Finding the best wireframe tools can take time as there are now more wireframe tools on the market than ever, each offering differing levels of functionality. The process of creating an app or website is made fundamentally easier with wireframe tools as it visually strips the product down and enables all involved to focus purely on user interactivity and functions.
Wireframe tools also help your clients to understand how your proposed app or website will work much more comprehensively than simply explaining to them verbally or in writing, lessening the room for error because no-one is having to rely on their imaginations to understand the suggested functions.
01. Miro
- Platform: macOS, iOS, Windows
- Price: From free / $8 (team)
- Download here
Miro is a collaboration system that creates a hub for remote teams to work within. With impressive tools such as an infinite whiteboard, widgets and prebuilt templates, it claims to standardize the digital workspace to make it feel like everyone is in the same room.
It presents an entire toolkit for a wireframing, user story or customer journey maps, as well as brainstorming processes. Miro also integrates with over 20 applications including Slack, Jira, Google Drive, and Sketch, creating a seamless experience. With over two million users worldwide, it's definitely hitting the right mark.
02. Wireframe.cc
- Platform: Web browser
- Price: From free / $16 (solo)
- Download here
Wireframe.cc offers a simple interface for sketching your wireframes that eschews the toolbars and icons of a typical drawing app and has therefore made it to our best wireframe tools list.
There's a limited color palette to help you avoid that particular avenue of procrastination, and UI elements are context-sensitive and only appear when you need them. Whether or not you enjoy this is a matter of personal taste.
03. Adobe Xd
- Platform: macOS, Windows
- Price: From free to $19.99 per month as part of Adobe Creative Cloud
- Download here
Adobe Xd allows you to wireframe as just part of its suite of prototyping tools, which takes you through the whole process of sketching wireframes; collaboration with your team; creating site maps, flowcharts, and storyboards; building functional prototypes; and much more. You can try Adobe Xd out for free but as usual, you need a Creative Cloud subscription to take full advantage of Xd's incredible smorgasbord of features.
04. UXPin
- Platform: Web browser
- Price: From free (basic) / from $23 per user per month (premium)
- Download here
You can put together wireframes in UXPin at top speed by dragging and dropping custom elements. There are regularly updated libraries for Bootstrap, Foundation, iOS, and Android, and your wireframes can be quickly converted to high-fidelity mockups. From there you can create fully interactive and animated prototypes of your final product.
Alternatively, you can also start your designs in Photoshop CC or Sketch and import into UXPin for prototyping. To support the full UX process, you can then create and pin documentation to your prototypes and auto-generate specs and style guides for developers.
05. Fluid UI
- Platform: a Web browser and desktop client on Mac/Windows/Linux, plus the Android/IOS app to preview designs
- Price: From $8.25 (solo)
- Download here
Fluid UI has built-in libraries with over 2000 built components for iOS, Android, Windows and more, and pages are created by dragging in elements from these libraries.
This system provides a great way for you to map out your projects visually by creating links to join screens, forming a diagram of how everything fits together. Hovering over a link gives you the option to change the kind of transition you're using.
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