UPDATE (3 Jul 2023): The LottieFiles for Adobe XD plugin has been discontinued.
In a recent move, Adobe has decided to sunset Adobe XD as a standalone app from its Creative Cloud suite. This move has raised questions among designers and creatives about its impact on their UX production, especially for digital products on mobile devices.
While Adobe continues to support existing customers, you might want to explore and consider switching to other alternatives. Doing so can enhance your design process and improve the efficiency of your creative teams. In this article, we will look at some similar wireframing tools you can use alternatively for your design projects.
What is Adobe XD?
Adobe XD (Adobe Experience Design) is a powerful and easy-to-use vector-based experience design platform.It is used for creating user experience (UX) and user interface (UI) designs, as well as for prototyping, making it suitable for businesses and teams of all sizes. It allows designers to share, test, and collaborate with others to create wireframes and screen designs.
Best Adobe XD Alternatives
Adobe's UX/UI design platform has been removed from the Creative Cloud launcher and is no longer accessible as a standalone app. However, this is okay, as numerous alternative design tools are at your disposal. Here's a list of some of our favorite alternatives.
Figma
Platform: Web-based, macOS, Windows. Linux, Chrome OS | iOS app, Android app
Price:
- Starter plan: Free up to 3 prototypes
- Professional Plan: Starts at $12 per editor/month for unlimited prototypes
- Organization Plan: Starts at $45 per editor/month for unlimited prototypes
- Enterprise Plan: Starts at $75 per editor/month for advanced design and more
Figma is one of the leading design tools for UI design and prototyping. Its standout features truly set it apart. What elevates Figma's brilliance is its strong focus on collaboration, giving it a notable edge over Adobe XD.
Gone are the days of struggling with version control and manual cloud syncing. Figma introduces a smarter approach by enabling users to easily access the latest design revisions directly from their browser. This feature makes transitioning from Adobe XD to Figma appealing, given the product's versatility.
Figma is also known for its open integration capabilities. With external plugins such as the LottieFiles and IconScout plugins, you can conveniently access our vast library of design assets featuring Lottie animations, icons, illustrations and 3D illustrations right within Figma, along with many other nifty plugins.
InVision
Platform: Web-based, macOS, Windows. Linux| iOS app, Android app
Price:
- Free plan: Free (1 prototype, 3 boards)
- Starter Plan: Starts at $13 per month for 3 prototypes and 3 boards
- Professional Plan: Starts at $22 per month for unlimited prototypes and boards
- Team Plan: Starts at $89 per month for unlimited prototypes and boards and the addition of four team members
- Enterprise Plan: Pay per user, unlimited user, storage and more
Tailor-made by designers for mobile app creators, InVision is a versatile digital UI design app with a strong focus on cross-platform functionality. Its user-friendly interface and flexible vector capabilities allow for an easy creation of prototypes and UI designs.
Alongside features like responsive design and rapid prototyping, InVision offers on-the-go design feedback through iOS and Android apps. Notably, it stands out with features like layer styling, extensive asset libraries, and seamless integration with popular video calling software like Zoom and Microsoft Teams, for collaborative brainstorming.
Sketch
Platform: Web-based, macOS | iPhone app
Price:
- Free plan: 30-day trial
- Standard Plan: Starts at $10 per editor/month
- Business Plan: Starts at $20 per editor/month, ideal for a team of 25 editors
- Mac-only license: Buy at $120 per license
Sketch is a UI design software that captured the hearts of the design communities. It has enabled designers to create impeccable UI designs. Notably, Sketch stand out with its remarkable plugin functionality, such as Sketch2React, which streamlines and simplifies design-to-prototype transitions, especially for those working in a React environment.
What's special about Sketch goes beyond plugins. Its smooth interface, honed through years of development, sets a fluid and intuitive stage for designers.
Proto.io
Platform: Web-based, mobile browser | iOS app, Android app
Price:
- Free plan: 15-day trial
- Freelancer Plan: Starts at $34 per month for 5 active projects
- Startup Plan: Starts at $40 per month for 2 users and 10 active projects
- Agency Plan: Starts at $80 per month for 5 users and 15 active projects
- Startup Plan: Starts at $160 per month for 10 users and 30 active projects
- Enterprise Plan: Tailored plan for unlimited projects
Proto.io is an online tool for designing and prototyping, mainly focused on mobile apps. Its drag-and-drop editor makes creating prototypes easy. It offers features like screen transitions, animations, design elements, and interactive functions to enhance UI creations.
Just like other top-notch design tools, Proto.io seamlessly integrates with third-party tools like Validately, Userlytics, and Lookback.Additionally, it allows users to import designs from Adobe Photoshop and Sketch. Though it includes collaboration features, it's limited to collecting feedback through comments.
Draftium
Platform: Web-based
Price:
- Free plan: Free up to 3 prototypes
- Pro Plan: Starts at $99 per year for unlimited prototypes
- Agency Plan: Tailored plan
Draftium is a free, web-based alternative to Adobe XD. It covers the majority of functions and design capabilities. By default, it comes with over 300 prototype templates and around 200 blocks.
It's great for both newcomers and seasoned designers. The easy-to-use layout lets anyone choose a template and create a prototype. With real-time collaboration, it's smooth for developers, clients, and teams to talk. Simply leave comments, review comment history, and speed up your work.
UXPin
Platform: Web-based, macOS, Windows | iOS app, Android app
Price:
- Free plan: 14-day trial
- Advanced Plan: Starts at $29 per editor/month for unlimited prototypes
- Professional Plan: Starts at $69 per editor/month for design systems
- Company Plan: Starts at $119 per editor/month for 30-day version history
- Enterprise Plan: Tailored plan for unlimited version history, training and more
UXPin stands strong as another prototyping alternative for Adobe XD. What sets it apart is its approach to design from the code side. In simple words, you can develop and customize your design using code components. This flexibility adds a dynamic touch to prototypes, moving beyond basic screen or art board transitions.
UXPin is compatible with both Windows and Mac operating systems and has apps for Android and iOS so you can preview prototypes offline by scanning a QR code. Other notable features include advanced prototyping and interactive elements, contributing to an impressive design experience.
Wondershare Mockitt
Platform: Web-based, macOS, Windows, Ubuntu | iOS app, Android app
Price:
- Free plan: Free for 3 files and 3 pages per prototype
- Professional Plan: Starts at $8 per editor/month for 100 files and 3000 pages per prototype
- Enterprise Plan: Starts at $12 per editor/month for unlimited files and pages per prototype
Wondershare Mockitt offers an effortless user experience, presenting a free substitute to Adobe XD. You can upgrade from the free version to access more advanced and powerful features.
Key features include an extensive asset library, user-friendly UI design tools, interactive prototypes, automated code generation, real-time inspection via URLs, and developer-friendly handoffs. In addition to this it also includes collaborative elements that allow you to comment online and share with stakeholders.
Justinmind
Platform: Web-based, macOS, Windows | iOS app, Android app
Price:
- Free plan: Free for unlimited projects and views
- Started Plan: Starts at $9 per editor/month for advance collaboration
- Professional Plan: Starts at $19 per editor/month for templates and masters
- Enterprise Plan: Tailor planed for a smooth collaboration
JustinMind is a prototyping tool dedicated for high-fidelity prototypes. It features drawing tools and a convenient drag-and-drop interface, along with various detachable features.
In addition, JustinMind provides regularly updated UI libraries. These ready-to-use UI elements are useful for wireframes apps before delving into actual design work. This time-saving approach enables more thorough testing and feedback collection during the prototype trial phase.
Moqups
Platform: Web-based, macOS, Windows | iOS app, Android app
Price:
- Free plan: Free up to 2 projects
- Solo Plan: Starts at $9 per month for unlimited projects
- Team Plan: Starts at $15 per month for 5 seats and real-time collaboration
- Unlimited Plan: Starts at $40 per month for unlimited team
Moqups stands as an online solution for crafting wireframes, mockups, and UI design prototypes. This web-based platform streamlines the entire process, enabling a seamless transition from diagrams to interactive prototypes, and eliminating, eliminating the need for third-party tools.
Just like its counterparts, Moqups supports collaborative features, enabling teams to access and interact regardless of location, making feedback and suggestions a breeze. Additionally, it has a decent built-in icon and stencils library along with an array of editing tools that enhance the design process.
Zeplin
Platform: Web-based, macOS, Windows | iOS app, Android app
Price:
- Free plan: Free up to 1 project
- Team Plan: Starts at $8 per seat/month for 12 projects
- Organization Plan: Starts at $16 per seat/month for unlimited projects
- Enterprise Plan: Tailored plan for unlimited projects
Zeplin offers a code-oriented design alternative to Adobe XD. Your components can be easily sourced from repositories like Storybook, Github, Bitbucket, and SourceForge, ensuring you are always code-ready. Not only can you access code snippets for initialization, but you can also review component summaries within your designs.
Beyond this, Zeplin provides external integrations with project management and team collaboration tools such as Jira, Trello, and Slack. It also seamlessly connects with other design platforms like Figma, Photoshop, and Sketch.
What’s next?
Ultimately, choose the tool that feels most comfortable and suits your design requirements. For our existing subscribers still using Adobe XD, we regret to announce that our LottieFiles plugin no longer supports Adobe XD.
However, here's the silver lining: you're in good hands. You can still access an array of incredible animations, icons, 3D illustrations, and vector illustrations on IconScout. The IconScout plugin remains your go-to resource for all your design asset needs.
As you embark on your creative journey, remember that the world of design is full of exciting possibilities and tools waiting to be explored... Happy designing!
