Wireframing now forms an integral part in the design process. Wireframing helps to eliminate design and usability problems in the early phases, as well as ensuring that all stakeholders have the same vision.
If you are still wondering what a wireframe is, it’s a tool that lets you quickly create an outline or blueprint for your design. It uses simple shapes and minimal styling so you can get a better idea of the final product.
Going around developing a website or an application without a wireframe is like shooting an arrow in the dark – it might work out well, or you might completely miss the mark!
Using wireframes allows you to see the bigger picture, expand on your wildest ideas and avoid mistakes in the design planning phase.
Wireframe tools are the best wireframe tools that you can use. UI/UX designersHere are our 20 favorite ones.
1. Insight
Invision is a cloud-based wireframe software that comes with a number of templates. You can create clickable protoypes using this tool. Invision’s real-time sync with Photoshop and Sketch makes it easy for your design team to be on the same page.
Highlights of the Feature
Drag-and-drop functionality makes it easy for novice designers to create prototypes that work on different screen sizes.
Link sharing allows you to get immediate feedback from team members or stakeholders.
Price
Invision costs anywhere between $15 and $99 per month, as the free version only allows for one prototype.
2. Cacoo
Cacoo is a real-time collaboration tool that helps you brainstorm ideas, visualize map and simplify workflow. Its powerful editor and inbuilt templates help you create maps and simplify workflow. Cacoo has a wide range of tools for wireframing, planning and designing.
Highlights of the Feature
Cacoo’s user-friendly interface offers more than just design support. It helps your team manage the entire project outline, including business and marketing flow.
Cacoo, despite not allowing offline work offers a wide range of presentation tools along with intricate design levels that allow you to make the perfect prototyping required for feedback or discussions about iterations.
Price
At $5 per month for each user, this is one of the best all-in-one design and project solutions we’ve seen. The team can provide you with information on other plans.
3. Sketch
Sketch is a favorite wireframe app for MAC users. It has dominated as the best lightweight vector based app. Sketch has a user interface that is intuitive and easy to use. It is preferred by many over the heavyweight competitors in the market.
Highlights of the Feature
Sketch is one of the best lightweight wireframe tools – it may not have an inbuilt template library, but you can fill that gap by downloading a third party UI kit.
Sketch’s Symbol feature makes it easy to create your own buttons, flow charts, and more, while allowing reusability. Sketch is compatible with many prototyping applications and allows for easy file export.
Sketch is not multi-user collaborative, even though it has a large community. This makes working together more difficult.
Price
The tool can be used even after the initial purchase, without any software updates.
4. Adobe XD
Adobe XD’s wireframing tool and prototyping tool are unbeatable. The minimalist panel is a strong competitor to Sketch, and goes beyond wireframing.
Feature Highlights
XD is full of responsive design features. On the left, you will find vector design tools and a variety of design aids. It is very helpful when building a design that’s mobile-first, and we can resize the elements as required.
One of the greatest advantages while using XD is that you do not have to export the file for prototyping and other processes – from wireframing to prototyping, everything has been made possible in the same file.
Price
Prices start at $9.99 per month, even though the free version allows for one prototype!
5. UXPin
There is no better way to get started with the wireframing process. UXPin has a library and an intuitive toolbar that allow you to drag and drop and design flows while on the move.
Highlights of the Feature
UXPin has the ability to read Photoshop files and Sketch files. You can then easily move from the basic wireframes into a detailed, complex prototype.
But what really makes UXPin stand out is its presentation mode – which allows you to present a working model of the prototype and get the required feedback through its Preview mode.
Price
UXPin’s basic wireframing tool is priced at $19 per month, for one user, if paid annually.
6. Balsamiq
Balsamiq can be used to build a grid-based, minimal wireframe, with no details. Balsamiq can be used to create wireframes quickly and is very versatile.
Highlights of the Feature
Balsamiq has been used by several designers for years, but it is only a little bit ahead of the traditional pen and papers process. Balsamiq is the perfect tool to use when you want to stick to old styles and methods.
Balsamiq allows you, regardless of its primitive features or look, to design and build the basic wireframe on different screen sizes. This is great for brainstorming and quick planning!
Price
Plans start at $9 a week and can go up to $199 a week.
7. Figma
Figma is a name that you can trust when it comes to managing large teams and collaborating. Figma is relatively inexpensive and easy to use regardless of the size of your team.
Highlights of the Feature
Wireframing in Figma is quite easy – you can design your own elements or upload it from a kit, organize multiple elements as well as texts together.
You can use Figma constraints to increase responsiveness or you can re-design the page as needed. Figma has a team collaboration tool that gives it a competitive edge. Multiple team members can log in, access the file and add text or comments. This simplifies the design and planning processes.
Price
Figma is available for free up to three projects. The Professional plan costs around $12 per person per month and includes unlimited projects.
8. Marvel
Marvel is a great wireframe tool with many templates that are already built in. However, we found it quite deceptively simple – suitable only for the experienced hands.
Features Highlights
Apart from the usual drag-drop elements, Marvel has something that caught our eye – UI Blocks. UI Blocks allows you to wireframe a specific element while creating a specific block. This saves time and creates appealing wireframes without much effort.
Due to the limited high-end features on Sketch, we had to use it for more detailed work.
Price
The platform costs $12 per user per month, and there are no limits to the number of projects.
9. Moqups
The name Moqups resonates well with UI and UX Designers who like to work the old-fashioned way. From simple flow charts to putting logical flows – there is a lot Moqups has in store!
Highlights of the Feature
It is much more than a simple flow chart. It comes with a diagram that lets you make logical flow charts and show where the interactions will be located and how user experience will flow.
Wireframes can be created with UX details during the designing phase. This will help you to better understand your product in the development phase.
Price
Moqups’ Personal Plan costs $7 per month, for one person with unlimited projects. It is $20 a monthly for three people.
10. Proto.io
Proto.io will be of great interest to you if your main focus is User experience or user experience testing. Proto’s collaborative and interactive prototypes will surely bring it the attention that it deserves!
Highlights of the Feature
Proto.io is a cloud app that allowed all members of our design team to simultaneously access the same file. This was a great feature for collaboration.
You can also use it to test UX, and gather valuable data before you hand over to developers. Proto.io made it more difficult to create responsive designs.
Price
Freelancer starts at $24 for one user and goes up to $160 per month for 10 users.
11. Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Illustrator, with its intricate detailing and simple design platform can be used both for simple vector design or to make complex UI Kits. It is an industry leader with a host of features that are unmatched to date.
Highlights of the Feature
Most platforms can create simple wireframes in vector. Illustrator is unique in its ability to perform unusual tasks, such as converting raster images into vector flows using the Image Trace command.
Although it’s great for collaboration (with Creative Cloud), this app package is heavy and can’t be run on a standard machine.
Price
Pricing for a single app starts at just $20.99 per user, per month.
12. Canva
Canva has become a popular wireframe tool due to its easy-to-use interface, inbuilt high quality wireframe elements and collaborative features.
Great for beginners, it is the perfect tool to kick off your wireframing process, especially if you were wondering – “what is wireframe.”
Feature Highlights
Canva is an interactive panel that allows for easy drag-and-drop features. It also has some excellent templates built in to create wireframe designs.
You can resize the designs to suit your screen size with a simple click. Canva makes sharing easy. You can send the design to a team member or save it and then invite them to make changes.
Canva allows you to create basic wireframes in minutes. However, you will not be able make intricately detailed wireframes or prototypes.
Price
Canva offers a free membership that limits you to a 1GB storage space and limited sharing. You can get full access to the platform for $12.95 per month.
13. Wireframe.cc
Wireframe.cc, a clean tool with minimal features and design, is an excellent tool for creating low-fidelity wireframes quickly. The limited palette kept everything on point.
Highlights of the Feature
Wireframe.cc has a context-sensitive interface and is intuitive. The drag and drop platform allows you to create basic wireframes within minutes, which can then be shared with your team members or stakeholders for annotations – something that would help you iterate better.
Wireframe.cc is lacking in features that allow prototyping and also lacks certain design elements.
Price
Wireframe.cc’s monthly price is $16 for one user.
14. Fluid UI
Scanning to get a working prototype on your phone in seconds after having completed the wireframe and component flow – things couldn’t cooler as Fluid UI brings experiential testing for UI/UX designers. Fluid UI can be used both offline and online.
Highlights of the Feature
A major highlight is the scanning of QR codes to test wireframes and prototyping.
FLuid UI’s library has over 2000 pre-loaded components that can help designers finalize wireframes of various screens, and then link them to create a larger picture.
Price
There are three plans available. The least expensive is $8.25 for a single-user.
15. Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Photoshop, the industry leader in wireframe tools, is a name that every UI designer knows.
Designers around the globe use it because of its unmatched wireframing capabilities and design editing features.
Highlights of the Feature
You can either start by creating your own elements or import them through a kit. This will save you time. But what really puts Photoshop ahead of all other tools is its raster image editing capabilities – which remain unmatched to date.
You can add raster images, edit them with the wireframe artboards and bring it all together – this means that you can have high fidelity mockups ready in no time, without having to change your system in between.
Price
Plans for Photoshop (Creative Cloud), which are paid, start at $20.99 per license.
16. Axure Rp
Axure RP may be one of the oldest light-weight wireframing tool on the market. However, it is unique in its level of complexity and detail in prototype design.
Axure RP lets you create quick mockups and share them for feedback.
Highlights of the Feature
Axure RP is a simple platform that allows you to create wireframes much faster than other tools. The results can be tested in different devices and are high-fidelity.
Axure RP, a web-based tool for wireframing, is a powerful tool. The tool should be able to facilitate collaboration, but in some ways it is not.
Price
Axure RP’s paid versions start at $29 a monthly for a single-user.
17. Affinity Design
Affinity Designer will be the perfect tool for Adobe lovers who are looking for an alternative lightweight program that does the same job. Affinity Designer’s simple interface and ample design elements have made it the preferred wireframe tool among many designers.
Highlights of the Feature
When we tried the Affinity Design, we found it to be similar to Adobe Illustrator, though not quite the same.
If you are an Illustrator fan, Affinity Designer may be a good fit for you. Affinity Designer lacks some important features such as Image tracing. But the best part – where Illustrator used to freeze the machine quite many times, Affinity Designer worked quite smoothly.
Price
Affinity designer is only $49.99 for a single purchase.
18. Template Toaster
Template Toaster is a powerful desktop-based tool that allows you to create wireframes, mockups and designs without worrying about coding or debugging.
It comes with a large inbuilt library. stock imagesOther design elements, such as vectors and images, are also available.
Highlights of the Feature
Template Toaster can be a useful wireframe tool, whether you are an experienced designer or a novice.
There are many features that you will enjoy, including responsive design and prototyping. Template Toaster is a disappointment when it comes down to collaboration.
Price
The Template Toaster can be purchased for a single purchase of $49
19. MockPlus
MockPlus is another desktop-based wireframe tool that, despite its lack of cloud storage makes it onto our list of the top 20 wireframing software. MockPlus, despite its advanced prototyping capabilities, is still a useful tool for intermediate and beginner designers.
Features Highlights
MockPlus gives you access to a library of design elements, icons, and components. Drag and drop is all it takes to create a wireframe with over 3000 components in the library.
Although it isn’t a very good platform for collaboration, users can share designs and get feedback.
Price
MockPlus starts at $59 per year and goes up to $2999. This is the highest price for a desktop-based wireframe software.
20. JustinMind
JustinMind has made wireframing and prototypes easy. It is compatible with all platforms and can produce high-fidelity wireframes.
Feature Highlights
JustinMind has the same large library of design elements and widgets as other top-notch tools. This allows users to quickly build wireframes that can be converted into a working prototype or clickable prototype. What really sets it apart is its real-time testing on mobile devices for getting feedback – not something that we were expecting.
Price
JustinMind’s paid plans start at $19 per month for one user.
Final Thoughts
Over half of top designers use Sketch, Illustrator Invision and Photoshop. You don’t have to stick to these same options.
Choosing a wireframe tool is not as easy as you might think – you need to give a thought to a variety of factors such as the use of the wireframe, the expected outcome, the system specs as well as the design process of the team.
Then, narrow down your options to the tool that you think will bring to life your idea and change the game of design!