Adobe Illustrator
Industry-standard vector graphics software for logos, illustrations, typography, and scalable design work
Adobe InDesign
Industry-standard page layout software for creating magazines, books, brochures, and multi-page documents
Adobe Lightroom
Professional photo editing and management software for organizing, editing, and exporting large photo libraries
Affinity Designer
One-time purchase vector graphics app for logo design, illustration, and print work with no subscription required
After Effects
Adobe's industry-standard tool for creating motion graphics, animations, and visual effects
Arc
Modern browser built for designers with visual workspaces, split view, built-in notes, and custom CSS per site
Asana
Work management platform for design projects, creative requests, and cross-functional collaboration
Maya
Industry-standard 3D software for modeling, animation, rendering, and visual effects in film, games, and design
Axure
Advanced prototyping tool for creating highly interactive, data-driven prototypes with built-in documentation
Balsamiq
Intentionally sketchy wireframing tool for fast ideation and low-fidelity mockups
Bezi
Browser-based 3D design tool built specifically for creating AR/VR/XR prototypes for Apple Vision Pro, Meta Quest, and other spatial platforms
Blender
Free, open-source 3D creation suite for modeling, animation, rendering, and video editing
Bolt.new
Browser-based AI development environment that generates complete working applications from text descriptions—no coding required.
Bubble
No-code platform for building database-driven web applications with visual workflows and user authentication
BugHerd
Point-and-click bug tracking tool that lets clients and teams report website issues visually
Canva
Drag-and-drop design tool for social media graphics, presentations, and creating templates that non-designers can use
Capture One
Professional photo editing software known for superior color science, tethered shooting, and RAW processing
Cheetah3D
Mac-native 3D modeling, rendering, and animation software with a focus on simplicity and affordability
Chromatic
Visual testing infrastructure for Storybook that catches UI regressions automatically before deployment
Cinema 4D
Industry-standard 3D software for motion graphics, visual effects, and product visualization
CleanShot X
Mac-native screenshot tool with scrolling capture, annotation, background removal, OCR, and cloud hosting
ColorSnapper
macOS color picker that magnifies pixels and copies color values in any format to your clipboard
Contra
Commission-free freelance platform combining portfolio showcase with direct client connections for independent designers.
Craft
Native Mac and iOS note-taking app with elegant design, collaboration features, and powerful organization for design documentation
Cursor
An AI-powered code editor that helps designers write, edit, and understand code through natural conversation.
Dora
Visual website builder with built-in 3D capabilities, animations, and advanced interactions—no code required
Dovetail
Research repository for storing, analyzing, and sharing user research with automated insights and collaborative tagging
Dropbox
Cloud storage service for syncing files across devices and sharing large design files with teams
Droplr
Cloud-based screenshot capture and file sharing tool that creates instant shareable links for Mac users
Eagle
Visual asset manager for organizing design inspiration, references, icons, and project files with tagging and smart folders
Excalidraw
Free, open-source virtual whiteboard with a hand-drawn aesthetic for quick diagrams and visual thinking
FigJam
Figma's whiteboard tool for brainstorming, workshops, and visual collaboration with your design team
Figma
Browser-based design tool for UI design, prototyping, and design systems with real-time collaboration
Flinto
Mac-based prototyping tool for creating animated transitions and micro-interactions for mobile app designs
FlutterFlow
No-code visual builder that generates Flutter code for creating native iOS and Android apps with drag-and-drop design
Framer
No-code website builder for designers to create and publish production sites with visual editing and animations
Galileo AI
AI-powered tool that transforms text descriptions into high-fidelity UI designs, trained specifically on interface patterns for rapid ideation and prototyping.
GitHub
Code hosting and version control platform that designers use for design system repos, portfolio sites, and team collaboration
Hammer for Mac
Mac app for building static HTML sites with includes, SASS compilation, and auto-reload during development
Heroku
Platform-as-a-service for deploying web apps and prototypes with Git, supporting Ruby, Node.js, Python, and Java
Hotjar
Behavior analytics tool that shows how users interact with your site through heatmaps, session recordings, and feedback surveys
Hype
Mac app for creating animated and interactive HTML5 content without coding, using keyframes and timelines
ImageAlpha
Mac app that compresses PNG images with transparency using lossy compression for smaller file sizes
ImageOptim
Free Mac app for lossless image compression that reduces PNG, JPEG, and GIF file sizes without quality loss
JPEGmini
Photo compression software that reduces JPEG file sizes up to 80% with no visible quality loss
Jira
Enterprise project management tool for tracking design tasks, syncing with engineering teams, and managing work in agile workflows
KREA
AI image generator with real-time editing, upscaling, and pattern tools for visual design
Keynote
Apple's presentation software used for slides, interactive prototypes, and motion graphics
Khroma
AI-powered color palette generator that learns your preferences to create personalized color combinations with accessibility ratings
LICEcap
Lightweight, free screen recorder that captures directly to GIF format for quick demos and tutorials
Linear
Keyboard-first project management tool for tracking design work, managing roadmaps, and collaborating with engineering
Loom
Async video messaging tool for recording screen and camera to share design walkthroughs, feedback, and updates
Lovable
AI app builder that transforms ideas into production-ready web applications through conversation
Lucidchart
Browser-based diagramming tool for flowcharts, wireframes, org charts, and technical diagrams with real-time collaboration
Lunacy
Free cross-platform design app with built-in illustrations, photos, and icons
Lyssna
User research platform for testing designs with five-second tests, preference tests, and prototype testing
Marvel
Web-based prototyping tool that turns sketches, images, and designs into interactive prototypes
Maze
Turn Figma prototypes into quantitative user tests with completion rates, heatmaps, and misclick tracking
Midjourney
AI image generator known for artistic, stylized outputs created through text prompts in Discord
Miro
Online whiteboard platform for visual collaboration, design workshops, and research synthesis
Mixpanel
Event-based product analytics platform for tracking how users interact with features, building funnels, and measuring retention
Motiff
AI-powered design platform from China that combines traditional UI design tools with intelligent automation for design systems, component generation, and developer handoff
Mural
Visual collaboration platform for remote workshops, brainstorming, and design thinking with structured facilitation tools
Musho
AI-powered Figma plugin that turns text prompts into dev-ready website designs with layouts, copy, and images
Notion
Flexible workspace combining notes, docs, wikis, and databases for design documentation and project management
Nova
Native Mac code editor from Panic with integrated file management, Git, terminal, and live preview
Obsidian
Markdown-based note-taking app with bidirectional links and local storage for building a design research archive
OmniGraffle
Native Mac app for creating diagrams, wireframes, and flowcharts with precision vector tools
Origami Studio
Free prototyping tool from Meta for creating advanced interactions with patch-based visual programming
Pen and Paper
Analog sketching tools for capturing ideas, wireframing, and design thinking before digital work
Penpot
Free, open-source design tool for UI/UX design and prototyping with SVG-native editing and self-hosting options
Photoshop
Powerful raster graphics editor for photo editing, digital painting, and image manipulation with AI tools
Pixelmator Pro
Mac-native image editor with AI-powered tools for photo editing, graphic design, and digital painting at a one-time price
PostHog
Open-source product analytics platform with session recordings, feature flags, A/B testing, and self-hosting options
Principle
Mac app for creating animated and interactive UI prototypes with timeline-based animation
ProtoPie
Advanced prototyping tool for creating realistic interactions, multi-device experiences, and sensor-based prototypes
Raycast
Modern productivity launcher for Mac with quick file access, clipboard history, and design tool extensions
Read.cv
A minimal, designer-friendly portfolio platform that turns your work history into a beautifully formatted profile—no website building required.
Reflector
Mac and Windows app for wirelessly mirroring and recording iPhone, iPad, and Android screens via AirPlay and Cast
Relume
AI sitemap generator and component library that creates wireframes from text prompts
Rive
Real-time animation tool for creating interactive graphics that respond to user input and state changes
Sketch
Mac-native design tool for UI/UX design, prototyping, and design systems with pixel-perfect vector editing
Skitch
Evernote-owned screenshot tool for quick image annotation with arrows, text, and shapes
Spline
Browser-based 3D design tool for creating interactive experiences, animations, and web-ready 3D content
Stark
Accessibility plugin for Figma, Sketch, and Adobe XD that checks color contrast, simulates color blindness, and suggests alt text
Storybook
Browse and QA your design system's actual implementation in an isolated component workshop.
Sublime Text
Sophisticated text editor for code, markup, and prose with instant performance and powerful editing features
Supernova
Platform that converts Figma design systems into production-ready code and documentation automatically
Uizard
AI design tool that transforms sketches, screenshots, and text prompts into editable UI mockups
User Interviews
Recruit verified research participants, schedule sessions, and pay incentives—all in one platform built for designers who need real user feedback.
UserTesting
Remote user research platform that delivers video recordings of real people testing your designs and prototypes
Vim
Highly configurable modal text editor that lets you edit code without touching the mouse
Visily
AI-powered wireframing tool that converts screenshots and text to editable designs for rapid prototyping
Webflow
Visual web development platform that lets designers build production-ready websites without writing code while maintaining full design control
Whimsical
Keyboard-first visual workspace for flowcharts, wireframes, mind maps, and user flows that's faster than FigJam for structured diagrams.
Womp
Browser-based 3D modeling tool that uses intuitive sculpting to make 3D accessible to designers without technical experience
Zeplin
Bridge the gap between design and development with automated specs, style guides, and code snippets from your design files.
Zeroheight
Design system documentation that syncs with Figma, Sketch, and code to create living style guides that never go stale
Zight
Screenshot and screen recording tool that automatically uploads and creates shareable links
iA Writer
Minimal writing app focused on Markdown with Focus Mode, cross-platform sync, and clean typography
v0
Transform natural language descriptions into production-ready React and Tailwind CSS code instantly
