15 Free Online Tools for Web Designers on a Budget
About two years ago when I became a full time freelance web designer, I made it a point to operate with little overhead. Even though I was confident I could make it as a freelancer, there was some fear that things might not go as planned. Because of this, I didn’t go out and spend lots of money on equipment and expensive software. My focus was on being frugal and saving money where I could. One way I was able to do this was using free online tools or web apps to perform my everyday tasks as a web designer. Here are 15 free online tools that you will find very useful.
Pixlr
Pixlr is a powerful online image editing application. Although it can’t do everything Photoshop can do, it has some very impressive features considering it is all done within the browser.
Google Analytics
Google Analytics is probably the most popular free analytics tool available. It has loads of features including custom views and reports, access sharing, and integration with adsense.
Typetester
The Typetester is an online application for comparison of the fonts for the screen. Its primary role is to make web designer’s life easier. As the new fonts are bundled into operating systems, the list of the common fonts will be updated.
CSS Type Set
CSS Type Set allows you to visually and interactively style text and it generates the CSS.
net2ftp
net2ftp gives you a fully featured ftp client within your browser. There’s even a skin designed for the iPhone.
WhatTheFont
WhatTheFont allows you to scan in or provide the URL of a font and it will tell you what it is.
Color Scheme Designer
Color Scheme Designer has been around for a while, but was just recently updated with a brand new interface and a new color scheme generating engine.
Fontstruct
FontStruct lets you quickly and easily create fonts constructed out of geometrical shapes, which are arranged in a grid pattern, like tiles or bricks.
Kuler
Kuler is a community driven web app that lets your browse color palettes created by others. You can also create your own by using the color wheel, harmony rules, and color sliders.
Bespin
Bespin is an online code editor by Mozilla. It allows you to write and edit code, share projects, and connect to existing open-source projects.
Adobe BrowserLab
Adobe BrowerLab gives you the ability to preview and test your websites in multiple browsers and operating systems. Since building a website to be cross-browser compatible is one of the more annoying aspects of web design, this should be a valuable web app to all of us.
W3C Markup Validation Service
The Markup Validator is a free service by W3C that helps check the XHTML and CSS validity of Web documents.
ViewLikeUs
ViewLikeUs allows you to check out how your website looks in the most popular resolution formats. It’s all powered by Ajax & PHP.
ColoRotate
As well as being a useful way to choose colors, ColoRotate looks cool and is actually fun to use. Instead of using two dimensional viewers, it presents color palettes to you in 3d and in real time.
Pingdom Tools
Pingdom Tools allows you to run load time tests on your web pages. It mimics the way a page is loaded in a web browser. The load time of all objects is shown visually with time bars. You can view the list of objects either in load order or as a hierarchy. The hierarchy view allows you to see which objects are linked to in for example a CSS file.
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Oct 28, 2009
awesome collection.
Oct 28, 2009
Useful tools. Thanks.
Oct 28, 2009
thank you, off to investigate “What the font”
Oct 28, 2009
some excellent web tools! thanks for the free info
Oct 28, 2009
Awesome list!
I hate to be a downer, but BrowserLabs is misspelled.
Other than that, it’s a fantastic list! Typetester, W3C, & Kuler are indispensable.
Oct 28, 2009
Lovely post for designers on a budget! I would also like to see such a post about free online time management, invoices etc. big help! tnx
Oct 28, 2009
This is a great reference. Great way to get some things done more efficently. Thank you!
Oct 28, 2009
I hardly ever see any 3D tools that are free for use. I would love to see some simple 3D applications that can do simple 3D effects with text or vector shapes with a bit more power and functions than the Illustrator 3D tool.
Hope you can help me in the future!
Oct 28, 2009
Great tools for a designer on a budget!
Oct 28, 2009
thanks for this great post
Oct 28, 2009
Very nice set of tools. A few I didn’t know about, thanks!
Oct 28, 2009
I wasn’t aware that something like adobe browser lab even existed! That is definitely going into my web design toolbelt. Stumbled.
Thanks,
Jack P
Oct 29, 2009
Thanks for this list, many that I hadn’t come across before but will be using from now on.
Oct 30, 2009
Thanks!! I’m so happy when i stumble and get into a site like this: you made my day.
Oct 31, 2009
great tools. thank you very much.
Nov 1, 2009
Thanx…Saved my search time…Will try the tools..
Nov 1, 2009
Not a free tool, but inexpensive. Great file sharing and presentation service that for designers that focuses of files like PSD, AI, TIF, etc.
http://contentcube.com
Nov 3, 2009
this is a life saver! thanks a lot!
Nov 3, 2009
Thanks. It realy useful collection! I try from your links two tools for fonts arrangement. Keep it!
Nov 3, 2009
As someone who will soon be undertaking a business partnership with another, in which, I will be responsible for a great deal of the visual marketing – crafting, formulating, designing, implementing all of those vital elements/vehicles/etc. that get your name and product out to the world….for the first time!!!! (in the sense of not being indentured to someone else’s “GIG”)
I will be greatly served (THANK YOU!)by tools, such as these. It will no longer be a head-scratch, half-mission, “I’m trying to…..” mental death wrestle when trying to render ideas, colors, styles, and pictures of the mind to life. This makes many necessary known and unknown design tools free, and accessible, and allows me to dream, and produce a top quality, competitive product…..SOONER RATHER THAN LATER!
Nov 8, 2009
Really very useful tools for web designers. Thank you for presenting the links nicely. I’ve added in my Stumble Upon blog and shared it with Delicious.
Nov 8, 2009
Great site, if i had found this earlier it would have made my life much easier and those frustrating hours much shorter. Thanks man
Nov 8, 2009
Man I have been looking for these browser tools everywhere. Thanks a lot.
Nov 9, 2009
Really useful collection of tools!Thanks
Nov 11, 2009
Really good tools… most of us were aware of google services, w3c validator and adobe…
Thanks for providing info about other tools..
Please provide some similar Offline Tools for web designers.. (Freewares)..
Nov 11, 2009
This is really good, it will help me in my design career..
thnx a lot
Nov 11, 2009
Thank you for CSS Type Set. I was looking for one that came recommended earlier and was directed here.
Pingdom Tools is an added bonus.
Nov 14, 2009
Whatthefont also have an iPhone app that can make your life that much easier by giving you direct access to the site anywhere and time you spot a font you might like. I know I find it very useful.
There are a few in this list I will be checking out as well
Nov 25, 2009
Excelente, gracias!
Nov 25, 2009
i missed https://browsershots.org/ to test a website in different browsers or browser-versions and/or different resolutions on different operating systems. maybe similar to the adobe service?
Nov 27, 2009
Great useful list. I will need to spend some time going through each of those
Thanks
Dec 7, 2009
Very cool collection. I have seen some of the sites before but most are new to me, thanks…
Dec 14, 2009
What a great collection! The net2ftp tool will come in very handy for clients, I never new such a program existed.
Jan 2, 2010
Thanks for the contribution! Love the font detective and resolution screening sites.
Cheers!
Jan 15, 2010
Great list. Some of these are incredibly useful to me!
Jan 25, 2010
Great list! Thanks!