Designtools.fyi
A curated, role-ranked directory of 102 design tools in the 2026-08-12 snapshot—each scored 0–10 and matched against six designer archetypes—so you scout a candidate for your role instead of browsing a flat alphabetical list. The catalog is discovery evidence, not adoption or license authority.
By Adham Dannaway. Where most tool lists are flat, designtools.fyi reframes discovery around who you are and what you're optimizing for — "find the right tool for your role, ranked by what actually matters." Source: X/@AdhamDannaway, 2026-05-10 (957 likes, 1,097 bookmarks) · Source: designtools.fyi, https://designtools.fyi/, 2026-06-12
The reviewed launch image preserves the product shape: a search/filter/compare surface with archetype, facet, and tag filters; a score-sort control; and cards for Figma, Subframe, Paper, Uizard, Recraft, Tempo Labs, Gemini, and OpenPencil. The launch image showed 83 tools; the June site read saw roughly 100, so treat the count as live catalog inventory rather than a fixed claim. Source: X/@AdhamDannaway, 2026-05-10; Source: designtools.fyi, 2026-06-12
The 2026-08-12 live snapshot contains 102 tools across the same six archetypes and surfaces current candidates including Efecto, Diffusion Studio, rams, Taste, Open Design, Paper, Agentation, Pencil, and Subframe. Counts, scores, descriptions, and ordering are mutable editorial state; preserve the access date when using them as evidence. Source: designtools.fyi, reviewed 2026-08-12
How it ranks
- Score / match — each tool shows a
score/percent, e.g. Figma6.9/88%— a 0–10 quality score plus a fit-percentage for the selected archetype. Switching archetype re-sorts and re-weights the list. Source: designtools.fyi, https://designtools.fyi/, 2026-06-12 - Facets — filterable tags per tool (Paid, Free, Generated Code, Prototyping, Animation, Micro, Site Builder, …) for capability-level filtering. Source: designtools.fyi/facets, 2026-06-12
Browse by archetype
| Archetype | Optimizes for |
|---|---|
| All Rounder | Balanced view across all capabilities |
| Art Director | Visual exploration and creative direction |
| Craft Specialist | Pixel-perfect execution and interaction design |
| Design Engineer | Implementation and bridging design → code |
| Design Ops | Systems, scalability, developer collaboration |
| Non Designer | Speed and ease of use over control |
Source: designtools.fyi/archetypes, 2026-06-12
What surfaces (sample, June 2026)
The directory tracks the live AI-design frontier, not just legacy tools: Figma (6.9/88%), Magic Path (Pietro Schirano), Claude Design (Claude Opus), Paper (code-native, MCP), Subframe (code-first UI builder), Magic Patterns (YC, brand-tuned generation), Mobbin (300K+ real app screens), rams (AI design review in CI), Taste (extract tokens from screenshots), Open Design (OSS Claude Design alternative), Kombai (AI frontend agent), and RYBitten (painterly RYB color). Source: designtools.fyi, https://designtools.fyi/, 2026-06-12
Where it fits
Use designtools.fyi to scout alternatives by role before committing a stack choice (prototyping, motion, handoff, AI design assistants). It complements the other discovery surfaces:
- Tools for design engineers (manuals, components, communities) → Design Engineering Resources
- Inspiration galleries (whole-site / real-app) → Design Inspiration Galleries
- Color specifically → Color Palette & Gradient Tools
- shadcn registries → Shadcn Registry Directory (Top Blocks)
Already referenced in Kevin's tool hierarchy as the design-tool discovery entry point. Source: User, 2026-05-11
Discovery Is Not Authority
Use the directory to find a role-shaped comparison set, then open every selected tool's official repository, package/docs, license, current release, source, tests, runtime behavior, privacy/data boundary, and target-product integration proof. Its score and fit percentage are editorial ranking signals; they do not prove accessibility, security, maintenance, code quality, rights, or project fit.
Agentation is the concrete guardrail. The directory describes it as “free and
open source,” while the exact repository at 8158a97 uses PolyForm Shield
1.0.0, which prohibits using the software to provide a competing product or
service. The official repository license controls. For Fieldwork, Agentation is
therefore a guarded internal/reference adapter and independently studied
comparison—not code to copy, bundle, redistribute, or derive a competing
product from without separate permission. Source: Agentation repository, LICENSE and
package manifests at 8158a97, reviewed 2026-08-12
Directory roles remain distinct:
- Design Engineer Tools is the broad, cross-category source shelf.
- designtools.fyi is the editorial role-ranked comparison surface.
- the selected tool's official source is final authority for adoption.
Timeline
- 2026-08-12 | Refreshed the live directory to 102 tools and made catalog
authority explicit. Agentation's “open source” catalog label conflicts with
its PolyForm Shield competition restriction, so official repository/license,
implementation, tests, and target proof now control every adoption decision.
Source: designtools.fyi;
benjitaylor/agentation@8158a97 - 2026-07-02 | Deep-reviewed the local launch image and current site title. Added the image-backed artifact card and clarified that the exact tool count is live catalog inventory: the reviewed launch image showed 83 tools, while the later site read found roughly 100. Source: X/@AdhamDannaway, 2026-05-10; Source: designtools.fyi, 2026-07-02
- 2026-06-12 | Enriched from a full site read: archetype-ranked model, 0–10 score + fit %, facets, ~100 tools, "From the desk" editorial. Source: designtools.fyi, https://designtools.fyi/, 2026-06-12
- 2026-05-10 | @AdhamDannaway shared the directory ("design tool library… ranked by what actually matters"). 957 likes, 1,097 bookmarks. Source: X/@AdhamDannaway, 2026-05-10
- 2026-05-11 | Indexed in wiki from Kevin capture. Source: User, 2026-05-11