enough for the pen to attach magnetically to the iPad. It’s available in seven different colors, and the most adorable part: It has cat ears.
- Compatibility: 2nd generation only
- Who designed it: Hydream
- Where to find it: Amazon
- DIY alternative: None
ProCase with Pencil Slot
As the second-generation Apple Pencil charges while magnetically attached to an iPad, it makes sense to carry it attached to the iPad. Most iPad cases take this into account, leaving the side open so the pen can attach there. This is fine, generally speaking, but depending on the design of the case, there’s still the risk of the pencil detaching and getting lost in the process or damaged especially when being carried in a backpack with other things.
This case takes that into account allowing contact on the side while still providing protection for the pen. The case’s pencil holder can even accommodate a first-generation pencil.
- Compatibility: 1st and 2nd generation
- Who designed it: ProCase
- Where to find it: Amazon
- DIY alternative: None
TechMatte Female-to-USB Male Charging Cable
As mentioned before, the first-generation pencil has a male charging slot. This charging cable allows you to connect your pencil to one end, and on the other end, there’s a USB male connector that can be connected to a power adapter.
The cable is 5 feet long, which means you’d be perfectly comfortable using your pencil while it charges.
- Compatibility: 1st generation only
- Who designed it: TechMatte
- Where to find it: Amazon
- DIY alternative: None
Best DIY Accessories
The fun of having a 3D printer is that there’s almost no limit to what you can create at home. And nowadays, the limit isn’t even your own imagination because, thanks to repositories and other sites, you can also print what other people have created or draw inspiration from and customize models created by others.
While buying products can be complicated by delivery times and product availability, 3D printing allows you to get what you want in just a few hours. So, we present below some cool accessories you can print yourself to get the maximum advantage out of your Apple Pencil.
iPad Pro Stand with Pencil Holder
This iPad Pro stand lets your iPad stand at an angle, which makes it more comfortable when drawing, for example. In addition to this, it has a pen-shaped slot on the back of the structure to keep your pencil safe while you’re not using it.
- Compatibility: 1st generation only
- Who designed it: robomaniac
- Where to find it: Thingiverse
- Buy alternative: Cuvr leather case with pencil holder
Stand with Storage
As the name indicates, this print allows your pencil to rest standing on your desk. The design is based on standard drawing tablet pen holders, but it has an additional advantage: You can unscrew the bottom to find storage space for pen accessories such as the cap, the female-to-female adapter, and tip replacements.
- Compatibility: 1st generation only
- Who designed it: RevisonNr3
- Where to find it: Thingiverse
- Buy alternative: Belkin carrying case and stand
Lightning Adapter and Pencil Cap Retainers
Without an adapter, you’ll have to charge your pencil directly from your iPad, which is a bit of a hazard. Without the cap, you risk permanently damaging your charging port. So, ensuring those two items remain well secured can save you trouble in the future.
These 3D printed retainers for the cap and lightning adapter can do just that. Give them a try and consider printing them in a flexible filament.
- Compatibility: 1st generation only
- Who designed it: go3dprint
- Where to find it: Thingiverse
- Buy alternative: Frtma caps, tip cover, and retainer
Cap with Retainer
If you’ve already lost your cap, don’t worry; it’s not too late for you. This pen cap with a retainer is here to save the day.
Not only will it replace the lost cap, but it also comes with a retainer to make sure you don’t have to keep printing replacement caps. It has a tight fit to ensure it’s not accidentally uncapping all the time.
- Compatibility: 1st generation only
- Who designed it: ururk
- Where to find it: Thingiverse
- Buy alternative: Frtma caps, tip cover, and retainer
Anti-Roll
This model is simple but effective. It’s a small wedge that’s sure to stop your pencil from rolling away. Such a part can be added to the second-generation pencil, but it’s not especially recommended, as it would prevent it from sticking to the iPad.
- Compatibility: 1st and 2nd generation
- Who designed it: Tommert
- Where to find it: Thingiverse
- Buy alternative: None
Clip for Smart Keyboard
This very clever part doesn’t take too long to print and can be safely attached to the back of your iPad’s smart keyboard, allowing it to become a pencil holder for your Apple Pencil. The author recommends using padding to make the grip better, as the material is more delicate both for the pen and the keyboard.
Consider printing the clip in ABS instead of PLA in order to avoid wear. PLA, however, should work fine, too.
Magnetic Accessory Case
You can make your very own professional-looking case for Apple Pencil accessories! With four 5 x 5 mm cylindrical magnets, the case snaps closed and is held in place, preventing it from accidentally opening and having all your accessories lost to the void.
If you have a first-generation pencil, the case can hold your pen cap and adapter as well as pen tips. If you have a second-generation pencil, you can still use it to store extra tips.
- Compatibility: 1st and 2nd generation
- Who designed it: Alexander Leisentritt
- Where to find it: Pinshape
- Buy alternative: Fintie pencil holder case
Rocket Charging Dock
Bring your nerd side out with this easy print! This dock keeps your pencil safe and gives it the appearance of a rocket poised for ignition. A charging cable can be inserted through the bottom of the model, allowing your pencil to fuel up.
- Compatibility: 1st generation only
- Who designed it: lasseklein
- Where to find it: Thingiverse
- Buy alternative: Timovo charging stand
Holder
A falling Apple Pencil can leave devastation to both the pencil and your pocketbook in its wake. This holder, however, keeps your pencil on your desk, horizontally, so there’s no risk of even knocking it off.
The model is super easy to print, but make sure it’s a quality print to ensure a good fit for the pen. The designer recommends the standard 0.2-mm layer height.
- Compatibility: 1st generation only
- Who designed it: MarcoLaw
- Where to find it: MyMiniFactory
- Buy alternative: Fintie elastic band holder
Foldable Charging Station
This clever design uses physics and the pencil’s own weight to hold the pen at an angle while it charges, keeping it safe and within reach. Printing it is not so difficult, as it doesn’t need supports. The print, however, has to be very good quality so that the inner part can slide comfortably into place.
- Compatibility: 1st generation only
- Who designed it: Eolus
- Where to find it: Pinshape
- Buy alternative: Timovo charging stand
Stand
This model is similar to a previous one in that they’re both based on stands for drawing tablet pens, though this one doesn’t have a storage drawer. If you already have a carrying case or you just want a plain old stand, give this model a try.
- Compatibility: 1st generation only
- Who designed it: Blacklion83
- Where to find it: Thingiverse
- Buy alternative: None
Ergonomic Pen Grip
Similar to the bought version, this accessory provides a comfortable grip while you use your Apple Pencil. Ideal for the first-generation pencil, the grip is also compatible with the second-generation pencil, but you would have to take it off each time you want to attach your pencil to the iPad, then on again when you’re going to use the pencil.
- Compatibility: 1st and 2nd generation
- Who designed it: luna studio
- Where to find it: Pinshape
- Buy alternative: Tranesca ergonomic grip
iPad Case Clip
If your iPad case didn’t come with a slot for your pencil, that’s fine. You have a 3D printer and can print your own! This versatile model adapts to different iPad case sizes and has a cylindrical space to keep your pen secured. Be sure you print it with precision, though, to ensure your pen fits well.
- Compatibility: 1st generation only
- Who designed it: vova_chmarak
- Where to find it: Pinshape
- Buy alternative: Fintie Apple Pencil holder
Lead image source: Pete2222 via Thingiverse
License: The text of "Best Apple Pencil Accessories to Buy or DIY" by All3DP is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.