Best photo collage apps in 2024
The best photo collage apps for turning your pictures into a story
Using one of the best photo collage apps is a great way to group together and share the photos stored on your phone. Whether you’ve taken your photos on one of the best cameras or best camera phones, putting them in a collage alongside similar memories or related photos can help give images context, show more memories and even turn your images into a mini series.
By using a bespoke collage app, you can not only group together your photos, but also add video, text, music and more, as well as turning them into posters or cards for printing. Some of the best apps also provide you with templates, patterns, backgrounds and grids to make it easy to get started.
While that sounds great, there are a lot of collage apps out there, so choosing the right one can be difficult. That’s where we come in. We’ve tested all the options to help you make the right choice. All you have to do is read on.
The best photo collage apps in 2024
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Here are our picks for the best photo collage apps in 2023. Many are available on both iOS and Android, but some are exclusive to only one OS. We've left links to the available download pages at the end of each entry to make it clear which platform each is available on. Happy collaging!
1. Pic Collage
With Pic Collage, you get the choice of starting off with a classic collage grid, freestyle blank scrapbook or a pre-made template. Just review the photos from your library or social media accounts, and choose the ones you want to include: Pic Collage automatically delivers a wide variety of templates and grid patterns to accommodate what you've picked. Then you can adjust the overall size of the grid and the individual cells inside it, change the boundaries, set a background color or pattern, and adjust the focus of the image inside each cell, or swap images.
A built-in photo editor lets you apply basic edits to each image, and apply stickers, doodles, effects, and picture frames. There's a lot on offer here and together it's enough to make Pic Collage our top pick of the best photo collage apps.
Pic Collage is free, but a premium version which removes the watermark and the ads, lets you add videos and also gives you access to more templates, stickers and patterns is $35.99/year or $4.99/month. You can also purchase individual templates and sticker packs, which range in price from 99 cents to $2.99.
Download Pic Collage: Android, iOS
2. Diptic
Diptic — which works with both photos and videos in the same collage frame — showcases your narrative across tons of templates, in categories such as Animated, Classic, Jumbo, Bordered, Fancy and Fresh. You can adjust all aspects of the design including the size and color of the cell borders, frames, aspect ratio and fonts.
The app lets you combine photos, videos, and Live Photos captured by your iPhone into a single template. You can even specify video quality. If you really like your composition, you can save custom layouts for reuse. You can also apply a variety of adjustments to each photo, derived from your Camera Roll, Facebook, Dropbox, or Flickr accounts, add a song from your iTunes library, and share the package directly to social media.
Diptic isn't free: the app costs $2.99 (a desktop Mac version is 99 cents), with additional layouts and texture packs, watermark removal, and more available as in-app purchases for 99 cents each. But it offers enough that it's well deserving of its place among the best photo collage apps, even against free alternatives.
Download Diptic: iOS
3. Moldiv
Collages typically cluster images together in a template, magazine page or greeting card design to convey a message or narrative. But Moldiv recognizes that each picture tells its own story. And that’s why, at launch, you get to perfect your image components before you start loading them into Moldiv’s hundreds of frames and magazine covers and layouts.
The app provides a full toolbar with edits like Crop, Clarity, Exposure, Color, Vibrance and more. You can use images in your camera roll or shoot new images directly in the app. A separate Beauty Camera concentrates on creating attractive selfies complete with face slimming, skin softening, and eye enlarging. If the free options aren’t enough, in-app purchases let you buy extra packs of filters, stickers, and patterns from $1.99 to $6.99 each, or all packs for $14.99.
4. PicPlayPost
Even if you don’t have a clear sense of how to arrange your new collage, PicPlayPost has you covered. At launch, the free app automatically presents a For You compilation of your latest images and videos in an animated slideshow format — complete with zooms, multi-photo drop-ins, and transitions. You’ll be tempted to just stop there. But there’s much more.
You can select from among six aspect ratio choices (including Instagram specialties) and you can opt to include music from your collection of songs or videos, or find new music to buy. The launch screen presents additional enticing choices like creating a slideshow with transitions and animated text or a collage that includes photos, videos, and GIFs and Live Photos. Whatever you decide, you can tweak each component individually in the template.
In-app purchases from $1.99 to $24.99 offer additional frames, pro editing features and your own watermark. A $6.99 per month subscription plan provides enhanced video editing, creation of multi-collage slideshows, animated, pin, or perspective text, and more. The total package with all add-ons is $99.99.
Download PicPlayPost: Android, iOS
5. PicsArt
With more of a social orientation than most of the best photo collage apps, PicsArt’s main screen not only lets you get started with a collage, but also lets you access a community feed that showcases creations made with the app, making it easy for you to search for artwork from friends and followers. It's no coincidence that a large part of PicsArt's appeal lies in the art of the remix. You can use your own images, but you can also tap into photos uploaded by others to fit into your concept.
Editing features include drawing tools, templates, background images, HDR photo filters, fonts and AI-style effects. In addition, the app lets you apply a huge number of edits to each image from cropping, adjusting brightness, contrast and saturation to adding special effects, blending modes, and shape crops. You can even create double exposures, memes and your own sharable stickers. A Remix Chat function lets groups work on projects together.
In-app purchases of memes and sticker and frame packs cost up to $3.99. A PicsArt Gold subscription of $8.99 per month or $55.99/year switches off the ads and gives you access to all premium content.
Download PicsArt Photo & Collage Maker: Android, iOS
6. PiZap
PiZap is a combination photo editor, collage maker, designer, and meme generator. First, the app lets you fix photos from your image collection so they will look good in a collage, greeting card or poster. The app’s design section has templates for Facebook, YouTube and Twitter cover art as well as for web ads and business cards. The teen-oriented patterned categories offer hundreds of layouts and templates to choose from, including collage templates and design layouts with themes for holidays, sentiments and other special occasion themes.
PiZap lets you add text and symbol memes, filters and shapes; you can apply special effects to each image. Just pick the layout you want and start loading it with your pictures and adjusting the images. PiZap is free, but a Pro version, which removes ads and gives you access to additional filters, fonts, stock images, all meme layouts, and more, is $59.99 per year, or $9.99 per month.
7. Pic Stitch
With the free Pic Stitch, you can make both photos and videos part of your collage, with customized aspect ratios and musical accompaniment. Each photo or video is trimmed and fixed before you add it to the template. You can add filters, text, stickers, doodles and watermarks, while cropping, cutting out, and even adjusting video playback speed. Just drag and drop to swap cells within the template. As you use the app, a text overlay pops up training you on how to handle app functions like frames, zoom and image swap.
The app lets you share on all popular social media, or via email; you can also save to your Gallery or Camera Roll, with Pic Stitch facilitating export in high resolution. You can order prints from Shutterfly or Walgreens for in-store pickup. Pic Stitch Pro, which gives you an ad-free experience, additional frames, custom borders, and lets you create your own layout, is $34.99/year, or a one-time payment of $199.
Download Pic Stitch: Android, iOS
8. PhotoGrid
When you launch PhotoGrid, all you have to do is scroll through your photo or video collection and choose the images you want to include. The app does the rest.
But that’s not all. Photo Grid provides 15 modules from classic collages to Snapchat styles. Those include the Venus Filter, which makes anyone look like a barely recognizable fairy princess, or Twinkle, which automatically adapts the style of famous painters or specific paintings like van Gogh's Starry Night. The Meme filter gives you the classic template for text on top and bottom with your image in the middle and the ability to change the layout and add stickers, gradient backgrounds and many more decorative elements and GIFs. This fun app gives you plenty to do with additional modules like Face Pop, Scrapbook, 3D cards, and general zaniness.
PhotoGrid is free, but the Premium version is $29.99/year or $4.99/month, and removes ads and watermarks, gets you premium updates, and more.
Download PhotoGrid: Android, iOS
8. LiveCollage
Unlike most other collage apps, LiveCollage has a clean homepage with pastel-colored icons in the lower half for creating collages, editing photos, videos, erasing backgrounds, and adding filters and the like. It also has a Beauty filter, which lets you tweak a person's facial features, including their smile, chin, nose, lips, and eyebrows.
The app has a number of templates for creating collages, including ones formatted specifically for Instagram and Facebook. You can also create custom canvas sizes, as well as ones that are in shapes such as hearts and stars. There are even 3D-style templates, though these require a subscription.
LiveCollage is free, but a subscription ($4.99/month or $35.99/year) removes ads and watermarks, lets you access premium content, and lets you receive weekly updates. You can also purchase extra themes, stickers, fonts, effects, and borders.
Download LiveCollage: Android, iOS
9. Collageable
In addition to letting you make collages, Collageable also has templates for creating magazine-like covers, and has a beauty filter for touching up faces in your photos. Collageable has dozens of photo layouts from which to choose, ranging from two photos up to 25 per collage. Even more are available with a subscription.
As with other collage apps, you can add backgrounds, text, and stickers, though options are pretty limited with the free version. If you spring for the premium subscription (from $23.99/year) you can then get access to all the layouts, additional features, and all the ads are removed, too.
Download Collageable: iOS
How to choose the best photo collage app for you
When choosing to download one of the photo collage apps, look at their design versatility and presentation. Some include an assortment of template frames and grids and magazine or greeting card layouts. Other picks offer valuable extras such as in-camera shooting and editing, filters, text, backgrounds, and stickers. Despite their template structure, these apps give you a voice to create your own unique statement to share over social media, email, and even print; it's the sort of thing that can separate the best photo collage apps from the also-rans.
Almost all of the best photo collage apps are free to download, so there's no harm in giving several of them a spin to see which you like best.
However, most of the best photo collage apps require you to sign up for a subscription if you want premium features, such as customizable templates, a wider selection of layouts and stickers, and no ads or watermarks. These subscriptions can be pricey — upwards of $35 per year — so you'll want to make sure you'll get a lot out of the app before opening your wallet.
Be sure to check out all of our photography software picks:
We have a wide range of buying guides to help you make the right decisions. If you're also looking to edit your photos, make sure you check out our photography guides, including the best photo editing software, best free photo editing software and best photo editing apps. For video editing, make sure you read our guide to the best video editing software. If you're not keen on paying for your software just yet, why not read our guide to the best free video editing software. For workflows on the move, we also have a guide to the best video editing apps. Need somewhere to store all those large RAW files? You'll want to read our guide to the best photo storage and sharing sites. And if you want to upgrade your gear, make sure you read our round up of the best cameras you can buy today.
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Jackie is an obsessive, insomniac tech writer and editor in northern California. A wildlife advocate, cat fan, and photo app fanatic, her specialties include cross-platform hardware and software, art, design, photography, video, and a wide range of creative and productivity apps and systems. Formerly senior editor at Macworld and creativity editor at The Next Web, Jackie now writes for a variety of consumer tech publications.