SnapGuide (iOS) (Free)
SnapGuide is easily among the most visually attractive crowd sourced how to apps online, featuring numerous projects, repairs, recipes and hacks that come loaded with detailed instructions and full page photo guides. Users can view featured guides, check out a variety of topics from gardening, automotive, arts & crafts, and other projects, as well as popular and recently uploaded guides. Users can comment on, like and share guides, or even create new guides of their own.
Lowe's Creative Ideas (iOS) (Free)
Crafters, decorators and gardeners looking for inspiration or full-on projects can check out the free Lowe's Creative Ideas digital magazine. The app provides tons of ideas and projects for inside and outside the home, complete with lavish photography, step-by-step instructions, and links to how-to videos and products.
Craftgawker (iOS) (Free)
If you're looking for handicraft and DIY project ideas, the Craftgawker app makes for a neat place to start. Part of the Gawkerverse network of photo galleries, Craftgawker is a curated gallery of handmade arts and crafts. It publishes photos submitted by craft bloggers from around the world, with link-backs to the original pages. The Craftgawker mobile app allows users to view the latest on the Craftgawker galleries, with the ability to search or tag photos, sort and share online, putting a wealth of crafting inspiration at your fingertips. The free app limits your viewing to 75 posts per screen, with in-app purchases unlocking unlimited access.
Garden Plan Pro (iOS) ($7.99)
Users looking to exercise their green thumb should check out Garden Plan Pro, a garden management tool and plant database on steroids. Designed for herb, fruit and vegetable gardens, Garden Plan Pro helps users plan out gardens. It offers configurable layouts, as well as the ability to add single plants, rows or containers. Just as important, Garden Plan Pro provides tons of helpful information about more than 190 common garden plants with growing information, soil requirements and other data. The app helps in planning crop rotations and can even tap into local weather data in order to suggest ideal planting and harvest times for your herbs, fruits and vegetables.
Craftsy (iOS) (Free, Class subscriptions)
For those looking for a more guided class experience, Craftsy offers more than 500 online video courses running the gamut from painting, photography, jewelry, woodwork, sewing, quilting and more. The Craftsy app allows you to take your video courses anywhere with your mobile device, as well as allowing users to sign up to classes through in-app purchases. Classes are offered in HD video that can be downloaded for offline use, as well as a wealth of course material, as well as access to a virtual classroom where you can ask questions and receive feedback.
WikiHow (Android, iOS) (Free)
Like Wikipedia for the DIY set, WikiHow provides you with thousands of how-to guides ranging from tech and life hacks, quick repairs, DIY and craft projects, and even some neat food recipes. Ever wanted to learn how to change your car's oil? Clean and maintain a rain barrel? Frame a jigsaw puzzle? WikiHow has it all, complete with illustrations and videos. Users can browse through and search categories, check out featured articles, as well as bookmark particular how-tos for later offline reading. A neat feature in the iOS version is the inclusion of a Survival Kit, a collection of first aid and survival guides that come preloaded for offline use.
iFixIt (Android, iOS) (Free)
iFixIt is another excellent DIY-oriented app, this time focused on do it yourself repairs. iFixIt includes repair and teardown guides for numerous categories of devices, from cars and trucks to smartphones, tablets and common household appliances and furniture. iFixIt's guides take you through the process of breaking open devices, diagnosing problems and even making repairs and part replacements. Users can browse by category or device model, check out featured guides, and even create and upload their own teardown or repair guides straight from the app. If you don't have the parts or tools you need, the app helpfully includes links to iFixIt's own online store.
Houzz (Android, iOS) (Free)
Called the "Wikipedia of Interior Design", Houzz is a social network dedicated to architecture, interior design and home improvement. The official Houzz app serves as a massive repository of articles, discussions and photographs that budding home improvement mavens and interior design addicts can consult for inspiration and help. Whether you're looking for DIY ideas, design inspiration, interesting pieces of furniture or simply want to get in touch with local professionals or talented amateurs, Houzz has something for you.
BrightNest (iOS) (Free)
Part household management tool, part home improvement app, BrightNest is a great addition to the homemaker's toolkit. Users create a personalized home profile, such as listing down whether you have kids, pets and appliances that require special maintenance (air conditioning, heater, etc.), and BrightNest helps you set up to-do lists with scheduled tasks for home maintenance. In addition, BrightNest provides thousands of articles with lifehacks, DIY projects, organizing tips and tricks, and more to make life easier at home.
Makr (iOS) (Free, costs for printing)
Makr lets you flex your creative design muscles with tools to create your own logos and designs, all of which you can then get custom-printed onto shirts, bags, business cards, invitations and more. The app comes with a variety of pre-designed templates and a variety of tools for customization and design (and you can upload your own existing art files). Once you're satisfied, users can then import logos into Makr projects for purchase, or export them into hi-res PNG files for their own use. The iPhone version only allows you to order shirts, bags and temporary tattoos, while the iPad version provides the option to order professionally printed paper products or hi-res project PDFs for home printing.