The 9 Best Free Wireframe Tools For UX/UI Designers [2022]

Adobe XD; Miro; Mockplus; Balsamiq Wireframes; Wireframe.cc; Figma; Pencil Project; NinjaMock; FluidUI; Mockflow; Cacoo. But before we get ... UXDesignUIDesignWebDevelopmentDataAnalyticsDigitalMarketingMoreCategoriesProductManagementCareerChangeUXDesignUIDesignMoreCategoriesWebDevelopmentDataAnalyticsDigitalMarketingProductManagementCareerChangeSeeourblogcategoriesUXDesignUIDesignWebDevelopmentDataAnalyticsDigitalMarketingProductManagementCareerChangeStartyourfreeUXdesigncourseStartyourfreeUXdesigncourseLookingforthebestfreewireframetoolsonthemarket?Looknofurther.Here’sourtopeleven!WireframingisabigpartofeveryUX/UIdesigner’sdailyjob.Thereisanoverwhelmingnumberofwireframetoolsoutonthemarketthatpromisetomakecreatingwireframesquickandeasy.Butfindingwhichoneswillworkbestforyourdesignscanbeabitlikesearchingforaneedleinahaystack,andfindingawireframingsoftwarethatfitsyourpricerangecanaddevenmorestresstoyoursearch.Butdon’tworry—we’reheretohelp!We’veroundedupourtoppicksforthebestwireframingtoolsthatwon’tbreakyourbudget.We’llgiveyouapricebreakdown,thepros,thecons,andaglimpseintowhatotherdesignersaresayingabouteachtool(allquotestakenfromCapterraandG2).Ourtopelevenwireframingtoolsare:AdobeXDMiroMockplusBalsamiqWireframesWireframe.ccFigmaPencilProjectNinjaMockFluidUIMockflowCacooButbeforewegettothelist:Ifyou’veonlyjustdiscoveredthewonderfulworldofUXdesignandyouwantaneasyintroductiontothefield,checkoutCareerFoundry’s freeUXdesignmicrocourse.Readytolearnaboutsomeamazingwireframingtools?Let’sgetstarted.1.AdobeXDAdobeXDhasskyrocketedintopopularitysinceitsinitialreleasedatein2016,andwithgoodreason.Thistoolisfantasticforwireframing,prototyping,andcollaboration.Ifyou’recollaboratingwithothers(especiallyremotely),thisisatooltocheckout.Getabeginner’sintroductiontoAdobeXDthiseventrecording:Pricebreakdown7-dayfreetrial$9.99/monthafterthetrialends(or$99.99/year)What’sgreataboutAdobeXD?Aswesaid,thisisanall-in-onewhenitcomestowireframingandprototyping(atanyleveloffidelity)andisexcellentforcollaboration.AdobeXDincludestoolsforeverythingfromaquicksketchtoahigh-fidelitywireframe,withoptionstocreateinteractionssothatyoucanmorecloselyimitatetheuserflow!Thetoolhasaautoanimationfeature,andit’smadethingseasierwithitcomestolayeringimagesin3D(greatforshowcasingallyourhardwork!).Youcanalsoworkwithyourteammatesinrealtime,andthey’vemadeiteasiertoiterateoncontentwithouthavingtopracticallyre-designwholescreens.Thisishelpfulforteamsseekingmorecollaborationbetweencontentanddesign.Adobeproductsarewidelyappreciatedacrosstheindustry,too,sobeingfamiliarwithitcanonlyhelpthroughoutyourcareer.What’snotsogreataboutAdobeXD?Asmanyhavesaid,thepricepointiscertainlyafactor.It’sonlyreallyfreeforaweek,butthat’saweektotestitoutandseeifthishigh-powertooliswellsuitedforyourteam.Ifyou’reworkingsolo,it’sstillworthconsideringsimplyforthehighqualityoutputandforit’spossibilitieswhenitcomestocollaboratingwithstakeholdersoroutsideclients.WhatotherdesignershavetosayaboutAdobeXD“AdobeXDisthebestonthemarket,inmyopinion,asfarasUI/UXdesignisconcerned.Inareallysimplewayitispossibletocreatethedesignofwebsitesorappsandthenmoveontotheprototypingphase,creatingthevariouslinks,interactivecomponents,buttons,animations.Thesharingphaseisalsoexcellent,whichallowsyoutoexporttheprototypetoencouragetheworkofthedevelopers,whowillhavetheopportunitytotakealookatthegeneratedcsscodeandcandownloadthevariousassets.”“Thepricingofthistoolisquitehigh.Ithasalsoincreasedalotofrestrictionsonthefreeplan,andthisisnothelpfulforbuddingdesigners.”2.MiroMiroisawildlyhelpfulandpopulartool,especiallyforideationsessions,interactivepresentations,designthinkingworkshops,andthelike.Butit’susesdon’tstopthere!It’sanextremelyversatiletoolwithwireframingcapability!PricebreakdownLimitedfreeversionforunlimitedteammembersUnlimitedfeatures,anywherefrom$8-16/monthforteamsandbusinesses(theyalsohavecustompricingforenterprise-levelwork)WhyyoushoulduseMiroforwireframingWecan’toverstatehowversatilethistoolis.Ifyouwantafree,easytousetoolthat’susefulforallkindsofthingsandhascollaborationsuperpowers,thisisagreattoolforyoutotryout.Youcandropshapes,drawfreeform,type,adddigitalstickynotes,orinsertimagesandvideos(andmore)ontotheinfinitecanvas.Forteams,therearefeaturesforvideochats,backgroundmusic,and“summoning”(soifyouneedeveryonetomeetyousomewhereontheMiroboard,youcanbringthemtoyou).Andthat’sjustscratchingthesurface.Ifyoudon’twanttostartfromscratch,youcanvisittheMiroverse,wherethereareloadsoftemplates(likethismobileapptemplate)thatyou’llfindusefulthroughouttheUXdesignprocess.Youcandownloadthemorjustusethemforinspiration.What’snotsogreataboutMiroReally,thepossibilitiesareendlesshere,butifyou’reaimingforinteractivity(withinthewireframe/prototype)orveryhighfidelity,youmayhitsomesnagsandneedtofindworkarounds.WhatotherdesignershavetosayaboutMiro“It’sintuitivetoselectandtryoutseveralcanvasandinteractandcreaterelationsbetweenthem.Thedesignisseamlesstounderstand.Itiseasytoshareglobally,andwithseveralteammembers,ofdifferentprojectsinthefreeversion.”“TherearestillsomefunctionalityimprovementsthatcanbemadebutIseethattheyareintroducingnewfeaturesalmostdaily.Forexample,yesterdayIfoundmyselftryingtomakethesizeofexistingshapestobeidenticalbutcouldn’tdoitsoIputanewshapeandstartedfromscratch.”3.MockplusMockplusisarapidwireframing/prototypingtoolfordesignerstocreateinteractivewireframesforwebsitesandmobileapps,whichenablesyoutoshareandtestdesignideasacrossPCsandmobiledevicesfromanearlystageinthedesignprocess.PricebreakdownBasic:FreePro:15-dayfreetrial,$16permonth(Billedannually)WhyshouldyouuseMockplusforfasterandeasierwireframing?Withalargenumberofready-to-usecomponents,icons,UIsandtemplatespre-installed,Mockplusgoesbeyondsimplyprovidingyouthetoolstocreateyourwireframeandlendsyouahandwithyourdesigns.Afullsetofinteractionsandanimationsalsomakeiteasytocreatemorerealisticwireframes.It’salsoacollaborativetool:Yourentireteamcanworkonthesameproject.What’snotsogoodaboutMockplus?Mockplusismuchsuitableforyoutocreatelow-andmedium-fidelitywireframes,mockupsandprototypes.Ifyouarelookingfortoolstocreatehigh-fidelitydesigns,itmaynotbeagoodoption.WhatusersaresayingaboutMockplus?“Mockplusdoeswhatitadvertiseswhichisagreatthing.Nolearningcurveandfreeplansthatyoucancheckallthefeaturesforfree.Usingtheteamjustaninvitationaway.”“Whatusedtobetime-consumingcannowbedonewiththespeedofthought,everythingisadrag-and-dropawayandwiththenumberofcomponentsMockplushastooffer,youwillneverfeeltheneedofcreatingone.”4.BalsamiqWireframesAwireframingtoolforcreatingquickdesigns,runningusertesting,andsharingmockupswithadesignteam.PricebreakdownFree30-daytrialperiodPro(single-userlicense):$89Whyshouldyouuseitforwireframing?OneofthemanyBalsamiqStudiosproducts,BalsamiqWireframesisaFlash-basedwireframingsoftwarewithanextensivelibraryofUIelementsandtemplatesthatmakewireframingabreeze.ThecomplexityoftheBalsamiqWireframelibrarycanbeasourceofgreatinspirationfordesignerswhenproducingdesktopandmobilewires.Notonlydoesithavemanydiverseelements,butit’salsoeasytolearnanduse.Mostdesignersdescribeitasbeingassimpleasdragging,dropping,andarrangingelementsfromthemenuontoyourcanvasuntilyouhavetheinterfaceyoudesire.BalsamiqWireframesalsohasbuilt-inpresentationtoolsthatmakepresentingyourdesignstoclientsaseamlessprocess.WhereBalsamiqWireframesfallsshortBalsamiqWireframesisnotthebestforbuildinglargerprototypesandlacksanimationsorinteractivefeatures.DesignerswishingtosimulatetheUXoftheirsoftwaremustbeabletoprograminteractionsthemselvesandexportasaninteractivePDF.Thiswireframingsoftwareisuniqueinstyleasthedesignelementshaveahand-drawnappearancetothem.Thisgivesyourdesignsabitofacartoonyfeelthatmaynotbedesired.Also,it’simportanttonotethatonceyourfree30-daytrialisup,you’llhavetopurchasealicensetosaveanyofyourpreviousdesigns.Whatotherdesignersaresaying“Probablytheeasiestwireframingtooltouse.It’sfocusedfeaturesetisaimedatcreatingwireframesintheleastamountoftimepossible.Veryquicktolearnwithsomedepthforpowerusers.”“Wireframescanlookchild-likeandunprofessionalwithsomesettings.”5.Wireframe.CCAsimple,minimalisticwireframingtoolformobileappsandwebsitesthat’seasytolearn.PricebreakdownBasic:freePremium:7-dayfreetrial,$16permonth(single-user)WhatdoesWireframe.ccoffer?IfyouneedaquickandefficienttoolforputtingtogethersomesimplewireframesthenWireframe.ccisyourbestchoice.Thisweb-basedwireframetoolissuperintuitiveasthelayoutisabitlikedrawingitemsonpencilandpaperandcuttingandpastingthemontoyourdesign.Wireframe.ccmadeitveryeasytoturnyourmouseintoamultipurposetool.Simplydrawyourshapeonablankcanvasandselectwhatyouwantittobefromthe9optionsontheappearingtoolbar.Wireframe.cc’sdesigntemplatesaresimplewiththeabilitytochoosefromthemobilelandscape,mobilevertical,andwebpage.ThisfocusonthebasicsmakesWireframe.ccagreatoptionwhenyoujustneedsomethingrudimentarydonequickly.Whatdoesn’titoffer?SomeseethesimplenatureofWireframe.cctobeadownside—especiallyifyouarelookingtocreateanythingmid-fidelityandup.Noanimationorinteractionoptionsareprovidedanditalsolacksmockupcreation,presentationtools,prototyping,screencapture,andfeedbackmanagement.Italsodoesn’tallowforthecreationofmorethanonewireframeatatimesocomparingvariousiterationsside-by-sidecanbedifficult.Sowhilethiswireframingtoolisquickandeasytouse,itisabitlimitedinfeaturesandcomplexity.WhatpeoplearesayingaboutWireframe.cc“Isuckatdesigning.Thisdead-simpletoolallowsmetogetmywebdesignideasout.”“Quicktostart.Noinstallationneeded.Minimalistic.Easytounderstandforeveryone.”6.FigmaAcloud-baseddesignplatformgreatforsharingandcollaboratingamongteammembers.PricebreakdownStarter:free(uptotwoeditorsandthreeprojects).Premium:freeforstudentsor$12pereditor/month(unlimitedprojects).WhyisFigmagoodforwireframing?NotalldesignerswouldassociateFigmawithwireframingasmanypeopleuseitsolelyforitswonderfulprototypingandgraphicdesignfeatures.However,thisdesigntoolgivesyouthefreedomtocreateprettymuchanydesignyouwant,includingwireframesallthewayfromlow-tohigh-fidelity.Itsopenandexpansivelayoutgivesyoutheabilitytocreatemanydesignswithinoneproject.Italsogivesyoutheabilitytoproducemanyiterationsside-by-side,makingbrainstormingexercisesandredesignssupersimple.Figma’sdesign-centeredapproachmakesitawonderfultooltogetyourwireframingideasoutquicklybymakingusuallytedioustasksquiteeasy.AretheredownsidestoFigma?Tobehonest,itisdifficulttofindreasonswhyFigmawouldn’tbegoodforwireframing.However,it’snotatooldesignedexplicitlyforcreatingwiresasithasmultipledesignpurposesandfunctions.Soifyouarelookingforsomethingmorespecificallydesignedforwireframing,youmightwanttolookelsewhere—especiallyifyouand/oryourdesignteamwillneedtoupgradetopaidversions.Youmightbepayingformorethanyoureallyneed.Whatotherpeoplearesaying“It’sagreattooltoshareprototypes,wireframes,evenotherkindsofdeliverablessuchasmoodboard.”“Figmaprovidesallthecomprehensivefeaturesofasoftwarediagrammingtoolbutwithalaserfocusondesigninguserinterfacesanduserexperiences….Thepricepointforlargeteamscanbeabitprohibitive.”7.PencilProjectAnopen-sourcegraphicaluserinterfacetoolgreatforwireframing,mockupcreation,andprototypingbybothsolitarydesignersandbigbusinessesalike.PricebreakdownTotallyfree!WhatisPencilProjectgoodfor?PencilProjectisadownloadablewireframingtoolforbothMacandWindowsandisalsoavailableasaFirefoxadd-on.PencilProjecthasloadsoftemplatestochoosefromforbothmobileandwebsoyoucancreatemanydifferentlow-fidelitywiresofyourinterface.ThisdiverseUXtoolhasagoodamountofinteractiveelementsandisespeciallynotedforitsdiagrammingcapabilities.Linkingshapes,wireflows,andotherflowchartsismadequickandeasywithPencilProject’s“connector”toolandpagelinking.Freeofchargeandintuitivetouse,PencilProjectisagreatchoiceforbasicwiresorbeginnerdesigners.WhatdoesPencilProjectlack?PencilProjectisnotthebestwireframingtoolforbigdesignteamsascollaborationfeaturesareabitlimited.Usershavealsonotedthatthevarietyofavailableshapesisabitlightandmanydesignersareleftneedingtohookuptoamoreextensiveonlineshapeslibrary.OtherusershavenotedthatPencilProjectfeelsabitoutofdateandcouldusebetter-lookingfeatures.Furthermore,designerslookingformid-tohigh-fidelitywireframingcapabilitieswillmostlikelywanttouseadifferentsoftware.Whatusersaresaying“IloveusingPencilfortheinitialmock-upofaproject.Icanworkquicklyandgettheprintouttoallofmycoworkersforinput.”“Pencilisalittlelimitedinwhatyoucanaddtoyourdesign.Theyhavegreatoptions,butsometimesyouwishtheyhadmoretooffer.”8.NinjaMockCollaborativemockupandwireframingapplicationfordesigningandtestingmobileappsandwebpages.PricebreakdownFreeversion(oneprojectwith200elements)Personal(threeprojects,single-user):$6.99/monthWhyisNinjaMockgreatforwireframes?NinjaMocklivesuptoitsnamebymakingwireframecreationsuperfastandefficient.It’ssimple,quicktolearn,andincludesmanyinteractiveelementsforbothmobileanddesktop.ThespeedandintuitivenessofNinjaMockmeansyoucanspendlesstimelearninghowtoworkthesoftwareandmoretimegettingcreativewithyourwireframes.It’salsoavailableformanyplatformsincludingIOS,Android,Windowsphonesandweb.Sharingandeditingdesignswithclientsisalsomadeeasybytheabilitytoproduceuniquelinksthatcanthenbesharedwithcustomersallowingforreal-timecollaborationandediting.IssuesyoumayencounterwithNinjaMockIfyou’reasmallercompanyworkingonmultipleprojectsthatrequirevariouselements,NinjaMock’spricingmaynotbefeasibleforyou.Furthermore,usershavereportedissueswithnavigationbetweenmockupsandhaverequestedmoreinteractivelayouts.WhatusersaresayingaboutNinjaMock“Ilovethelinkfeaturewhichallowsmetonavigatethroughdifferentpages:mycustomerslovetheliveresults!”“Themajorproblemiswithpricing,it’sabithighforsmallcompanies.”9.FluidUIAnintuitivewireframingtoolforsupportedonawidevarietyofplatformsincludingmobileAndroidandiOS.PricebreakdownFreeversion(oneproject,single-user,10pagesmax)Solo(threeprojects,single-user):monthly,$15/month;yearly,$8.25/monthHowFluidUIcanhelpyoumakegreatwireframesFluidUIisallaboutmakinggreat-lookinghigh-fidelitywireframes.Thefreeversionoffersupto10pagesofworkspaceandevenallowstransitionsandgesturesbetweenthem.FluidUIisuniqueamongmostotherwireframingsoftwaresinthatitoffersawidevarietyofinteractionelementsandanimations.Notonlythat,butitalsocomesequippedwithover2000icons,widgets,anddesignelementsthatyoucancustomizeanddrag-and-dropontoyourpage.FluidUIputseverythingyouneedforanawesomewireframerightatyourfingertips.What’snotsogreataboutFluidUIAlthoughFluidUIdoesitsbesttogiveyougreatwireframingtoolsforfree,theirunpaidversionisstillabitlimitedandmanydesignersfeeltheneedtoupgrade.AnotherfrustratingaspecttoFluidUIisthatmultipleimageuploadisnotsupported,leavingyouuploadingimagesone-by-one.WhatareFluidUIuserssaying?“Ihaven’tactuallyusedanyothersoftwareotherthanFluidUIbutItrulyhavenoreasonto!It’sgoteverythingyou’dpossiblyneed.”“Sometimesitcanbealittleawkwardtopositionthings…althoughitdoesgeteasierwithpractice.”10.MockflowOn-premiseandcloudbasedwireframingsoftwareequippedwithtemplatelibraryanddrag-and-dropeditor.PricebreakdownBasic:Free(oneprojectwithcertainapplimitations,twousers)Premium:$14/month(unlimitedprojectsandusers)WhyshouldyouwireframewithMockflow?Mockflowiskindofaone-stop-shopforwireframingandwebandmobileappdevelopment.Notonlydoesthissoftwarehaveamazingtoolsandpresetsforfastwireframing,butitalsohaswebsitebuilding,bannerdesign,collaborationtools,andatimelinemanager.Alloftheseextrafeaturesmakesharingyourwiresabreezeandmovingforwardinthedesignprocessalotsmoother.Mockflowisespeciallygreatforbeginnersastheirdesignpresetssaveyouthetimeitwouldtaketocreateyourownshapesandelements.WhatarethedrawbackstousingMockflowThebasicpackageisabitlimitedandmostusersfeeltheneedtoupgradetothepaidpackage.Mockflowisprettyspecifictowireframingandmockupcreationsoifyou’reneedingsomethingforprototypingandusertesting,youmightbebetteroffwithadifferentsoftware.Usershavealsoreportedissueswiththesoftwarelaggingwhentheytrytoworkwithmultiplepages.WhatpeoplearesayingaboutMockflow“Itiseasytouseandeasytoload.Youdonotneedanyspecialskillstoworkonthis.”“WireframeProisveryslowandneedsbetterspeed.Itislackinganimationsforyourprototypesandaninfiniteartboardwhereonecanjustgoonmakingscreens.”11.CacooAdiagrammingsoftwarefordesigners,freelancers,andstudentstobrainstormflowcharts,mindmaps,mockups,wireframes,andmore.PricebreakdownFree2-weektrial$6peruser,permonth(paidmonthly);or$5peruser,permonth(paidannually—2monthsfree!)What’sgreataboutCacooCacooisagreatwireframingtoolforcreatingbothlow-andmid-fidelitywires.It’scloudbasedandheavyonteamcollaborationwithqualitypresentationtoolsandwaystoshareyourideaswithcolleagues.There’sagoodamountoftemplatestochoosefromaswellasotherfeaturesforcreatinguserflows,prototypes,anddiagrams.Thefreetrialisontheshortersidebutitoffersunlimitedusersandupto25pagesorprojects—prettygenerous!EspeciallysinceCacoocanbeagreattoolfordesigntasksotherthanwireframes,suchasflowchartsorusertesting.ThedownsidestousingCacootowireframeThefreeversionisabitmorelimitedthanthesubscriptionandyoucanonlyexportprojectsasPNGfiles.Youalsocan’taccessyourworkonceyourfreetrialendssoyoumustbackitupelsewhereinordertosaveit.Someusershavereporteditscloud-basednaturetobeabitfrustratingasitcanlagormalfunctionifthey’renotusingaveryup-to-datecomputer.Furthermore,thereisabitofalearningcurvetousingCacooasthekeyboardshortcutsarenotasintuitiveasdesired.WhatareotherdesignerssayingaboutCacoo“Easytolearnanduse.Cacooletsyoumakefastandgreatdiagramsformanyusages.”“Usingagoodcomputerisneededforflawlessfunction.”AfinalwordSothereyouhaveit,ourpicksforthetopninefreewireframingtools.Eachsoftwarehasitsownuniquefeaturestohelpyouproduceprofessional-lookingwiresquicklyandefficiently.Andwhiletheyallhavetheirdownsides,findingtherightwireframingtoolwilldependonyouoryourteam’sindividualneeds.Ifyou’reabouttostartcreatingyourveryfirstwireframe,IreallyrecommendwatchingthisvideotutorialbyseniorUXdesignerDeeScarano.Ifyou’dlikesomeinspirationasyoucreateyourwireframes,checkoutourfavoriteexamplesofwebsiteandappwireframes.Andifyou’dliketolearnmoreaboutUXdesignandwireframing,checkoutthesearticles:HowToMakeWireframesForMobileAppsAndWebsites—AndWhat’sTheDifference?UserFlowsvs.Wireframes:What’stheDifference,andWhenShouldYouUseThem?What’sTheDifferenceBetweenaWireframe,aPrototype,andaMockup?Andifyou’relookingforotherresources,herearethebestUXdesignresourcesforbeginners.RelatedUXDesignArticlesUXDesignCanYouTeachYourselfUXDesign?Here’sHowJune24,2022-13minutesreadUXDesignApplyingDesignThinkingtoWickedProblemsJune10,2022-14minutesreadUXDesignWhat’stheDifferenceBetweentheGoogleUXDesignCertificateandtheCareerFoundryUXDesignProgram?June24,2022-15minutesread