10 Free Tools to Fake It as a Mobile App Designer

Can you imagine comparing your app with another app that was creating by a professional developer? Chances are you'd get laughed at, or you'd end up hiring app designer to perform mobile design.

Unfortunately, AppMuse states that the average cost to hire a app designer or web developer is over $6,400. That's not exactly what most small business owners want to hear.

You have no need to fret though, because this is a new age in which average business owners can design and create their own mobile apps to make them look just like a professional worked on them. The internet is littered with free tools to fake it as an app designer, and most of them are so easy to use that you won't end up spending much time on your app at all.

Without further ado… here are the best free tools to pretend that you're mobile app designer.

iBuildApp for Mobile App Designers

We all saw this coming, but iBuildApp serves as the bedrock of your app development process. Not only is it free to get started, but the system provides professionally designed templates for different industries such as restaurants, barbers and online shops.

Once you choose your template you can customize it however you want, market it through social media, QR codes and app stores, and even try to make money by placing ads on the app.

Canva for app designers

Canva has a great free account with pretty much all the functionality you require to make stunning designs for your mobile app. Do you need a picture to put on your mobile Facebook feed? Canva has the tools for that.

Are you interested in making a banner to advertise one of your new products through your mobile app? Canva gives you the features needed to drop in your own image (or choose from their stock) and manipulate premade typography for beautiful designs.

Logaster logo creator for app designers

Although a logo isn't all that expensive to make anymore, it's still something you might want to consider cutting costs on. Logaster provides an online logo creator, and once you're finished with your logo it allows for a free small download of the logo, which is almost always going to work on your mobile app design.

If you'd like a full size logo, the company offers payment plans for that.

ICones icons for app designers

Users move around on your mobile app by clicking on icons and buttons, so it's essential that you include sleek, relevant icons that tell people what they are going to see next.

Although iBuildApp has a nice set of icons to develop for your app, you may find that you require something a little more unique. In that case, go to the ICones site to search through and download icon packs that you can then upload to your iBuildApp creation.

Unsplash stock photos for app designers

Stock photos once costed way too much money, but a service called Unsplash reveals high-resolution stock images for you to download and place on your mobile app design without even crediting the photographers. It's basically a community of people who want to share their work for free, so you can find striking photos here.

Visme

We placed Visme on this list, because it has the functionality to generate presentations and infographics. This may not be on the top of your list in terms of mobile design, but eventually you need to switch up your content to keep people interested. The best part about Visme is that it's free and the designs are mobile responsive for app developers.

Colour Lovers

Whether you need a certain background pattern or a bright blue color palette to brand your mobile app, Colour Lovers is the place to find free user downloads to put on your app.

Flickr Creative Commons

Since Unsplash is a little limited in its selection of stock photos, another free solution is the Flickr Creative Commons library. Search for just about any type of photo to meet your mobile app needs, but remember that you generally have to credit the photographer with a link for it to remain legal.

Pixlr alternative to Photoshop

Can't quite make your logo fit right in a mobile app design? It may need a quick edit. Since Photoshop is a huge investment, why not go with the free, online alternative called Pixlr? It provides a watered down version, but you receive most of the features that average people use.

Prezi presentation tool

Another, and debatably easier to use, presentation tool is Prezi. Since many mobile apps are being created for in-office functions, it's not a bad idea to have a free presentation tool for placing the creations on your app and bringing them up quickly on your phone or tablet.

Over to You...

Free stuff is awesome, isn't it? Let us know in the comments if you've used any of these free tools to use in your mobile app design, and tell us about your experiences.

Joe Warnimont is a freelance tech writer who mans the iBuildApp blog, along with his personal Write With Warnimont blog. When not playing around with apps and gadgets, he's brushing up on his German or riding his bike in Chicago.