12 Prototyping Tools for Designers in 2021

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Here are some of the best UI design tools around. A selection of the best UI design tools will help out with almost every design process, and should meet your creative requirements. Now is a great time to find out what’s available to help design and then showcase your projects, and explore new tools.

But which UI design tools should you use? Recently, a combination of Sketch and InVision has been a popular choice for many designers, but other tools offer competitive features and option, too. Since there’s now an abundance of prototyping and wireframe tools out there, you’ve got choices to make. You can head to my specific list of wireframe tools for more information.

1. MockFlow

MockFlow is a suite of applications that are very helpful for a number of tasks in the typical project process. Primarily, the WireframePro app is a good alternative prototyping tool for you to use, especially if you’re testing out some new ideas.

If you just need to create wireframes, then take a look at MockFlow. It’s great for working on initial ideas and enables you to build basic layouts quickly, which is sometimes all you need to get thoughts into a presentable form.

2. Balsamiq

If rapid wireframing is what you’re looking for, then Balsamiq is a strong suggestion. You can quickly develop structure and layouts for your projects with ease. The drag-and-drop elements make life easier and you can link buttons to other pages. This means you can quickly start to plan your interfaces and then share them with your team or clients.

3. Axure

Axure has always been one of the best wireframing tools on the market and is great for more complex projects that require dynamic data. With Axure, you can really focus on mocking up projects that are more technical and require extra attention when it comes to structure and data.

4. Adobe Comp

Adobe Comp is a nice addition for those that find themselves creating and conceptualising on the go. Got a tablet with a smart pencil? This will be worth the download just in case inspiration strikes for developing a new concept for a layout when you are away from your main workspace.

5. Sketch

Sketch is a very popular tool within the design community that enables you to create hi-fi interfaces and prototypes. One of the great features is Symbols, where you can design UI assets and elements for reuse. This helps create design systems and keep your interfaces consistent. From there, you can easily export your design into a clickable prototype. If you are an InVision user, make sure you check out the Craft plugin (more on that below).

If you want to make your design system seamlessly shareable, make sure your cloud storage is up to scratch.

6. InVision Studio

Many UI designers’ dreams are about to come true with InVision Studio. Still in its early release, this tool will help you create beautiful interactive interfaces with a bucket load of features. You can create custom animations and transitions from a number of gestures and interactions. To top that, you can stop thinking about creating numerous artboards for multiple devices because responsive design can be achieved within a single artboard. This saves loads of time, so you can think of more ideas.

7. Craft

If you use Sketch or Photoshop for UI design, you need to be using Craft. This plugin does everything, seamlessly syncing your files with your Invision prototypes, and populating your mock ups with real data and stock photography.

8. Proto.io

Proto.io is an incredible contender for creating lifelike prototypes from rough ideas right through to fully fledged designs. The tool also provides a lot of possibilities for your projects, including detailed animations and custom vector animations too. You can start by developing initial ideas with a hand-drawn style, then work them into wireframes and finish off with a high-fidelity prototype. The Sketch and Photoshop plugins really help if you want to design using other tools but Proto.io does handle the end-to-end design process well. Other features like user testing will also help validate your designs. This is an all-in-one place solution with a great number of trusted brands already using it.

9. Adobe XD

Adobe XD offers the best environment for digital projects under the Adobe Creative Cloud collection of design tools. If you’re a keen Adobe user and new to XD, you may not find the interface very Adobe-like to begin with – it is a jump if you’ve been designing in Photoshop for a while. But it does stack up to the other leading tools out there, and is worth it if you are a big Adobe fan.

10. Marvel

Marvel is another prototyping tool that’s a great choice when it comes to producing quick ideas and refining an interface. As with many of the other applications of this type, Marvel offers a really neat way of building pages and enables you to simulate your design through a prototype. There are some wonderful integrations with Marvel, which means you can insert your designs into your project workflow.

11. Framer X

Framer X is a really exciting new design tool that is certainly worth a look for experienced UI designers who want more from their tools. Prototyping and creating interactions is really easy. If you’re a big React fan, then look no further as you can design and code in sync. Besides being a great tool, there’s a strong community of designers behind Framer X offering UI assets and kits.

12. ProtoPie

ProtoPie enables you to create quite complex interactions and get pretty close to how you would want your design to work. Perhaps the most standout feature is the ability to control the sensors of smart devices in your prototype, such as tilt, sound, compass and 3D Touch sensors. Depending on your project, this is a great tool for encompassing native app features. It’s easy as pie with no code required.