Take rest, traveler. You have searched enough. We know how challenging it can be to find the best prototyping tools for UI/UX designers, given there are so many alternatives to choose from, each claiming to be the best.
We have taken care of the hassle for you by picking the 6 best UI/UX design prototyping tools after critically comparing them with 30 others.
When it comes to UI/UX design, Figma takes the top spot because of its flexible environment that allows next-level collaboration. Multiple people can collaborate on designing while providing visibility regarding who is working on what, similar to google canvas. It is a tool for beginners; you don’t need any coding language. But that doesn’t mean you can’t fine-tune the appearance of text, grid, shapes, and colors in any way you see fit. Along with the creative freedom, Figma is accessible to all platforms due to being browser-based. Transforming user interfaces from static designs into interactive prototypes has been made easier with Figma. The starter plan is also free forever. After designing with Figma, it is effortless to code it, thanks to Figmafy, as it offers multitudes of front-end and back-end development for the design you provide.
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Added with Cloud service benefits, InVision Studio is another great prototyping tool with a clean interface and extensive design tools. The designs made using InVision are smooth and free of clutters. InVision allows site-wide change of recurring elements with simple vector drawing tools, making technical work streamlined. The freehand feature lets collaborators draw, add notes and give feedback, making collaboration between designers and developers more accessible and efficient.
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Powered by the same technology that made Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator great comes Adobe XD, specializing in UI/UX design. The prototypes and static designs created using Adobe XD are of high fidelity. It allows wireframe building, website design, sports app, and voice interface designs while enabling real-time collaboration updates. Since it integrates seamlessly with adobe architecture, you can directly edit .psd files in the XD application. Collaboration gets more accessible and fun using the comments features, where developers and designers can share feedback. Sharing prototypes via URL makes it easier to move the work between different platforms. Because of the holistic package Adobe XD offers, it is often considered one of the best prototyping tools for UI/UX designers.
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For wireframing and prototyping, Sketch has made a name for itself as an industry benchmark as one of the best tools for UI/UX designers. Text, grid resizing, and alignment adjustment on different layers throughout the interface give the user a ‘universal’ control. An intelligent layout feature can identify the content in use and adjust the design elements' dimensions accordingly, updating the change sitewide. This takes away the tedious process of adjusting every minute thing manually. With a wide variety of third-party plugins supported by Sketch’s interface, you will be hard-pressed to find a tool that Sketch doesn’t account for. Sketch empowers developers and designers to collaborate through real-time feedback and live view of others’ work at each stage of the development process.
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What sets Axure RP apart from its competitors is the large-scale interaction it offers through its collaboration features for high-fidelity and low-fidelity prototypes. The documentation tools provide note-taking and feedback from other teammates because collaboration and communication are crucial to UI/UX design. The detailed documentation features help keep track of changes made by the developers and designers and updates instantly through the site after new progress is made. Axure provides clear collaboration by sacrificing simplicity. For an interactive design with precise attention to detail, you can rely on Axure, as it allows for pixel-perfect low to high-resolution prototyping. Axure is a wireframe tool that lets you download assets while converting the static design into a dynamic cloud prototype.
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If you want a prototyping tool that uses HTML and Javascript for creating interactive UI/UX design, Framer is the right choice. It gives a lot of control to the designers over prototyping capabilities such as dynamic motion design in transitions. Framer is not your average drag-and-drop-only tool. Being a code-based design tool, it empowers the designers to use CoffeeScript to create more detailed and creative Prototypes. Framer’s collaboration features come in the form of group editing and live updates of other developers' and designers’ changes made.
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Based on functionality, collaboration features, maneuverability, and control, these are the very best prototyping tools for UI/UX designers. While all 6 of them seem to have great features, Figma is the one that has them all with almost no limitations at all.
Many designers and companies use Figma to create website designs, but they may not have the technical skills or resources to turn those designs into actual websites. At FigmaFy, we convert your Figma designs into clean and functional code, allowing you to focus on the creative aspects of website design while leaving the technical implementation to experts. This can range from basic HTML5 to complex web applications and software solutions. This helps streamline the web development process and saves time and resources for businesses.
