10 Best Free Prototyping Tools for UI/UX Designers and Mobile Apps
Here are the 10 best free prototyping tools for UI/UX designers and mobile apps, including online, Mac and Windows options.
When you are designing digital products, prototyping is an important step that you shouldn’t ignore. To create an effective prototype, you should take advantages of free prototyping tools. From this article, we will share a list of 10 prototyping tools that you can choose from. Whether you need to create mockups, wireframes, animations, or interactive prototypes, you can go through this list of tools and pick the right free prototyping tool.
- Table of Contents
- Comparison Table of The 10 Best Free Prototyping Tools
- Top 10 Best Free Prototyping Tools
Comparison Table of The 10 Best Free Prototyping Tools
|
Tool Name |
Best for |
Free Option Available |
Compatibility |
|
Figma |
UI and UX Designers |
Free plan available |
Windows, Mac, Linux, Web |
|
Sketch |
UI and UX Designers |
No |
Mac |
|
Adobe XD |
UI and UX Designers |
Free plan available |
Windows, Mac |
|
InVision |
Collaborative Design and Prototyping |
Free plan available |
Windows, Mac, Web |
|
Balsamiq |
Rapid Wireframing and Prototyping |
Free trial available |
Windows, Mac, Web |
|
Marvel |
Rapid Prototyping and Design Collaboration |
Free plan available |
Web, iOS, Android |
|
Proto.io |
High-Fidelity Prototyping for Mobile and Web Apps |
Free trial available |
Windows, Mac, Web |
|
MioCreate |
Interactive Prototyping and Collaboration |
Free plan available |
Web |
|
Mockplus |
Rapid and Interactive Prototyping |
Free trial available |
Windows, Mac |
|
Framer |
Advanced Interaction Design and Prototyping |
Free trial available |
Mac, Web |
Top 10 Best Free Prototyping Tools
Figma - Online Free Prototyping Tool for UI and UX Designers
Figma is a cloud-based tools available for online prototyping. If you ar a UI/UX designer, searching for a free prototyping tool, this is a great option to consider. It has been able to receive a lot of positive reputation as one of the free prototyping tools for UI and UX designers. As you prototype, you may also use this tool to collaborate with others. One of the best things about this tool is that it can help you create interactive prototypes. While collaborating with team members in real-time, you will be able to share the designs with stakeholders easily.
Pros:
- It is a cloud tool, which you can easily access from a mobile browser
- Provides real-time collaborations
- Versatile and powerful features
- Easy to use
- Integration with other tools
Cons:
- Confusing for the beginners
- Limited offline capabilities
Pricing:
The free plan will allow you to create up to three projects. If you want the professional plan, you will have to spend $12 per month.
Sketch - Best Free Prototyping Tool for Mac
Sketch is one of the most popular free prototyping tools among Mac users. As a free prototyping tool, Sketch is popular among UI/UX designers, product designers, and graphic designers. You will be able to design high-fidelity wireframes, prototypes, and mockups fast with it. It also comes with a large number of features. They include artboards, vector editing, plugins, grids, symbols, and styles.
Pros:
- Designed for Mac users with an intuitive and smooth interface
- You can get continuous updates to it
- Offers a variety of integrations and plugins
- Provides an extensive library of UI elements, symbols, and icons
- Promotes collaborative design
Cons:
- Available for Mac users only
- It has a steep learning curve
Pricing:
Sketch comes along with a perpetual license. It is for a one-time fee of $99 per user. After that, you can renew the license at $69 per year.
You may also interested in>>11 Best Whiteboard Apps for Mac: Boost Your Productivity 2023
Adobe XD - Best Free Prototyping Tool for Windows
Anyone who searches for free prototyping tools for Windows can stick to Adobe XD. This is one of the most powerful free mockup tools that you can use as well. The free prototyping tool can help you in creating interactive prototypes for both mobile apps as well as websites. If you have a Mac, you may install it on your Mac as well. On top of that, you can get an easy to use and intuitive interface, which enables you with prototyping, designing, and sharing designs with others.
Pros:
- It is a powerful prototyping tool with an intuitive interface
- You can get a variety of add-ons and plugins
- Supports speech and voice playback
- Promotes collaborative design
- Integrates seamlessly with other apps by Adobe, such as Illustrator and Photoshop
Cons:
- You will need to have a paid subscription to access advanced features
- The learning curve can be steep
Pricing:
There is a multi-tier subscription model at Adobe XD. The starter plan is available for free, but it has limited storage and features. To unlock more, you have to pay $14.99 per month.
MioCreate - Free Website Prototyping Tool
Anyone who wishes to get hold of free website prototyping tools may consider using MioCreate. It has been able to receive a lot of positive attention within a short time period, due to the feature-rich and intuitive interface. By using available features, this website prototype free tool can help you create prototypes fast. Whether you are a beginner to prototyping or an expert designer, you will appreciate the support offered by MioCreate. The collaborative tools that come with this online app will help you collaborate with team members in real-time. On top of that, the smart layouts can help you with creating consistent designs for all your prototypes. You will never regret about selecting this among the free prototyping tools available out there.
Pros:
- A free plan is available with unlimited projects and 3 collaborators
- Collaborative tools provide real-time collaborations
- Auto-animate feature can help you create animated transitions without coding
- Smart layout can help you create consistent designs
- Fast and responsive, even when you work on complex prototypes
- User-friendly interface
Cons:
- Not all features are available with the free subscription
Pricing:
There is a free plan limited to 5 members per month and 10 free whiteboards. The Pro plan at MioCreate start at $4.95 per month with cloud storage.
InVision - Free Prototyping Tool for Collaboration
If you prefer to use the free prototyping tools for collaboration, you may consider using InVision. This tool is designed to streamline the design and feedback process. As a result, designers, stakeholders, developers, and clients will be able to work together in real time. This is among the best free prototyping tools available as of now, because you get a completer platform for design. You may also use this platform for effective design management.
Pros:
- User-friendly interface to create prototypes
- Mobile app for Android and iOS, where you can test your prototypes
- Comprehensive design management features
- Integrations with multiple design and collaboration tools
- Real-time collaboration features such as version control, screen-sharing and real-time commenting
Cons:
- Not all features are available in free version
- New users may find this tool overwhelming to use
Pricing:
There is a free plan available for individuals, but it has limited features and storage. You can find tow paid plans at $7.95 per month and $15.95 per month.
Balsamiq - Free Prototyping Tool for Wireframing
Balsamiq is one of the free prototyping tools online dedicated for wireframing. With the help of this tool, you can create simple and low-fidelity wireframes. The easy-to-use and intuitive interface makes it a perfect choice for both beginners as well as non-designers. You can create prototypes fast and share them with others using this tool. A great thing about using Balsamiq is that there is no need for you to have design or coding expertise. It provides the basic framework for creating wireframes, and you just need to use it and get your work done.
Pros:
- User-friendly interface, which is ideal for both non-designers and beginners
- It provides a collaborative editing environment with real-time feedback
- You can get hold of a large number of pre-built components and UI elements. You may easily customize these for your needs
- Provides multiple export options, such as HTML, PNG, and PDF
- There is a free trail version available to test all features
Cons:
- It only supports basic animations and interactions
- It may not be the ideal project for designing complex prototypes
Pricing:
The web-based version has a free trial. Or else, you can buy the paid version at $12 pr month or for a one-time fee of $89 per month.
Marvel - Free Prototyping Tool for Mobile Apps
Marvel is one of the well-respected free prototyping tools for mobile applications. This is one of the best free prototyping tools where you can find an intuitive interface. It helps the designers to create mobile app prototypes and even test them. After creating the prototypes, you will be able to mimic the functionality and test them with ease. Marvel also provides a large number of features, such as design collaboration, user testing, and design handoff to developers. As a designer, you can use this free prototyping app to import your designs from other tools such as Figma and Sketch.
Pros:
- User-friendly interface with drag and drop functionality
- The design handoff features make it easy to collaborate with developers
- Provides integration with other popular design tools such as Figma and Sketch
- Offers real-time collaboration with team members
- Supports quick prototyping for mobile apps
Cons:
- Designing complex prototypes can be a challenge
- Free version limits the export of high-resolution assets
Pricing
A free plan is available, but the features are limited. You can find paid plans at $12 per month.
Proto.io - Prototyping Tool for Animations
Proto.io is a powerful and a versatile tool, where you can prototype advanced animations. While using this tool, you can create highly realistic and interactive prototypes. The prototypes you create will be compatible for multiple devices as well. Whether you want to create responsive designs or custom animations, you may consider using this tool to get your job done. The prototypes you design with this tool can be shared in real-time with stakeholders.
Pros
- Supports advanced animations
- Supports multiple devices, including mobile, desktop, and even wearable devices
- Provides a lot of collaborative features to collaborate in real-time
- Easy to use drag and drop interface
- Availability of large-number of pre-built UI components
Cons:
- If you are going to use Proto.io as a professional user, you will have to spend $24 per month on subscription
- The advanced features available on this tool can be overwhelming for new users
Pricing
There is a free plan at Porto.io as well. If you are a freelancer, paid plans are starting at $29 per month. For startups and companies, paid plans are starting at $69 per month and $149 per month.
Mockplus - Prototyping Tool for Rapid Prototyping
Do you want to save time when creating prototypes? Then Mockplus is a great free prototyping tool available for you to use. By spending minimal effort, Mockplus allows the designers to create interactive prototypes. Along with this tool, you can also get access to a large number of features. By using the available features, you can efficiently create prototypes. Reusable templates, drag and drop interface, and pre-built UI components are some of the best features available with Mockplus.
Pros:
- It is easy to learn. Therefore, developers and designers with any level of experience can start using it
- You can get numerous pre-built UI components with it
- It supports rapid prototyping to create functional prototypes fast
Cons:
- Limited customization features when compared to other similar tools
- Features available in the free version are limited
Pricing:
You can get a perpetual license at a one-time fee of $199 per user. After trying the free trial, you may subscribe to this license.
Framer - Prototyping Tool for Code-Based Prototyping
If you are a developer, or someone who has coding experience, you may use Framer for prototyping. That’s because it is a code-based prototyping tool available to consider. However, you can still discover a user-friendly interface, where you can create and customize your prototypes. Customization options available with visual tools are limited. If you want to take maximum control over customizations, you should code them. It can help you in creating responsive and interactive prototypes for web, desktop, and mobile applications.
Pros:
- You can get better customization features with code-based prototyping
- Offers a large number of design components
- It provides real-time collaboration
Cons:
- Features available with free version are limited
- Steep learning curve for anyone who doesn’t have coding knowledge
Pricing:
There is a subscription based pricing model at Framer. The paid plans are starting at $12 per month.
Conclusion:
As you can see, there are quite a few free prototyping tools available to create prototypes as of now. You need to understand your requirement and then go through available tools. Based on that, you can discover the right tool where you can get the features needed for prototyping. Since you can use all these tools for free, you may use them to work on your prototype and then decide whether to continue or not.
