- Coat of arms makers at a glance
- Ten coat of arms and family crest makers
- Which crest maker suits your project
- In Scotland, unrecorded arms are against the law
- Blazon builder, quick generator or AI crest?
- Five details that make a crest look right
- Signs your design is drifting from heraldry
- My plain advice on making a family crest
- Frequently asked questions
A coat of arms maker lets you build a shield, crest and motto online, either by picking heraldic parts yourself or by describing your family to an AI. Some draw from the formal language of heraldry, some are quick generators for games and some print the result on gifts. Ten options follow in no particular order.
Family reunions, genealogy projects, school houses and fantasy novels all end up needing the same thing: a shield that looks like it belongs to someone. Commissioning a heraldic artist takes time, so most people start with an online maker.
The ten tools below cover drag-and-drop shield builders, blazon-based heraldry tools and AI crest generators. They're listed alphabetically and in no particular order, and every description comes from the vendor's own website, read this week. If you'd like a matching emblem for a business, my guide to creating an AI logo for free covers that side.
Coat of arms makers at a glance
I checked the free plan column on each tool's own website or store listing, as of Oct 2026. Yes means the page says the tool, or a plan, account or version of it, is free. Trial only means a time-limited trial. Not stated means the pages I read named neither, even where there's a button inviting you to try it, so check the vendor's page before you sign up.
| Tool | Type | Good for | Free plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| AllFamilyCrests | Family crest generator with print gifts | Building a crest step by step | Yes |
| Armoria | Browser heraldry generator | Random arms with many shield shapes | Not stated |
| BrandCrowd | Logo maker with crest templates | A crest-style logo for a business | Not stated |
| CoaMaker | Online coat of arms maker | Editing every layer and symbol | Yes |
| Crest Forge | AI family crest generator | A crest from your name and story | Not stated |
| Crests and Arms | Coat of arms maker with heraldic parts | Adding mantling, supporters and banners | Yes |
| DrawShield | Heraldry tools that draw from blazon | Learning the language of blazon | Yes |
| Dzine | AI design tool with a family crest maker | AI crests from a written prompt | Trial only |
| Mew Design | AI design agent with a crest generator | Refining a crest through chat | Yes |
| Roll for Fantasy | Coat of arms generator for games | Quick arms for tabletop characters | Not stated |
Ten coat of arms and family crest makers
AllFamilyCrests
Best for: Families who want to pick a shield, add charges and save or print a personalised crest, then order it on a gift.
Armoria
Best for: Writers and game masters who want to generate random coats of arms across dozens of shield shapes, including fantasy styles.
BrandCrowd
Best for: Pubs, schools and brands that want a crest-style logo from templates rather than a heraldic coat of arms for a family.
CoaMaker
Best for: Hobbyists who want to build a shield, crest, emblem or sigil from more than a thousand symbols and edit every layer.
Crest Forge
Best for: Gift buyers who want to type a family name and a few values and let AI turn them into a printable crest.
Crests and Arms
Best for: People who want the full achievement, with shield, symbols, mantling, banners and supporters, rather than a shield on its own.
DrawShield
Best for: Heraldry fans who want to type a blazon and see the shield drawn, then study the terms with built-in dictionaries.
Dzine
Best for: Families who want to describe their history and values in a prompt and get an AI-made crest with no design skills.
Mew Design
Best for: Anyone who wants to add a name, motto and symbols, then refine the shield in a chat, knowing it's original artwork.
Roll for Fantasy
Best for: Tabletop players who want to pick a shield, crest and colour scheme in a few clicks for a character or house.
Which crest maker suits your project
- Building every layer by hand: CoaMaker or Crests and Arms.
- Learning blazon as you design: DrawShield.
- Random arms for a story or game: Armoria or Roll for Fantasy.
- An AI crest from a few words: Crest Forge, Dzine or Mew Design.
- A crest printed on a gift: AllFamilyCrests.
- A crest-style logo for a pub or brand: BrandCrowd.
In Scotland, unrecorded arms are against the law
The Court of the Lord Lyon, Scotland's heraldic authority, says the Public Register of All Armorial Bearings in Scotland has held every coat of arms legally in use there since 1672. It adds that if a coat of arms isn't recorded in that register, it's a criminal offence to use it in Scotland.
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That surprises most people, because a crest made online feels like harmless art. It's harmless as decoration, a gift or a book illustration. The line is crossed when you start using it as if it were your official arms, on a gate, a company letterhead or a signet ring in Scotland. If you want real arms there, the route is a petition to the Lord Lyon, not a download.
Blazon builder, quick generator or AI crest?
A blazon builder follows the rules heraldry has used for centuries, so the shield can be described in words and redrawn by anyone. It's slower, and the result looks authentic.
A quick generator gives you a shield in a few clicks from preset charges and colours. It's ideal for game characters, school houses and story worlds.
An AI crest maker turns your surname, values and story into artwork. It's fast and personal, but the design won't follow heraldic rules unless you ask for that and check it.
Five details that make a crest look right
- Stick to two or three tinctures, mixing a metal with a colour.
- Use one or two main charges, not a collage of symbols.
- Pick charges that mean something to the family.
- Keep the motto short enough to read on a small scroll.
- Export a version that still reads well at stamp size.
Signs your design is drifting from heraldry
- There's text inside the shield. Mottos belong on a scroll.
- You've used five or more symbols. Cut back.
- Colours sit on colours. Swap one for a metal.
- It only works in full colour. Test it in black and white.
Do you make coat of arms and family crest tools? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this list.
My plain advice on making a family crest
Treat an online crest as a family emblem, not a title deed. Start with the story you want it to tell, cut that down to one or two strong symbols, and only then open a maker. You'll get a cleaner design in half the time.
If you're building houses or kingdoms for a novel or a campaign, my fantasy writing prompts are a good way to give each crest a history before you draw it.
Frequently asked questions
Is a coat of arms the same as a family crest?
Not quite. In heraldry the crest is the part above the helmet, while the coat of arms is the full design, but most people use the words for the same thing.
Does my surname have its own coat of arms?
Usually not. Arms were granted to individuals rather than to every family with a surname, so a design sold as your surname's arms may not be yours.
Can I legally use a coat of arms I made online?
As decoration, yes in most places. In Scotland, using arms that aren't recorded in the Public Register is a criminal offence.
Can AI design a family crest?
Yes. Several tools turn a name, values and a short story into a crest, though the result may not follow heraldic rules.
What colours are used in heraldry?
Heraldry uses metals such as gold and silver and colours such as red, blue, green, black and purple, and a classic rule avoids putting colour on colour.
Can I print my crest on a gift?
Yes. Some makers let you save the design and order it on prints or custom gifts.
