Tools for Designers

The AI design tools I actually use, with the best deals I could negotiate for you. Each links to a hands-on guide.

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.

20% off
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.

20% off
Anything

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

Framer

The best way to build and publish a polished website without writing code. Beautiful output, fast hosting, AI that fills in real content.

Webflow

Visual-first web design with real control over the box model, CMS, and hosting. Where Framer optimizes for speed, Webflow gives you production-grade precision.

1 week free
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.

Claude Design

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

Relume

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

Free
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.

Miro

Visual workspace for design thinking, user flows, and async collaboration. AI that generates boards and surfaces patterns from your diagrams.

Free
Rolltake

The iPhone teleprompter I built for my own videos. Ten speed levels, Apple Watch and Bluetooth remotes, mirror mode for beam-splitter rigs. Free, no ads, no account.

1 month free
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.