When you’re a professional web designer, you are expected to have the best web design tools available. More often than not, these topnotch tools cost a pretty penny, which shouldn’t be a problem for more established and much sought-after web designers.
However, there are people who are only at the onset of their web design careers and may not be able to afford the pricey premium versions of web design tools. Then there are those who are still learning the ropes of web design and how to keep up with web design trends. If they can afford the best web design tools, well and good. If they can’t, then they can always turn to free web design tools, of which there are many.
In any case, everybody’s welcome to give these free web design tools a try. Here are 10 of them.
1. DesignBase
Designers need a lot of resources they could use in their work like fonts, mockups, icons, colors, illustrations, user-interface kits, and the like. They can find all that in one place: DesignBase. Whatever free resource you need, you can find it in this curated database.
2. Maze
Maze helps you analyze the performance of your prototype design. It provides insights from actual users, and it doesn’t require coding, which many web design beginners will like.
3. Logo Lab
Logos you design have to be tested for balance and scalability, among other things. Run your logos through Logo Lab, which will assess them and give suggestions on how to improve them, if necessary.
4. Pixlr
Pixlr has a reputation for having an interface that looks similar to Adobe Photoshop. Of course, it doesn’t have the same capabilities, but if all you need is a tool to make low to moderate-level photo edits, Pixlr can come in handy. Pixlr is a Cloud-based tool for editing and saving images, and it’s totally free.
5. Type Genius
Visualizing how a specific combination of fonts would look like on your site is easy with Type Genius. This tool will take the font combinations you suggest and show you how other sites will look with them.
6. Wix
One online website builder that is growing in popularity these days is Wix. Creating a professional website on Wix does not require coding skills. With its drag-and-drop editor, is a beginner-friendly tool. Wix boasts of more than 500 templates, all of which you can use for free.
7. Awesome Screenshot
Editing, annotating, and sharing captured images is quick and easy with Awesome Screenshot. With this free tool, you can make notes on your screenshots, draw on them, and share them with other members of your team.
8. Canva
As a freemium online graphics tool, Canva isn’t totally free like some of the web design tools on this list. You will have to pay to access its more advanced features. Still, for web design beginners, the free version of this tool can already be quite the help, as it’s very useful for creating custom-sized or shaped images. Canva has built-in templates and optimized sizes, as well as user-friendly search and drag function.
9. Checkli
Web design projects may primarily involve creative design work, but every single one of them requires tasks that need to be managed and organized properly. Web designers need a task checklist, and Checkli is a great tool for that, well, task. With Checkli—which happens to be responsive and therefore easy to use on your smartphone or tablet—you can create whatever checklist of tasks you need, and you can share it quite easily with your team and your clients.
10. Draw.io
Before starting actual design work on any website, web designers usually have to pitch their ideas and plans to their clients and get their approval. To make things easier for clients to understand, they will need to visualize everything. Draw.io is one tool that can help you with this.
Sitemap flowcharts and wireframes are easy to create with Draw.io. With the help of this free Cloud-based tool, you should be able to give your clients a clear understanding of what you propose to do with the website that they’re paying for. Draw.io has an easy-to-use drag-and-drop function. Everything you create using it is also printable.
Admittedly, the free web design tools listed above aren’t exactly the best ones available today. If you want to build exceptional websites, you may have to spend on high-end (and high maintenance) apps and software. However, if you’re still beginning to hone your skills at designing websites, these free tools could still come in handy. You will get the practice you need, and you won’t have to spend a single cent for them. More importantly, you can still create great-looking websites using only free web design tools, so check them out and give them a try.