Best Software for Designers in 2026

63 tools built for designers, ranked on pricing, features, and real-world fit. Figma, Midjourney, Framer lead the list, and 46 offer a free tier to start on.

Figma

Figma, Inc.

Collaborative interface design in the browser.

4.7(1,200)Free - $15/editor/mo

Midjourney

The gold standard for AI art.

4.7(1,200)From $10/mo

Framer

Design and ship websites in one place.

4.6(400)Free - $10/mo

Webflow

Webflow, Inc.

Visual web development without code.

4.4(700)Free - $14/mo

Coolors

The super-fast color palette generator.

4.8(640)Free - $3.99/mo

CleanShot X

MakeTimeBuild

The best screen capture for Mac.

4.8(400)From $29 once

Excalidraw

Hand-drawn style whiteboard, free.

4.8(300)Free - $7/mo

remove.bg

Kaleido

Remove image backgrounds instantly.

4.7(1,500)Free - $9/mo

Affinity Designer

Canva

Pro vector design, one-time purchase.

4.7(1,000)From $69.99 once

Kittl

AI-first design platform for creators.

4.7(310)Free - $10/mo

LottieFiles

Lightweight animations for apps and web.

4.7(300)Free - $19.99/mo

tldraw

An infinite canvas for everyone.

4.7(200)Free

Relume

AI website builder for Webflow & Figma.

4.7(200)Free - $32/mo

Adobe Photoshop

Adobe

The industry standard image editor.

4.6(9,000)From $9.99/mo

Adobe Illustrator

Adobe

Industry-standard vector graphics.

4.6(4,000)From $22.99/mo

Freepik

Graphic resources and AI tools.

4.6(3,000)Free - $12/mo

Envato Elements

Envato

Unlimited creative asset downloads.

4.6(2,500)From $11/mo

Vecteezy

Eezy

Vectors, photos, and video.

4.6(700)Free - $17/mo

Milanote

Visual boards for organizing creative projects.

4.6(680)Free - $12.99/user/mo

Gigapixel AI

Topaz Labs

AI photo upscaler up to 6x

4.6(620)From $99.99 once

FigJam

Figma

Figma's online whiteboard.

4.6(400)Free - $5/editor/mo

Whimsical

Flowcharts, wireframes, and docs.

4.6(300)Free - $10/editor/mo

Spline

3D design in the browser.

4.6(200)Free - $9/mo

Rive

Interactive animations for apps.

4.6(200)Free - $24/editor/mo

Magnific AI

Freepik

AI image upscaler and enhancer.

4.6(200)From $39/mo

Jitter

Motion design made simple.

4.6(160)Free - $16/mo

Stark

Accessibility tools for design teams.

4.6(150)Free - $15/user/mo

Useberry

Prototype testing and usability.

4.6(90)Free - $67/mo

Ballpark

Surveys, interviews, and usability tests.

4.6(70)Free - $80/mo

Shutterstock

Stock photos, video, and music.

4.5(5,000)From $29/mo

SketchUp

Trimble

3D modeling for architecture and design.

4.5(2,000)Free - $119/yr

Adobe Stock

Adobe

Stock assets inside Creative Cloud.

4.5(1,300)From $29.99/mo

Sketch

Digital design for Mac.

4.5(1,000)From $10/editor/mo

iStock

Getty Images

Affordable royalty-free stock.

4.5(900)From $29/mo

Maze

Continuous product research platform.

4.5(450)Free - $99/mo

Tower

fournova

Powerful Git client for Mac and Windows.

4.5(350)From $69/user/yr

See all 63 tools for designers→

Frequently asked questions

What is the best software for designers?

Figma is our top pick for designers in 2026 - Collaborative interface design in the browser. Midjourney and Framer are also strong, depending on your budget and stack.

Is there free software for designers?

Yes - Figma, Framer, Webflow, Coolors offer a free tier you can start on. They are a good way to trial the workflow before paying.

How many software tools are built for designers?

We track 63 tools suited to designers. Use the filters on the browse page to narrow by price, platform, free tier, and rating.

Looking for something specific? Search the full catalog, or use the guided finder to get matched.