Comparison of software prototyping tools

Software prototyping tools are used to quickly create software prototypes simulating key aspects of the final product, while ignoring others (like textual and media content, interactivity, real implementation). The article only includes dedicated applications, not paper tools, UI libraries or popular software repurposed for prototyping.

General-purpose

These tools have the broadest feature set, namely some level of visual fidelity, interactivity and any sort of prototyping aid (built-in widgets, masters, library support, etc.)

Some clarifications on the vocabulary:

Visual Interactivity Time savers Communication
Name Platform Visual fidelity Theme manager Icon set hand-drawn style Event handling Transitions Widget behavior custom state navigation flowchart Scripting Dynamic data Simple widgets Complex widgets Library Template Master Layout Positioning aids Collaboration Specification Annotations Version control Export Misc. Demo Cost
Antetype Web - Chrome, Firefox Low, High Yes Yes Yes Mouse No No No No No No Yes Yes Yes No Yes nested containers, fluid Yes No Yes No No HTML, picture, PDF, iOS, CSS Yes $189
Axure Windows, Mac OS High Yes No Yes Yes (mouse, keyboard, page, touch) Yes Yes Yes not automatic Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes No Yes SVN Yes Yes Yes HTML, picture Free Trial
UX App Browser based (windows+mac) High, Low No Yes Yes Mouse, Keyboard, Tap Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Free form, Desktop, Mobile Yes No Yes Yes Yes HTML, EMBED CODE(blogs/sites), PNG Yes Individual - $19, team - 99$
Atomic Windows, Mac OS High Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Custom CSS Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Web viewer, PNG Free trial, then from $15/month
CanvasFlip iPhone, Android, Windows,

Web, Desktop

Medium Yes

( Tap, Double Tap, Press & Hold, 3D Touch, Pinch, Zoom, Swipe )

Yes Yes Yes Yes

Automatic

Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes HTML, PNG, MP4 Record User Videos. Generates Conversion Funnel, Interaction heatmap just by sharing the prototype link
Flair builder Windows, Mac OS Medium No Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes No Yes No Yes No No Yes No Web viewer, picture, PDF, CSS $99
Fluid UI Web High No Yes No Yes, mobile Yes Yes Yes Yes No No Yes Yes Yes No No Yes Yes No No Page notes Yes HTML,PNG,SVG, Mobile tool from $12/month to $49/month
ForeUI Windows, Mac OS, Linux 15-days trial
HotGloo web Medium No Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes No Yes Yes Yes No Yes No Partial, no snapping or guides Real-time collaboration Yes Web viewer from $14/month to $54/month
Indigo Studio Windows, Mac OS Medium Yes Yes Custom shapes, Bézier curves Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Web sharing + comments
online workspaces
Yes No HTML, PNG, PDF Storyboards Yes Essential - free
Pro - $25/month
iRise Windows, Mac OS High Yes Yes No Yes (mouse, keyboard, page, touch) Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Real-time edit and annotations Yes Yes Revision tracking iDoc, Custom documentation (Word, Excel, etc.), Code export Integration with Requirements Management and ALM tools Yes Personal plans start at $49/mo
Just in mind Prototyper Pro Windows, Mac OS high Yes No No Yes (mouse, keyboard, page, touch) Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes, containers Yes Yes No No HTML, PNG, PDF Shareware version $19 per user/month
Kony 90-day trial
MacA&D and WinA&D Windows, Mac OS High No Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes No HTML, picture, PDF Yes $195
Maqetta Web high Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes No Yes Yes No Yes Yes, HTML flow mode Partial Review mode No No No HTML Switch between WYSIWYG and code views. Extensible with any CSS library. Project is suspended. Open Source (inactive)
Microsoft Blend Windows High Yes No Yes (Sketchflow) Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes (windows native) Yes Yes .NET, Silverlight Stand-alone application, installed with Visual Studio. See also Workflow
Mockplus Windows, Mac OS Low & Medium Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Partial Yes Yes Yes HTML,image, demo package Yes free trial,

$20/month for professional

Protoshare web High Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes HTML $29

Wireframing

These tools are mainly used to create "wireframes" or "zonings", i.e. simple prototypes with low interactivity (often only link between pages) and visual fidelity.

Name Platform Visual fidelity Icon set Mockup style Collaboration User testing Event handling Transitions Simple widgets Complex widgets Library master Specification Annotations Positioning aids Export Misc. Demo Cost
Atomic Windows, Mac OS High Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Web viewer, PNG Yes Free trial, then from $15/month
Balsamiq Windows, Mac OS Low Yes Yes Yes, integration with issue tracking tools No Partial, only links No Yes Yes Yes No No Yes Yes Web, image light-weight markup to populate widgets Yes $89
Fluid UI Web High Yes Yes Yes Yes, static Yes, screen-to-screen Yes Yes Yes No No Yes Yes PNG SVG HTML Yes $12
Framebox Web Low No No In-screen comments No No No Yes No No No No No No Web viewer Free
InVision 1 project
iPlotz Web, Windows, Mac (Adobe Air) Average Comment system, Project management Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Web viewer 1 project
Layout it! Web Average (customize with CSS) No No No No Partial No Yes No No No No No No Web viewer Boostrap-based Yes Free
Lumzy Web Low Yes No No Yes No Yes Yes No Yes No No Web viewer Versioning Yes popup-based
Mockflow Wireframe Pro Web, Windows, Mac OS (Adobe AIR) Low Yes real-time collaboration Partial No No Yes No Yes Rules web 1 project
MockingBird Web $9
mockups Me Windows, Mac OS, Linux, iOS $49-desktop,
web-based $99-$499/year[1]
Moqups Web low Yes Yes Yes No Partial No No Yes No No Yes PDF, PNG light-weight markup to populate widgets Yes $99
Pencil Project Mac OS, Windows, Linux average No No Partial No PNG, SVG, web, PDF Web GPLv2
Pidoco Web Yes real-time, rights management, comments, dashboard Screen sharing Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes HTML, mirroring image Api d'interface avec outils de tracking et de gestion de projet $12
Precursor Web Low Yes Yes Yes, real-time, chat, voice, private Yes Yes No No No No No No Yes Yes SVG, PNG Distraction-free, team chat, mobile-friendly Yes Free
QuirkTools Wires Web Comments, annotations
Software Ideas Modeler Windows Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes SVG, PNG, JPG, HTML Complex tool for software architecture Yes Free for non-commercial, 30-day trial
Solidify Yes 30-day trial
Uxpin Web High Yes Yes Contextual comments Yes Yes No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Web viewer, PDF, PNG, HTML, SMS Templates, Version control Yes $14.99/mo
Velositey Photoshop plugin Plugin for Photoshop
Wireframe Sketcher Mac OS, Windows, Linux, plugin for Eclipse Yes Yes links No Yes light-weight markup to populate widgets Single-User License : $99 /license
wireframe.cc Web
Wiremagic Illustrator plugin Plugin for Illustrator

Animation

The following tools focus on animation, often for mobile, and often by importing previously made static assets. Those with an * indicate you can either import or make assets within the tool.

See also

References

  1. "Pricing Plans". Retrieved 2016-01-15.
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