What are the best free prototyping tools for mobile apps? Well, this entirely depends on what you are planning to do with your app and who is going to use it. If you’re trying to build a prototype of an app for internal usage (marketing team, product managers, etc), then there is nothing better than using one of the wireframing or mockup tools out there. You’ll be able to mock up an entire user journey and some of these ones also allow you to link screens together.
With the popularity of mobile applications, a lot of small and mid-size businesses have begun to venture into this world. Businesses have started out by creating basic white label apps that have been custom built to suite an individual business. This is a great start but there is a much easier way. With all the advances in technology there are now many online tools that allow you to build apps using templates and drag n drop functionality. In this article we will cover some of the best free prototyping tools available for you to test out.
JUSTINMIND
Pricing:
Professional – $19 per user/mo
Enterprise – $39 per user/mo
This is a free desktop app that helps you create an app prototype for any platform you want. The output of your prototypes can be viewed on various platforms such as Android iOS and your web browser. With this platform, you can realize your ideas without the need for technical expertise and modify them to fit your needs.
Pros
- Easy development of low or high-resolution prototypes with a click of your mouse.;
- Monthly pricing which makes the payment easy;
- Easy to use templates that help to create an app prototype.
Cons
- People who constantly use the platform cannot enjoy reduced price;
- No video tutorials.
BALSAMIQ
Pricing:
2 Projects – $9/month or $90/year
20 Projects – $49/month or $490/year
200 Projects – $199/month or $1,990/year
Balsamiq is a classic wire-framing tool which has its strengths in functionality and customer feedback. It makes use of the whiteboard sketching protocol using a computer.
Pros
- Easy mockup interface;
- Easy to connect to other users simultaneously, which makes work easier.
Cons
- Mockup management difficulty;
- Web browser synchronization issues occur sometimes.
MOQUPS
Pricing:
Free 1 project
Pro – $20 per month
Individual $13 per month
You can collaborate and create mobile app prototypes of any kind. Simple and effective mockups help you test your ideas.
Pros
- Great at creating wire-frames that you can forward to your designers;
- Many features which make it beginner-friendly.
Cons
- Poor customer service;
- Not very strategic with version upgrades.
Pricing:
Solo $8.25/month $99/year
Pro $19.08/month $229/year
Fluid UI is one of mobile app design tools that allows you to get feedback without getting into coding. Offers best navigation options. These mobile app design tools are found under the Wire-framing category.
Pros
- The app flow creation process is very fluid;
- One of the best software under WireFraming.
Cons
- Navigation sometimes moves things without you knowing when it happens;
Cacoo
Cacoo is an online software to design mobile app wireframes. It can be used to create mockups for Android, iOS, and Windows. The platform is convenient for the developers looking to expand on their ideas and flex their creativity. It offers an extensive set of built-in features that let you plan, organize, share, and optimize the design for multiple platforms.
Additionally, Cacoo allows developers to collaborate in real-time. The variety of templates and shapes are readily available to create diagrams instantly. Its built-in, intuitive editor provides the freedom to design and customize flowcharts, mind maps, wireframes, and network diagrams.
The drawback, however, is that the free plan limits the exporting of the project in PNG format only.
Frame box
Frame Box is another free tool for mobile app wireframing. It offers limited creativity with only the primary designing and editing features. While many platforms provide advanced features with their free plans, Frame Box is still the best for the developers looking for simplicity in their mockups.
The platform is convenient to use with simple drag-and-drop. Developers can include texts and images, resize the diagram, and more. Additionally, with a shareable link of the saved copy, the clients can have a visual of the final product.
Miro
Miro is an easy-to-use tool, focused mainly on remote collaboration. This handy tool features an online whiteboard that allows users to collaborate easily on a number of projects.
The wireframe template shows all the elements of a mobile app and allows users to further develop the structure and functionality of their app. With Miro, you can adapt and adjust the standard template to your own designs, making it very handy for endless collaborations. So, if you’re looking for a tool that makes it easier to work with your team, while apart, then Miro is for you.
Pricing: Different plans; from free to $8 or $16 per user per month, or a tailor-made enterprise plan.
Website: www.miro.com
InVision
InVision is a great tool created by designers for designers. Do you prefer creating your wireframes on a whiteboard where everyone can contribute and revise? Then this might be the tool for you. With InVision, you create interactive mockups and share them with your team, who can then leave comments directly on the screen. You also have access to real-time To Do lists, allowing others to chime on the discussion.
Pricing: Free
Website: www.invisionapp.com
Conclusion
If you have been in the mobile app development business, then you know that prototyping is a crucial part of the process. Whether you are just getting started with designing a mobile app or want to add a facelift to your existing app, you will need to create prototypes at some point in time. The best prototyping tools can drastically reduce the time and cost of developing an application. They can also streamline the testing procedure and get feedback before you start building the real thing.
We are living the mobile world now, and it is very important that your app is easy to use on handheld devices. One of the best ways to design an application without spending too much time is prototyping. Prototyping helps you to visualize functions of your mobile app, before you actually start building it. You can use various tools for mobile prototyping.