Key Takeaways

  • Smartphones have native markup apps, but several third-party tools also exist.
  • Canva, Photoshop Express, and Art Word are three potential options for adding text to pictures.
  • Many features are quite basic, but some apps have comprehensive text-editing tools and multiple fonts.



Whether you’re trying to create social media graphics or you simply want to add an extra dimension to your images, there are several ways to add text to your smartphone photos. Here are my top tried and tested recommendations.


Before downloading any third-party apps, it’s worth looking at your smartphone’s native markup tool. On an iPhone,for example, you can both handwrite text and include text boxes. The app lets you choose from several popular fonts, including Helvetica, American Typewriter, and Arial.

You can also change the font size if needed. If you wish to customize your image further, it’s worth learning how to use all the drawing tools in Apple Markup.


Android users can also access a markup tool via Google Photos. Like on an iPhone, you can add both typed and handwritten text. It’s one of many ways you can edit photos on an Android phone.

2 Canva

Canva is another easy way to add text to your smartphone photos, and I would strongly recommend using it if you have an Android device. You can choose from numerous fonts and designs, and it’s great for all of your reasons to add text—whether that’s for a Pinterest post or to create a birthday card for a friend.

When using Canva, it’s easy to resize your smartphone images for the platform you’re going to use them on. On top of that, you can use custom-made designs if you don’t yet know which types of text you want to add to your picture.


Canva also lets you choose whether you want to use title text boxes or a main body of text, and you can also change the text size yourself if you’d prefer. You’ll find several free features in Canva to enhance your pictures further, too.

Download: Canva for iOS | Android (Free, in-app purchases available)

3 Photoshop Express

While I wouldn’t use Photoshop Express over Canva to add text to your pictures, it is an easy alternative if you want to check it out. With Photoshop Express, you can type text in an image and choose whether it goes freeform or skewed. One thing worth noting, however, is that emojis will often show up as boxes instead. So, it’s better to use Photoshop Express for basic words.


You can choose from a handful of fonts in Photoshop Express, including several Adobe-themed ones. Moreover, you can choose whether you want to make the text a quote, meme, or something else.

Photoshop Express also allows you to pick your own custom colors for editing the text, which you might be interested in doing if you want your picture to really stand out.

Download: Photoshop Express for iOS | Android (Free, in-app purchases available)

4 Mematic

If you’ve been on the internet since the early 2010s, you’ll probably know all about that meme format. I used to make a few memes using the Mematic app, and nowadays, you can add text to your images in several other ways using this app.


With Mematic, you can choose whether you want to add one image to your collage and then include text—or if you’d like to include multiple pictures within the same area. You can then add text boxes and speech bubbles.

One thing worth knowing when using Mematic is that you will, unless you upgrade to a premium subscription, see a watermark in your image. However, you can always crop this if it’s a big problem for you.

Download: 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’ve signed up, you can add text to your image using several templates, such as Reels and Stories. If you’d prefer, you can also make your own designs from scratch.


When using Unfold, you can pick a handful of fonts that have a very “Squarespace vibe”. Moreover, you can easily adjust the size of your image and text box by dragging your fingers. One thing worth noting is that you will see a “Made With Unfold” watermark, which you can only remove by subscribing to a premium plan.

You can also pick where you want your text to feature; if you’ve placed multiple pictures on top of each other, this can be a useful tool.

Download: Unfold for iOS | Android (Free, in-app purchases available)

6 Add Text

As you might have guessed from the name, Add Text is a simple way to add text to your images. You can choose from 100+ fonts, and in my opinion, it’s the best tool if you’re looking specifically to add and edit text in your smartphone pictures. You have several advanced tools, such as letter spacing and text curve.


While many of the fonts available are paid options, you’ll find plenty of free ones that will more than likely meet most—if not all—of your needs. I should point out that it can initially be difficult to resize your text box, but you shouldn’t have too many problems after a couple of minutes.

Add Text also lets you add a border to your text, which can make it look bolder if needed. It also means that you can add an outline if that’s what you’d prefer. You can also add blur shadows to your text and control both horizontal and vertical offset.

Download: Add Text for iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)


7 Art Word

Art Word is another app that specializes in adding text to your smartphone photos. You can choose from numerous pre-defined templates, which include speech bubbles, quotes, and invitations. Moreover, you can resize for Instagram Stories and posts—in addition to YouTube thumbnails.

The Art Word app has numerous 3D text features available, too. You can add automatic line breaks and choose your font very easily. One of the things I really like about this app is that you can check different sub-fonts within the same dropdown area, making it easy to scroll through your options.


Another feature worth looking at in Art Word is the ability to toggle different fonts on and off. So, if you’d like to make sifting through your options easier, consider switching this on.

Download: Art Word for iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)

Although it’s possible to add text to your images without downloading a third-party app, you’ll find several options available if you want more customization. Many of these are also free, meaning that trying them is worthwhile. Although I think Add Text is the best option, give the other options on this list a try to see and what works for you.



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