7 best apps to insert text into photos on your phone, many fonts and colors

Whether you're trying to create a social media graphic or just want to add some depth to your images, there are a number of ways to add text to photos on your smartphone. Here are our top recommendations for adding text to photos.

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Table of Contents

• 1. Smartphone native markup tool
• 2. Canva
• 3. Photoshop Express
• 4. Mematic
• 5. Unfold
• 6. Add Text
• 7. Art Word

1. Smartphone native markup tool

Before downloading any third-party apps, you should consider your smartphone's native markup tool. On the iPhone, for example, you can handwrite text and insert text boxes. The app lets you choose from a number of popular fonts, including Helvetica, American Typewriter, and Arial.

You can also change the font size if needed. If you want to customize your images even more, you should learn how to use all the drawing tools in Apple Markup.

Android users can also access the markup tool via Google Photos . Just like on the iPhone, you can add both typed and handwritten text. This is one of the many ways you can edit photos on an Android phone.

2. Canva

Canva is another easy way to add text to photos on your smartphone, and it's a must-have if you have an Android device. You can choose from a variety of fonts and designs, and it's great for any reason you want to add text - whether it's a Pinterest post or creating a birthday card for a friend.

Using Canva, you can easily resize images on your smartphone for the platform you're using. You can also use custom designs if you're not sure what type of text you want to add to your photo.

Canva also lets you choose whether to use a title text box or body text, and you can also resize the text yourself if you want. You'll also find a number of free features in Canva to further enhance your images.

3. Photoshop Express

Photoshop Express is an easy alternative to Canva if you want to give it a try. With Photoshop Express, you can import text into your image and choose between free-form or italic text. However, one thing to note is that emojis tend to display as boxes, so it’s better to use Photoshop Express for basic text.

You can choose from a number of fonts in Photoshop Express, including some Adobe-themed fonts. Plus, you can choose whether you want to turn the text into a quote, a meme, or something else.

Photoshop Express also lets you choose your own custom colors for editing text, which you might be interested in if you want your images to really stand out.

4. Mematic

If you've been on the internet since the early 2010s, you're probably familiar with the meme format. Back in the day, you could create a few memes with the Mematic app, and today, you can add text to images in a variety of ways with the app.

With Mematic, you can choose to add a single image to your collage and then insert text — or insert multiple images into the same area. You can then add text boxes and speech bubbles.

One thing to be aware of when using Mematic is that you will see a watermark in your photos unless you upgrade to a premium subscription. However, you can always crop this out if that’s a big deal to you.

• Get Mematic for iOS | Android (Free, in-app purchases available)

5. Unfold

Unfold requires a Squarespace account, but you don’t need a premium subscription. Once you sign up, you can add text to your images using a number of templates, like Reels and Stories. If you want, you can also design your own from scratch.

When using Unfold, you can choose from a number of fonts that have a distinct “Squarespace feel.” Additionally, you can easily resize images and text boxes by dragging your finger. One thing worth noting is that you’ll see a “Made With Unfold” watermark, which you can only remove by subscribing to a premium plan.

You can also choose where you want to insert the text. This can be a useful tool if you have multiple images placed on top of each other.

• Get Unfold for iOS | Android (Free, in-app purchases available)

6. Add Text

As you might guess from the app name, Add Text is a simple way to add text to images. You can choose from over 100 fonts, and this is the best tool if you want to add and edit specific text in photos on your smartphone. You have some advanced tools, such as letter spacing and text curves.

While many of the fonts available are paid options, you’ll find plenty of free fonts that will likely meet most – if not all – of your needs. It should be noted that resizing your text boxes can be a little tricky at first, but you won’t have too many problems after a few minutes.

Add Text also allows you to add a border to your text, which can make the text appear bolder if needed. You can also add a shadow to the text and control both horizontal and vertical offset.

• Get Add Text for iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)

7. Art Word

Art Word is another app that specializes in adding text to smartphone photos. You can choose from a variety of pre-made templates, including speech bubbles, quotes, and invitations. Plus, you can change the size of your Instagram Stories and Instagram posts — in addition to YouTube thumbnails.

The Art Word app also has a lot of 3D text features. You can add automatic line breaks and choose fonts very easily. One of the things users really like about this app is that you can check out different sub-fonts in the same drop-down menu, making it easy to scroll through your options.

Another feature worth checking out in Art Word is the ability to enable and disable different fonts, so if you want to sift through your options more easily, consider enabling this feature.

• Get Art Word for iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)

While it is possible to add text to an image without downloading a third-party app, you’ll find a number of options available if you want more customization. Many of these options are also free, meaning they’re worth checking out. While Add Text is the best option, try out the others on this list to see what works for you.

See also:

• Instructions for adding text to photos on Android phones
• How to write text on photos on iPhone
• How to sharpen images in Photoshop in 2 ways