There are many free wireframe tools available on the market, but only a few of high quality. Therefore, identifying the best among them is very important in order to choose the best solution for your project needs.
This article is all about the top free wireframe tools. I’ve studied different reviews and online content to pick these products.
MockFlow
MockFlow has a selection of starting templates available, among others are Bootstrap UI, iPhone app, Android app, and even WordPress theme. These templates import the interface components that you’ll likely need for your project. Useful! As I tested it, the app was actually a breeze to work with. Account upgrades start at $14/month.
Whiteboard or Paper
If your team is around you and not on the other end of the world, the absolute best way to plan out an app is to grab a stack of papers and brainstorm the heck out of the ideas. Best part of this approach? There is no learning curve — you already know how to hold a pencil. If you want to step it up a bit, use a whiteboard — or even a whiteboard-notebook!
Google Drawings
I was surprised to see that this tool has improved quite a bit since I used it last time. It works smoothly, and even some of the keyboard shortcuts I’m used to from Adobe Suite work here! You can paste in your own images, and if you want stencils to play around with, you can use the free Docs templates like this one. Sharing is integrated, and if you have a Gmail account, you can start using Drawings right away. Want an advanced version with a similar interface? Try Draw.io.
Wireframe.cc
You don’t even have to sign up to this awesome little wireframe tool — just open it up and start working. It supports copy-pasting and inserting images. For multiple paged documents, version management, pdf export, and clickable elements, you’ll need to pay $12+ per month. But worry not, because the wireframes created with the free version are always shareable with links.
Moqups
This app has a drag-and-drop interface with a number of neat components you can use. It supports pages, revisions, and sharing even in the free version — your only limitation is storage and number of projects (maximum of 2). It’s really no wonder why this tool is so popular. For some additional options like master pages, collaboration, etc. you’ll be $9 poorer every month.
FluidUI
To say that this app is impressive would be an understatement. It features a very unique user experience and lets you plan the entire workflows within your mobile app, and even test it on your own device. It costs $12/month if you want to export your screens into .pdf or work with more than 10 screens.
Gliffy
This app is nothing too special on this list. Things work as they’re supposed to, and the free version is really very unlimited. If you ever decide to upgrade anyway, it’ll cost you less than $5 per month, which is very very cheap. Gliffy also supports drawing flowcharts and mindmaps, so if you’re into that kind of things it may be a great idea for you to invest into learning to use this app.
NinjaMock
What’s up with all these SaaS startups naming themselves ninja-something? Anyway, these guys offer a few device templates to get you started, and after that you get a ton of fun, freehand-style components you can use in your designs. I like simple components that make it obvious that this is nowhere near the final design. You’d be surprised how many clients of mine were super disappointed at the white-grey designs I prepared (they were actually wireframes). When I drew them in my sketchbook, everybody understood it was just a sketch.
MockingBird
MockingBird has been going strong for a few years now. The interface is slightly outdated, but the app works pretty well. If offers all the standard features you’ll find in your average wireframing app. If you want to create more than a single project however, paid plans start at $9/month.
Balsamiq Wireframes – Quick & Easy Wireframe Tools
Balsamiq wireframe tools online is a user-friendly wireframe that ensures excellent user experience with more number of feedbacks. It offers many special facilities such as the arrangement of pre-built widgets, usage of free wireframe skin and sketch skin samples, hand drawing style and various UI elements for their users. The files can easily be transported to Google Drive for management as well as file creation and can be converted in PDF format.
Justinmind – The Best 100% Free Wireframe Tool for Mobile and Web
Justinmind is a spectacular wireframe and prototyping tool that offers the best design solutions using a wide variety of features like resizing, formatting, pick and drop placement and widgets import/export options. It allows you to test your designs by easily sharing it on real devices. Also, it provides interactive code free wireframe design with mobile gestures and web interactions. It offers sophisticated prototyping results and can be used on both IOS and Windows.
UXPin – The Premier UX Design Platform
UXPin is regarded as one of the most popular wireframe tools. You can easily generate high fidelity mockups and customize the existing UI elements. It is a cloud-based prototyping tool that provides flexibility in operations and detailed functionality of different components like drag and draw, resizing, image and graphical formation and many more. UXPin is available in four different plans offering unique price range with the different servicing feature. This platform works with Bootstrap, Foundation, Android etc.
Axure RP
Axure RP was first initiated in 2003 and was developed to create innovative projects for different MNC’s all around the globe. It offers unique wireframe tools for Mac and Windows. You can easily create powerful prototypes without using codes. Also, it provides dynamic content with conditional flow and animations along with adaptive view and utilization of mathematical functions in a convenient manner. It also facilitates team project making wherein you can use the check in and check out features to keep a record of the work done by the team members.
Framebox
Framebox is the second completely free wireframing tool on this list. With no paid plans, all the features of Framebox are included directly on their website’s easy-to-use web app. It’s a complete drag-and-drop tool that allows designers to sketch wireframe tools using UI elements and allows users to sign in to save progress and have revision history.
Framebox tool even allows for UX/UI designers to send their work with a custom link to their entire team or key stakeholders for easy online sharing and feedback.
Flinto
Flinto prototyping tool comes in two versions as an iOS app and a web app. The best thing about these prototyping tools is that it allows designers to build both simple click and complex interactive prototypes without knowing about coding.
Features:
- It allows you to control all layers and varying complexity.
- Apps use a drag-and-drop system for prototyping.
- Allows you to navigate your prototype using taps, swipes, scrolls even 3D touch.
- Helps you to add customizable scrolling to any group in your app design.
Fluid UI
Fluid UI is a great Prototyping tool. It allows you to build high and low-fidelity component libraries, live team collaboration, video presentations, etc. Fluid UI is all about making great-looking high-fidelity wireframe tools. The free version offers up to 10 pages of workspace and even allows transitions and gestures between them.
Fluid UI is unique among most other wireframing software in that it offers a wide variety of interactive elements and animations. Not only that, but it also comes equipped with over 2000 icons, widgets, and design elements that you can customize and drag-and-drop onto your page. Fluid UI puts everything you need for an awesome wireframe right at your fingertips.
Features:
- It offers rapid prototyping.
- Build-in libraries for over 2000 components.
- Allows you to create interactive web and mobile prototypes with taps.
- Allows you to upload existing Assets.
Framework 7
Framework 7 is a full-featured framework for developing iOS, Android & Desktop app. This free and open-source tool also acts as an indispensable prototyping tool.
Features of Framework 7:
- It offers ready-to-use UI elements and widgets like modals, popups, and others.
- It is an extremely fast and extensive tool.
- The material theme is quite classic as it is built upon Google material design specification to bring pixel-perfect design.
- Allows you to use any tools you love when working with Framework7.
Wireframe.CC – Best Free Wireframe Tool
Wireframe.CC is a simple, minimalistic wireframe tool for mobile apps and websites that are easy to learn. It takes less time to start. No installation is needed. and easy to understand for everyone. If you need a quick and efficient tool for putting together some simple wireframes then Wireframe.cc is your best choice.
Wireframe.cc is a browser-based free wireframing solution for designers on the go. Accessible anywhere through a browser, it’s a simple and clutter-free tool with a sleek UI. The free version allows for users to create one simple wireframe at a time and is equipped with tools to customize the grid layout, typography, canvas size, and more.
The next level for premium pricing is $16/month per user and allows for unlimited projects and revisions, custom branding, and exporting directly into PNG format.
Wireframe.cc made it very easy to turn your mouse into a multipurpose tool. Simply draw your shape on a blank canvas and select what you want it to be from the 9 options on the appearing toolbar. Wireframe.cc’s design templates are simple with the ability to choose from the mobile landscape, mobile vertical, and webpage. This focus on the basics makes Wireframe.cc a great option when you just need something rudimentary done quickly.
Also Read: Brand Authenticity Marketing
ConceptDraw – Best Free Wireframe Tool
ConceptDraw Pro offers a great resolution for the business and technical diagramming market. It also provides a wide range of business graphic documentation solutions with thousands of stencils and hundreds of templates for rapid diagramming.
Features:
- Powerful Drawing and Diagramming Solutions
- ConceptDraw offers a Web Design plugin for us, web designers.
- You can take the final mockup pages from ConceptDraw and produce the CSS and pages for a prototype.
Figma – Best Free Wireframe Tool
Figma is a great tool to share prototypes, wireframes, even other kinds of deliverables such as mood boards. It has a cloud-based design platform great for sharing and collaborating among team members. Figma is an all-in-one design platform for UX/UI pros and offers a robust free offering for creating wireframe tools. The first paid tier includes an upgrade to unlimited active projects and version history, custom permissions, private boards, and team collaboration features.
Price
- Free up to two editors and three projects.
- Premium: free for students or $12 per editor/month (unlimited projects).
Not all designers would associate Figma with wireframing as many people use it solely for its wonderful prototyping and graphic design features. However, this design tool gives you the freedom to create pretty much any design you want, including wireframes all the way from low- to high-fidelity.
Its open and expansive layout gives you the ability to create many designs within one project. It also gives you the ability to produce many iterations side-by-side, making brainstorming exercises and redesigns super simple. Figma’s design-centered approach makes it a wonderful tool to get your wireframing ideas out quickly by making usually tedious tasks quite easy.
Conclusion
Wireframe is the preliminary step when designing a website or an app. It’s used to outline the page structure and display elements. You can create wireframes using pen and paper, but in this article we’re going to talk about the best free wireframe tools you can use today (and for free).