I was looking for free wireframe tools for mobile apps when I came across that freemium is the trademark of this industry. Almost everyone offers at least one free plan, but it’s usually limited with regard to features. And if you want to unlock these features, you have to pay for them. But not all of us are willing to pay. So, what are the options? Fortunately, there are a few ‘free wireframe tools’ available at our disposal. These wireframing tools are really helpful when you are working on prototyping an app prototype.
There are few design tools listed below provide you the opportunity to create an excellent wireframe. Those free wireframe tools are simple, easy to use and efficient. Also, these free wireframe tools are compatible with Mac OS X platforms.
Axure
When we talk about prototyping tools, we should mention Axure in the first place. Everyone knows that it’s a powerful tool with a variety of functions. Such as wireframe, flow chart, and interaction design. It charges $29-99 per user per month.
Wondershare Mockitt
No wireframe tool for Mac beats Wondershare Mockitt.Yes, the program is enriched with numerous powerful features that make it so easy and effective to create a wireframe. Leverage the abundant built-in widgets and icons to design amazing interfaces in no time. Simply open the widget panel, drag the widgets and drop at the canvas, and finally create an elegant interface for your website. With the cloud feature, you will forget everything about installing, uploading, or downloading projects.
Simply log in using your browser and access your design project anywhere at any time. Also, collaborate with your team members or clients across various devices and perform real-time coediting. This enables projects to run faster as every relevant personnel is synced. What else can make the design process super-fast more than the rich library of UI assets and templates? Users can build their asset libraries and reuse them anytime they want. Also, use the handoff specs to ensure an accurate and automated process beginning from design to development. Inspect and discuss the design to accelerate its forward trajectory.
Pros
- It allows managers, designers, and developers to collaborate irrespective of team size.
- It supports real-time coediting, which speeds project design.
- Users can collaborate across various devices.
- It houses plenty of UI assets and templates that ease the design process.
- It is easy to use. Thanks to the total no-brainer interface.
- Users can animate and prototype websites with ease.
Cons
- The free trial version is limited.
System Compatibility
MacOS, Windows, Ios, Android, Web, Linux
Sketch
Since it entered the market in 2011, Sketch has been short of misses and thus finding a place in the heart of scores of designers, developers, and managers. It is no doubt one of the highly-rated free wireframe tools for Mac. However, it is still a basic tool but can be used to design modern UI. There are hundreds of plugins and integrations you can choose from to help you customize your workflow. This involves aspects like animating interaction and designing using live data. Sketch offers an excellent collaboration platform where users can collaborate with a significant number of team members and clients. This way, they can share the work, receive feedback, give testing opinions, and hand off the design to developers faster. However, multiple designers cannot work on a single file unless via extensions that track design changes and combine various versions into a single file.
Pros
- The interface is intuitive and straightforward.
- Designers can collaborate with clients or a couple of team members.
- The shared Cloud workspace keeps everyone in sync.
- It allows users to build designs that scale.
Cons
- Although it supports collaboration, it is a bit tricky and not great like that of Wondershare Mockitt.
- It does not include ready-made UI components such as checkboxes and buttons.
- Users have experienced some bugs in the interface, such as font colours not changing.
- The premium version is expensive.
System Compatibility
Mac
Mockplus
Mockplus is arguably among the best free wireframe tools for Mac. It is a comprehensive platform that lets you create designs, prototype, and collaborate with ease. Leverage the assortment of components, icons, and interactions to streamline the design process and perform validation without writing even a single code. Bring various personnel onboard ranging from designers to managers to facilitate better product design workflow. Build design systems that are dynamic, re-usable, and consistent to ensure easy management and maintenance. The low fidelity and unique sketch styling is a good match for creating a wireframe.
Pros
- It has more than 200 components and 3000 icons that make designing easy and fast.
- It has a user-friendly interface.
- It offers collaboration features.
- It provides scalable design systems.
Cons
- The premium version has better features, yet it is expensive.
- It needs improvement on its very own UI.
System Compatibility
Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, Ios
OmniGraffle
OmniGraffle is a drawing tool that is only suitable for Apple Devices. All kinds of chart is a piece of cake for it. Designers can make a good wireframe with its rich template. This software will cost you around $50.
Adobe XD
Adobe XD is a powerful free wireframe tool for Mac. This excellent platform allows users to create and share designs for websites and apps, including mobile devices. Once you have designed your wireframes, you can easily share it with team members or clients. Real-time collaboration and coediting give a unique platform to create designs much faster than you could imagine.
Remember, every relevant personnel is sync to the same page, and therefore collaboration becomes much easier and effective. This program has a lot in one platform and thus nullifies the need for a third-party tool. Create flows, wireframe, animations, and high fidelity designs with little or no experience at all. Features like Auto-Animate, Repeat Grid, and Responsive Resize will no doubt speed up your design process.
Pros
- It supports real-time collaboration and coediting.
- Leverage hundreds of plugins and integrations to supercharge your design workflow.
- It keeps adding new features regularly.
- It is fast and easy to use.
Cons
- It does not allow repeating objects.
- It does not offer a way to design customized shapes.
- Prototyping works on Mac OS alone.
- T doesn’t offer a way to get the CSS.
System Compatibility
Mac OS, Windows
Justinmind
Another proper free wireframe app mac tool and mobile devices is Justinmind. It is a free wireframe tool for Mac that does not limit the number of wireframes or users. Unleash your creative potentials with Justinmind by creating interactive wireframes and prototypes. You can easily preview them and test to validate the experience in a browser. It means you can have a look at your website in real-time without writing any codes.
The ready-made and frequently furnished UI libraries is an excellent asset for wireframing both web and mobile applications. You can easily drag and drop the UI elements and design clickable prototypes within a few minutes. With these elements, you can easily create wireframes for iOS, Android, and web applications. Also, use device emulators to test your wireframes on mobile and web. You can even mimic gestures like mobile swiping.
Pros
- It supports integration with design tools like Photoshop, Illustrator, and Sketch.
- It is updated with UI elements frequently.
- It supports advanced web interactions and mobile gestures.
- It supports cloud collaboration.
Cons
- The learning curve is a bit stiff.
- The paid model is expensive.
- No ready-made backgrounds.
System Compatibility
Windows, Mac
InDesign
InDesign is considered as a great wireframe tool. It can add animation and video into wireframes, which can contribute to a vivid presentation effect. It aims to build an interactive wireframe. If you want to make your wireframe stand out, it’s a good choice.
Conclusion:
Wireframing is a vital part in the design process. It serves as an opportunity to better understand the basics of the app, to set expectations for the designer and developers, and to establish workflow. That’s why wireframe tools for mobile apps are so essential.