How Best Web Design Tools 2020 list will help you find the right web design tool for your project. We make it easy to find the latest, greatest and easiest-to-use tools.
Table of Contents
How Best Web Design Tools 2020
8 Essential Web Design Tools for Designers in 2020
The processes involved in designing a website are getting easier by the years, with the development of better software and tools to help the designer. https://0d6d35c05e87079133bc48cf9e741641.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html
Technological advancement has played a vital role with many companies now looking for ways to provide their customers with software solutions.
Therefore, there is a need for these companies to have well-designed websites optimised for their customers.
The ball, therefore, falls in the web designer’s court to use the right web design tools to create a website suitable for the companies or businesses. https://0d6d35c05e87079133bc48cf9e741641.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html
Web design has been made a lot easier with new services and software options.
Gone are the days when web designers have to struggle with writing long lines of code, almost like a writer trying to give their best dissertation writing service just because they are trying to create a website.
That has changed now.
Today, with the numerous web design tools available, you can more easily actualise your exciting and unique design ideas without stress.
With tools give you have the right foundation to communicate the ideas you have, making your work easier.
Although there are a lot of design options available for web designers, here are my picks for the best web design tools in 2020.
1 – WordPress
WordPress is, without doubt, one of the best and most recognised web design tools.
It has been at the top of the web design industry for a while now, and it continues to make waves and lead many other designs tools.
This tool boasts over a thousand in-built themes and plugins that give users a variety of options to choose from and install, edit and optimise the websites in a way that suits their taste and their needs.
It should not come as a surprise that WordPress powers 27 % of all the worldwide sites, and it has a 76% market share in the world’s CMS.
WordPress’ plugins are essential for a designer to build, customise, enhance and optimise the websites they are making.
2 – InVision Studio
This is an incredible UI tool with unmatched features and applications, with many web designers already hailing it as a complete package and the best tool for designing a website.
The incredible features of InVision Studio help the designer to create website interfaces that are both user-friendly and beautiful, apart from the overall website being responsive and collaborative.
Rapid prototyping is another impressive feature of the InVision Studio, allowing the web developer to create a web transition that is both complex and creative.
These transitions help the designer to achieve the level of animation that they want, giving them an edge in the industry.
Once you figure out the UI that you want at the start and finish of the design project, InVision Studio helps you to work out the remaining part.
By carrying out gestures and interactions such as clicking, swiping and hovering, this tool allows you to create your custom animation and transitions.
3 – Photoshop
This is another vital tool and is undoubtedly the most important of the adobe suite for web designers.
If you are a creative web designer, then Photoshop is the right tool for you.
The endless colour options and gradients allow you to create beautiful prints and patterns in your design project.https://0d6d35c05e87079133bc48cf9e741641.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html
The most amazing part of using this tool is that it allows you to create authentic websites since you’re creating digital artwork based on what you have drawn.
If you are just learning to design websites, this is not likely the most appropriate tool for you, but it gives you insight into web designing.
With the mastery of Photoshop, you can create impressive and authentic designs more quickly, and a lot faster than when you use other web design tools.
4 – ProofHub
One thing that web designers tend to overlook in the web design process is proofing.
There are different levels where web designers have to check their design work before they settle for what is final.
But the process of proofing involves a lot of other methods, which explains why many designers skip the process and why ProofHub is the ideal web design tool to help you manage all tasks related to your design work.
It is not exactly a tool used for creating websites, but it is one that can help the designer a lot with hassle-free communication and editing.
It helps to speed up the completion of your web design project by the need to meet up or send regular e-mails throughout the project.
Also, it is easier to pass messages within the teams on the changes that are needed, such as positioning of text, the addition of colour, etc.
5 – Sketch
This is another popular web design tool that is used mainly for vector UI designs.
Interfaces and prototypes in hi-fidelity are still essential for online stores and businesses, making sketch a vital tool.
The Symbols of this tool is also an important feature, as it allows the designer thttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9fNHUJplzIo design UI assets and elements that can be reused.
This feature is, therefore, important for designers to keep a consistent interface.
Sketch also allows you to export your design into a clickable prototype.
This makes your work more manageable when you are working with vector drawings and graphics.
It is also a straightforward, vector-based tool with small documents making it easy for you to manage your operations on it.
It is a very user-friendly tool with a minimal fee, UI and an in-built grid system.
6 – Adobe Dreamweaver
This is an impressive design tool that allows you to directly code the design you want for the website without having extensive knowledge of programming.
It works mainly by HTML editing, and visual editing making it easier to learn for users.
For you to have website design to be coded by yourself means that you will be putting in more effort in designing if you are using this tool.
This can be both positive and negative, depending on how you choose to see it.
But what this does, is allow you to create the exact look that you want and not work around another person’s design specifications with a ready-made design template like many other tools.
An impressive feature of this tool is that you can create a responsive design.
This means you can optimise the website you create for mobile devices, and also for desktops without affecting the experience of the website user.
7 – Bluefish
This is undoubtedly one of the smallest website design tools that you will come across as a designer.
The installer package is just about 53 MB, and it takes just a short while to set up.
This quick design tool is best for novices with a text-only interface that helps you make cleaner codes and some of its features, including syntax highlighting, a toolbar and a menu that you can customise.
Although bluefish mainly focuses on HTML, it also supports a lot of other languages such as JavaScript, Java, PHP, SQL, CSS and XML.
It also has a search function that can juggle numerous documents at the same time, allowing you to search for texts across different design projects.
8 – Google Web Designer
Google web designer tool is primarily used in HTML5, CSS and JavaScript to create interactive content.
This means that it is primarily intended for building ads.
This can be done through a GUI that is very simple to use.
Also, this GUI incorporates 3D animations, basic shapes, covering text, etc. the windows have a timeline that shows the 3D features in the project.
It also has a user-friendly interface with a panel towards the right which gives you more options which include colours, to help you fine-tune your design.
This tool also has a library that is home to extra components, including videos and images, and other devices that can be used for advertising.
Advanced users of this tool can switch between the ‘design’ view, which is the default view, and the ‘code’ view.
This is the reason the tool can be used to create more advanced features and not just ads.
But that is only for those who have the knowledge and can find their way around the tool.
There is still some way to go in the development of this web design software though, and you might be having difficulties in opening HTML files that are not created with the tool.
This is because it still lacks some features.
But it has an option that allows for web preview, meaning you can use your default browser to view the project you are working on.
It also allows you to publish your content automatically.
Also, see: Importance of Brand Consistency and Web Design
top 10 design tools
Let’s dive into the best graphic design software and best free graphic design software – perfect for all budgets.
1. Adobe Photoshop
Best professional software for graphic design and editing photos
Adobe Photoshop is one of the most well-known graphic design software used for creating and editing photos by millions of people around the globe. This software comes with a massive suite of tools which makes it suitable for painting, drawing, editing, and creating photographs, banners, logos, or websites.
- See here for the best Adobe Creative Cloud Discounts & save 40-70% off their subscription.
- Get 10 Free Stock Images from Adobe Stock — Royalty-free photos, illustrations and videos
Key Features:
- Layers: They help users focus on specific parts of an image without disturbing others.
- Hue and saturation: Editors can change the shade and intensity of the colors in the images.
- Levels: This feature is used to change the color balance and tonal range in a picture.
- Color channels: Users can identify particular shades within the color channels palette included in the image.
- Filters: Using this feature, users can make changes to the image in a few clicks.
Pricing:
- Annual plan, prepaid – US $239.88/yr ($19.99/mo.)
- Annual plan, paid monthly – US $251.88/yr ($20.99/mo.)
- Monthly plan – US $31.49/mo.
| Pros | Cons |
| ➕ Supports HTML exporting | ➖ The interface can be overwhelming, especially for beginners |
| ➕ Can resize multiple objects at the same time | ➖ More expensive than other software |
| ➕ A suite of powerful graphics editing software | |
| ➕ Has an integrated stock image library |
Get Adobe Photoshop
2. Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Illustrator undoubtedly is the best graphic design software for designing logos, icons, sketches, or any other type of visual design. Photoshop and Illustrator have some similarities in terms of tools and functions, but Adobe Illustrator focuses on vector design.
- See here for the best Adobe Creative Cloud Discounts & save 40-70% off their subscription.
- Get 10 Free Stock Images from Adobe Stock — Royalty-free photos, illustrations and videos
Key features:
- Real-time drawing and editing: With this feature, you are no longer restricted to the outline view. You can draw, move, scale, and rotate an object in real-time.
- Enhanced free transform tool: Real-time editing and enhanced free transformation, when put together, make editing easier and more fun. With this feature, the bounding box will now follow the changes.
- Cut, copy, and paste artboards between documents: Now, copy-paste or drag and drop between two different illustrator documents is possible.
- In-Panel Editing: This feature enables designers to function more efficiently by allowing them to edit several artboards simultaneously.
Pricing:
- Annual plan, prepaid – US $239.88/yr ($19.99/mon)
- Annual plan, paid monthly – US $251.88/yr ($20.99/mon)
- Monthly plan – US $31.49/mon
| Pros | Cons |
| ➕ A suite of drawing tools | ➖ Heavy software |
| ➕ Detailed graph creation is possible | ➖ More expensive than other vector graphic design programs out there |
| ➕ Generate graphics based on mathematical equations | ➖ Requires dedication to learn all the features, which can be overwhelming |
| ➕ Access to millions of graphics, images, videos, etc. | ➖ Feels like Photoshop |
Get Adobe Illustrator
3. Adobe InDesign
Another Adobe software, InDesign is best suited if you are in the publishing industry. Adobe InDesign is your go-to software if you want to design magazines, books, posters, brochures, etc.
As this software is not as complex to learn as Photoshop or Illustrator, it is a great graphic design software for beginners.
- Save up to 40-70% with these Adobe CC Discounts.
- Get 10 Free Stock Images from Adobe Stock — Royalty-free photos, illustrations and videos
Key features:
- Adjust Layout: If a designer changes the template’s text, then the graphics will adjust accordingly.
- Adobe InCopy: This feature allows you to work with your team members on the same project by sharing colors, graphics, and text.
- Sensei Technology: AI-powered Sensei technology helps with the automatic arrangement and resizing of objects.
Pricing:
- Annual plan, prepaid – US $239.88/yr ($19.99/mo)
- Annual plan, paid monthly – US $251.88/yr ($20.99/mo)
- Monthly plan – US $31.49/mon
| Pros | Cons |
| ➕ Easy to combine graphics and text | ➖ Less intuitive user interface |
| ➕ Supports HTML exporting for websites | ➖ Best suited for professional industry use only |
| ➕ Capable of resizing multiple objects at the same time | ➖ Comparatively expensive to similar software |
Get Adobe Indesign
4. CorelDRAW
Not just in this list of graphic design software to break up appearances of Adobe’s name, CorelDRAW is a design industry classic – and one which continues to be an influential and in-demand option today. See here for the latest CorelDRAW discounts.
Covering both bitmap and vector design, CorelDRAW does what Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator do so well separately in one combined package.
Key features:
Content Exchange: It is an online digital library with thousands of high-resolution pictures and digital images. It also includes templates, fonts, professionally created templates, interactive frames, gradients, vector, and bitmap fills.
Customizable UI: You get a configurable UI environment for the desktop, including icon resizing, options for how your documents open, and the color scheme for the window border.
Pricing:
- Annual Subscription – US $249
- One-Time Purchase – US $599
| Pros | Cons |
| ➕ Supports 48 different file types (HTML, TIFF, AutoCAD, JPG, PNG, etc.) | ➖ Complex, not a beginner-friendly software |
| ➕ Surface Pen works flawlessly with no lag | ➖ No complimentary mobile applications |
| ➕ You can take advantage of touch functionality, with smooth transition from desktop to tablet mode |
Get CorelDRAW
5. Sketch
The sketch is a vector-based graphic design software only for Mac users. It is basically used for app, web, and interface design. Unlike Photoshop and other image editing tools, it isn’t built for photo editing purposes.
Key features:
- Low cost: It provides significantly lower prices than other software.
- Smart Layout: This feature allows objects to resize according to the content automatically.
- Screen Templates: Sketch offers an artboard library for iOS devices as well as responsive web design layouts. Designers need only choose an artboard and a device.
- Custom Plugins: It offers hundreds of custom plugins that designers can use for a specific project.
Pricing:
- Standard – US $9 per editor, monthly
| Pros | Cons |
| ➕ Easy collaboration with teammates | ➖ Only available for Mac users |
| ➕ Save changes automatically | ➖ While accessing the cloud screen doesn’t render in high resolution |
| ➕ Requires a low learning curve and is easy to use | |
| ➕ Optimized for screen designs |
Get Sketch
6. GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program)
GIMP is open-source graphic design software that can run on many platforms like Linux, Windows, and Mac. GIMP includes many features provided by paid tools. Also, it does more than create graphics. You can edit images as well.
Key features
- Regular Updates: Besides being free, GIMP gets regular updates as it’s an active community of developers.
- Compatibility: Unlike some paid software, this is compatible with many platforms like Windows, Mac and Linux, BDS, and Solaris.
- Flexibility: The user interface of the tool is customizable. If you know how to code, you can customize it according to your needs and take it to a higher level.
- GEGL Scripts: This feature makes GIMP an open image processing platform.
Pricing:
- FREE
| Pros | Cons |
| ➕ Tutorials provided for every feature | ➖ Updates are provided at a slower pace |
| ➕ Easy user interface for beginners | ➖ Interface is not perfect for Mac users |
| ➕ Lightweight |
Get GIMP
7. Affinity Designer
As a cost-effective alternative for Adobe Illustrator, Affinity Designer works smoothly and is said to be faster than Illustrator, improving your workflow.
Affinity Designer is also suitable for beginners as it is easy to learn and use.
Key features:
- Grid Systems: This feature allows designers to set up grids when designing isometric game graphics and icons. Also, it allows for detailed layouts by giving designers complete control over angles, gutters, spacing, and subdivisions.
- Snapping Option: Designers can lock and place objects based on other objects’ grids, shapes, nodes, and so on.
- Dual Environment: Work in both pixel art and vector art environments in a single place.
- Zoom Feature: This software can zoom up to 1,000,000%, allowing designers to work with incredible precision.
Pricing:
- Mac – US $60.54
- Windows – US $60.54
- iPad – US $24.21
| Pros | Cons |
| ➕ Offers a wide range of colors and brushes | ➖ No vector eraser |
| ➕ Create smooth curves with rope and window stabilizers. | ➖ No perspective grid |
| ➕ Dynamic on-screen guides ensure accurate object layout | ➖ Missing tools available in Illustrator |
Get Affinity Designer
8. Gravit Designer
Gravit Designer is another free vector-based graphic design tool. This software can be used for logo creation, photo editing, animation, etc. The user/designer can also customize this software according to individual needs.
Gravit Designer also has a pro version, which is paid and contains more advanced features.
Key features:
- Portability: Using cross-platform portability, users can port their work from one operating system to another. This will enable them to work on any machine or environment.
- Pages: This feature is a perfect blend of pages and artboards to accompany the canvas settings.
- Gravit Designer Dashboard: The dashboard makes it easy to navigate and switch between tabs and to easily set the width and height of a document.
Pricing:
- Gravit Designer – Free
- Gravit Designer PRO – US $49.00/Year
| Pros | Cons |
| ➕ Customizable, easy, and engaging user interface | ➖ No real-time collaboration |
| ➕ Support multiple file formats | ➖ Not available for offline use |
| ➕ Allows editing of scalable vector graphics | ➖ Can’t run prototypes on smartphones |
Get Gravit Designer
9. Canva
What is the best free app for graphic design? Canva, as it is available at Web, iOS, Android, macOS, and Windows. It is a fantastic graphic design software choice for beginners and professionals looking to create complex art projects in minutes. From designing creative ad copy to graphic design and visual art, Canva can be easily used for different graphic requirements. The simple navigation and the user-friendly, sleek interface make it even more remarkable.
Key features:
- Collaboration: Using Canva, you can edit in real-time with your teammates from any device.
- Snapshot Straightening: This feature allows you to sharpen your project by squaring up the photos.
- Drag and Drop Speech Bubble: Now, you can add speech bubbles to your images with a simple drag and drop option.
Pricing:
- Free
- Pro – US $119.99/year
- Enterprise – US $30.00/month per person
| Pros | Cons |
| ➕ Super easy to use | ➖ Cannot create unique objects |
| ➕ Easily change text, fonts, layouts, and colors | ➖ Generic templates and photos |
| ➕ Design from existing templates | ➖ Hard to use on smaller screens |
Get Canva
10. Infinite Design
Infinite Design is an easy-to-use graphic crafting mobile application available only on Android. With a convenient pen tool and the designer’s creativity in action, users can freely draw graphics from eye-catching designs to complex arts with ease. The app offers freedom to designers with an infinite canvas to experiment with features and create exceptional beauties.
Key features:
- Transform tool: Translate, Scale, Rotate, Flip, Distort, and Skew the graphic.
- Rotate and flip the canvas: Not just the image but the whole canvas can rotate.
- Automatic shape detection: This software can detect the shape of the object automatically.
- Grid for reference or snapping: Grid lets users have full control over editing.
- Vectorize: This feature turns any image into fully editable vector paths.
Pricing:
- Free
- In-app purchases for additional features
| Pros | Cons |
| ➕ Easy to learn and use | ➖ Must purchase in-app features |
| ➕ Convenient pen tool | |
| ➕ Can draw 3D cityscapes | |
| ➕ Import and export SVG graphics |
Get Infinite Design
11. Inkscape
Inkscape, an open-source graphic design software, is best known for its ability to smoothly create vectors. With a wide variety of vector editing and designing tools, this application proves handy for graphic designers.
Key features:
- Regular Updates: This tool has a robust community of developers who provide regular updates and new features.
- Manual Improvement: Designers can enhance the software by editing the open-source code.
- Excellent User Experience: As a free software, the user experience is considered quite impressive. Also, designers familiar with Adobe can efficiently operate this tool.
Pricing:
- Free
| Pros | Cons |
| ➕ Includes several well-designed and full-featured tools | ➖ The Mac version has bugs |
| ➕ Enhance with downloadable plugins | ➖ Processing can be slow |
| ➕ Create complex combinations using a special tool. | ➖ Illustrator compatibility isn’t promising |
12. Adobe Creative Cloud Express
If you’re looking for professional-level software that’s easier to use than Photoshop or Illustrator, Adobe Creative Cloud Express is a great option. Creative Cloud Express is easily accessible on desktops and Android and iOS mobile devices. This makes it a great software for designers who are always on the go.
What can you do with Creative Cloud Express? Quite a lot actually. Business owners can use this software to create logos and banners. You can also create videos and animations. You can even edit images and add templates and stickers to them.
- See here for the best Adobe Creative Cloud Express Discounts & save 40-70% off their subscription.
- Get 10 Free Stock Images from Adobe Stock — Royalty-free photos, illustrations and videos
Through Creative Cloud Express, you can even access the Adobe Stock Photo Collection which definitely comes in handy. Creative Cloud Express functions on a drag and drop UI (much like Canva) which makes things very convenient for total novices.
Key features:
- Access to Adobe Fonts and Stock Images: With a premium package of Adobe Creative Cloud Express, users can have access to Adobe’s wide range of fonts and images.
- Create logos and banners: Adobe Creative Cloud allows users to create banners through an easy-to-use drag and drop user interface
- Versatile range of creative features: With this creative software, you can work on videos, animations, banners, and a wide variety of marketing materials easily.
Pricing:
- Free
- Premium version – $9.99 / month or $99.9 annually
| Pros | Cons |
| ➕ Easy to use for business owners and entrepreneurs | ➖ Limited capability |
| ➕ Affordable | |
| ➕ Allows work on a wide range of creative assets |
Get Inscape
More Best Graphic Design Software
Here is a list of more top software choices for graphic design.
- Blender
- Sumo Paint
- PaintShop Pro
- Crello
- Autodesk 3ds Max
- Snapseed
- Autodesk Maya
- Photopea
- K-3D
- PicPick
- G’MIC
- Adobe Fireworks
- DesignCap
- DesignHill Studio
- Desygner – Desygner is a graphic design tool and photo editor for non-designers. With the tool, you can create social media designs, business cards, presentations, flyers, and more. The app includes a PDF editor, logo maker, graphic design app, and more.
Conclusion
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