Make Award Certificates on iPhone [Free App Guide]

You need an award certificate and your laptop is not around, or you do not own one. That situation is more common than you might think.

I am the developer of Award Certificate Maker, an iOS app for making certificates. So naturally I want to recommend my own app. But in all honesty, depending on what you need, a different tool might be the better fit.

This article starts by laying out four approaches to making certificates on an iPhone and comparing them honestly. After that, I walk through the specific steps for Award Certificate Maker.

What are the 4 ways to make a certificate on iPhone (honest comparison)?

Option 1: Canva (Best Design Freedom)

Canva has many certificate templates, including free ones. It is the strongest option if you want photos, illustrations, or a highly customized layout.

• Good for: People who want creative control, custom colors and fonts, photo inserts
• Strengths: Massive template library, intuitive drag-and-drop interface, PDF export
• Weaknesses: Requires an account. Some premium assets show a watermark on the free plan. Finding the right template among so many takes time. Layout adjustment on a phone screen can be fiddly.

If you want an eye-catching, non-traditional design, Canva is hard to beat. The trade-off is time: it takes longer to get everything positioned correctly.

Option 2: Apple Pages (Free in the App Store)

Pages is a free document app from Apple, available in the App Store. Apple's Education Community offers several certificate templates you can open directly in Pages.

• Good for: People who already use Pages
• Strengths: Free, fine-grained text positioning
• Weaknesses: The certificate templates are limited. Adjusting text box positions on a small phone screen is difficult.

Pages works much better on iPad than on iPhone. If your only device is an iPhone, the small screen makes layout work painful.

Option 3: Other Certificate Apps

The App Store has several dedicated certificate and award apps. Each has a slightly different focus:

• Some are lightweight with a handful of templates and sample texts
• Some support PDF output and custom paper sizes
• Some target kids specifically, with playful designs and sound effects

They are all free to try, so it is worth downloading a couple and seeing which one clicks for you.

Option 4: Award Certificate Maker (My App)

This is the app I built, so read this section with that in mind.

• Good for: People who want a polished certificate fast, without fussing over layout
• Strengths: English-language templates (Certificate of Achievement, Classic Diploma, Floral Certificate, Sakura Graduation, Birthday Card, New Beginnings, Mother's Day, and the newer Father's Day). Preset wording so you do not have to write from scratch. No login required. Free.
• Weaknesses: No photo insertion. You cannot change template colors or fonts. The app shows ads (not on the preview screen). Design freedom is much lower than Canva.

Award Certificate Maker is built for simplicity: pick a template and type your text. If you want more creative control, use Canva. If you want fine control over text placement, use Pages. Choose whichever fits your goal.

Step-by-step: How do you make a certificate with Award Certificate Maker?

Here is the specific workflow if you go with this app.

Step 1: Download and Launch

Search "Award Certificate Maker" in the App Store, or tap the link on the official site. Free download, no login. Works on iPhone and iPad.

Open the app and tap the create button. This takes you straight to template selection.

Step 2: Choose a Template

The templates available in the English version fall into a few groups:

• Achievement and diploma: Certificate of Achievement, Classic Diploma
• School milestones: Sakura Graduation, New Beginnings
• Family and celebrations: Birthday, Mother's Day, Father's Day (see also kids' awards)
• Other: Floral

If you are unsure, pick the template whose name is closest to the occasion.

Step 3: Enter the Details

The input fields depend on the template. Fill in the fields that appear on screen.

• Award title: Where this field appears, enter a title such as "Certificate of Achievement" or "Certificate of Appreciation." Classic Diploma has the fixed title "Diploma," so it does not show an award-title field.
• Recipient name: Enter the person's name.
• Presenter name: Enter the organization name and presenter's name.
• Message: Write the reason for the award. The app includes preset wording you can insert and then customize, or you can write freely. The field has a character limit. For wording tips, see our certificate wording guide.
• Date: Choose the date.

Some card templates show only a message field. Those templates do not show fields for the award title, recipient, presenter, or date.

If you are stuck on what to write, tap the "Try with sample" button. It fills the displayed fields with example text, which you can edit from there.

Step 4: Preview

The preview screen shows exactly how the finished certificate will look. Check these things:

• Is the recipient's name spelled correctly?
• Do the line breaks and text placement look right?
• Is the date right?

Go back and edit if anything needs fixing. The BGM preview feature lets you play celebratory music during the preview, useful if you are presenting the certificate in person to a child.

Step 5: Save, Print, or Share

Three output options:

• Print: Tap the Print button on the preview screen. It uses AirPrint, so you need an AirPrint-compatible printer on your Wi-Fi network. You choose the paper in the print dialog.
• Save: Saves the certificate inside the app. To keep it as an image (PNG) in Photos, save it from the share sheet. Take this image to a print shop or use it for digital sharing.
• Share: Send via iMessage, WhatsApp, LINE, email, AirDrop, or post to social media using the iOS share sheet.

What should you know about printing certificates made on iPhone?

Regardless of which app you use, there are a few things worth knowing when you go from screen to paper.

Home Printing (AirPrint)

• Paper matters: Regular copy paper works but looks flimsy. Glossy photo paper or thick matte paper (about 150 gsm or heavier) makes a big difference in how "real" the certificate feels. Both are available at office supply shops.
• Use "Best Quality" mode: Standard print quality can make gold borders look dull. Switch to the highest quality setting in your printer options.
• Test print first: For important certificates, print one copy on regular paper to check layout before using your good stock.

Print Shop / Office Supply Store

If you do not have a printer, save the certificate as a PNG and take it to a print shop. For a detailed guide to printing options including at-home, store, and professional services, see our certificate printing guide.

• Most shops can print on cardstock or photo paper at reasonable cost.
• Glossy paper gives a photo-like finish; matte paper gives a more traditional certificate look.

General Tips for Phone-Made Certificates

• Body text length: Three to four lines is ideal. In Award Certificate Maker, the message field has a character limit that depends on the template (72 to 240 characters in English) and stops accepting text once it is reached.
• Name verification: Autocorrect on phones can change spellings, so double-check the name before printing.
• Screen vs. print gap: A phone screen is small. What looks fine at 6 inches may reveal issues at A4 size. Do a test print the first time.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

There are multiple ways to make a certificate on your iPhone:

• Maximum design freedom: Canva
• Fine-grained text placement: Pages
• Fast and focused: Award Certificate Maker or another dedicated app

With Award Certificate Maker, the workflow is: download (free, no login) → pick a template → fill in the fields shown by the selected template → preview → save, share, or print.

Whichever tool you choose, the important thing is making the certificate with the recipient in mind. The tool is just the means; what matters is the thought behind it.