Best Web Design Tools and Services in 2021

Progress does not standstill. New services and tools, designed to facilitate the work of web designers, appear almost every day. In this article, we'd like to tell you about the best tools required for web designers to successfully and efficiently perform their work. It's especially important today, as technologies are developing at a rapid pace, and you might not go far using Photoshop only. Nowadays the design tools are very popular.

Our collection of web designer tools includes truly useful programs and services that will make your work easier, faster, and more efficient. Whether you're a professional web designer or a website owner, these tools can handle any tasks to make your life much easier. Some of them are completely free, while others have premium options, which offer interactive prototyping or collaboration features at affordable prices. So without further ado, let’s get to them!

Top 21 Web Design Tools and Services

Sketch

Sketch.com is one of the most popular web design tools of 2020 and its popularity will only grow in 2021. It has long been fighting with Photoshop for the palm of web interface development. And looks like it's winning!

Compared to the Adobe brainchild, this product has some advantages, including its performance, low resource requirements, and focus on web interface design.

● Simple interface. It has a set of tools that are many times easier and more convenient compared to Photoshop or similar tools. There are no unnecessary panels, and the important components popup while you are working. Sketch can also combine keys, which speeds up your workflow many times.

● The "eyedropper" tool is highly efficient and multifunctional. It has a high level of pixel accuracy, which allows the user to choose various shades from the color palette even outside the program.

● Convenient graphical export. This feature in Sketch will be especially useful for game developers. It independently unfolds the application graphics in the appropriate folders.

● Sketch can be used for working with texts. It automatically sets great leading, allowing you to adjust your text blocks and perform high-quality text rendering. There's also a featured panel with special characters.

The only downside is that it supports only MacOS platforms. The product costs $99, but according to the feedback from Sketch users, it's totally worth the money. As it should be with paid services, Sketch developers also offer a free trial version.

Macaw

Macaw.co is a tool created by designers for designers. Its main feature is to develop websites without having to code. As you know, recently the boundaries between developers and web designers have become very blurred. And Macaw lets you feel it in reality.

With Macaw, you can create a website with an adaptive layout without the slightest knowledge of HTML and CSS. All you have to do is create the appearance, and then the application will generate the source code itself.

The undoubted advantage of this software is its ease of use. That is, in just half an hour, you can learn how to create adaptive site templates. And the best part is that Macaw is absolutely free!

UXPin

UXPin.com is a complete web design tool. It's quite versatile and not limited to any specific functionality.

With UXPin you can design both websites and iOS apps, create both simple project sketches and more detailed interface templates.

You can even import projects from Photoshop and Sketch, or use UX patterns from frameworks such as Bootstrap, Foundation, etc. to create a project from scratch.

Marvel

Marvelapp.com is another tool for creating site sketches and mobile apps. The main advantage of this service is the ease of use. Plus, it has great features to build digital products. This is what Murat Mutlu, the founder, says about it:

"We have created Marvel to make it as easy as possible for people to implement their marketing ideas. Marvel is a flexible tool that will help you build a robust interactive website or app prototype from simple images and sketches.

A special feature of Marvel is that when you register it asks for access to your Dropbox account, which is necessary for further importing project files. You can build a great site or app in one place because Marvel has everything you need, including millions of assets, stock photos, and icons. Moreover, an undoubted advantage is the free Basic package.

Webflow

Webflow.com is another stunning web design tool with which you can use to easily create beautiful and adaptive websites. At the same time, you don't need any HTML and CSS skills. Webflow is a responsive site builder's tool, designed on the principle of "code first", which allows users to visually create a website design, customize, and run it.

You create a project, create page layouts in the designer mode, refine them in the WYSIWYG editor, customize your website in "Project Settings", and publish. That's it.

The idea of creating Webflow came from two brothers involved in website development. One of them was a programmer, the other - a web designer. They came up with the idea of creating an app that you can use to create a beautiful website layout without knowing anything about programming. Well, they did it quite well.

Canva

Canva is one of the best platforms for working with graphic design. With this tool, you will be able to create virtually any graphic elements.

Canva is especially useful for creating covers for e-books, infographics, presentations, and much more. It's noteworthy that Canva is being developed by Guy Kawasaki (Chief Evangelist of Apple), a well-known person in the "startup crew."

Canva features:

● Online library of more than 70 thousand graphic templates, more than 2 million stock photos; and vector graphics, and a huge catalog of stock videos and music;

● Joint editing of documents from different accounts;

● An ability to publish images online, as a "site" or presentation with scrolling slides;

● A speaker mode for presentation (broadcast screen, and hidden speaker markups);

● Custom image/font upload;

● Color palette adjustment;

● Various photo filters and manual settings;

● Template storage;

● Photo management using folders;

● Project search;

● Possibility to create videos;

● Saving static images as animations.

Canva is a shareware platform - there are both paid and free features.

The Noun Project

TheNounProject.com can be a great source for finding graphical elements for your website or blog. Also, with the help of this service, designers can earn on their works.

Paper

Paper is one of the best iOS applications for designers. You can use it to take quick notes, sketches, concepts, and much more. Also, the developer additionally provides an original and extremely functional stylus. Paper will be especially useful for creating quick sketches of your digital project, as well as in everyday designer work.

Astropad

Astropad.com is another great solution for web designers working on Mac. With this application, you can make a drawing board from your iPad or iPhone and synchronize it with Mac. This is how you can design sites and apps with your stylus and tablet, connected to Mac. Now your work can become much more enjoyable, and your wrists - relaxed.

Iconfinder

Iconfinder.com is one of the best services to provide (yes, you've guessed it right) icons for the site. Its database consists of more than 800 thousand graphic elements! The range includes both paid and free options. We can say with confidence that Iconfinder can save you a lot of cash when it comes to buying icons for your site.

365 PSD

365Psd.com is one of the richest warehouses of free PSD layouts and vector images. Here you can find everything from branded logos to wildlife images.

Paletton

The main function of the next-generation online color scheme application is working with web colors. Paletton.com is an excellent alternative to Abobe Kuler + it has some truly unique features, including new templates, free elements, add-ons, vectors, etc. Paletton also allows you to design your own application and web theme with new colors, icons, and many free elements. It has over 4 million ready-to-design assets for all your project needs, handcrafted by a community of independent designers to provide quality and professional trim for your creative enterprises.

Paletton includes basic features such as 100 elements added every week, quality templates, fonts, backgrounds, icons, illustrations, and more. If you need a free online all-in-one application to create your color scheme, then you will love Paletton.

Google Fonts

Google Fonts is one of our favorite services. Many site builders and designers have long appreciated this product. As you know, fonts refer to intellectual property. This means that we must either buy them for the site or use free stock options.

Google fonts can be a great help in this situation. And it's absolutely OK to use Google fonts since they look really good. Now their collection already includes more than 700 items, and developers from around the world have long been addicted to using this service. All in all, if you need fonts for your new site, try Google Fonts!

Font Squirrel

We think that Font Squirrel is one of the coolest online font services. Its advantage over the Google service is a larger collection of fonts. Installing fonts on the site is not the easiest thing, so you might want to find a YouTube video lesson on this subject. That's where they clearly show how to download and install fonts from various sources, including Font Squirrel.

Tableau Public

Tableau Public is an excellent tool for data visualization. With it, you can turn meager data into colorful, illustrative charts and graphs. Give it a try - we're sure that your site visitors will appreciate it.

Logopond

The importance of the website logo can hardly be overestimated. It's the logo that makes the first and most stable impression on your users. But how do you create a logo in the spirit of your company? How can you make it not only look stunning but also impress your site visitors in the right way?

With Logopond, you can find lots of interesting ideas and ready-made logo solutions for your website or brand. Logopond is an archive of ready-made and existing logos. Once you get to know them well, your inspiration will not take long. Get inspired by the works of successful designers!

Siteinspire

Continuing on the inspiration subject, sometimes web designers lack motivation and fresh thoughts not only when creating logos but also in large projects. We're talking about the so-called creative crisis or "writer's block." This is when Siteinspire can be of great help. The site is designed to lift the spirit of an artist, providing access to thousands (almost 8k) of professional designer works, which are clean and simple, without any odd gimmicks or decorations. You will be able to find ready solutions by various filtersб including Styles, Types, Subjects, and Platforms.

Color Hunter

Sometimes, when creating some interface elements for our sites, we often find ourselves confronted with the problem of choosing the right color or shade. It can be quite challenging at times to figure out what color is best for you. However, as a solution, we can often find a good photo or image and use a successful combination of colors on our website. But then another question arises: how do you do it technically?

Color Hunter will help you with this. All you need to do is upload your favorite image - and voila - you will immediately get the data about all the colors used in it.

ColorZilla

ColorZilla is a really cool thing, i.e. an extension. which allows you to find out the designation of any color you met on the Web.

After installing ColorZilla, you will see an eyedropper icon in your browser. Clicking on it will activate the tool. Next, all you have to do is click on the area of the screen where you want to see the color. After that, the designation of a certain color will immediately be copied to the clipboard. Finally, all you have to do is insert it into a Photoshop, Style Sheet, etc. ColorZilla requires a minimum of action and provides maximum efficiency.

Window Resizer

In the process of site development, you have to periodically check its display on different screen resolutions. But do you really have to use all existing devices for this purpose? Nope.

With this extension, you can see the display of your site on different devices: laptops, tablets, and smartphones. All you need to do is enter the address of your site into the form and press Enter. With the help of Resizer, you can rest assured each part of your audience is covered. Everything is under control!

Wireframe

Without preliminary layouts, the work of web developers and designers will be chaotic and far from effective. Prototyping allows you to quickly approve the future project with the client and minimize the need for modifications at the completion stage.

Wireframe is a simple tool with a minimalistic interface that allows you to quickly, and most importantly, at no charge create a prototype site or mobile application. The number of available components, however, leaves much to be desired, and there are no ready-made solutions, but hey, it's free!

To start using the service, you do not even need to register - simply go to the website and start working. To share your creation with another person, you just need to generate a link and send it to the recipient.

PowerMockup

A set of elements for creating website layouts and prototyping interfaces, which is installed as an add-on to a well-known product from Microsoft Office, PowerPoint. Moreover, it can also be used to create more advanced and complex presentations for customers.

PowerMockup offers more than 800 user interface elements and icons, designed on the basis of PowerPoint forms, thus, achieving 100% compatibility. With their help, you can easily create prototypes of mobile apps, websites, services, and even desktop extensions in one place.

The library access setting is integrated into the main PowerPoint menu, which, considering the quick-search ability, provides easy and fast access to the right elements that can be added by simple drag and drop.

The cost of the Individual option is $ 59.99, which gets you an unlimited license.

Tilda

A very unusual platform that is difficult to compare with anything else on the market. The creators of Tilda position it as a tool for those who prefer to create really beautiful sites focused on content presentation. The modular system makes it very easy to do everything - you just drag and drop the right blocks on the page and the source code is generated automatically.

The result is an adaptive site with a beautifully designed content presentation, which can be used as a separate resource or a built-in page on another domain. For example, this is how you can organize a landing page based on WordPress. Web designers, entrepreneurs, marketers, and journalists will definitely appreciate this useful tool.

Conclusion

The tools and services for web design mentioned above will make us radically rethink our approach to website design and development. With the advent of AI, Voice Aid, VR, and AR, the future will be much more diverse and web design strategies will have to change to reflect this. Most importantly, these tools will complement, not replace, traditional interfaces. Just as the advent of touch screens has expanded the horizons of web design, these web design tools will shape the future without erasing the past.