Ever since Apple started allowing people to add iPhone widgets to the Home screen, we’ve seen a flood of apps that let you create amazing custom widgets. The apps we’ve picked below make it super easy to create and share widgets.
The best thing here is that even if you don’t have the time to create beautiful widgets, you can just import those made by other members of the community. Here are the best apps where you can find beautiful custom widgets for your iPhone.
1. Scriptable: Custom Widgets Using JavaScript
Scriptable lets you run JavaScript code on your iPhone. Since the app has support for widgets, you can either write your own widget or import widgets made by others.
We’ve already covered how to import widget code into Scriptable, which includes step-by-step instructions on creating widgets with transparent backgrounds too. So be sure to check that out first.
Once you’ve done that, you can look at some excellent custom widgets for your iPhone—all made via Scriptable. For more inspiration and examples of great new widgets, follow Scriptable on Twitter.
Download: Scriptable (Free)
2. Widgy: Easy and Highly Configurable Widget Creator
Widgy is the best, totally customizable widget creator. We say this because it’s been used to create some truly stunning iPhone widgets, and it doesn't require advanced programming knowledge to use.
Once you open Widgy, you immediately see a few useful things: some basic pre-made widgets to get you started, a few lovely widgets made by the Widgy community, and buttons that allow you to import or create widgets.
The process of creating widgets isn’t very easy, but if you have a bit of time, and are used to working with layer-based image editors such as Photoshop, then you’ll be able to get a lot done quickly. If that’s not your cup of tea, you can always head over to Widgy’s excellent Reddit community to see some great examples of widgets made using this app.
Our only gripe with Widgy is that it doesn’t support URL-based sharing yet. You can import widgets via QR codes and file download links, but it would be even easier if you could just click a link and hit the download button to directly import a widget into Widgy.
Download: Widgy (Free, in-app purchases available)
3. Widgetsmith: Viral Widget Creator
Widgetsmith went viral after the launch of iOS 14 for two reasons: it was available at launch and it makes widget creation extremely easy.
This app may be a bit limited for some people because it can sometimes feel like just placing elements into preset templates. However, other apps fill that niche, and Widgetsmith’s ease of use is what makes it appealing.
Once you open the app, just tap any widget, then tap it again to open up the widget customization options. You’ll see various styles from simple calendars to one option that has your Apple Watch goals along with a picture from your photo album.
You can even change the look of your widgets with lots of theme options. But the best pre-made themes require an in-app purchase.
Download: Widgetsmith (Free, in-app purchases available)
4. Widgeridoo: Lego for iPhone Widgets
You can think of Widgeridoo as Lego for iPhone widgets. It’s based on the concept of blocks that you can easily add or remove from your widget. Each of these blocks can be customized too, so you could potentially have a rainbow-colored widget with various data points such as battery percentage, number of steps walked, sticky notes, and much more.
You can also easily tweak the sizes of these blocks according to your preferences. Other customization options include the ability to open a URL after tapping any widget block, changing the font style, and altering the spacing between widget blocks.
Widgeridoo is a great example of an app that packs in a ton of features while still being easy to use.
Download: Widgeridoo (Free, in-app purchases available)
5. Color Widgets: Excellent Pre-Made Widgets
One nice thing about Color Widgets is that you don’t have to do all the hard work yourself to make new widgets. This app comes with a bunch of stylish widgets that you can quickly add to your iPhone’s Home screen.
The widgets have various themes, such as time, battery, calendar, anime, activity, and many more, so you can quickly pick any and add them to the Home screen.
You can access some beautiful widgets without paying, and Color Widgets also has some icon packs for your iPhone, in case you want more than just widgets. However, if you want to customize widgets, you’ll have to pay.
Download: Color Widgets (Free, subscription available)
Honorable Mentions
The world of widget-making apps has only just come to life for the iPhone, and in spite of that, there are already lots of good apps worth mentioning here. If you want more than just the apps listed above, here are some other promising options to check out:
- Pixel Widgets ($1.99): Want a retro look on your iPhone Home screen? Pixel Widgets lets you create just that. It has lots of retro widget designs to choose from, and is easy to use as well.
- Countdown Widget (Free, in-app purchases available): This app purely focuses on creating countdown timers for specific dates. One good use for this is to add important dates (such as birthdays and anniversaries) and put them all in a widget together. You can keep a track of this via the widget and the app also notifies you when the date arrives.
- Widget Wizard (Free, subscription available): If you like beautiful widgets full of useful information such as calendar events, weather forecast, your health data, and so on, then Widget Wizard will appeal to you. We love the clean aesthetic used in these widgets.
iOS Customization Keeps Getting Better
With each year, we see exciting features added to iOS that make it more customizable than before. While iPhone Home screen widgets are a great addition, many of the best apps on the App Store still haven't made amazing widgets to go with them. And so these custom widget apps stepped in to fill the gap.
Now that you’ve entered the world of iPhone widgets, you should also consider using custom icon packs to further spruce up your Home screen.
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