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:
- Widget behavior: moving or editing (e.g. changing the label in a field) at runtime
- Master: synchronising a master widget with its instances
- Layout: anything other than "absolute positioning on a canvas"
- Specification: generated documentation of content
- Annotations: In-screen documentation
- Positioning aids: align, distribute, guides, grouping, etc.
| 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.
- Adobe Animate
- Atomic
- Briefs
- CanvasFlip
- Composite
- Concept.ly
- Flinto
- Framer JS
- Form
- Avocado
- Pixate (discontinued)
- Origami
- proto.io
- Protosketch
- Realizer App
- Solidify
- Standin
- Tumult Hype
- UX-App]
See also
References
- ↑ "Pricing Plans". Retrieved 2016-01-15.
- CanvasFlip Pricing (Last updated: 15, March 2016)
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/21/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.