The best wireframe tools in 2022 - Creative Bloq

The best wireframe tools · 01. UXPin · 02. Adobe XD · 03. Axure RP · 04. Balsamiq Mockups · 05. Sketch · 06. Photoshop · 07. Justinmind · 08. Wireframe. Skiptomaincontent CreativeBloq CreativeBloqARTANDDESIGNINSPIRATION Search Signin Subscribe (opensinnewtab) (opensinnewtab) (opensinnewtab) (opensinnewtab) (opensinnewtab) DesignMagazineSubscriptions(opensinnewtab)(opensinnewtab)Whysubscribe?Exclusiveinsightfromtheworld'sleadingcreativesTryasingleissueorsaveonasubscriptionIssuesdeliveredstraighttoyourdoorordeviceFrom£6.99(opensinnewtab)View(opensinnewtab) News Howto Features Buyingguides Reviews Magazines ImagineFX 3DWorld Events Vertex BrandImpactAwards AboutUs TrendingGraphicDesignDigitalArtCraftsAdobedealsUXcourseApple CreativeBloqissupportedbyitsaudience.Whenyoupurchasethroughlinksonoursite,wemayearnanaffiliatecommission.Here’swhyyoucantrustus Includedinthisguide:1UXPinView(opensinnewtab)2AdobeCreativeCloudCheckPrice(opensinnewtab)3AxureRPView(opensinnewtab)4BalsamiqMockupsView(opensinnewtab)5BohemianCodingSketchView(opensinnewtab)6AdobeCreativeCloudCheckPrice(opensinnewtab)7JustinmindView(opensinnewtab)8Wireframe.ccView(opensinnewtab)9InvisionStudioView(opensinnewtab)10AdobeInDesignCCCheckPrice(opensinnewtab) (Imagecredit:AlvaroReyesviaUnsplash) Thebestwireframetoolscanallowyoutonailthedesignofawebsiteorappfromthestart.Therearetoolsdesignedspecificallywiththisinmind,thateitherservetomakeaquickroughoutlineofadesignortoproducesomethingclosertoafullyfunctioningprototype.However,youcanalsobuildwireframesingeneral-purposedesignsoftwaresuchasAdobe'sapps.Thiscanhavetheadvantageofenablingyoutodevelopthewholedesignprocessononeplatform.Whichtochoose?Well,inthisguide,weofferrecommendationsforthebestwireframetoolsinbothofthesecampsbasedonourownreviews.We'vereviewedbothspecificwireframetoolsandgeneraldesignsoftwarethatyoucanuseforwireframing,evaluatingtheirinterfacesforeaseofuseandtestingoutthepoweroftheirfeaturestocreateourownwireframesinordertochooseourtoppicsasthebestwireframetoolsoverall. Rememberthatifit'sawebsiteyouwanttodesign,youcanalsodevelopasiteveryeasilybyusingawebsitebuilder.Formorerecommendedtools,seeourguidestowebdesigntoolsandthebestlaptopsforprogramming.Thebestwireframetools(Imagecredit:UXPin)01.UXPinThebestwireframetooloverallSpecificationsPlatform:WebbrowserFreetrial:YesPrice:From$19pereditorpermonthToday'sBestDealsVisitSite(opensinnewtab)Reasonstobuy+Intuitiveinterface+ReadsSketchandPSfiles+ToppresentationtoolsReasonstoavoid-NofreeversionOurtopchoiceasthebestwireframetooloverallisUXPin(opensinnewtab).Thisisadedicatedwireframingtoolwithawonderfullyintuitiveinterface.IthascleariconsandasolidlibraryofUIelementsyoucandraganddropintoyourwireframes,aswellascomponentsforBootstrap,Foundation,iOSandAndroid.YoucanimportandexportfilestoSketchandPhotoshop,whichgivesyoutheoptiontodevelopyourwireframesintofullprototypesfurtherdowntheline. ItsMergefeatureallowsyoutoeasilydesignwithcodeelementstocreatehighlyrealisticprototypes,andAutoLayoutcutsdownonrepetitivetasks.Italsooffersgreatcollaborationfeaturestoallowyoutoworkonwireframeswithothersandtop-notchlivepresentationtoolsforshowingyourdesignstoclients.It'seasyenoughtopickupforbeginnersandpackedwithadvancedtoolsforthemoreexperienced,makingUXPinaclearchoiceasthebestwireframetoolformostuses.(Imagecredit:Adobe)02.AdobeXDThebestcompletedesigntoolforwireframingSpecificationsPlatform:MacOS,Windows,Android,ioSFreetrial:No,butlimitedfreeversionPrice:From$9.99/£10.42permonth(singleapp)or$52.99/£49.94permonthaspartofCreativeCloudToday'sBestDealsRecommendedRetail...CreativeCloudAllApps(opensinnewtab)£49.94/mth(opensinnewtab)CreativeCloudPhotography(opensinnewtab)£9.98/mth(opensinnewtab)CreativeCloudSingleApp(opensinnewtab)£19.97/mth(opensinnewtab)VisitSite(opensinnewtab)atAdobe(opensinnewtab)Reasonstobuy+Cross-platform +CreativeCloudintegration +AdvancedfeaturesReasonstoavoid-FullversionrequiressubscriptionIfyou'dprefertooptforamoregeneraldesigntool,AdobeXDcanbeusedforeverythingfromcreatingsitemaps,flowchartsandstoryboardstobuildingfunctionalprototypes,butithasaheavyfocusonfacilitatingeasywireframesketchingfordesigners. Thisvector-baseddesigntoolfromAdobewascreatedasadirectcompetitortoSketchandisavailableforbothMacandWindows.It’sfullyinteroperablewithotherAdobetoolssuchasPhotoshopandIllustrator,aswellasservicessuchasAdobeFontsandAdobeStock. WhenwereviewedAdobeXD,wewereimpressedwithfeatureslikethe‘RepeatGrid’forfastdesign,auto-animation,voicetriggersandstrongcollaborationtools.YoucantryAdobeXDforfree,butyou'llneedaCreativeCloudsubscriptiontoaccessallthefeatures.SeeourmoredetailedAdobeXDreviewformoredetails.(Imagecredit:Axure)03.AxureRPThebestwireframetoolforUXprosSpecificationsPlatform:MacOS,WindowsFreetrial:YesPrice:From$25(pro)peruserpermonthToday'sBestDealsVisitSite(opensinnewtab)Reasonstobuy+Buildworkingprototypes +Advancedfeatures Reasonstoavoid-Learningcurve -MaybeoverkillAxureRP(opensinnewtab)isadedicatedwireframetoolthatallowsyoutocreatebothlow-fiwireframes,andhigh-fidelitywireframeswithextrafunctionality.YoucancraftinteractiveHTMLmockupsforbothwebsitesandappsandviewyourappdesignonyourphonewithabuilt-insharefunction. UsedbythelikesofMicrosoft,AmazonandtheBBC,thisadvancedtoolofferssymboloverridefeatures,adeveloperinspectmode,animationeffects,cloudstorageandsharing,CSSexportinganddocumentation.It'sagreatchoiceforexperiencedUXprofessionalslookingtohandofftheirdesignstodevelopers. (Imagecredit:Balsamic)04.BalsamiqMockupsThebestwireframetoolforlow-fidesignsSpecificationsPlatform:Mac,Windows,Linux,webbrowserFreetrial:YesPrice:From$89foroneuserfordesktop;from$9/monthforwebversionToday'sBestDealsVisitSite(opensinnewtab)Reasonstobuy+Quicktouse +Keepsthingssimple +Smalllearningcurve Reasonstoavoid-Onlylow-fiwireframesIfyou'relookingforsomethingspecificallyforroughlow-fiwireframing,BalsamiqMockups(opensinnewtab)makesitreallyeasytogetstarted,evenifyouhavenopreviousexperience.Thesoftwareusesseveraldrag-and-dropelements,frombuttonstolists,eachstyledasahand-drawing,andyoucanseewhatyourwireframewilllooklikeacrossvariousscreensizes.Collaborationtoolsandusertestingarenicelyintegrated,makingBalsamiqagreatchoiceforbothnon-techiesandleanUXteams.We’drecommenditforanyonelookingtoputtogettogetheraquicklow-fiwireframeratherthanafullpolishedprototype. (Imagecredit:Sketch)05.SketchAcompletedesigntoolwithastrongfocusonUISpecificationsPlatform:MacFreetrial:YesPrice:$99Today'sBestDealsCheckAmazon(opensinnewtab)VisitSite(opensinnewtab)Reasonstobuy+StrongUIfocus +Lightweight +IntuitiveinterfaceReasonstoavoid-Mac-onlySinceitslaunchbackin2010,Sketchhasrevolutionisedwireframingandprototyping,anditremainslaser-focusedonUIandiconvectordesign. Lightweightandeasytouse,ithasafantasticallysimple,intuitiveinterface. We'vefoundittobeanexcellenttoolformakingbasicwireframes,withitsSymbolfeatureallowingyoutorepeatelementsautomaticallyacrossyourlayout.Andifyouwanttobuildafullprototype,therearecountlessthird-partyUIkitstodownload.UnlikeAdobe'sapps,Sketchisavailableforaone-offfeewithnosubscription.Itisn’tavailableforWindows,butifyou’reaMacuserit’sdefinitelyworthconsidering.SeeourfullSketchreviewformoreonwhatweliked.(Imagecredit:Adobe)06.PhotoshopTheindustrystandardfordigitaldesignSpecificationsPlatform:Windows,MacFreetrial:YesPrice:From$19.99permonthaspartofAdobeCreativeCloudToday'sBestDealsRecommendedRetail...CreativeCloudAllApps(opensinnewtab)£49.94/mth(opensinnewtab)CreativeCloudPhotography(opensinnewtab)£9.98/mth(opensinnewtab)CreativeCloudSingleApp(opensinnewtab)£19.97/mth(opensinnewtab)VisitSite(opensinnewtab)atAdobe(opensinnewtab)Reasonstobuy+Industrystandard+Creativecloudintegration+Feature-richReasonstoavoid-LackselementlibrariesPhotoshopistheindustrystandardwhenitcomestodesigningeneral,anditsaprogramthatalotofusalreadyuseeveryday.Itdoesn'tofferanyspecificwireframefeatures,butthatdoesn'tmeanyoucan’tuseitforwireframing.Indeed,sinceit’ssonicelyintegratedwithotherAdobetools,andservicessuchasAdobeFontsandAdobeStock,thatyoumayfindPhotoshoptobeoneofthebestwireframetoolsforyouifyou’realreadyfamiliarwiththesoftware. Itdoesn’tofferthekindofresourcesyougetindedicatedwireframetools,suchaslibrariesofinterfaceelements.However,wefindthatPhotoshopissopackedwithfeaturesthatwecandoeverythingfromsketchingoutquickideastogroupingvariouselementsandlayerstocreatearobustwireframe.SeeourfullPhotoshopreviewformoredetails.(Imagecredit:Justinmind)07.JustinmindThebestwireframeandprototypetoolfornon-techiesSpecificationsPlatform:MacOS,WindowsFreetrial:No,butlimitedfreeversionPrice:From$9permonthToday'sBestDealsVisitSite(opensinnewtab)Reasonstobuy+Buildworkingprototypes +Suitableforbeginners +FreeversionReasonstoavoid-LearningcurveJustinmind(opensinnewtab)isanotherflexibletoolthatcanbeusedtobuildeverythingfromroughwireframestoworkingprototypes.However,thistoolismuchmoresuitablefornon-techiesthanprooptionssuchasAxureRP(numberthreeinourlistofthebestwireframetools). ItincludesalibraryofUIelements,frombuttonsandformstogenericshapesandarangeofwidgetsforiOS,SAPandAndroid. Itofferscustomstyling,soyoucanaddroundedcorners,croppedimagesorcolourgradients,orimportgraphicsbydraggingthemintothebrowser.PrototypescanbeexportedasHTML.There’sevenafree-foreverversionofthesoftwarewithlimitedfeatures.(Imagecredit:Wireframe.cc)08.Wireframe.ccThebestbrowser-basedwireframetoolSpecificationsPlatform:WebbrowserFreetrial:YesPrice:From$12permonthToday'sBestDealsVisitSite(opensinnewtab)Reasonstobuy+Keepsthingssimple +Removesdistractions +Nothingtodownload Reasonstoavoid-Lacksfeatures(albeitonpurpose)WeallknowtheKISSprinciple:‘Keepitsimple,stupid’,andifyouwanttoapplythatapproachtowireframing,Wireframe.cc(opensinnewtab)maybethetoolyou'relookingfor.Thebestbrowser-basedwireframetool,itoffersasimpleinterfaceforsketchingwireframes,castingasidethetoolbarsandiconsthatareusedinmostapps,sothere’snothingtoslowyoudown.There'salsoalimitedcolourpalettetohelpyouavoidthatparticularavenueofprocrastination.Moreover,UIelementsarecontext-sensitiveandonlyappearwhenyouneedthem,makingitahighlystreamlinedwireframeexperience.(Imagecredit:Invision)09.InvisionStudioDesignsoftwarewithstrongcollaborationandresponsivefeaturesSpecificationsPlatform:Windows,MacFreetrial:No,butlimitedfreeplanPrice:From$7.95peractiveuserpermonthToday'sBestDealsVisitSite(opensinnewtab)Reasonstobuy+Easytouse +IntegrateswithInvisionFreehand +Freeversion Reasonstoavoid-Doesn’tintegratewithmanytoolsInvisionStudiomaynotbeasfeature-richasAdobeXD,butithaseverythingyou'llneedforcreatingwireframes,andit’sparticularlystrongwhenitcomestoresponsivedesignfeatures.ThetoolintegratesnicelywithInvisionFreehandforreal-timecollaborationwithothers.Theinterfaceisfairlyeasytogetusedto,andthepreloadediconsaresleekandnicelydesigned.Withhandyfeatureslikecomments,transitions,anddesktopsyncing,thisisaverycapabletoolforbuildingeverythingfromlow-fiwireframestofull-featuredprototypes.There'salimitedfreeplan,whiletheProplanwithunlimiteddocumentsandupto15activeusersstartsat$7.95/monthperuser.(Imagecredit:Adobe)10.InDesignAdesktoppublishingtoolthatcanworkgreatmakingwireframesSpecificationsPlatform:Windows,MacFreetrial:YesPrice:From$19.99permonthaspartofAdobeCreativeCloudToday'sBestDealsAdobeInDesignCC(opensinnewtab)£19.97/mth(opensinnewtab)VisitSite(opensinnewtab)atAdobe(opensinnewtab)Reasonstobuy+DesigninteractivePDFs+Createyourownlibraries+CreativeCloudintegrationReasonstoavoid-LackselementlibrariesLikePhotoshop,AdobeInDesignisanotherAdobetoolthatisn'tspecificallydesignedtocreatewireframes,butwe'vefounditperfectlycapableofdoingso.Whileit'sstillbyfarthemostpopulardesktoppublishingsoftwarearound,InDesignnolongerfocusesonlyonprintdesign.ItcanalsobeusedtocreatezippyinteractivePDFswithanimations,videoandobjectstates. WhileInDesign'sdigitalfunctionsaremainlyusedforcreatinge-books,e-brochuresande-magazines,they'realsoverycapableofcraftingwireframesandmockups.Thesoftwareincludestheabilitytocreatelibrariesofpageelements,soyoucancreatecollectionsofreusableUIgraphicstoo.SeeourfullInDesignreviewformoredetails.Whichisthebestwireframetool?Webelievetheoptionslistedabovearethebestwireframetoolsaround.They'reallsolid,highlyrecommendedoptionsthatcanallowyoutocreaterobustwireframesforyourdesigns.Whichoptionisbestforyoudependsonyourexperienceandonhowyouwanttowork. Ifyouwantatoolspecificallyforwireframingwithspecialfeaturesintendedfortheprocess,you'llprobablywanttogoforoneofthededicatedwireframetools.Ifyou'reanewcomerwithlittleexperience,anintuitive,relativelysimpleinterfacelikethatofUXPin,BalsamiqMockupsorJustinmindmaybethebestchoicehere.However,ifyou'reanexperiencedUIorUIprofessionalyoumaypreferanoptionlikeAzureRP. Meanwhile,ifyou'dprefertousejustoneappforthewholedesignprocessfromstarttofinish,ratherthanswitchingacrossdifferentsoftware,youmaypreferanall-rounddesigntoollikeAdobePhotoshop,especiallyifyou'realreadyfamiliarwiththesoftware.LearnallaboutUXinourUXDesignFoundationscoursewithParsonsSchoolofDesign(Imagecredit:Future)WanttolearnmoreaboutusingUXdesign?Signupforour UXDesignFoundationscourse(opensinnewtab) today.Today'sbestAdobeCreativeClouddealsRecommendedRetail...ReducedPrice(opensinnewtab)CreativeCloudAllApps(opensinnewtab)£49.94(opensinnewtab)£49.94/mth(opensinnewtab)View(opensinnewtab)Wecheckover250millionproductseverydayforthebestpricesReadmore:Thebestwebsitebuilders11amazinggraphicalJavaScriptframeworksWriteHTMLcodefaster Thankyouforreading5articlesthismonth*JoinnowforunlimitedaccessEnjoyyourfirstmonthforjust£1/$1/€1 Joinnow Alreadyhaveanaccount?Signinhere *Read5freearticlespermonthwithoutasubscription JoinnowforunlimitedaccessTryfirstmonthforjust£1/$1/€1 Joinnow Alreadyhaveanaccount?Signinhere TomMay (opensinnewtab) (opensinnewtab) (opensinnewtab) (opensinnewtab) TomMayisanaward-winningjournalistandeditorspecialisingindesign,photographyandtechnology.AuthoroftheAmazon#1bestsellerGreatTEDTalks:Creativity(opensinnewtab),publishedbyPavilionBooks,TomwaspreviouslyeditorofProfessionalPhotographymagazine,associateeditoratCreativeBloq,anddeputyeditoratnetmagazine. Today,heisaregularcontributortoCreativeBloqanditssistersitesDigitalCameraWorld,T3.comandTechRadar.HealsowritesforCreativeBoomandworksoncontentmarketingprojects.  Topics Wireframes WebDesign Apps Adobe Software Tools UX post-bf Webdesign Relatedarticles 6reasonstosignupforourUXDesignFoundationsCourse ThebestPS5externalharddrives:topPlayStation5storageoptions Thebest4Kmonitorsin2022:topDell,LGandSamsungUltraHDdisplays Thebestultrawidemonitorin2022 GetWeeklyTipsandInspiration SignupbelowtogetthelatestfromCreativeBloq,plusexclusivespecialoffers,directtoyourinbox! 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