11 creative tools for design, video and team projects

A designer making a campaign graphic, a filmmaker exploring a shot and a studio chasing client feedback need different creative tools. A useful shortlist should tell you which problem each app solves, not just which ones have AI.

These 11 tools cover different stages of a project. Some help you explore ideas; others produce assets or keep the work moving. You do not need all of them. Start with the stage that is slowing your creative team down.

Product details and linked pricing pages checked September 28, 2026. Prices are in USD; annual billing is identified where applicable. Plans and usage limits can change.

Which creative tool fits the job?

• Research and early ideas: Heptabase for connected notes; Allume for spatial boards and sketches on Apple devices.
• Graphics and interfaces: Kittl for graphic design; Penpot for UI design; Uizard for early interface mockups.
• Visual exploration: Runway for generated video, Krea for image experimentation, Plasticity for precise 3D forms.
• Presenting and delivering: Gamma for decks, Make for repeatable app-to-app workflows, Breeze for owners, deadlines and feedback.

1. Breeze - the simple project management tool for creative teams

Breeze is the delivery layer, not an asset-creation app. Its project boards, task lists and calendars help a team see what needs doing, who owns it and when it is due. Files, comments, checklists and time tracking keep the work connected to each task.

Try it for: a campaign with a landing page, social graphics and a launch video. Create one task per deliverable, assign its owner, attach the brief and move work through Draft, Client review and Ready. Keep feedback on the relevant task instead of spreading it across email.

Watch out for: a board cannot fix an unclear approval process. Agree who signs off and what counts as ready. Keep editing assets in their specialist tools and link the current versions from Breeze.

Choose it when: missed handoffs matter more than missing design features.
Pricing: $9/user/month for teams, with free client users; the Solo plan is $14/month. A 14-day trial is available. Breeze pricing.

2. Kittl - craft-first design without the clutter

Kittl is a browser-based graphic design tool for work such as posters, merchandise and branded visuals. Its typography, templates and graphic assets give you a starting point for exploring a visual direction.

Try it for: a small event's poster and T-shirt design. Test a few type treatments, then check that the selected plan can export the resolution and vector format your printer needs.

Watch out for: the Free plan is for personal use, not commercial client work. Paid plans add commercial licensing and higher-resolution or vector exports, but you still need to check the license for the intended use.

Choose it when: your output is a graphic rather than an interactive interface.
Pricing: Free personal-use plan; paid Pro, Expert and Max plans have different asset and AI allowances. Check the current seat price on Kittl's pricing page.

3. Penpot - an open design platform built for teams

Penpot is an open-source platform for interface design and prototyping. Choose its hosted service or run it on your own infrastructure when control over the design environment matters.

Try it for: designing a product's signup flow with reusable components. Review the screens with a developer before treating the prototype as a build specification.

Watch out for: self-hosting also means maintaining the service, backups and upgrades. Try a representative file and handoff workflow before moving an existing design system.

Choose it when: you need collaborative UI design and an open-source option.
Pricing: The free Professional cloud plan supports up to 8 team members, 10 GB of storage and 7-day history. Unlimited is $7/user/month, capped at $175/month. Free self-hosting is also available. Penpot pricing.

4. Heptabase - visual thinking for creative chaos

Heptabase combines notes and visual whiteboards. It is useful when the difficult part is understanding a subject and connecting evidence, rather than producing the final asset.

Try it for: turning customer interviews into a campaign brief. Make a note for each observation, group recurring themes and connect claims to their supporting material.

Watch out for: a detailed research map is not a delivery plan. Once you decide what to make, turn the decisions into assigned tasks elsewhere. Check PDF and AI allowances if those are central to your research.

Choose it when: your notes need relationships and context, not just folders.
Pricing: Pro is $8.99/month billed annually, with unlimited notes and whiteboards and 100 AI credits/month. Higher plans increase AI and document capabilities. Heptabase pricing.

5. Runway ML - generative video made simple

Runway provides AI video generation and editing tools, including Gen-4.5. The older Gen-2 model is no longer available, so tutorials built around it are not a useful starting point.

Try it for: exploring two motion directions for a campaign before committing to a shoot. Generate short concept clips, choose a direction with the client and finish the sequence in your usual editing workflow.

Watch out for: generation costs accumulate across rejected attempts. Inspect motion, continuity and product details before using a clip in finished work. Treat it as a source of footage, not an automatic replacement for editing or compositing.

Choose it when: you need to explore moving imagery rather than make a static graphic.
Pricing: Free includes 125 one-time credits. Standard is $15/month, or $12/month billed annually, with 625 monthly credits. Different models consume credits at different rates. Runway pricing.

6. Plasticity - 3D design that feels intuitive

Plasticity is a solid and surface modeling tool for exploring precise 3D forms. Its direct-editing approach suits hard-surface concepts such as product enclosures and props.

Try it for: comparing three enclosure shapes for a product concept, then exporting the selected geometry for the next stage of the workflow.

Watch out for: an attractive model is not proof that a part can be manufactured. Check downstream engineering requirements and the import/export formats included in your license. Perpetual ownership does not mean perpetual free upgrades.

Choose it when: shape exploration and solid modeling are the task, rather than animation or image generation.
Pricing: Indie is $175 and Studio is $299, both one-time licenses with 12 months of updates. The 30-day trial does not permit commercial use. Companies with more than 10 employees require Studio. Plasticity plans.

7. Gamma - storytelling powered by AI

Gamma helps turn an outline into a presentation or document. It is a starting point for structure and layout when the argument is clearer in your notes than it is on slides.

Try it for: a client pitch explaining the audience, creative direction, deliverables and next decision. Start with your own evidence and outline, then revise the generated draft.

Watch out for: fluent slides can still contain weak arguments or unsupported claims. Check the facts, replace generic imagery and test the exported deck in the software your client uses.

Choose it when: the bottleneck is presenting an idea, not creating its underlying assets.
Pricing: Free supports up to 10 slides per prompt. Plus removes Gamma branding; Pro adds custom branding and advanced sharing. Check current subscription prices on Gamma's pricing page.

8. KREA - interactive generative art

Krea offers real-time image generation alongside image editing, enhancement and other generative tools. Use it to compare visual directions before investing in finished artwork.

Try it for: exploring lighting and composition for a campaign mood board. Keep a small set of reference images and compare outputs against the same brief, rather than collecting unrelated attractive pictures.

Watch out for: compute allowances and model access vary by plan. Check commercial-use terms before client work, and inspect generated details rather than assuming an upscale makes an image accurate.

Choose it when: you want iterative image exploration instead of a conventional layout editor.
Pricing: Free includes 100 compute units/day. Basic lists 5,000 units/month and a commercial license; paid pricing depends on billing selection. Krea plans.

9. Make (formerly Integromat) - visual automation for creative workflows

Make connects apps through visual workflows called scenarios. It belongs in this list because creative delivery often includes repetitive administration, not because it creates the design itself.

Try it for: a supported intake workflow that takes a new brief, records it in a shared sheet and notifies the responsible person. Check that each app exposes the trigger and action you need before building it.

Watch out for: duplicate submissions, expired connections and failed steps. Assign someone to monitor the workflow and keep human approval before publishing or sending client-facing work. A multi-step run can consume several credits.

Choose it when: the same predictable handoff happens repeatedly.
Pricing: Free includes 1,000 credits/month and a 15-minute minimum scheduled interval. Core starts at $9/month billed annually for 10,000 credits/month. Make pricing.

10. Uizard - from sketch to prototype in minutes

Uizard helps turn prompts, screenshots and hand-drawn wireframes into editable interface mockups. It is useful for making an early idea concrete enough to discuss.

Try it for: showing a client two possible booking flows before anyone starts development. Use realistic labels and content, then ask someone unfamiliar with the idea to work through the screens.

Watch out for: a convincing prototype does not validate the service behind it. Review accessibility, error states and implementation constraints with the people building it.

Choose it when: you need early feedback on a flow; consider Penpot when the main requirement is a reusable UI design system.
Pricing: Free includes 2 projects and 3 AI generations/month. Pro is $12/creator/month billed annually; Business is $39/creator/month billed annually. Uizard pricing.

11. Allume - creative thinking in spatial form

Allume, formerly Muse, combines notes, sketches, images and reference material on nested boards. It is a spatial thinking environment, especially relevant if you already work on an iPad or Mac.

Try it for: laying out a storyboard with reference images, handwritten notes and a separate board for each scene. Use the arrangement to explore the story before polishing a presentation.

Watch out for: Apple-device availability is a real constraint for mixed-platform teams. Try the workflow on the devices each collaborator actually uses. It is for developing ideas, not a substitute for a full drawing application.

Choose it when: arranging and sketching helps you think more clearly than a linear document.
Pricing: Free includes 2 workspaces, 100 cards per workspace and 1 other collaborator per workspace. Unlimited is $9.99/month or $99.99/year. Allume pricing.

Choose tools around a real project

Before adding another subscription, name the problem. If research is scattered, try Heptabase or Allume. If the team cannot agree on a visual direction, test a relevant design or generation tool. If finished assets sit waiting for a decision, start with responsibilities and review steps in Breeze.

For a small campaign, that might mean a research board, one asset-creation tool and a project board. Keep the brief, current asset links, reviewer and deadline on the delivery task. You do not need to copy every working file into every app.

Test one real deliverable before rolling a tool out. Can you produce the required export? Can the client review it? Is the commercial license suitable? Does the actual usage fit the budget? Keep the tool only if that trial makes the work easier to complete.

Frequently asked questions

Which AI creative tool should I start with?
Choose by output: Krea for image exploration, Runway for generated video, Gamma for presentation drafts and Uizard for interface mockups. Test the result against your brief and check it before sharing with a client.

Where does project management fit into creative work?
Breeze helps coordinate the work around an asset: its owner, deadline, brief and feedback. Keep creating in your specialist tools and use the project task to make the next action clear.

Can a small studio use only free plans?
Some free tiers can cover limited work, but check the restriction that matters to you. Kittl's Free plan is personal-use only; Runway's free credits are one-time; Penpot's free cloud plan has team and history limits. Compare the usable allowance, not just the starting price.

Written by Lucas

Lucas writes content at Breeze and specializes in project management, team collaboration, and practical workflow advice. He helps small teams and growing businesses plan projects, track progress, and keep work organized by sharing clear, actionable guides.