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AI image generator for iPad

Onhand is an iPhone and iPad app that makes and edits images on the device you are holding. On iPad you get the same model packs, the same offline behaviour and the same one-time Pro unlock, on a larger canvas.

By Onhand · Updated September 12, 2026

What you get

  • Runs on iPad with iPadOS 26 or later, with generation and editing on the device GPU.
  • Works offline once a model pack has finished downloading, including in airplane mode.
  • Text-to-image from a typed prompt, with style presets instead of a settings panel.
  • Image-to-image on every model, with a strength control for a light or heavy restyle.
  • Masked inpainting: paint over an area on the larger screen and regenerate just that part, with the free fast model.
  • Resize and background removal on device, plus a gallery with history and a Refine loop that keeps earlier versions.
  • Free download with a free fast model, and a one-time Pro purchase that unlocks more packs.

Why generate images on an iPad?

Onhand runs on iPad with iPadOS 26, and everything happens on the tablet itself. Your prompt goes into the app, the model pack sitting in local storage does the work on the device GPU, and the result lands in an on-device gallery. Nothing is sent to a generation server at any point.

The practical reason to use an iPad is the screen. Painting an inpainting mask is the clearest case: a bigger canvas means you can trace the edge of a jacket or a lamp without zooming in and out, and the area you regenerate is the area you meant. Comparing results is the other case. The Refine loop keeps every version you make, and a larger display gives those versions room to sit next to each other while you decide which one to keep.

Memory is the other reason people reach for a tablet. Which model packs a device can run depends on available memory, not on how fast the chip is, and many iPads have more memory to give than a phone does. The app checks what is available and shows you which packs your device can handle, so you do not have to work it out from a spec sheet.

What is the same as the iPhone version?

Almost all of it. Onhand is one app with one catalog, so the iPad version is not a cut-down companion or a separate purchase. The model packs, the offline behaviour, the editing tools and the pricing are the same on both.

  • The same catalog of downloadable model packs, roughly 1 to 4.5 GB each. The free one is a fast Stable Diffusion-class model of about 2 GB.
  • The same offline rule: once a pack is downloaded, generation and editing work with no network at all.
  • The same one-time Pro purchase. No subscription, no credits, no cap on how many images you make.
  • The same account situation, which is no account. There is nothing to sign up for.
  • The same editing set: text-to-image, image-to-image, inpainting with the free fast model, resize, background removal and the Refine loop.

Pro packs add more looks for portraits and scenes, including an SDXL Turbo pack, and a higher-quality model with better prompt following, FLUX.2 Klein 4B. The Pro price varies by storefront and is still being tested, so the app shows the price for your own store rather than a number quoted here.

Speed depends on the pack and the device. For a sense of scale, the developer measured about 7 seconds for a 512px image with the free fast model and about 12 seconds with the XL pack, on an iPhone 14 Pro, using the method described on the about page. That is a phone figure, not an iPad one, and it is there as a reference point rather than a promise about your tablet.

Prompts, source photos and generated images stay on the device. The app does use limited anonymous analytics and Apple and RevenueCat purchase services, which are set out in full on the privacy page.

What should you check before installing?

Three things: your iPadOS version, your free storage, and how the tablet behaves under sustained load. Onhand needs iPadOS 26 or later. There is no build for earlier releases, and there is no Mac or Android version to fall back on.

Storage matters more than people expect. The app itself is small, and the model packs are not. Each pack is roughly 1 to 4.5 GB, and a pack has to be fully downloaded before it will run. If you want more than one look available offline, budget for more than one pack. You can remove a pack you are not using and download it again later.

Generating images uses the GPU hard, so the tablet will warm up and the battery will drain faster than it does while you read. A long session of back-to-back generations is the case to watch. Charging while you generate, keeping the tablet out of a thick case and pausing between batches all help. If iPadOS decides the device is too warm, it will slow things down to protect the hardware, which shows up as a longer wait rather than an error.

How do you work with your own photos on iPad?

You bring a photo in from the photo picker and then choose what to do with it. The photo is processed on the device, and the original is left alone: edits produce new images in the Onhand gallery rather than overwriting what is in your library.

  1. Import a photo from your library.
  2. Restyle it with image-to-image, and use the strength control to decide how far from the original it should travel. Low strength keeps the composition; high strength treats the photo as a starting suggestion.
  3. Or paint a mask over one part and regenerate only that area with inpainting, which uses the free fast model.
  4. Remove the background, or resize, when that is all you need.
  5. Refine the result as many times as you like. Each version is kept, so you can step back to an earlier one.
  6. Export the image you want, or leave it in the on-device gallery.

Two limits are worth knowing before you start. Negative prompts do nothing on the Turbo packs, because those models run at a guidance scale of zero, so describe the style you want in the positive prompt instead of listing what you do not want. Text and lettering inside a generated image are model-dependent and are not something Onhand promises. Results also pass an on-device safety check, since the app is aimed at safe-for-work output.

What does Onhand not do on iPad?

The short answer is that the iPad version is the same app, so it has the same gaps. None of them close on a larger screen.

There are no Apple Pencil-specific tools. Masks are painted by touching the screen, and Onhand does not claim pressure, tilt or any other drawing feature beyond that. If a pencil-first editing app is what you are after, this is not it.

There is no outpainting, so you cannot extend an image past the edges it was generated at. There is no AI upscaling; resize is a plain resize. There is no video. There is no custom model import, no LoRA and no ControlNet, so you work with the packs in the catalog rather than weights you bring yourself. And there is no Mac app, no Android app and no web version, so an iPad and an iPhone are the two places Onhand runs.

What it does not do

  • No Apple Pencil-specific tools are claimed: masks are painted with whatever you use to touch the screen.
  • No Mac app and no web app. Onhand is an iPhone and iPad app only.
  • No outpainting, so an image cannot be extended past the edges it was generated at.
  • No custom model import, no LoRA and no ControlNet. You run the packs in the catalog.
  • No AI upscaling and no video. Resize is a plain resize.

Frequently asked questions

Does Onhand work on iPad?

Yes. Onhand is an iPhone and iPad app, and it needs iPadOS 26 or later on a tablet. Generation and editing run on the iPad itself rather than on a server. It is pre-launch and coming soon, so it cannot be installed yet.

Can I run Stable Diffusion on an iPad offline?

Yes, with an app that ships the model to your device. Onhand downloads a model pack once, and after that generation and editing work with no network, including in airplane mode. The free pack is a fast Stable Diffusion-class model of about 2 GB, and Pro packs include an SDXL Turbo pack and FLUX.2 Klein 4B.

Which iPad can run it?

Any iPad on iPadOS 26 can run the app, and available memory decides which model packs it can actually load. Chip speed is not the deciding factor. The app shows you which packs your device can handle, so you can start with the free fast pack and add larger ones if there is room.

Is there an AI art app for iPad with no subscription?

Onhand is built that way. The download is free, the recommended fast model is free to use, and Pro is a single one-time purchase that unlocks more model packs. There is no subscription, there are no credits, and there is no limit on how many images you make. The Pro price varies by storefront and is shown in the app.

Does Onhand support Apple Pencil?

Onhand does not claim any Apple Pencil-specific features. Masks for inpainting are painted by touching the screen, and there are no pressure or tilt behaviours designed around a stylus. Treat it as a touch app that happens to have more room to work on a tablet.

How much storage do the model packs need?

Model packs run roughly 1 to 4.5 GB each, and the free fast pack is about 2 GB. A pack has to finish downloading before it will run, so leave headroom if you want several looks available offline. Packs you are not using can be removed and downloaded again later.

Sources

Facts about other products come from their own listings and documentation, last checked on the date shown. Corrections are welcome at the address on the About page.