Nichi: Collage & Stories Maker for iPhone

The good stuff

Man, the templates are where this app really shines. I started with a “travel day” layout, and boom - it came with matching frames, fonts, and even little sticker icons like a suitcase or a plane. I didn’t have to hunt for anything. Just tap, drag, and drop my photos. The stickers aren’t just random clip art either - they’re actually themed, which makes stories feel cohesive. I used the “coffee lover” template last week and added a tiny espresso cup sticker at the corner. It felt intentional, not slapped on. Also, the font options are surprisingly varied - not just basic sans-serifs. There’s a cursive one that looks legit for sentimental posts. And if you want to start fresh, the blank canvas works too. You can layer things manually without being locked into a template. Plus, the whole thing runs smooth most of the time - faster than I expected for a free app.

The not-so-good

But yeah, there’s a catch. Every now and then, the app just freezes. Like, you’re mid-edit, tapping to add a filter, and suddenly it crashes. Not once - twice in a row last week. Restarting fixes it, but it’s annoying when you’re in the middle of something. And no export quality settings - it just saves to your camera roll at full resolution, which is fine, but I wish I could tweak compression or crop after the fact. Also, the app doesn’t let you save drafts, so if you walk away mid-project, you lose it. That’s a bummer if you’re building something complex. And since the developer’s unknown, I don’t know if updates will keep coming. Still, it’s worth it for what it is - a quick, fun tool for casual content creators who don’t want to overthink it.

Bottom line

If you’re looking for a free, no-fuss way to make polished Instagram story collages on iPhone, give Nichi: Collage & Stories Maker for iPhone a try. It’s not perfect, but it’s solid for the price - which is zero. If you’re someone who crams 50 stories a week and wants them to look sharp without spending hours, this is your shortcut. Skip it only if you need advanced editing or real project saving. Otherwise? Download it. You’ll thank yourself later.