Right now, there are thousands of job opportunities for app designers in companies looking for app wireframe tools. If you are one of these designers, chances are that you are looking for the best app wireframe tools that are affordable and easy to use. To help you out, I’ve compiled a list of some of the best app wireframe tools available on the market today.
There are many application wireframe tools you can find online today. These tools vary in style, function, and price. How do you know which of these is the best application wireframe tool for you? We have put together a detailed review on some of the leading app wireframe tools available to help you choose the best solution for your needs.
Figma
Figma takes our top spot because of its combination of powerful cloud-based design software and the fact that users can build three projects for free before you have to select one of their payment plans.
Using Figma is as simple and straightforward as you could want it to be. While Figma doesn’t have its own built-in UI components, it does come with the option to upload your own or use a pre-designed kit.
It is, however, remarkably easy to create artboards, add in basic shapes and text, and do a certain level of prototyping.
All of the design organization is handled in one panel, allowing you to quickly move between different artboards, layers, and pages without getting overwhelmed.
The built-in Figma constraints show you how each element will respond on different sized screens, making it much easier to optimize your user experience for mobile devices.
When it comes to collaborative working, Figma allows multiple team members to access and edit the design and leave comments. Once the mockup is completed, you can access the CSS code and export individual elements.
Sketch
When it first hit the market in 2010, Sketch revolutionized what could be done with a wireframing tool.
While it is not available for Windows, Sketch’s simple and intuitive interface and focus on creating effective UIs and icon vector design make it a must for Mac-based designers.
Much like Figma, Sketch doesn’t come with its own built-in UI library, but, because of its popularity, a huge number of third-party UI kits are available and easy to upload.
One of the standout features of Sketch is its Symbol function, which allows you to create elements that automatically repeat across the entirety of your layout.
Sketch does offer a free trial. After that, you can purchase the entire program for a one-off fee rather than paying an ongoing subscription cost.
Justinmind
Justinmind is a wireframing tool available for Mac and Windows designed specifically for less techy designers. The platform is easy to learn and somewhat less complicated than other options like Figma or Sketch.
Just because the UI is more simplistic, however, does not mean that Justinmind lacks functionality. The platform is built to allow you to create wireframes that can be tested as prototypes right from the beginning and includes a range of interactive prototype elements.
Justinmind also includes a range of built-in UI elements, as well as a range of widgets for iOS, SAP, and Android. You can use custom styling options to edit the included elements or import your own.
Once you’re done, the prototype can be exported as HTML.
InVision Studio
For macOS
Price:
- Starter Plan: $0
- Pro: $7.95 per month, paid annually
Hot Features in Invision Studio:
- Invision Specs makes team-wide handoffs smoother
- A centralized design, development, and product hub that makes moving code quick and easy
- Jira integration for better project management
InVision Studio is quickly gaining popularity in the design community. Before it was released in 2018, UI designers using the InVision prototyping tool had to use a third-party wireframe tool. Now both tasks can be done with the InVision suite.
The free version of InVision Studio allows up to three active users and three documents and works best for individuals and small design teams. For $7.95/month (on the annual plan), the Pro plan includes unlimited documents and archiving for up to 15 collaborators.
Another wireframe tool by InVision is InVision Freehand.
Canva
For web
Price:
- Starter Plan: $0
- Pro: $119.99 per year
- Enterprise: $30 per person, per month
Hot Features in Canva:
- Canva teams lets groups design mockups together in real time
- Create precise compositions with Canva’s crop tool
- Create charts easily with numerical and percentage-based editable charts and graphs
Canva helps non-designers create simple, high-quality graphics — and you can also use it to create wireframes. It features drag-and-drop illustrations, photos, charts, and other ready-made templates and shapes for quick mockups.
Pencil Project
An open-source graphical user interface tool great for wireframing, mockup creation, and prototyping by both solitary designers and big businesses alike.
Price breakdown
Totally free!
What is Pencil Project good for?
Pencil Project is a downloadable wireframing tool for both Mac and Windows and is also available as a Firefox add-on. Pencil Project has loads of templates to choose from for both mobile and web so you can create many different low-fidelity wires of your interface.
This diverse UX tool has a good amount of interactive elements and is especially noted for its diagramming capabilities. Linking shapes, wireflows, and other flowcharts is made quick and easy with Pencil Project’s “connector” tool and page linking.
Free of charge and intuitive to use, Pencil Project is a great choice for basic wires or beginner designers.
What does Pencil Project lack?
Pencil Project is not the best wireframing tool for big design teams as collaboration features are a bit limited. Users have also noted that the variety of available shapes is a bit light and many designers are left needing to hook up to a more extensive online shapes library.
Other users have noted that Pencil Project feels a bit out of date and could use better-looking features. Furthermore, designers looking for mid- to high-fidelity wireframing capabilities will most likely want to use a different software.
What users are saying
- “I love using Pencil for the initial mock-up of a project. I can work quickly and get the printout to all of my coworkers for input.”
- “Pencil is a little limited in what you can add to your design. They have great options, but sometimes you wish they had more to offer.”
Conclusion
While wireframing is one of the most important tasks to have done during any app development process, it’s not something that should be overlooked. It helps the developer find bugs and other issues early on, rather than finding them towards the end, but it also lets you keep track of your progress easily. Because there are numerous things to consider when choosing the right app wireframe tools for your project, consider these options first.