What to look for in a mockup tool

A mockup has one job: show your work where it will actually live. A site on a laptop, an app on a phone, a poster on a wall. The tool should get you there in minutes, not an afternoon.

Three things are worth checking before you commit. Does it export at a resolution that holds up in a case study? Can you drop in your own screen without rebuilding the scene? And does the result look like everyone else’s? The default laptop on a desk is everywhere, which is fine for a client deck and less fine for a portfolio.

Each tool here is marked free, paid or both, so you know before you click. If you’re building the portfolio these mockups end up in, our designer portfolio websites show how others present their work.