The top free and paid-for collage makers available right now.
(Image credit: Canva)
Having the best collage maker tools may not sound like a necessity, as collaging can seem a simple process. But believe it or not, quality collage making is an art form in itself – and the perfect tools can transform your project. Collage is a stylish and visually appealing way to showcase your photos and designs, so it's no surprise that collage makers are massively popular right now.
You'll find a bunch of web and mobile apps that have collage maker tools included, as well as dedicated standalone programs. But as the quality of these vary wildly, we've tested some out for you so you'll know which ones are up to standard.
Kapwing has many strings to its bow, with a whole host of video and photo editing tools – including a great collage maker. It's a browser-based tool that's super easy to use. You start with a blank canvas, or choose from a range of templates, and then upload images, GIFs or videos (either by upload or by adding a URL). It gives the option of adding subtitles, music and more to your creation. When finished, you can download your project and get an embed code or a URL to share – which is ideal for social media.
Without an account, you'll have to deal with a watermark, but creating a free account gets rid of it, and you can pay for even more features.
Moldiv claims to be the all in one photo-editor that offers everything you need in photography, and its collage maker feature doesn't disappoint. The collage maker portion of the app is sleek and easy to use. We like that the workflow in the collage setting is non-destructive (unlike the main editor mode) so you can mess around with layouts without touching your original version. You can also customise with stickers and play with different fonts.
Photo Joiner offers a range of different collage maker options. The one we're most interested in here is Collage; a classic collage maker tool. The process is easy to follow: upload images, choose a template, drag your images into the slots (you can zoom in and out, mirror or rotate to suit the layout), then save and share. You can narrow templates by number of photos included, and set custom image sizes and borders.
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If that's not what you're after, take a look at one of the other Photo Joiner tools. Stitch is a simpler tool designed for joining together photos vertically or horizontally, using one of Photo Joiner's preset layouts. Meme lets you add text and decorations to images. FB Cover offers a range of templates to fit Facebook's cover image dimensions, to take the effort out of creating an impressive cover collage.
04. Ribbet
Flash-based collage maker Ribbet is simple and fun
Free online collage maker Ribbet has a smart interface, which is a delight to use. You can download Ribbet to use on your machine or use it in your browser if you have Flash enabled. There are plenty of handy features to help you create a custom collage: pick a template, upload images, adjust sizing, round corners, edit lighting, exposure and so on. If you change your mind, you can easily adjust your template by adding extra rows or columns. The basic version is free, but to access the majority of the more complex templates you'll need to upgrade to the Premium version.
Spark is a free photo collage maker from Adobe. Its simple interface means it doesn't require the same learning curve demanded by most Adobe applications: simply name your project and use the various design options available to arrange your photos into an eye-catching collage. You need a Creative Cloud account for full CC benefits (sign up here), but it is perfectly useable without.
Canva offers one of the best free online collage makers around. This is an all-round design package you can use in the browser or as an app for iOS and Android. The basic package is completely free, but there are paid plans available if you want something more advanced.
Amongst Canva's tools is a big selection of collage templates, which look great and are easy to use. You can also spice up your collages with Canva's enormous selection of effects, filters, fonts, shapes and more.
07. BeFunky
BeFunky is available in the browser or via a mobile app
BeFunky is one of the best free online collage makers around. It offers tons of templates, a simple interface and seamless integration with the BeFunky Photo Editor. The free version works well, but if you're after more photo effects, higher-resolution downloads and the ability to use your collages commercially, you'll need the BeFunky Plus account. As well as an online tool, BeFunky is available as an app for iOS or Android.
08. piZap
The free piZap is funded by ads, but they're not intrusive
Ad-funded online collage maker piZap isn't the most intuitive free collage maker tools on this list. However, there are plenty of templates, stock images and fonts to choose from, and you can add text and stickers to liven things up. A nice feature is the inclusion of Facebook banner templates, to help you upgrade your social media branding with ease.
The Pro version offers ad-free designing, a much bigger selection of fonts, stock images and templates, the ability to download your collage in super high resolution, and more. You can suss it out via the free trial before you commit.
Fotor is a professional-level online collage maker. You can import a load of images, which are displayed on the right-hand bar, then choose when and where to place them in your collage. This simple feature makes it easy to put together attractive collages. The only glitch we ran into is that large images failed to load, with no error message to indicate the problem.
You can only get part of the way with the free version – you can design collages, but they'll feature the Fotor watermark, which isn't ideal. For advanced features, an ad-free interface, watermark-free collages and cloud-based storage, you'll need to shell out for the Pro version.
Google Photos, once known as Picasa, is an image organiser and photo editor – but did you know it comes with a built-in collage maker? You can experiment with six different collage types in the hands-on collage creation screen, and they will be saved in your 'Collages' folder. It's pretty basic, but as you'd expect from Google, the interface is nice and clear and what it does do, it does well.
11. Kizoa
Kizoa offers dozens of ready-made templates
Price: Free (Basic); lifetime Premium memberships from $29.99
The web-based version of Kizoa collage maker is one of the most difficult collage maker tools to navigate, but it does offer dozens of ready-made templates (both static and animated) for all kinds of occasions. You can customise the templates or create your own from scratch, then add photos, GIFs, videos and even stickers to your designs, and finish the whole thing off with some text.
It's available as an iOS app and Kinoa membership also includes access to a movie maker and photo editor, so you can now accomplish any number of creative tasks from inside the browser and on your iPad/iPhone.
12. FotoJet
FotoJet enables you to create show-stopping collages
Pearlmountain's FotoJet is a free online collage maker that enables you to create collages, photo cards, posters, Facebook covers, Twitter headers, YouTube banners, fun photos and more. There are hundreds of templates for you to work with, including some of the most creative designs we've seen so far – such as this one, where you can add images into coconuts. The paid Plus option offers a much wider range of resources to work with.
13. PicMonkey Collage
PicMonkey's free tools give you plenty of control over your collages
Part of the PicMonkey suite – a web app that also offers image editing, touch-up and design tools – PicMonkey collage maker is a fast and powerful way to organise your images into attractive shapes. Import images from your computer or connect to online services such as Facebook, OneDrive, Dropbox and Flickr. You can fine-tune your collage by adjusting the zoom and placement of your images, and add filters. 'Supremium' users also have access to advanced touch-up tools.
This was once a free online collage maker, but you now need to subscribe to PicMonkey to download your design. There are three different plans available, depending on your needs. However, you can design your collage for free, and there is a week-long free trial available, which is worth exploring before you shell out.
Collage maker app PicCollage is crammed with features to help you create impressive collages from photos, GIFs and videos. Choose from a portrait canvas or a square one (ideal for Instagram fans), pick from over 60 templates, and clip images with your finger. There's a face detection template in case you want to add things like party hats to your friends, and you can share your creations to Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, SMS, email, and more.
15. Layout from Instagram
Layout for Instagram lets you select and rearrange images
Instagram's Layout app is designed to help people create collages of their images and share their creations on social media. Layout lets you select and rearrange images by dragging and dropping, and you can also control the size of images by pinching, or tap to mirror or flip them.
This collage maker app includes a built-in Photo Booth that you can use to take spur-of-the-moment shots, and instantly see them laid out in various combinations. When you're done, you can easily save, and share your collage across your social media networks. It's very highly rated on both the App Store and Google Play, so you can be confident you're getting a quality product.
Kerrie Hughes is a frequent contributor to Creative Bloq, and was once its editor. One of the original CB crew, Kerrie joined the team back in 2013 after moving from her role as staff writer on 3D World. Since then she's written regularly for other creative publications such as ImagineFX, Computer Arts and Digital Camera World. After a stint working for the police, Kerrie is back reviewing creative tech for creative professionals.
