Best apps to create stickers for WhatsApp
Stickers have become a language of their own on WhatsApp. They summarize a reaction in a single image, and when made with photos of people you know, they're even better. The good part is that creating your own doesn't require design skills or paying anything: there are apps that crop the image, remove the background, and send the finished sticker pack directly to WhatsApp.
This guide outlines five ways to create stickers, all available in Brazil. Four are third-party apps, and the fifth is a feature built into WhatsApp itself, which many people haven't yet discovered. In each case, we indicate what's free, whether it includes ads, and on which platforms it works.
How sticker apps work
The process is always similar. You choose a photo from your gallery or take one on the spot, crop what you want, erase the background, add text if you want, and save. The stickers are grouped into "packs"—WhatsApp requires at least three per pack—and a button sends the pack into the messaging app.
It's important to understand the format's limitations before you begin: WhatsApp stickers are square images measuring 512 by 512 pixels with a transparent background, in WebP format. The apps below handle this conversion automatically, so you don't need to worry about it.
5 ways to create stickers for WhatsApp
The ratings and download numbers listed below are those displayed on Google Play Brazil at the time of this review (August 2026) and may change over time.
1. Sticker maker
O Sticker maker It's the most straightforward on the list: open it, choose the photo, trace the part you want to keep with your finger, and that's it. It creates packs with up to 30 stickers and sends them to WhatsApp with one tap. You can also add text and emojis on top.
On Google Play Brazil, it has a rating of 4.7 and over 100 million downloads. It's free, with ads and in-app purchases — the optional purchase mainly serves to remove advertising. This specific app is available for Android; iPhone users should look for the alternatives in items 2 and 5.
2. Sticker.ly
O Sticker.ly It combines two things: a sticker creator and a giant library made by other users. If you don't want to create anything, you can search by theme and download ready-made packs. If you want to create, it has automatic cropping, background removal, and support for animated stickers from short videos.
It appears on Google Play Brazil with a 4.6 rating and over 100 million downloads, and is also available on the Brazilian App Store — it's the best option on the list for iPhone users. It's free, with ads and in-app purchases. Because the collection is open, it's normal to find packages of questionable quality or with images you wouldn't want to send in a work group; check before sending.
3. Stickers for WhatsApp
With a very straightforward name, the Stickers for WhatsApp It is one of the highest-rated apps in its category on the Brazilian app store: a 4.9 rating, over 386,000 reviews, and more than 10 million downloads. It offers both ready-made packages, organized by category, and the option to create apps using your own photos.
The cutout feature has an automatic mode (the app attempts to identify the person and erase the background) and a manual mode, for when the automatic mode makes a mistake. It's free, with ads and in-app purchases, and is available for Android.
4. Create animated stickers (FSM)
This is the most complete option for those who want to go beyond the static sticker. According to the store description, the Create animated stickers (also called Free Sticker Maker, or FSM) allows you to use photos and videos From the gallery, remove the background with artificial intelligence, draw frame by frame, import GIFs from GIPHY, and even edit stickers you received on WhatsApp.
It also has a community tab, with packs published by other users. On Google Play Brazil it has a rating of 4.6, more than 209,000 reviews and more than 10 million downloads, with ads and in-app purchases. Available for Android.
5. WhatsApp's own sticker creator
Before installing anything, test what's already on your phone. Whatsapp It has a built-in sticker creator: within a conversation, tap the paperclip (or sticker icon), choose the create option, select a photo from the gallery, and use the cropping and text tools. The sticker is saved for reuse.
It's the simplest option, works on Android and iPhone, has no ads, and doesn't ask for any extra permissions. The tools are more basic than those of dedicated apps—there's no animation or frame-by-frame editing—but it gets the job done for most everyday stickers. The exact availability of tools depends on the app version installed on your device.
Be careful when creating stickers with other people's photos.
This is the point that almost no tutorial mentions, and it's the one that generates the most problems. Turning someone's photo into a sticker and spreading it in groups can be a joke between friends — or it can turn into embarrassment and even a legal issue. In Brazil, a person's image is protected: using someone's photo without authorization, especially in a ridiculing way, can lead to liability for moral damages.
In practice, three simple rules apply. Ask permission before making a sticker with someone's face. Don't create stickers with photos of children who aren't yours. And if someone asks you to delete or stop sending a sticker with their image, delete it—don't insist.
The same caution applies to characters, logos, and movie scenes: packages containing copyrighted material circulate widely, but that doesn't make them legal. For private use among friends, the risk is low; for public distribution or use in a commercial account, avoid it.
Tips for better stickers
Start with a good resolution photo in good lighting: automatic cropping makes far fewer mistakes when there is clear contrast between the person and the background. Dark photos or photos with a background the same color as the clothing will result in jagged edges.
Cut close to the subject. Stickers are displayed small in conversation, so a full-body image of a person becomes a blur; faces and busts work much better. If you include text, use few words, a bold font, and a white or black outline so the text doesn't disappear against light or dark backgrounds.
Finally, organize by thematic pack. It's easier to find the right sticker at the right time when the pack has only one theme, instead of becoming a repository of thirty unrelated images.
Conclusion
To start, try WhatsApp's own sticker creator: it's free, doesn't take up much space, and solves the most common problem. If you want more control, Sticker Maker and WhatsApp Stickers are the simplest options on Android, Sticker.ly is the best choice for iPhone, and FSM is recommended for animated stickers.
All can be used for free, with ads along the way. And remember the agreement: a good sticker is one that makes the group laugh — not one that embarrasses the person in it.
