Solid alternatives to the Surface Pen and Surface Slim Pen

We're fans of the Surface Pen and the newer Surface Slim Pen. Still, there are plenty of alternative styli out there if you don't fancy Microsoft's official offerings, whether it's because you don't have one of the best Microsoft Surface PCs or just have your own preferences. Here are some excellent examples.

Hybrid

Wacom Bamboo Ink Plus Smart Stylus

Staff pick

Wacom is a big name in the land of the stylus. The company has been responsible for some of the best pens and drawing pads out there, and there's even a Surface-compatible pen available should the official one from Microsoft not quite do it for you. The Wacom Bamboo Ink is a unique option since it supports Wacom's Universal Pen Framework (UPF). This allows it to seamlessly shift between Microsoft Surface devices and Wacom Active ES (electrostatic) hardware.

$100 at Amazon

Premium

Dell Premium Active Pen

The Premium Active Pen is Dell's best digital stylus, offering incredible quality and versatility for a high, but fair, price. This thing supports 4,096 different levels of pressure sensitivity, which is excellent for devices that support styli.

$80 at Amazon

$100 at Dell

Budget

Tesha Surface Pen for Microsoft Surface

Tesha's Surface Pen is an all-aluminum pen that works with Microsoft's latest Surface products, as well as other OEM portable devices. Sporting 1,024 levels of pressure sensitivity, it allows you to write, draw, and erase without issue. The pen itself takes a battery, with one included to get you started. Much like other pens on the market, there are two buttons on the side. There is one for erasing and the other for a right-click.

$34 at Amazon

True to life

HP Tilt Pen (Dark Ash)

If you need something that offers a little more than the HP Pen, this Tilt edition may be just what you require. What makes this stylus so great to use is how true to life the experience is, allowing you to naturally draw, write, and doodle away on your favorite tablet Windows PC.

$73 at Amazon

$69 at HP

If we're to make a suggestion

There are numerous alternatives to Microsoft's own stylus, should you wish to try something a little different or need a cheaper replacement. If I had to recommend a single listing in this guide, it would be the Wacom Bamboo Ink because it's one of the better styli out there. It's a unique option thanks to Wacom's own Universal Pen Framework (UPF) support. This allows it to seamlessly shift between Microsoft Surface devices and Wacom Active ES (electrostatic) hardware.

If you're looking to save some money, however, the Tesha Surface Stylus will let you draw and use a tablet more efficiently when not accompanied by a mouse and keyboard, but don't expect to create incredible works of art with it unless you have patience.