iPhone

50 iPhone Apps for Web Designers & Developers

David Appleyard on May 22nd

iphone

With a wonderful form factor, design, and functionality, the iPhone is a fantastic gadget for web designers and developers alike. You’ll be pleased to know that a huge range of software is available to make the iPhone (or iPod touch) a perfect companion.

We’ve hand-picked a selection of 50 fantastic applications. To give you a taste, the software covered will allow you to choose a color scheme, detect a font, update your website, manage a database, plan your to-do list, track time, bill a client, write a blog post, or view website statistics.

You’ll be amazed at what an iPhone is capable of!

Color

Cliq Cliq

CliqCliq – A gorgeous interface with photo extraction, palette saving and email support. Thoroughly impressive.
Palettes – A productivity tool for creating and maintaining color palettes. You can grab colors from photographs, websites, or add them manually.
ColorExpert – A similar app, capable of suggesting a colour scheme based upon a photograph or a chosen shade.
Brushes – A powerful painting app with an advanced color picker, several realistic brushes, and extreme zooming. Great for throwing down a few colors for ideas.
ColorSplash – Quickly and easily give photographs a dramatic feel by isolating a particular section of color.
HEX RGB Colors Guide – Easy reference to HEX and RGB color codes – really useful.

Fonts & Typography

FontShuffle (App Store) – A simple app for browsing and searching a database of different fonts.
WhatTheFont – Take a picture of a font and have it uploaded to the web and analyzed in seconds to discover it’s name. Surprisingly accurate.

Coding & Development

FTP On The Go

FTP On The Go – Allows you to log in to an FTP server, edit and modify files. Incredible functionality for an iPhone!
PHP Cheat Sheet (App Store) – A simple collection of PHP syntax to offer a refresher course in the language.
PHP Ref (App Store) – A quick reference “for all standard 5149 PHP functions”. Very thorough.
RegEx Cheat Sheet – A pocket guide for regular expressions, something we all need a hand with from time-to-time.

Databases

iMy

iMy – A full MySQL client for the iPhone for running custom database queries, saving of queries and exporting of results to Google spreadsheets.
MobileCan – A full PostgreSQL client for the iPhone for running custom database queries.
MySQL Cheat Sheet (App Store) – A guide to the inner workings of MySQL in your pocket.
Wireless Database Viewer – Another tool for viewing various types of database on your iPhone. Apparently it supports MS Access, MS Excel, Oracle, SQL Server, FoxPro, dBase, and any ODBC compliant database.

Organize & Plan

OmniFocus

OmniFocus – Brings task management to your fingertips, and has a powerful location feature for letting you know what needs doing in your immediate vicinity!
Things – Sync with the desktop version and manage your tasks in the coolest to-do list around.
Google Calendar – Check your Google Calendar schedule from anywhere, with various views for displaying appointments.
iBlueSky – A brainstorming application for getting ideas out of your head and into your iPhone.
Bento – A fantastic personal database on-the-go, capable of managing any information you throw at it.

Time Tracking & Billing

Freshbooks

Jobs – Creating time sheets has never been simpler – add a job name, then press play to start tracking. Powerful, with no fluff.
FreshBooks for iPhone – Track time on the go, then bill your clients. It’s as simple as that. Fully integrated with FreshBooks.
Daylite Touch – A business productivity manager designed as a companion to Daylite on the Mac.
iTimeSheet – Quickly record your daily activities, noting down which tasks took up various amounts of your time.
TimeJot (App Store) – A time-based journal for exercise, meditating, or – most appropriately – tracking time spend on different clients, projects, or jobs.

Blogging

BlogPress – A rich text editor, landscape editing, photo uploading and posting to multiple types of blog software.
WordPress – The official WordPress iPhone app, for writing drafts and publishing on-the-go.
iBlogger – A slightly confusing interface, but compatibility with a wide range of blog software.
Pingle – A client for the Ping.FM social networking aggregator service, updating your status in several places at once.

Website Monitoring

Ego

Ego – A delicious looking app for tracking Google Analytics, Twitter followers, RSS subscribers and Google Analytics.
OSCStats (App Store) – Useful for checking statistics and sales for an OSCommerce system.
Network Utility – Monitor server status and perform ping, portscan and WHOIS lookups from your phone.
Analytics App – A dedicated application for monitoring Google Analytics data, with a range of different views.
Mint Stats (App Store) – A simple tool for viewing a summary of visitors through a Mint installation.

Measurement

Rulerplus – Lets you take measurements quickly and easily, and can be extended to make a longer ruler. We all know size matters…
Scale Rule – A simple caliper for estimating the scale and size of an object.
Caliper – Multi touch control for moving upper and lower caliper jaws simultaneously. Imperial and metric supported.
RulerPhone – A clever take on a ruler application which uses any credit card to provide a means for offering scale.

File Sharing

Files

Air Sharing – Mount your iPhone or iPod touch as a wireless drive on any computer, drag-and-drop files, and view them on your device.
Files – Allowing you to store and view files on your iPhone, secure access with a password, and view all major file types.
ReaddleDocs – Capable of grabbing documents from almost any source you can imagine: computers, web sites, email attachments, MobileMe iDisk, online file storage apps and even other iPhones.
Quickoffice Files – A simple way to view Microsoft Office documents on your iPhone.
ZumoDrive (App Store) – A basic application for accessing your Zumo Drive remotely.

Other Utilities

Twitteriffic

Full Screen Web Browser (App Store) – A good app to bear in mind when you want a full-screen browsing experience.
NetNewsWire – One of the simplest native iPhone apps for keeping up to date with RSS news. Vital for any self-respecting designer!
Reader (App Store) – Another good application for subscribing to various sources of RSS news (including Google Reader).
Tweetie – A very popular iPhone Twitter client for keeping up-to-date with friends and colleagues.
Twitteriffic – The original and, with new features in v2.0, arguably the best Twitter client in the App Store. Free for an ad-supported version.
QAsvn (App Store) – Ending on a technical note, QAsvn allows you to monitor a subversion repository for changes.

Please Share…

You can find a huge collection of other useful free iPhone apps for web design and development over at iPhone.AppStorm.

I hope you’ve discovered a few new applications, and further appreciate how useful an iPhone can actually be! Most of the software covered comes in at a very low price point – it’s all fairly affordable.

Please feel free to share any of the other applications you feel assist with design and development on-the-go. I’m sure that there are others we’ve missed!

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Responses

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Dan Mowchan
May 22nd
Reply

Pretty good roundup, a lot of these I already have. However, I’m gonna check out something like “Palettes.” Maybe the mobile FTP browser would be sweet too! Good post :)
Andrew
May 22nd
Reply

Good stuff there. You maybe want to place Good Reader as well. A great app for people who want to view big PDF files. User friendly too.
Jayden Lawson - Thermosis website design
May 22nd
Reply

Great post! What do people think is the best twitter app? Please message me on http://twitter.com/JaydenLawson
WebKarnage
May 22nd
Reply

How about LittleSnapper for the iPhone! I thought that might just be useful to a web dev! Surprised not to see that one.
Bart
May 22nd
Reply

Great list. My personal favourites:
- Tweetie (twitter)
- Things (to-do)
- Read it Later (free) – offline reading (i have about 50 posts saved constantly, and can read them anywhere, which is so great!)
Ben
May 22nd
Reply

I just bought Reader. Google Reader does not work though. I entered my credentials countless times and the app tells me it’s wrong. I’m so sure my credentials are correct. Just wasted money on another app.

I didn’t know about Mint iPhone app! Great to discover it here.
Eugenio Grigolon
May 22nd
Reply

Wow! Nice app list. I’ll definitely try some of them! Thanks!
BeyondRandom
May 22nd
Reply

Great app list! Im gonna have to try out that Ego app. Thanks for sharing
Tman
May 22nd
Reply

Dude! Thanks!!! Pingle is just what i have been looking for!!!
Rob
May 22nd
Reply

This is why I don’t have a smart phone. Look at all those apps to blur the line between your personal and professional lives. There are some great choices if you’re working out of the office and need to say… log hours, or check a reference or something, but most of these? It’s just a means to carry your work mindset wherever you go.

I can imagine nothing more tiring than always feeling like I was carrying my work with me.
- Teeks
  June 9th
  Reply
  
  I’m looking at this list for good apps to load up on before I go on holiday! hahahaha
  Oh man, I’m feeling pretty bad now. Thanks Rob.
SOS Media Web Design
May 22nd
Reply

I use BriteKite to find friends and be inspired by such a complex yet usable set of functions. Perhaps it doesn’t fit in as an app designed “for designers”, but I think any designer will find it pretty amazing.
Barry Wiseman
May 22nd
Reply

Very nice list! I have to say that “What the Font” is amazing! Great not only for web dev but one of those “hey, watch what I can do with my phone” apps that we use to annoy our friends.
nag
May 23rd
Reply

usefull applications in d daily life of a person…
i wanna know if their is any problem in the iphone of the customer either hardware or software … is their any way to solve them through online…??????????
Kyle Ledbetter
May 23rd
Reply

What about CMS? J Admin Mobile! http://www.covertapps.com/jam allows Joomla! core administration from the iPhone (this could also fall under Blogging)
Jason
May 23rd
Reply

ActionMethod (by Behance), a pay-by-the-month task management service, has a great iPhone app… my personal favorite because they have the web-based service, an Air app that runs on the desktop, and the iPhone app, all of which work together near seamlessly.
Evan
May 23rd
Reply

Misspelling on the OmniFocus link. Great site.
- David Appleyard
  May 23rd
  Reply
  
  Thanks for the catch Evan :)
Jon
May 23rd
Reply

Great list there! I will have to try out some of those FTP apps. I just bought Analytics App, and I couldn’t be happier! It really is the premiere Google Analytics app, and works wonderfully for all the sites I’m currently tracking.
Scott Gemmell
May 23rd
Reply

Had most of these but now I own almost all of these.
Nathan
May 23rd
Reply

Any free Google Analytics programs? I don’t feel like paying for something that displays information from a free website…
Brendan Duddridge
May 23rd
Reply

You can add Tap Forms http://www.tapforms.com to the list of productivity / database apps you have.
Steve Kryger
May 23rd
Reply

Great list – thanks for sharing it.
adampasz
May 23rd
Reply

I would have put TouchTerm at the top of this list: http://jbrink.net/touchterm/
Chris Coyier
May 25th
Reply

Hey just since you have a whole section for Website Monitoring, I thought I’d pipe in to say that Are My Sites Up has a free iPhone app as well. Although (just for now), it only works for users who have a Premium subscription to the service.

http://aremysitesup.com/
Timo
May 26th
Reply

Great overview. I’m using Things and Analytics App a lot. They’re worth every penny.

I’d also recommend to have a look at our iWantMyName “DomainApp”. It’s a free app that lets you check and register domains on the go. Great for brainstorming domain names or for registering a domain in a client meeting. Check it out at http://iwantmyname.com/iphone
Sebastian
May 26th
Reply

Typo:

“Ego – A delicious looking app for tracking Google Analytics, Twitter followers, RSS subscribers and Google Analytics.”
Roberto
May 26th
Reply

Now I know why I need to get an Iphone.
Jamal Ahmad
May 31st
Reply

just bought two of them
Pothik
May 31st
Reply

Technology! It does wonders. Yesterday, I visited this site – http://objectdevcorp.com/IPhoneAppDevelopment.aspx and got few wonderful apps for my iphone. I am still playing with it; just amazing.

Now I find this site. It’s really amazing
Wolfgang
June 2nd
Reply

iNet – Network and Bonjour scanner should not bei missed on your list. It is simply the best currently available solution to get a quick and deep overview about the network you are connected do. Ideal for troubleshooting purposes.
- Wolfgang
  June 2nd
  Reply
  
  Missing link for iNet: http://www.bananaglue.de/inet/index_e.php
patrick
June 18th
Reply

evernote – cant believe thats not listed here. its unbelievably good. http://evernote.com/
Stu | Selfconclusion.co.uk
June 19th
Reply

Nice list here! I recommend Ego for viewing your Google, Twitter and Feedburner stats :)
sleahcim
August 27th
Reply

Nice list. Some I haven’t discovered until now. Thanks.

Here’s a challenge for you and your readers:
I’m looking for a way to load and view an entire website (small one) on my phone. This means it has to be able to include page-to-page links. Something the programs I’ve reviewed don’t do. The ones out there only allow you to save and view one web page at a time. I’d like to upload a folder to my phone (like Airsharing does) and view the website within that folder and move from page to page via links. The pages would include images.

Any ideas?
John
August 30th
Reply

Color Stream should have been on here. I guess it wasn’t out at the time though: http://colorstreamapp.com/
PrevUK
September 4th
Reply

Do NOT buy Ego currently, as it does not work with Google Analytics. Once this is fixed, I am sure it will be top notch.

I purchased it and found this out AFTER the fact, then found a developer with an attitude that sucks.

Thankfully Apple credited my account and I deleted the app, but following my experience with the developer, I will never buy anything from him in the future, no matter how good it is.
Claude
October 29th
Reply

I would add Tempo to the time tracking list – http://www.keeptempo.com. i started using it about 1 1/2 years ago and i’ll never go back to harvest. the iPhone interface is great as well..
Billy Miller
October 29th
Reply

I’d caution anyone about the Analytics App at the moment. It seems to be having trouble with the Google API, and, as a result, many people are unable to login at all. This renders the app useless.

I’m hoping they’ll fix it in the next few days (as they’ve stated), but right now it’s buyer beware…
Carlos
October 29th
Reply

Although not an app, a mightly helpful community for iPhone developers is iDevApps (www.idevapps.com)
m65
January 30th
Reply

very nice share thanks
replica louis vuitton handbags
March 6th
Reply

Nice list here! I recommend Ego for viewing your Google, Twitter and Feedburner stats :)
fr5
March 22nd
Reply

Analytics App at the moment. It seems to be having
alex
April 1st
Reply

is there any prototyping apps for an iphone?
Abhay
May 17th
Reply

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May 24th
Reply

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PHP Developer
August 27th
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detectiv particular
August 27th
Reply

I’d caution anyone about the Analytics App at the moment. It seems to be having trouble with the Google API, and, as a result, many people are unable to login at all. This renders the app useless.

I’m hoping they’ll fix it in the next few days (as they’ve stated), but right now it’s buyer beware…