Must-have Apps for DIYers

Written by Sara LeDuc
on Sep 03, 2018

To ensure our content is always up-to-date with current information, best practices, and professional advice, articles are routinely reviewed by industry experts with years of hands-on experience.

Reviewed by
H.R. Helm
on Feb 22, 2023

DIY projects take a lot of planning, effort, and patience. And while you may have bought every item on your list from the hardware store or thoroughly read the instructions for your project, there’s something small that could make the job easier that you may not be thinking of. This small-yet-helpful tidbit is DIY smartphone apps. There are a wide range of must-have apps for DIYers, and the cream of the crop are listed and explained below. Read on to see what you need to add to your download list.

Craftgawker

This is a free iPhone app that is devoted to crafting DIY projects. This app holds a curated assortment of project ideas and instructions on how to bring them to life. Users submit projects that are reviewed by editors to ensure high quality. App users can see how many people have favorited each project and share tips for completing it successfully. This app is a great place to find inspiration and straightforward how-tos.

Eden Garden

This iPhone app (available for purchase for $1.99) allows aspiring gardeners to design their garden before they start digging. Start by uploading a photo of your house and the space that you want to garden in. Search for the plants you’re looking to add to your garden. You can search by name, height, color, blooming season, and so on. Place the plants in your virtual landscape. This is an easy way to plan your garden out perfectly and even try a few designs.

BrightNest

This free iPhone and Android friendly app helps any DIYer take care of a range of home maintenance projects. If you’re looking for tips and tricks surrounding the repair of an appliance, trying to refine your deep cleaning schedule, or looking to figure out just how to check for mold and mildew in your home, this app leads you in the right direction. This app also offers a device to help you schedule home maintenance. It can be used to set reminders and notifications that are completely customized to your home and its maintenance needs.

iHandy Carpenter

Who says your smartphone can’t be just as effective in a DIY project as a tool from your toolbox? This app is both iPhone and Android friendly and costs $1.99 to download. This app turns your phone into five different home improvement tools that are known to perform just as well as the real tools. The app features three leveling tools to help you to hang items on your wall with perfect precision. The app also turns your phone into both a ruler and a protractor, making it a nifty app to have on your phone.

Behr ColorSmart

Painting is a common DIY project, but picking a color can be a pain. Thankfully, there is the Behr ColorSmart app, free for iPhone and Android users. This app makes it easy to match colors and even suggests complimentary colors to what you’re considering. The app also works to calculate how much paint you’ll need to purchase.

DIY Tip Genius

This free Android and iPhone app is filled with useful home improvement and DIY tips, techniques, and guides that all DIYers will love. This app has a tip of the day, allows users to generate random tips, and also has a feature that allows users to mark tips as their favorites. The app is separated into categories.

Handyman Calculator

This calculator — free on Android and $1.99 on the iPhone — is endlessly useful for DIY projects. This calculator completes unit conversions, acts as a fractional calculator, calculates density, arc length, rebar weight, and so on. This takes some complicated math work off the table, leaving more time to focus on projects.

The above-listed apps are just a few of many that exist revolving around DIY projects. They offer advice, ideas, and in some cases can even be used as tools to make your next project a breeze.