The days of manually creating mockups using Photoshop are behind us. Now, there are a number of online mockup generator websites that do all the hard work for us. With that said, it can be hard to tell which mockup generator website is the best depending on what features you are looking for. How many templates they have, how much it cost to use, and how easy it is to learn, are a few of the questions we will be answering in this article.

Read on for thorough reviews of the best mockup generator websites and reasons you might want to pick them for your projects. By the end of this article, you should be able to tell which tool is right for your needs.

Why Use A Mockup Generator Website

There are quite a few reasons why you would consider using a mockup generator website to display your designs.

Mockup generators are powerful tools that help you bring your products and designs to life by inserting them into an image that shows what they would look like when being used in real life. Mockups take the guesswork out and help you and others visualize your product in a realistic setting.

You can use pricey and complex design tools, such as Adobe Photoshop, to make your mockups yourself from scratch. Another option is to use any number of free or paid mockup generator websites.

Benefits of Using a Mockup Generator

Here are the main reasons why someone would decide to take the route of using an online mockup generator instead of designing their own mockups:

• Design Testing: A mockup gives you a glimpse into what your product will look like in real life. To speed up your design process, quickly try out your designs using a mockup generator website that does most of the work for you.
• Save Time: The best part about a generator website is probably how much time it can save you in your mockup creation process. In general, creating the same mockup on your own will take more time than the few steps it would take on a mockup generator website.
• It’s Simple and Easy: Don’t have a design degree or extensive knowledge of design tools like Photoshop? This is where mockup generator websites save the day. It can be as simple as clicking a few buttons to create your very own mockups.
• Large Library: When showcasing your products, it’s probably in your best interest to match your brand and create quality images. Mockup generator websites typically have a large library of quality images to choose from, so there is something for every need.
• Affordable: Mockup generators are generally very affordable, and the benefits you get from them are often well worth paying the price.  You can easily decide how many designs to pay for or even consider annual subscriptions to the platforms.

These are the primary reasons why people without design skills, and even some design professionals, chose to use online mockup generators. Some of the generator tools are better than others in certain areas. The area that is of most importance to you can help you decide which tool to use, so we will make sure to walk you through each platform’s qualities.

1. PlaceIt

PlaceIt is an online mockup generator that turns creating, displaying, and branding your designs into a super easy task. With an impressive library of templates that is constantly being updated and added to, you will most likely always find something to meet your exact needs.

Templates for Customization

There are over 90,000+ templates in the Placeit library, and they depict numerous different situations. You can customize your final images by:

• Adding Text and Graphics
• Changing Font
• Adjusting Colors
• Change the Layout
• Change the Background

Large Library of Ready-to-Use Mockups

Within their large library, PlaceIt has several categories of mockups that you can pick from. Here are some of the most popular ones:

• Activewear
• Android Devices
• App Store Screenshots
• App Videos
• Apparel
• Stationary
• Banners
• Books
• Business Cards
• Face Masks
• Facebook Ads
• Tote Bags
• Hats
• Home Décor
• Hoodies
• iMacs, iPads, and iPhones
• Beanies
• Mugs and Travel Mugs
• Musicians
• Onesies
• Packaging
• Phone Cases

Large Selection of Designs

Another one of PlaceIt’s great qualities is its large library of designs. You can also use PlaceIt to create designs for

• Pinterest Pins
• Album and Book Covers
• Flyers
• Instagram Posts and Stories
• T-Shirt Designs
• YouTube Templates

And many other designs that you might need as an individual or as a small business.

Video Templates

PlaceIt also boasts a decently sized collection of quality video templates that can help you create professional-looking advertisements and videos to show off your products and brands. Having this video mockup generator really makes a subscription to PlaceIt worth it when you think you’ll need both image and video for your product design mockups.

How Much PlaceIt Costs

With PlaceIt, you have a couple of different options when it comes to payment. This is definitely something the platform does well because there is a payment option for most budgets and needs.

Bonus: Placeit also offers an additional 15% off any plan with this coupon.

PlaceIt Has Excellent Pricing And The Most Templates

PlaceIt has the 15% discount which makes it’s pricing hard to beat. It’s a great mockup generator website because of its extensive library and ability to make quick and easy mockups in a variety of formats. There is a learning curve, but it is truly minimal, and you won’t need much time to learn how to plug your customizations into each template.

2. SmartMockups

SmartMockups is another popular online mockup generator tool. Introducing itself as “the fastest web-based mockup tool,” SmartMockups makes creating eye-catching product mockups quick and easy.

This tool has a decent collection of templates to choose from. The categories are simply displayed right on the homepage of the website, so you can be on your way to customizing a template you love in just a few clicks. They also continuously add to their collection of mockup templates, which is just over 1,400 templates.

Types of Mockups Available

The following categories of mockups generators that SmartMockups offers:

• Technology: This includes different computer types, TVs, watches, e-readers, phones, bundles of multiple technologies, and more.
• Print: Here, you will find anything from business cards and greeting cards to frames, outdoor signs, and phone cases.
• Packaging: Cosmetics, food, beverages, supplements, bags, and boxes
• Apparel: There is a wide range of apparel mockups to choose from, including face masks, accessories, hoodies, and t-shirts.
• Home & Living: Mugs, pillows, candles, and other household items.
• Social Media: Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and other formats for other websites.

Customizing mockups to meet your needs is easy with SmartMockups because of its advanced editing tools that are extremely user friendly. You can make designs that are unique to you, making results that match your brands and visions without having to spend too much time.

Time-Saving Features

Some features on SmartMockups that help speed up the creation process are:

• Exports and Sharing are made easy with SmartMockups because you can download high-quality images in many different formats.
• Third-party integrations with Marvel, Canva, Dropbox, and others to simplify your work across platforms.
• Using Smart Mockups Anywhere is simple because the program works on desktops, smartphones, and tablets.
• Many Upload Options, including uploading your own image, using a URL, or transferring from a third-party account integration, allow you to easily pull the images you need for your project.
• Customization and personalization are easy to achieve with this mockup generator because you can change colors, crops, image resolution, background color or transparency, and more.
• Gif Support for use in mockups is available.

How Much SmartMockups Costs

This tool has one of the best mockup generator website subscription offers. With many different levels to choose from, you can certainly find a plan that works best for your budget and your goals.

SmartMockup’s Is Easy But There Are Less Templates

SmartMockups can save you hours of time and a good deal of money. With a decently large library that continues to grow, advanced customization tools, and unlimited quality exports, the subscription plans offered with SmartMockups are an excellent value.

3. Mockups Jar

Mockups Jar is a high-quality mockup generator that might be right for you if you need a mockup made quickly and want to have it done for free. It’s true, Mockups Jar is a mockup generator website that offers its services for free. You can click a free template, upload your image, and download the final product right away.

With that being considered, it is important to note that Mockups Jar’s template library is considerably smaller than other mockup generator websites.

And even then, some of the fancier mockup templates in the relatively small library do actually require you to make a paid account with the platform. All plans do allow you to cancel at any time that you would like to stop using the tool for mockups.

This is how much the paid subscriptions cost and a brief description of the features you get with each level:

Mockups Jar has the same categories as many other online mockup generator tools. Even though the library is smaller, with just over 800 templates available, they are likely to have something to meet your needs within their categories.

Template Library

If you need a quick design, the smaller template library can make the process of narrowing down your results even more simple than other platforms.

The categories on their site are listed as:

• Transparent Backgrounds
• iPhones and Androids
• MacBook
• Frames, which holds images of paper, wall frames, polaroid photos, and others
• Browsers
• Packaging, which includes things like business cards, tote bags, bottles, and boxes
• Apparel: sweatshirts, shirts, polos, and more
• Tablets
• Books

Despite an overall smaller number of templates, the category variety is still wide enough to find something you can use.

Use Mockups Jar for Very Quick, Cheap Mockup Designs

Mockups Jar might be your best bet for generating the quickest and easiest product mockups. The template library is somewhat smaller than other mockup generator tools, but the images are straightforward and easy to sort through. Simply pick an image, upload, and export the final product.

The Drawbacks of Mockups Jar

Downsides to this simple and straightforward process include:

• Limited customizations. This means that your final mockup images might not be as unique to you and your brand. They might not look as curated as another mockup generator platform could potentially make them.
• Fewer images to choose from. This makes the searching process quick and easy, but they might not have the exact situation or setup that you wish to place your product in.
• Fewer editing options for uploaded images. Your images must more or less be exactly how you want them in the mockup. You are able to drag the position and crop, but you can’t change much more about your design.

If you need a mockup generated here and there, MockUps Jar is a great option. Even with their newer pro subscription option, this is one of the most affordable generators out there.

4. Magic Mockups

Magic Mockups is another one of the best mockup generators that can help you create quality mockups in a matter of minutes.

What makes Magic Mockups stand out the most is that it is completely free! However, the website is not very reliable.

Users can quickly place their photos and designs into one of the offered templates and download the mockup. The whole process just takes 3-4 clicks to complete.

Downsides to Using Magic Mockups Free Generator Tool

As with all free programs, the use of Magic Mockups comes with a few downsides. When deciding which tool to go with, you will have to weigh the benefits that Magic Mockup has to offer with the cons that come with using this free tool.

There are definitely reasons you would choose this program. However, there are also some things to consider about the mockups you will create with this platform:

• Limited selection. With just over 25 mockup templates available, the choices you have when creating mockups with Magic Mockups is nothing compared to other programs like PlaceIt, which have over 38,000 premade templates to choose from. Magic Mockups only offers technology mockup templates.
• Little to no customization. There is essentially no customization with this free mockup generator website. The photos that you upload will fit into the image as is. There is no option for changing colors or even cropping.
• No frills. With this free tool, you will miss out on many of the advanced settings and integrations offered by paid mockup generators. There are no third-party integrations or business tools.

Reasons To Use the Magic Mockups Generator

The final images created with Magic Mockup are still quality and can be of great use to those without design skills or who do not want to spend much time creating quality mockups. Here are some of the main reasons you would want to use Magic Mockup for your product mockups:

• Downloaded File Types: Final images can be downloaded in a variety of resolutions- from 960 px to greater than 5,000 px. They all come in JPEG format.
• Upload Options: You can upload images to the templates by uploading from your computer files or by capturing a URL.
• Time: With Magic Mockups, simplicity comes the benefit of needing to take no time at all to make the mockups. Without having customizations or a large library to sort through, you can have your finished quality mockup in less than a minute.
• Saving Money: Get a quality technology mockup without spending a dime. If you need to upgrade to a more intense generator in the future, you can, but you can try this free tool first to see if mockups are something that you need.

Magic Mockups Is the Cheapest Mockup Generator But The Website Is Not Reliable

If you quickly need a mockup made, and technology is the category you are looking for, choosing Magic Mockups is a great idea.

If you have no design or photoshop skills and no need for fancy customizations, in a matter of seconds, you can upload and create simple, realistic-looking technology mockups for absolutely no fee.

The mockups can be used for your personal use, or they can be used commercially, making this free tool a really smart choice for anyone needing a quick mockup.

5. Media Modifier

Another tool for creating mockups online that offers a free plan is called Media Modifier. This mockup generator has a medium-sized library of templates with just under 3,000 templates to choose from. They have many categories for you to search through, so you are likely to find something that meets your needs:

• Technology: Choose from iPhones and iPads, Macbooks, and Androids
• Logo: Find logo mockups
• Print: The print category has books, business cards, greeting cards, and magazine mockup options.
• Products: Coffee mugs, bottles, vans, and many more to look through
• Apparel: T-Shirts
• Image Effects: signs and billboards, frames, canvases, and other unique images

How Much Does Media Modifier Cost

Media Modifier is another extremely affordable mockup generator website that is worth checking out. There are two payment options depending on your needs. With both plans, you get:

• Unlimited Downloads
• Monthly New Mockups
• The ability to switch plans at any time
• High-resolution images downloaded

The difference between the two plans is outlined in the chart below. For quick, occasional mockups, you might consider just sticking with the free plan. The Pro plan offers a few more advanced features that might be important to you if you are going to be creating mockups consistently.

The Pro plan also comes with a money-back guarantee and priority support. If Media Modifier has the tools and categories that meet your needs and you need to use your mockups for commercial purposes, upgrading to the Pro plan could be a wonderful choice.

The Pros to Using Media Modifier

Media Modifier’s website claims that their tool was built with speed and simplicity in mind. They really meet this goal with their quick and easy professional looking mockup generator. Benefits to this generator include:

• Simplicity. In just a few clicks, you can have your designs and products placed in realistic-looking environments.
• Good enough selection. The variety and quantity of mockup template options that you get with Media Modifier are right in the middle when compared to other tools that create mockups. There is still a lot to choose from, but it is easy enough to sort through when you know what type of scene you are looking to place your design in.
• Customization.  Several options are available. All on the online editor, you can personalize by canvas size, font, and colors. You can even add free stock images directly into your designs.
• Use Any Device. If you have an internet connection and a browser, you can make quick, professional designs from anywhere.
• Kept Up To Date: Media Modifier is always adding new templates and working to bring out new features. They place a big commitment on product support and help you create with the templates you need the most.

While it can easily be said that Media Modifier is good for simple, free non-commercial mockups, it is also easy to claim that upgrading to a pro plan is very worthwhile. At only $9 per month, Media Modifier is one of the most affordable tools.

Finding the Best Mockup Generator Website

Having the right tool can make or break your experience with creating mockups. From using the top mockup generators out there, it’s become clear that the overall experience depends on a few crucial factors:

1. How many templates do they have?
2. How much does it cost?
3. How easy is it to use?

With those things in mind, there seems to be a clear winner: Placeit.

Placeit has over 90,000+ templates, whereas the next best mockup generator only has 3,000. Placeit is only $14.95 per month, and they offer an additional 15% off discount. And lastly, Placeit is beginner friendly, easy to use, and has other tools included for free like logo templates, video templates, social media templates, and more.

Hopefully, this review of the best tools for creating mockups online can help you narrow down the choices and get started making beautiful mockups for your products in no time!