Mixtiles alternative: plan your whole wall before you buy

The clearest Mixtiles alternative is to plan the whole wall on a photo of your actual room first, then order tiles or prints once you can see the layout. Mixtiles sells you restickable adhesive tiles of your own photos that you order, stick up and reposition without holes. Curate is a free planner that lets you arrange and preview the entire wall before you spend anything, using any art or your own photos. They do different jobs: one decides the layout, the other supplies the pieces.

This page is for someone weighing up how to do a gallery wall and wondering whether Mixtiles is the right route. It stays factual about what Mixtiles does well, where a free planner helps more, and how the two can work together. If you want the full method rather than a comparison, the companion guide on how to plan a gallery wall walks the whole process from blank wall to hung frames.

What is the best Mixtiles alternative?

The best Mixtiles alternative for most people is a free gallery-wall planner that lets you arrange the whole wall on a photo of your room before you buy. From there it depends on what you want. If you want their specific restickable photo tiles, nothing else is quite the same product. If you want confidence that the layout works before you pay, a free planner like Curate is the better fit, because you arrange the wall first, then buy. Planning first is also the honest answer to the common "how much are Mixtiles" worry, since seeing the wall before you order stops you buying the wrong sizes or too many tiles.

The two things solve different problems. Mixtiles answers "how do I get my photos on the wall without nails." A planner answers "will this arrangement look right, and what should I buy." You can use both: plan in Curate, order in Mixtiles.

How much are Mixtiles, and how do you avoid over-ordering?

In the UK, a standard Mixtiles tile (21 by 21 cm, about 8 by 8 inches) costs £15, nine cost £99, and standard delivery is free over £49 (prices checked September 2026). Sizes run up to 69 by 91 cm (about 27 by 36 inches). Prices change, so check the current pricing on the Mixtiles site before you order. You keep the bill down by deciding the exact number of tiles and their sizes before you reach the checkout, not by hunting for a coupon.

That is where a free planner earns its place. A six to nine tile wall adds up quickly at £11 to £15 a tile, and the expensive mistake is rarely one tile too few. It is buying three large tiles when two mediums and a small would have balanced the wall better, or ordering nine when the wall only carried six. If you lay the wall out on a photo of your room first, you order once, at the right sizes, and the spend is deliberate rather than a guess you correct later.

Mixtiles vs Curate: what is the actual difference?

Mixtiles is a product you order; Curate is a free tool you plan with. Mixtiles turns your photos into restickable adhesive tiles and ships them. Curate lets you drop any art or your own photos onto a photo of your real wall, size every frame against your own furniture, and preview the finished arrangement before you buy a single thing. One gives you the physical tiles; the other shows you which sizes to order and where they sit. The table below lays the two side by side.

When Mixtiles is the better choice

Mixtiles is the better choice when you want their restickable adhesive tiles of your own photos. It also suits you if you rent and need zero holes in the wall, and you are happy to choose sizes without previewing them first. For that job, an ordered tile that goes up without holes and can be moved later is a good answer, and a planner is a step you may not need.

Their no-nail format suits renters well. If your priority is getting personal photos up without drilling, and you already trust your size choices, Mixtiles does that directly. If you rent, get your landlord's agreement in writing and test one tile somewhere out of sight first, because adhesive can lift paint when it comes off. If you want the broader picture on hanging without damage, including other no-nail options, see the guide on how to hang a gallery wall without nails.

When Curate is the better choice

Curate is the better choice when you want to see the layout on your real wall before spending. It also fits when you want to mix art from different sources rather than only your own photos, or when you are planning a larger or mixed-size wall where the arrangement matters as much as the images. Seeing six to twelve frames together on your own wall is the difference between a wall you commit to and one you keep second-guessing.

It also helps with the two numbers people most often get wrong. A planner shows you the gap between frames so it stays even, and the overall width so the arrangement sits in proportion to the furniture below. The usual advice is a 2 to 3 inch (5 to 7.5 cm) gap between frames, covered in full in the gallery wall spacing guide, and an arrangement spanning roughly 66 to 75% of the furniture width, covered in gallery wall sizes. Set those once on screen and you carry them straight to the wall.

Can you use Mixtiles and Curate together?

Yes, and for many people that is the most sensible route. Plan the wall in Curate first: upload a photo of your wall, arrange the frames, settle the sizes, spacing and overall width, then take that layout to Mixtiles and order the tiles to match. You get the no-nail tiles you wanted and the confidence that the arrangement works, without paying to find out.

The order matters. Planning is free and reversible; an order is neither. Doing the free step first means the paid step is a single, deliberate purchase rather than a sequence of corrections. That is the whole argument for planning before you buy, whichever shop you order from.

Frequently asked questions

How much are Mixtiles?

In the UK, a standard Mixtiles tile (21 by 21 cm) costs £15, nine cost £99, and standard delivery is free over £49 (checked September 2026). Sizes range from 21 by 21 cm to 69 by 91 cm (about 8 by 8 to 27 by 36 inches). Prices change, so check the current pricing on their site.

What is the best free alternative to Mixtiles?

A free gallery-wall planner is the closest free alternative for the planning side. Curate lets you arrange a whole wall on a photo of your room and preview it before you buy, using any art or your own photos, at no cost to the person planning.

Can I use Mixtiles and Curate together?

Yes. Plan the wall in Curate first, settle the sizes and spacing, then order the matching tiles from Mixtiles. You get their restickable no-nail tiles and the reassurance that the layout works before you spend.

Are Mixtiles good for renters?

Mixtiles can suit renters because the tiles stick on without nails, so there are no holes to fill, though any adhesive can lift paint or leave marks when it comes off. Ask your landlord in writing and test one tile somewhere out of sight first. If you are comfortable choosing sizes without an on-wall preview, they are a strong fit.

Does Curate sell prints or frames?

No. Curate is a planning tool, free for the person planning. You arrange and preview the wall, then buy the prints, frames or tiles wherever you like, including ordering Mixtiles tiles to match your plan.

You can plan your gallery wall on a photo of your own room in the browser, with any art or your own photos, then take the layout to Mixtiles or any shop and order the right sizes once.

Want to see one tile size on your wall before you choose? The gallery wall visualizer puts it on a photo of your room, first room free, no account needed.