Tools for Designers

The AI design tools I actually use, grouped by the job they do. Each includes a deep-dive if you want the details.

Some links below are affiliate or sponsor links. If you buy through them I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. I only list tools I genuinely use.

Build with AI

Claude Code

Anthropic's terminal agent that turns plain-English direction into real, working interfaces. My default for hands-off builds.

Cursor

An AI-first code editor and the friendliest on-ramp to building. More visibility and hands-on control than a terminal agent.

Codex

OpenAI's agentic coder. Especially strong on larger, logic-heavy projects that span many files.

Improve your AI’s design output

Mobbin

600,000+ real app screens, plus an MCP that pipes them straight into Claude Code so your agent designs from evidence, not taste words.

Relume

1,000+ real, production web components, now pluggable into Claude via MCP so it builds pages from proven sections instead of inventing them.

Generate UI

Claude Fable 5

The model I reach for when I want genuinely beautiful, finished-looking UI on the first pass. Best-in-class detail and consistency.

GPT-5.6

OpenAI's latest. Very capable, and often the better pick when you want a bolder or more experimental first pass.

Design tools

Brilliant

A free, AI-native design tool that does ~95% of what Figma does, with AI agents on the canvas and plain-text, git-friendly files.

Claude Design

Anthropic's AI-native way to design interfaces: describe what you want and Claude builds real, editable UI alongside you.

Ship real products

Anything

Build full-stack apps, real database, auth, payments, from plain English. Where design tools stop at the mockup, this ships a working product.

Workflow

Granola

An AI notepad that turns back-to-back calls, reviews, and user interviews into notes you can actually act on. No bot joins the meeting.