Top 8 Free iPhone Apps Every Designer Should Know About

Top 8 Free iPhone Apps Every Designer Should Know About

The iPhone isn’t just a communication device; it’s one of the most underrated tools in a designer’s arsenal. 

With the right free apps, your phone becomes a creative studio in your pocket, ready to sketch, clean up files, organise ideas, and spark inspiration anytime.

Here’s a list of the 8 best free iPhone apps that every designer should have installed. 

Whether you’re an illustrator, UI/UX specialist, or brand creator, these tools will elevate your workflow and free up your mind and storage.

Why These 8 Apps Stand Out for Designers?

Every app on this list was chosen because it helps real designers do real work. Whether you edit images, sketch ideas, manage files, or tidy up storage, these apps save time, improve results, and feel great.

Here’s what this roundup offers:

• Sketch apps that feel almost as natural as pen and paper
• Vector and layout tools for rapid, serious mock-ups on the fly
• Colour utilities that keep brand consistency effortless
• Free iPhone cleaner apps that free space without erasing creative assets
• Inspiration platforms that keep you connected to the creative world

Most importantly, while not every app on this list is entirely free, the majority are, and those that aren’t still offer enough in their free versions to be genuinely helpful, with no hidden paywalls or forced upgrades.

Whether you’re a freelance illustrator, a brand designer, or a student building a portfolio, these apps turn your iPhone into a pocket-sized creative studio.

8 Best Free iPhone Apps

Look at the 8 free iPhone apps every designer should know about in 2025.

1. Figma

Figma isn’t merely a design app but a whole creative ecosystem. 

Famous for how it transforms team workflows, Figma for iPhone puts much of its core power on mobile. 

You can review prototypes, give feedback, or apply light edits on the fly, so the app becomes a key companion for UI/UX designers.

What sets Figma apart on iOS is a seamless cloud-based experience coupled with real-time collaboration. Open shared files, leave comments, and inspect design elements while you remain perfectly in sync with the desktop version. 

Although the complete editing toolkit has yet to reach mobile, the app still offers an interface for creative leads and clients who must interact with designs away from the desk. Fast-paced teams face no delays in feedback, even when members work out of the office.

The mobile app excels in fast-paced, collaborative settings where speed and clarity are critical. 

Project managers review wireframes while commuting, developers inspect components on-site, and stakeholders leave comments during meetings; no laptop is required. 

Notifications and comment threads maintain visibility across the team, turning the iPhone version into a central hub for design conversations.

Figma’s mobile version also closes the gap between design and execution. Designers check UI behaviour during live product tests, verify interactions, and flag usability issues directly from a prototype on their phone. It’s not built for full-scale creation but plays a key role in iteration and communication. 

The mobile app is a vital part of the design process for teams using Figma extensively.

Ideal For:

• UI/UX designers on the go
• Product teams and developers who need precise specs
• Freelancers in close client work
• Creative directors with remote oversight

2. Clever Cleaner

Clever Cleaner for iPhone is one of the most effective and genuinely free options when you need to clear a cluttered device. 

Unlike many supposed “free” cleaner apps, this one keeps its promise: no paywalls, ads, or locked features.

The app pairs an intuitive interface with powerful on-device AI. A single smart scan locates unnecessary files and frees space in seconds. 

Designers benefit most; the tool pinpoints media-heavy clutter right after large projects or photo-intensive research, so storage never puts creative work on hold.

Speed, safety, and accuracy define Clever Cleaner. Many reviewers call it the best app to clean an iPhone, thanks to its full functionality without any subscription. 

The app checks every box for users who want the best free iPhone cleaner apps, a reliable phone cleaner app free of charge, or simply a no-compromise way to reclaim storage. 

Whether you're trying to delete all duplicate photos from iPhone or eliminate oversized videos, Clever Cleaner easily handles it. 

If you’ve ever wondered what the best free iPhone cleaner app is, this one should be at the top of your list, offering everything you’d expect from the best iPhone cleaner app without locking features behind a paywall.

Ideal For:

• Designers who handle large photo, video, or screenshot libraries
• Users whose iPhone storage nears capacity
• Anyone who wants a reliable and truly free iPhone cleaner
• Creatives who prefer a streamlined device yet refuse to lose essential files

3. Behance

Behance is more than a portfolio site; it ranks among the largest global platforms for creative inspiration, professional exposure, and community interaction. 

The iPhone app puts this entire ecosystem at your fingertips, so you remain connected to the design world wherever you are.

Behance offers smooth navigation, fast search, and instant feedback on mobile. Probe collections, follow top creatives, and interact with work across design, illustration, photography, branding, and more. 

Designers who wish to build a personal brand can upload projects, track engagement, and update profiles directly from their phone. 

Students, freelancers, and seasoned professionals benefit from real-time access to fresh ideas and emerging trends.

Whether you need a spark for your next concept, wish to study new styles, or plan to present your portfolio, Behance provides a streamlined, visually rich experience that keeps creativity alive on the go.

Ideal For:

• Designers in search of inspiration
• Portfolio creators
• Creative students
• Professionals who track design trends

4. Canva

Canva puts professional-level design tools on your iPhone through a drag-and-drop interface that feels powerful yet easy for beginners. 

Known mainly for social-media graphics and presentations, the app lets UI/UX designers and marketers create wireframes, brand kits, and mobile-first prototypes right on the phone.

The mobile version offers team edits, cloud sync, and access to thousands of templates and fonts. 

Whether you build a quick mobile mockup or craft polished visuals for a pitch, Canva works fine without a desktop.

Ideal for

• Designers who need quick layout tools while on the move
• Marketers who prepare brand kits and presentations
• Freelancers who send visuals to clients from any location
• Creatives who juggle design and content production on mobile

5. Tayasui Sketches 

Tayasui Sketches ranks among the most fluid, intuitive drawing apps on iPhone. 

It's clean, distraction-free interface replicates the feel of pen on paper and suits quick visual ideas, concept art, or detailed illustrations away from the desk.

The toolkit includes many brushes, pens, pencils, and watercolour tools that react naturally to pressure and movement. 

The free tier covers core features with no gimmicks. 

A modest upgrade adds extra brushes, layers, gradients, and palette control, though the base experience already feels complete.

Tayasui Sketches encourage spontaneous creativity. In a client meeting, on a commute, or when inspiration strikes, designers open professional-grade tools without the weight of desktop software.

Ideal For:

• Illustrators and concept artists
• Designers who draft logos, layouts, or storyboards
• Creative professionals who prefer a lightweight sketch tool
• Students who study art fundamentals

6. Adobe Capture

Adobe Capture turns any snapshot into a usable asset in seconds. 

Point your iPhone camera at a texture, shape, or colour; the app converts it into vectors, colour palettes, seamless patterns, 3-D materials, or custom brushes that sync straight to Creative Cloud. 

Real-world inspiration moves directly into Illustrator, Photoshop, or Fresco – no detours.

The interface stays simple: tap to shoot, adjust a threshold or slider, and save. Each asset lands in your CC Libraries, ready for desktop or iPad work. 

Designers praise the accuracy of its colour picker and the clean vector tracing that keeps anchor points minimal.

The app remains free and has no hidden paywalls; a Creative Cloud account streamlines the workflow. 

Adobe Capture outperforms a camera roll for field research, mood-board creation, or quick client demos.

Ideal For:

• Brand designers who need exact colour references
• Illustrators who want instant vectors from sketches or shapes
• UX teams that collect real-world textures for UI inspiration
• Students who practice asset creation without desktop software

7. Pantone Studio

For designers who prize absolute colour consistency, Pantone Studio serves as a tool. 

This official Pantone app captures real-world hues with an iPhone camera and converts them into precise Pantone palettes in seconds. 

Whether the project involves brand identity, print collateral, graphics, or point-of-sale materials, Pantone Studio keeps every shade accurate from concept to final delivery.

The interface lets you create harmonious palettes, match photo-based colours, browse more than 10,000 Pantone shades, and export swatches directly to professional design software. 

Brand specialists gain a pocket-sized reference for client discussions and colour approvals wherever work occurs.

Pantone Studio does not clear files, yet it belongs in the same disciplined workflow as a top-tier cleaner for iPhone, like Clever Cleaner, a trusted phone cleaner app, free of charge, that protects storage so creative tools never run out of space. 

Choosing the best app to clean iPhone storage guarantees room for high-value utilities like Pantone Studio.

Pantone Studio adds measurable value each time it opens, especially when absolute colour precision is a non-negotiable requirement.

Ideal For:

• Brand and identity designers
• Packaging specialists who rely on Pantone libraries
• Art directors and creative leads
• Designers seeking fast capture of real-world colour inspiration

8. Photoshop Express Photo Editor

Adobe Photoshop Express is a go-to tool for designers who edit images on an iPhone. 

The app brings the core power of desktop Photoshop to a streamlined mobile interface, so you can apply rapid filters, use precise retouch tools, and run quick photo corrections directly on the device.

You can crop, straighten, remove blemishes, adjust lighting, and apply effects in seconds. 

Photoshop Express delivers high-performance results with minimal effort, whether you retouch product shots, prepare assets for social media, or refine reference images. 

Direct integration with Creative Cloud, Dropbox, and Google Photos keeps files synchronised across platforms.

The app also reduces camera-roll clutter by enabling immediate review and removal of unwanted shots, an advantage for any designer who manages an extensive visual library.

Ideal For:

• Designers who need fast photo edits on the go
• Social-media creatives and marketers
• Content creators who rely on mobile imagery
• Anyone who values quick, high-quality photo results on an iPhone

Quick Recap

Your iPhone is more than a communication device; it is a creative instrument supporting real design work on the go. 

From concept sketches and layout builds to precise colour matches and intelligent storage management, the right apps streamline your workflow and sharpen your creative output. Throughout this article, we probe tools that deliver full performance without paywalls or compromises.

Whether you need to organise your workspace, seek inspiration, or locate the best app to clean iPhone storage without losing valuable files, these tools prove that “free” does not equal “limited.” 

With thoughtful design, practical features, and community-backed credibility, each app earns a place in a modern designer’s toolkit.

In a world where time, storage, and mental space remain at a premium, reliable, intuitive, and genuinely free apps on your iPhone offer more than convenience-they provide a real advantage. Let your phone serve your creativity, not work against it.

Author Bio: Jeff Cochin is a writer and strategist specialising in design, application development, and software workflows. With years of experience helping creatives and developers optimise their tools, he covers topics ranging from mobile productivity to professional design platforms. Jeff regularly contributes to publications like Macgasm, where he shares insights on how to work smarter across Apple devices.