What Are Mac Design Tools?
Mac has long been the platform of choice for designers. This category covers interface design, prototyping, mind mapping, screenshot and screen recording tools.
How to Choose a Design Tool
Consider whether you need vector editing, collaboration features or quick capture tools. Many designers combine one heavyweight design suite with several small utilities.
Design Apps
Acorn
Mac image editor with non-destructive filters, sold outright.
Mac image editor from Flying Meat with non-destructive filters, vector tools, RAW import and a wide export format list, sold as a one-time purchase.
Adobe XD
UI/UX design and prototyping tool that Adobe has placed in maintenance mode.
Adobe's UI and UX design and prototyping application, which Adobe states is in maintenance mode and no longer receiving new features.
Affinity Designer
Vector design studio in Affinity, now free from Canva.
Vector design studio inside Affinity, the free professional creative application from Canva that merged the former Designer, Photo and Publisher apps into one program.
Affinity Photo
Photo editing studio in Affinity, now free from Canva.
Photo editing studio inside Affinity, the free professional creative application from Canva that merged the former Designer, Photo and Publisher apps into one program.
Alchemy
Experimental, open-source drawing application with an emphasis on creating conceptual art.
Experimental, open-source drawing application with an emphasis on creating conceptual art.
Amadine
Vector drawing app with an intuitive interface for graphic designers.
Vector drawing app with an intuitive interface for graphic designers.
Amazing AI
Generate images from text using Stable Diffusion.
Generate images from text using Stable Diffusion.
APNGb
PNG image assembler/disassembler app.
PNG image assembler/disassembler app.
AppIconBuilder
Export icons for multi-platform
Export icons for multi-platform
Art Text 3
Graphic design software for lettering, typography, and text effects.
Graphic design software for lettering, typography, and text effects.
Aspect
Photo organization app with peer-to-peer sync.
Photo organization app with peer-to-peer sync.
Axure RP 8
Prototypes, specifications and diagrams in one tool.
Prototypes, specifications and diagrams in one tool.
Balsamiq Mockups
Wire-framing tool that helps you work faster and smarter.
Wire-framing tool that helps you work faster and smarter.
BetterCapture
Free and open source screen recorder with professional encoding support.
Free and open source screen recorder with professional encoding support.
Blender
Free open-source 3D creation suite.
Free and open-source 3D creation software covering modelling, sculpting, animation, VFX, rendering and video editing in one application.
capcap
Menu bar screenshot tool: double-tap Command to capture, annotate, scroll and pin.
Menu bar screenshot tool where double-tapping Command captures, annotates, scrolls and pins.
Capso
Open-source screenshot and screen recording tool with annotations, OCR, and webcam overlays.
Open-source screenshot and screen recording tool with annotations, OCR, and webcam overlays.
Capty
Screen capture and recording tool with built-in editing and annotations.
Screen capture and recording tool with built-in editing and annotations.
CleanShot X
Discover a superior way to capture your Mac's screen.
Discover a superior way to capture your Mac's screen.
CloudApp
Work at the speed of sight.
Work at the speed of sight.
Colorpicker
Colorpicker is a complete open-source colors manipulation tool with picking!
Colorpicker is a complete open-source colors manipulation tool with picking!
CompressO
Free, open-source video and image compressor for macOS.
Free open-source app that compresses video and images locally, with batch processing, trimming, format conversion and a before-and-after comparison slider.
Couleurs
Simple app for grabbing and tweaking the colors you see on your screen.
Simple app for grabbing and tweaking the colors you see on your screen.
darktable
darktable is an open source photography workflow application and raw developer.
darktable is an open source photography workflow application and raw developer.
Diffusion Bee
The easiest way to generate AI art on your computer with Stable Diffusion.
The easiest way to generate AI art on your computer with Stable Diffusion.
Dropbox
Dropbox app offers easy screenshot capturing and sharing
Dropbox app offers easy screenshot capturing and sharing
Droply
Offline batch background remover for images.
Offline batch background remover for images.
Eagle App
Asset manager for images, videos, audio, fonts, and design files.
Asset manager for images, videos, audio, fonts, and design files.
Elephicon
GUI wrapper for png2icons.
GUI wrapper for png2icons.
ExcalidrawZ
Open-source native Excalidraw client with local file management and iCloud sync.
Open-source native Excalidraw client with local file management and iCloud sync.
ExifCleaner
Remove exif metadata from images and videos with drag and drop.
Remove exif metadata from images and videos with drag and drop.
Figma
Collaborative interface design, prototyping and handoff.
A browser-based interface design tool with a Mac desktop app, covering vector design, prototyping, whiteboarding, slides and developer handoff.
Flameshot
Powerful yet simple to use screenshot software.
Powerful yet simple to use screenshot software.
Flinto
Quickly create interactive prototypes of mobile, desktop, or web apps.
Quickly create interactive prototypes of mobile, desktop, or web apps.
FontForge
Free, open-source font editor.
Free, open-source font editor.
Framer
Tool for interactive prototyping.
Tool for interactive prototyping.
Gifox
Gif Recording and Sharing.
Gif Recording and Sharing.
GIMP
Free and open-source image editor for retouching, compositing and artwork.
Free and open-source raster image editor for macOS, Windows and Linux, covering photo retouching, compositing, artwork and scripted image processing.
HEIC Converter
Convert HEIC images to JPEG or PNG.
Convert HEIC images to JPEG or PNG.
Iconjar
Icon management tool to organize or search your icons.
Icon management tool to organize or search your icons.
IconKit
App icon generator.
App icon generator.
Iconset
Free, cross-platform and fast SVG icon organizer and manager for Mac and Windows.
Free, cross-platform and fast SVG icon organizer and manager for Mac and Windows.
Image2icon
Create and personalize icons from your pictures.
Create and personalize icons from your pictures.
ImageAlpha
Compress images with PNG format and remove transparency.
Compress images with PNG format and remove transparency.
ImageOptim
Compress images and remove EXIF information.
Compress images and remove EXIF information.
inklet
Turn your Mac trackpad into drawing board.
Turn your Mac trackpad into drawing board.
Inkscape
Free open-source vector graphics editor built around SVG.
Free, open-source vector graphics editor for macOS, Windows and Linux that works natively in SVG, with flexible drawing tools, Bezier and spiro curves, a powerful text tool and broad file-format support.
iPic
Easily upload images with Markdown supported.
Easily upload images with Markdown supported.
ItsPaint
Native paint and screenshot markup: step badges, pixelate redaction, Instant Alpha.
Native paint and screenshot markup: step badges, pixelate redaction, Instant Alpha. No account or telemetry.
JPEGmini
Patented JPEG recompressor for Mac, free for 50 images a day.
Patented JPEG recompressor from Beamr that shrinks photos by re-encoding them within the standard, with optional H.264 and H.265 video compression on the paid tier.
Justinmind
Prototyping platform for web and mobile apps.
Prototyping platform for web and mobile apps.
Kap
Open-source screen-recorder built with web technology.
Open-source screen-recorder built with web technology.
KeyCastr
KeyCastr, an open-source keystroke visualizer.
KeyCastr, an open-source keystroke visualizer.
Kite
Powerful animation and prototyping application for Mac & iOS.
Powerful animation and prototyping application for Mac & iOS.
Krita
Free and open-source digital painting application for illustrators and animators.
Free and open-source digital painting application for macOS, Windows, Linux and Android tablets, aimed at concept art, illustration, comics, textures and 2D animation.
Kyapchar
Simple screen and microphone audio recorder for Mac.
Simple screen and microphone audio recorder for Mac.
Lap
Local photo manager for browsing and organizing personal media libraries offline.
Local photo manager for browsing and organizing personal media libraries offline.
LeafView
Minimalist image viewer based on Leaflet.js and Electron.
Minimalist image viewer based on Leaflet.js and Electron.
Licecap
Screen recorder that exports directly to GIF.
Screen recorder that exports directly to GIF.
Lighten
The best way to clarify thinking, boost productivity, brainstorm, and visualize concepts.
The best way to clarify thinking, boost productivity, brainstorm, and visualize concepts.
Lightshot
The fastest way to take a customizable screenshot.
The fastest way to take a customizable screenshot.
Lunacy
Vector design tool with built-in assets and real-time collaboration.
Vector design tool with built-in assets and real-time collaboration.
macshot
Free, open-source native screenshot and recording tool for macOS.
Free, GPL-3.0 native Mac screenshot and screen recording tool: 19+ annotation tools, a built-in video editor, OCR with translation, automatic PII redaction, scrolling capture and beautify.
macSVG
Designing HTML5 SVG art and animation.
Designing HTML5 SVG art and animation.
MagicaVoxel
Free, lightweight 8-bit voxel editor and interactive path tracing renderer.
Free, lightweight 8-bit voxel editor and interactive path tracing renderer.
MakeHuman
Powerful and free 3D human modeler.
Powerful and free 3D human modeler.
Mark Man
Measure & Spec Fast.
Measure & Spec Fast.
Marvel
Simple design, prototyping and collaboration.
Simple design, prototyping and collaboration.
MindNode
Mind-mapping software with an emphasis on simplicity and ease-of-use.
Mind-mapping software with an emphasis on simplicity and ease-of-use.
MockFlow
Online prototyping suite for web-design and usability testing.
Online prototyping suite for web-design and usability testing.
Mockplus
Prototype faster, smarter and easier.
Prototype faster, smarter and easier.
Monodraw
Powerful ASCII art editor designed for the Mac.
Powerful ASCII art editor designed for the Mac.
Monosnap
Make screenshots.
Make screenshots. Draw on it. Shoot video and share your files. It's fast, easy and free.
Mottie
A native Lottie animation player with Quick Look extension for dotLottie files.
A native Lottie animation player with Quick Look extension for dotLottie files.
Nik Collection
Nik Collection by DxO.
Nik Collection by DxO.
Nucleo
Icon manager.
Icon manager. Import, export, customize and convert icon libraries.
Nugget
Video editing software designed for motion effects and versatility.
Video editing software designed for motion effects and versatility.
OBS Studio
A free and open source software for live streaming and screen recording.
A free and open source software for live streaming and screen recording.
OmniGraffle
Diagramming and graphic design for Mac, iPhone, and iPad.
Diagramming and graphic design for Mac, iPhone, and iPad.
OpenScreen
Open-source tool for creating polished screen demos and walkthrough videos.
Open-source tool for creating polished screen demos and walkthrough videos.
Origami Studio
Tool for designing modern interfaces, built and used by designers at Facebook.
Tool for designing modern interfaces, built and used by designers at Facebook.
Paintbrush
Bitmap image editor.
Bitmap image editor.
pencil
Free, open-source tool for making diagrams and GUI prototyping.
Free, open-source tool for making diagrams and GUI prototyping.
Pencil2D
A easy, intuitive tool to make 2D hand-drawn animations.
A easy, intuitive tool to make 2D hand-drawn animations.
PicGo
Support for common cdn image hosting tool.
Support for common cdn image hosting tool.
Pika
An open-source color picker app.
An open-source color picker app.
Pixelmator
Apple's AI-assisted image editor for Mac and iPad.
Apple's Mac and iPad image editor, now part of Apple Creator Studio, with AI features built on Apple Intelligence, vector tools and support for over 750 RAW formats.
Pixen
Native pixel art and animation editor for Mac.
Native pixel art and animation editor for Mac.
PixPack
Batch image compression and format conversion that runs entirely on your Mac.
PixPack is a native macOS image compressor for batch work. It compresses a single image or an entire folder tree on-device, converts output formats and exports results without uploading anything.
Pixpresso
Image viewer and editor for cropping, resizing, annotating, and converting between PNG, JPG, WebP, and HEIC.
Image viewer and editor for cropping, resizing, annotating, and converting between PNG, JPG, WebP, and HEIC.
Preset Brewery
Tool to convert Lightroom presets to Adobe Camera Raw.
Tool to convert Lightroom presets to Adobe Camera Raw.
Principle
Application for designing animated and interactive user interfaces.
Application for designing animated and interactive user interfaces.
ProtoPie
Create the most advanced prototypes as easy as Pie.
Create the most advanced prototypes as easy as Pie.
Quick Recorder
A lightweight and high-performance screen recorder for macOS
A lightweight and high-performance screen recorder for macOS
QuikFlow
Create flowcharts with a mind-mapping workflow.
Create flowcharts with a mind-mapping workflow.
qView
qView is an image viewer designed with minimalism and usability in mind.
qView is an image viewer designed with minimalism and usability in mind.
RawTherapee
A powerful cross-platform raw photo processing program!
A powerful cross-platform raw photo processing program!
Recordly
Open-source screen recorder and editor for polished demos, tutorials, and product videos.
Open-source screen recorder and editor for polished demos, tutorials, and product videos.
Reframed
Screen recorder with a built-in editor.
Screen recorder with a built-in editor.
Resize Master
Batch resize and watermark your images fast and easy.
Batch resize and watermark your images fast and easy.
RightFont
Preview, sync, install and manage fonts on Mac, Dropbox or Google Drive.
Preview, sync, install and manage fonts on Mac, Dropbox or Google Drive.
Scap
Screenshot annotation and canvas tool with blur, mosaic, and watermark features.
Screenshot annotation and canvas tool with blur, mosaic, and watermark features.
Scapple
Practical mind-mapping software with free whiteboard-like layout.
Practical mind-mapping software with free whiteboard-like layout.
Screen Loupe
Open-source live magnifier that shows any part of the screen zoomed, pixel-true, in a separate window.
Open-source live magnifier that shows any part of the screen zoomed, pixel-true, in a separate window.
Screen Studio
Screen recorder for polished videos with automatic motion effects.
Screen recorder for polished videos with automatic motion effects.
Screenize
Open-source screen recorder with auto-zoom, cursor effects, and timeline editing.
Open-source screen recorder with auto-zoom, cursor effects, and timeline editing.
ScreenKite
Native screen recorder and editor with auto-zoom, AI enhancements, device mockups, and teleprompter.
Native screen recorder and editor with auto-zoom, AI enhancements, device mockups, and teleprompter.
Screenpipe
Source-available screen and audio recorder with searchable local history, optional cloud AI, and free and paid plans.
Source-available screen and audio recorder with searchable local history, optional cloud AI, and free and paid plans.
ScreenSage Pro
A screen recording tool for creating polished videos in minutes.
A screen recording tool for creating polished videos in minutes.
ScreenToLayers
Easily export your screen into a layered PSD file.
Easily export your screen into a layered PSD file.
Shottr
Fast macOS screenshot and annotation tool with scrolling capture and OCR.
Fast native macOS screenshot tool with annotation, scrolling capture, on-device OCR, a screen ruler, a colour picker and S3 or iCloud upload.
Simple Diagrams
Diagramming tool for quick hand-drawn-style sketches.
Diagramming tool for quick hand-drawn-style sketches.
SimpleMind
The world leader in cross platform Mind Mapping tools.
The world leader in cross platform Mind Mapping tools.
Sketch
Native Mac interface design and prototyping app.
A native macOS interface design app with an offline-capable file format, covering design, prototyping and collaboration with developer handoff.
SketchBook
Drawing software for concept design, comic art, and digital sketching.
Drawing software for concept design, comic art, and digital sketching.
Skitch
Screen capture application with a powerful annotation capabilities.
Screen capture application with a powerful annotation capabilities.
Snagit
Screen Capture and Recording Software.
Screen Capture and Recording Software. Simple and Powerful.
Snapzy
Free and open-source native macOS app for screenshots, screen recording, annotation, and video editing.
Free and open-source native macOS app for screenshots, screen recording, annotation, and video editing.
Snip
Application for sharing captured images on QQ Mail.
Application for sharing captured images on QQ Mail.
Snipaste
Screenshot tool that pins captures as floating windows.
Screenshot tool built around pinning: snip with F1, then paste the capture back on screen as a floating window you can zoom, rotate, annotate and click through.
Sparkle
Pro visual web design.
Pro visual web design.
svgus
Organize, clean and transform your SVGs.
Organize, clean and transform your SVGs.
System Color Picker
The macOS color picker as an app with more features.
The macOS color picker as an app with more features.
Tauview
Minimalist image viewer based on Leaflet.js and Tauri.
Minimalist image viewer based on Leaflet.js and Tauri.
Tayasui Sketches
Professional drawing software.
Professional drawing software.
Teampaper Snap
Let your screenshots speak up.
Let your screenshots speak up.
Tight Studio
Screen recorder with smart zoom, captions, and AI voiceovers.
Screen recorder with smart zoom, captions, and AI voiceovers.
TinyPNG4Mac
Open-source tool to compress images.
Open-source tool to compress images.
Tropy
Research Photo Management.
Research Photo Management.
Tuji
Take a screenshot, annotate it, and beautify it.
Take a screenshot, annotate it, and beautify it.
uPic
macOS native app, powerful terse image hosting client.
macOS native app, powerful terse image hosting client.
Vectornator: Design Software
The Most Intuitive and Precise Illustration Software in the Galaxy.
The Most Intuitive and Precise Illustration Software in the Galaxy.
Vectr
Free graphics editor used to create vector graphics easily and intuitively.
Free graphics editor used to create vector graphics easily and intuitively.
WriteMapper
Get from idea to final draft in no time.
Get from idea to final draft in no time.
XMind
The most popular mind-mapping tool on the planet.
The most popular mind-mapping tool on the planet.
Xnip
Handy Screenshot App.
Handy Screenshot App.
yGraph Editor
High quality diagrams made easy.
High quality diagrams made easy.
Zappy
Zappy is a screenshot and screen recording app all in one.
Zappy is a screenshot and screen recording app all in one. Has some simple editing tools built in.
Zipic
Batch image compression tool with presets and automation.
Batch image compression tool with presets and automation.