The 7 Best Apps to Write on Pictures

Add text and drawings to your photos and share them with friends

Updated on June 10, 2021

Reviewed by

While you can add text to your photos with built-in tools, there are third-party apps that offer huge font selections, built-in quotes, and blank canvasses you can design from scratch. Here are seven of our favorite apps that let you write on pictures.

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Basic Tool for Writing on Photos: PicLab by We Heart It

What We Like

Built-in photo editor.
Make collages from your photos.

What We Don't Like

Can only edit screenshots or photos taken within the app.
Can't add regular photos to a collage unless you capture them from the app.

PicLab is a simple app with photo editing tools, filters, stickers, and a collage feature. While you can access your full photo roll from the app, you can only write on screenshots.

PicLab is free with in-app purchases. You can pay to remove the PicLab watermark from your photos for $0.99, unlock overlays and fonts for $0.99 each, or unlock everything for $3.99.

Download For:

iOS

Android

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Best Premium App for iOS & Android: Word Swag by Oringe

What We Like

Comes with hundreds of built-in quotes and jokes.
Access stock photos from Pixabay.

What We Don't Like

Free version is covered in ads.
No free trial for premium features.

Word Swag by Oringe is one of the easiest apps to use on this list. It offers dozens of free images and several editing tools. For $3.99 on Android or $4.99 on iOS, you can go ad-free and choose from a larger array of backgrounds and stock images.

Download For:

iOS

Android

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For Font Fanatics: Font Candy by Easy Tiger

What We Like

Choose from over 45 fonts.
Access to Pixabay stock photos.
Inspiration tab shows final projects from other users.

What We Don't Like

Can only access screenshots from your camera roll.
Limited cropping tool.

Font Candy offers a selection of hand-picked fonts, plus you can upload your own. You can also connect your account to Facebook to access the photos you posted there, and edit screenshots you captured from your device.

The app is free with in-app purchases, but for $1.99 per week, you get a subscription that includes exclusive fonts, artwork, text blends, photo fill, and more. You can try the premium version for free for one week.

Download For:

iOS

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For Graphic Design Fans: PicMonkey

What We Like

Has an array of canvas designs you can edit.
New features are constantly being added.

What We Don't Like

The benefits of cloud storage are unclear.
The desktop version is easier to use than the app.

PicMonkey is a graphic design app that lets you write on your photos or choose from a variety of backgrounds. You can add text in an array of colors, fonts, and styles, then save them to your default photo app or PicMonkey's cloud storage hub if you have a subscription. You can also share images from the app to social media, using canvasses sized to social media platform specs.

You can get PicMonkey for free with in-app purchases. Its Basic subscription plan provides 1 GB of storage for $7.99 per month or $71.99 per year, while the Pro plan includes unlimited storage for $12.99 per month or $119.99 per year.

Download For:

iOS

Android

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For Art Designers: Typorama by Apperto

What We Like

Lots of free backgrounds you can write on.
Unlock text styles by liking Typorama on social media.

What We Don't Like

No free trial of the paid version.
No option to save edits.

Typorama is an elegant app with advanced tools, including shadow and gradient color progression, and a history option that lets you go back to previous versions. You can write original text on pictures or request a random quote, then resize the image for Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter.

While Typorama is free with in-app purchases, the $9.99 Pro version adds more text styles, unlocks all backgrounds and overlays, removes the "made with Typorama" stamp, and adds the ability to add your brand logo.

Download For:

iOS

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Best Subscription Service for iOS: Over by Over Inc.

What We Like

Built-in graphics and quotes.
Generous photo editing tools.
Offers tutorials on creating blurred background shots and other techniques.

What We Don't Like

Frequent interface changes.
Pricey if you forget to cancel your free trial.

Over is free to download, and the first time you launch it, you must answer a couple of questions. First, whether you're creating content for a brand, and second, what your interests are out of a list, including music, food and drink, and home décor. Then you have to subscribe, either to a 7-day free trial for an annual $99.99 plan or jump right into a $14.99 monthly plan.

Over has a large selection of backgrounds you can edit in addition to your photos, as well as stock images from Pixabay, Unsplash, and the built-in Google Image search. It also has integrated graphics, shapes, and fonts you can use. The app also includes advanced editing tools such as shadow, opacity, and masking.

Download For:

iOS

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Basic App for Android & iOS: Phonto by Youthhr

What We Like

The free version includes editing tools and a handful of backgrounds.
You can install fonts from other sources.

What We Don't Like

Can't tell which backgrounds are premium until you try to use them.
The iOS version has more features than the Android app.

Phonto has a super simple interface. You can start with a blank background or use a photo from your device, then add text in a variety of colors and fonts. The free version, which has in-app purchases, comes with enough for basic needs, but you can add image packs for $1.99, filter packs for $0.99, and remove ads for $0.99.

Download For:

iOS

Android

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