Widgets were supposed to make your iPhone more useful, but most end up just sitting there looking pretty. The good news? A handful of apps can finally make widgets worth your time.

6

Widgy

If you’ve ever wanted total control over how your widgets look and what they do, Widgy is the sandbox you’ve been waiting for. It opens up a new layer of flexibility, letting you design widgets from scratch or pick from a massive library of community-made templates.

What makes Widgy stand out is the balance between power and creativity. You can build a widget that shows your battery status, steps, weather, or calendar events, all styled exactly how you want. Prefer a minimalist clock? No problem. Want a dense block of data with charts and icons? Also doable.

There’s a learning curve, but Widgy doesn’t leave you stranded. The app includes pre-built widgets you can customize in a few taps. Once you get the hang of it, it starts to feel natural. The level of customization is unmatched, making Widgy perfect for anyone who wants their iPhone to reflect their workflow, aesthetic, or both.

Download: Widgy Widgets (Free, in-app purchases available)

Widgetsmith was one of the first apps to ride the iOS widget wave—and it’s still one of the best. It offers a more guided and user-friendly experience than Widgy, making it ideal for people who want control without complexity.

You can create widgets for time, weather, calendar events, reminders, and even health data. Choose a size (small, medium, or large), pick a function, then customize the look—fonts, colors, backgrounds—to match your style. The interface is straightforward, and while design options aren’t as limitless as Widgy’s, they’re more than enough to make your home screen feel intentional.

If you want your home screen to be beautiful and functional without spending hours designing it, Widgetsmith is a solid choice.

Download: Widgetsmith (Free, in-app purchases available)

4

ScreenKit

If you want your iPhone to look like a curated mood board, ScreenKit is your app. Best known for its icon packs and aesthetic themes, it also offers a wide range of stylish widgets that don’t completely sacrifice function.

ScreenKit is less about deep customization and more about plug-and-play beauty. Browse through predesigned themes—like pastel minimalism or techy dark mode—and apply them in one go. Each theme comes with bundled widgets, including clocks, calendars, battery indicators, motivational quotes, and countdowns. These widgets are more about aesthetics than utility, but for casual users who want a cohesive look, that’s a fair trade.

Download: ScreenKit (Free, in-app purchases available)

3

Fantastical

Fantastical has long been a favorite among productivity enthusiasts, and its widget support reinforces why. While Apple’s default calendar widget is fine, Fantastical goes several steps further with smart, elegant widgets that help you manage your time more effectively.

It shows multiple upcoming events, reminders, weather, and even meeting invites all in one glance. The layout is clean but rich in information, and it makes smart use of space.

Fantastical’s widgets are also highly adaptable. You can choose from different layouts depending on how much detail you want. If you use it with the main app, you also get features like natural language input and to-do list integration.

Download: Fantasical Calendar (Free, in-app purchases available)

Colour Widgets strikes a nice middle ground between style and utility. It’s great for people who want functional widgets that still look good without diving into complex setups.

The app offers pre-built widgets for clocks, calendars, step counters, and battery monitors, all with a clean, modern aesthetic. Setup is quick: pick a widget, choose a theme, tweak a few colors or fonts if you want, and drop it onto your home screen. No layers or coding required.

One underrated feature is the ability to add custom text. You can create countdowns, motivational notes, or personal reminders that live right on your screen. For users who treat their phones like planners or vision boards, this is a thoughtful touch.

It may not offer the deep data integration of Widgy or Fantastical, but it makes up for it with accessibility and style. Color Widgets is perfect for keeping things light and functional.

Download: Color Widgets (Free, in-app purchases available)

Sticky Widgets does one thing really well: it puts digital sticky notes on your home screen. It’s not flashy or overloaded with features, but that’s exactly why it works. Open the app, type your note, and it shows up in a widget like a virtual Post-it.

It’s perfect for reminders that don’t belong in your calendar or to-do app. Think grocery lists, motivational quotes, or that one thing you keep forgetting to pack. You can change the color and font for a bit of personality, but the appeal is in its simplicity.

Sticky Widgets doesn’t try to be a planner or a journal. It’s simple, yet one of the best widgets for boosting your productivity. It gives you space to jot something down and keep it front and center. For people who think best in quick notes and visual cues, it’s a lightweight must-have.

Download: Sticky Widgets (Free, in-app purchases available)

Widgets used to be just decoration. Now, they can keep you on schedule, show off your style, or help you stay focused. With the right apps, your home screen stops being dead space and starts working for you. These picks don’t just look good—they actually make your iPhone better.