10 Best Adobe XD Alternatives Shortlist
Here’s my shortlist of the best Adobe XD alternatives:
Our one-on-one guidance will help you find the perfect fit.
As a product manager, you know the importance of having the right tools for prototyping and design. Adobe XD is popular, but it might not fit your team's unique needs. Maybe you're facing challenges with cross-platform and real-time collaboration, pricing, or specific features.
In my experience, finding the right alternative can make a big difference in your workflow and outcomes. I've evaluated various options to help you discover the best fit for your team.
In this article, I'll provide an unbiased review of top Adobe XD alternatives. You'll find insights into features, user experiences, and potential benefits, all aimed at helping you make an informed decision.
What Is Adobe XD?
Adobe XD is a prototyping tool designed for creating user interfaces and experiences. It's widely used by UI/UX designers, product managers, and developers to bring ideas to life. Features like vector design tools, interactive prototypes, and collaboration capabilities help with design precision, team communication, and user testing. Overall, Adobe XD provides a versatile platform for designing and refining digital products.
Best Adobe XD Alternatives Summary
This comparison chart summarizes pricing details for my top Adobe XD alternative selections to help you find the best one for your budget and business needs
Tool | Best For | Trial Info | Price | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Best for real-time collaboration | Free plan available | From $15/user/month (billed annually) | Website | |
2 | Best for quick mockups with built-in user testing tools | 7-day free trial + free plan available | From $16/user/month (billed annually) | Website | |
3 | Best for low-fidelity wireframes | 30-day free trial | From $12/month (billed annually) | Website | |
4 | Best for code-based interactions and design logic | 14-day free trial + free plan available | From $6/user/month | Website | |
5 | Best for high-fidelity prototypes | Free trial available | From $9/user/month (billed annually) | Website | |
6 | Best for offline design work | 30-day free trial | From $10/user/month (billed annually) | Website | |
7 | Best for remote team collaboration | Free plan available | From $13/month | Website | |
8 | Best lightweight tool for markup and annotation workflows | Free trial available | From $129.99 (billed annually) | Website | |
9 | Best for designing interactive websites | 14-day free trial + free plan available | From $5/month (billed annually) | Website | |
10 | Best for design-to-dev handoff | Free plan available | From $13.75/project/month (billed annually) | Website |
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Best Adobe XD Alternatives Reviews
Below are my detailed summaries of the best Adobe XD alternatives that made it onto my shortlist. My reviews offer a detailed look at the key features, pros & cons, integrations, and ideal use cases of each tool to help you find the best one for you
Figma is a cloud-based design tool used primarily by UI/UX designers and teams to design interfaces and prototypes. It facilitates collaborative design processes, enabling teams to work together in real-time on design projects.
Why it's a good Adobe XD alternative: Figma excels in real-time collaboration, allowing your team to work simultaneously on projects without the need for file transfers. Its browser-based nature ensures easy access from any device, making it highly accessible. With features like live editing and commenting, your team can communicate and iterate quickly. Figma's design system capabilities also help maintain consistency across projects.
Standout features & integrations:
Features include version history, which allows you to track changes and revert if needed. The design system tools help you create and manage reusable components, ensuring consistency in your designs. Figma also supports vector networks, allowing more flexibility in drawing and editing paths.
Integrations include Slack, Microsoft Teams, JIRA, Trello, Zeplin, Asana, Dropbox, Maze, ProtoPie, and Airtable.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Live editing and commenting
- Accessible from any device
- Real-time collaboration
Cons:
- Requires continuous updates
- Steeper learning curve for beginners
Marvel is a design and prototyping tool used by designers and product teams to quickly create interactive prototypes. It focuses on simplifying the design process and making collaboration easy for teams.
Why it's a good Adobe XD alternative: Marvel supports rapid prototyping, allowing your team to swiftly convert ideas into interactive designs. It offers an intuitive interface that lets you create prototypes without the need for extensive design skills. Marvel's user testing feature enables feedback gathering early in the design process, improving your team's efficiency. Its simplicity and emphasis on speed make it an attractive option for teams looking to iterate quickly.
Standout features & integrations:
Features include a built-in user testing feature, which lets you collect feedback directly from your prototypes. Marvel also supports design handoff, providing developers with all the necessary specs and assets. The tool's intuitive interface ensures that your team can focus on creativity without technical distractions.
Integrations include Sketch, Figma, Jira, Slack, Trello, Dropbox, Google Drive, Confluence, Microsoft Teams, and Asana.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Ideal for quick iterations
- Built-in user testing
- Fast prototyping capabilities
Cons:
- Basic animation tools
- Limited advanced features
Balsamiq is a wireframing tool aimed at designers and product teams who need to create low-fidelity wireframes quickly. It focuses on sketch-style designs to help teams brainstorm and iterate on ideas without getting bogged down in details.
Why it's a good Adobe XD alternative: Balsamiq is ideal for creating low-fidelity wireframes that help your team focus on structure and layout rather than fine details. Unlike Adobe XD, which offers extensive design options, Balsamiq's simplicity makes it perfect for early-stage brainstorming. Its drag-and-drop interface allows you to build wireframes quickly and easily, encouraging rapid iteration. This tool is particularly useful for teams that want to validate ideas quickly before moving to high-fidelity designs.
Standout features & integrations:
Features include a library of UI components that lets you build wireframes efficiently. Balsamiq also supports sketch-style designs, which help convey concepts without getting lost in visual details. The tool's collaboration features enable multiple team members to contribute to the design process.
Integrations include Google Drive, Confluence, Jira, Trello, Microsoft Teams, Slack, Dropbox, OneDrive, Box, and FogBugz.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Sketch-style designs for clarity
- Simple drag-and-drop interface
- Quick wireframe creation
Cons:
- Lacks detailed design options
- Not for high-fidelity designs
UXPin is a design tool aimed at UX designers and teams focused on creating interactive prototypes and design systems. It allows users to build and test prototypes with advanced interactions and maintain consistency across designs.
Why it's a good Adobe XD alternative: UXPin offers advanced interaction capabilities that allow your team to build prototypes with more complex user flows, formats, and animations. Unlike Adobe XD, which may require additional tools for advanced prototyping, UXPin supports logic and conditional interactions directly within the platform. The tool's design system manager helps maintain brand consistency by enabling you to create and manage reusable components. This makes UXPin ideal for teams that need to test sophisticated interactions while also ensuring design uniformity.
Standout features & integrations:
Features include a built-in design system manager, which aids in maintaining consistency across projects. The tool also supports accessibility features, ensuring your designs are inclusive and compliant. UXPin's version control allows you to track changes and revert to previous versions if needed.
Integrations include Sketch, Figma, Adobe XD, Jira, Slack, Microsoft Teams, Trello, Google Drive, Dropbox, and GitHub.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Built-in accessibility features
- Includes design system manager
- Supports advanced interactions
Cons:
- Can be overwhelming for small teams
- Can be complex for beginners
Justinmind is a prototyping tool designed for UX designers and product teams to create high-fidelity prototypes and wireframes. It provides capabilities to build interactive and realistic prototypes that simulate the final product experience.
Why it's a good Adobe XD alternative: Justinmind excels in creating high-fidelity prototypes that allow your team to visualize complex interactions and user flows. Unlike Adobe XD, it offers advanced interaction options, including conditional navigation and responsive design features. This enables you to test and iterate on designs with a higher level of detail. Its focus on realism makes it ideal for teams needing to present polished prototypes to stakeholders.
Standout features & integrations:
Features include a wide range of UI elements and templates, allowing you to start your design process quickly. Justinmind also supports user testing, helping you gather feedback to refine your designs. The tool's collaboration features ensure your team stays aligned throughout the design process.
Integrations include Sketch, Adobe XD, Jira, Microsoft TFS, Google Drive, Dropbox, Slack, Azure DevOps, GitHub, and Microsoft Teams.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Responsive design capabilities
- Advanced interaction options
- Supports high-fidelity prototypes
Cons:
- Overwhelming for beginners
- Requires technical knowledge
Sketch is a digital design tool primarily used by UI/UX designers to create interfaces and prototypes. It's favored for its focus on vector editing and design precision, making it a go-to for designers working on Mac.
Why it's a good Adobe XD alternative: Sketch supports offline design work, which is beneficial for teams or individuals needing to use a web app without internet access. It offers powerful vector editing tools that allow for precise design work. The tool's extensive plugin ecosystem enhances its functionality, providing customizable features to suit your workflow. Its straightforward interface helps you focus on creating detailed designs efficiently.
Standout features & integrations:
Features include a robust vector editing toolkit that allows for intricate design work. Symbols and templates make it easy to maintain consistency across your projects. Sketch also supports artboards, which help manage and organize your designs effectively.
Integrations include Zeplin, Abstract, Marvel, Avocode, ProtoPie, Flinto, Framer, Principle, and Craft.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Offline design capability
- Strong plugin ecosystem
- Excellent vector editing tools
Cons:
- Limited prototyping features
- Mac-only web design application
Moqups is a collaborative wireframing tool designed for remote teams to quickly create wireframes for web and mobile applications. It's widely used by designers and non-designers alike for its user-friendly interface and drag-and-drop functionality.
Why it's a good Adobe XD alternative: Moqups offers real-time collaboration features that are ideal for remote teams, enhancing communication and feedback. It provides a library of over 100 customizable templates, allowing you to transition from low-fidelity to high-fidelity designs without switching tools. The tool's cloud-based nature ensures accessibility from any device, making it a convenient choice for distributed teams. Its intuitive interface requires no design experience, offering a straightforward approach to wireframing and prototyping.
Standout features & integrations:
Features include drag-and-drop UI elements that make wireframing easy, a wide selection of customizable templates, and support for annotations and callouts to gather feedback. You can also create reusable components that sync across projects, streamlining your design process.
Integrations include Jira, Slack, Google Drive, Dropbox, Trello, Confluence, Microsoft Teams, Asana, GitHub, and Zendesk.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Drag-and-drop interface
- Cloud-based access
- Wide template selection
Cons:
- Not ideal for complex designs
- Limited advanced features
Foxit is a PDF editor and management tool designed for professionals who need a reliable solution for handling PDF documents. It's popular among businesses looking for a cost-effective solution and lightweight tool for markup and annotation workflows.
Why it's a good Adobe XD alternative: Foxit offers significant cost savings, making it an attractive choice for teams on a budget. Its PDF editing capabilities allow you to create and manage documents efficiently. Unlike Adobe XD, which focuses on design and prototyping, Foxit provides tools for document collaboration and sharing. This makes it suitable for teams prioritizing document management over design prototyping.
Standout features & integrations:
Features include advanced PDF editing, document collaboration tools, and conversion options. You can easily annotate PDFs, making it simple for your team to provide feedback. The tool also supports batch processing, helping you handle multiple files efficiently.
Integrations include Microsoft Office, Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, Box, Evernote, SharePoint, Alfresco, and iManage.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Easy-to-use interface
- Cost-effective for businesses
- Wide range of PDF tools
Cons:
- Can be complex for beginners
- Limited design capabilities
Framer is a design tool aimed at UI/UX designers looking to quickly create interactive prototypes and animations. It caters to designers who want to integrate code components into their design workflow, enhancing the interactivity of their prototypes.
Why it's a good Adobe XD alternative: Framer offers rapid prototyping with interactive components, allowing your team to create dynamic prototypes swiftly. Its code integration capabilities set it apart, enabling you to incorporate real code into your designs for more realistic interactions. The tool supports animations, making it easy to visualize complex user interactions. This makes Framer ideal for teams looking to push the boundaries of design with interactive and animated prototypes.
Standout features & integrations:
Features include a component store where you can access pre-built interactive elements to use in your designs. It also supports advanced animations, helping you bring your prototypes to life with ease. Framer allows you to write custom code, giving you the flexibility to create unique interactions and components.
Integrations include Figma, Sketch, Zeplin, Slack, GitHub, Jira, Trello, Dropbox, Google Drive, and Airtable.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Rapid prototyping features
- Advanced animation capabilities
- Supports code integration
Cons:
- Requires coding knowledge or a developer
- Slight learning curve
Zeplin is a collaboration tool designed for UI/UX designers and developers to facilitate the handoff process. It provides a platform for sharing design specs and assets, streamlining communication between design and development teams.
Why it's a good Adobe XD alternative: Zeplin excels in design-to-dev handoff, offering features that allow your team to easily share design specifications and assets. It automatically generates style guides and resources, reducing the manual work for your developers. The tool's focus on communication ensures that everyone on your team is aligned with the design vision. This makes it an excellent choice for teams looking to enhance collaboration during the development phase.
Standout features & integrations:
Features include the ability to generate detailed style guides that help maintain consistency across projects. Zeplin also offers version control, ensuring that your team is always working with the latest design updates. You can annotate designs to provide additional context, facilitating better understanding and execution.
Integrations include Sketch, Figma, Adobe XD, Slack, Jira, Trello, Microsoft Teams, Asana, monday.com, and Azure DevOps.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Supports version control
- Generates style guides automatically
- Simplifies design handoff
Cons:
- Not for prototyping
- Limited design capabilities
Other Adobe XD Alternatives
Here are some additional Adobe XD alternatives that didn’t make it onto my shortlist, but are still worth checking out:
- Axure RP
For enterprise-grade, logic-driven prototyping
- Lucidchart
For visual collaboration
- Whimsical
For brainstorming sessions
- Uizard
For AI-generated designs
- Mockplus
For rapid wireframing
- Fluid UI
For early-stage UI mapping with live previews
- MockFlow
For basic wireframing
- Miro
For real-time team ideation and whiteboarding
- Canva
For branded visual content at scale
- CorelDRAW
For vector graphics
- Origami Studio
For advanced animations
- Proto.io
For mobile app prototypes
Adobe XD Alternatives Selection Criteria
When selecting the best Adobe XD alternatives to include in this list, I considered common buyer needs and pain points related to prototyping tool products, like collaboration capabilities and ease of use. I also used the following framework to keep my evaluation structured and fair:
Core Functionality (25% of total score)
To be considered for inclusion in this list, each solution had to fulfill these common use cases:
- Create wireframes
- Develop interactive prototypes
- Facilitate team collaboration
- Support user testing
- Enable design handoff
Additional Standout Features (25% of total score)
To help further narrow down the competition, I also looked for unique features, such as:
- Real-time collaboration
- Advanced animation tools
- Design system management
- AI-powered design assistance
- Code export capabilities
Usability (10% of total score)
To get a sense of the usability of each system, I considered the following:
- Intuitive interface
- Easy navigation
- Minimal learning curve
- Customizable workspace
- Accessibility features
Onboarding (10% of total score)
To evaluate the onboarding experience for each platform, I considered the following:
- Availability of training videos
- Access to templates
- Interactive product tours
- Supportive chatbots
- Regular webinars
Customer Support (10% of total score)
To assess each software provider’s customer support services, I considered the following:
- 24/7 support availability
- Multichannel support options
- Responsive support team
- Comprehensive help center
- Community forums
Value For Money (10% of total score)
To evaluate the value for money of each platform, I considered the following:
- Competitive pricing
- Flexible subscription plans
- Free trial availability
- Feature-to-price ratio
- No hidden fees
Customer Reviews (10% of total score)
To get a sense of overall customer satisfaction, I considered the following when reading customer reviews:
- Consistent positive feedback
- Commonly reported issues
- User-reported benefits
- Frequency of updates
- Overall satisfaction ratings
Why Look For an Adobe XD Alternative?
While Adobe XD is a good choice of prototyping tool, there are a number of reasons why some users seek out alternative solutions. You might be looking for an Adobe XD alternative because…
- You need real-time collaboration features
- Your team requires offline functionality
- You want more advanced animation tools
- Your budget is limited or constrained
- You need better integration with other tools
- Your team prefers a simpler interface
If any of these sound like you, you’ve come to the right place. My list contains several prototyping tool options that are better suited for teams facing these challenges with Adobe XD and looking for alternative solutions.
Adobe XD Key Features
Here are some of the key features of Adobe XD, to help you contrast and compare what alternative solutions offer:
- Design Tools: Create artboards, manage layers, and edit paths to build layouts that fit your vision.
- Prototyping: Develop interactive prototypes with animations and timed transitions to bring your designs to life.
- Collaboration: Share prototypes with your team, set access permissions, and gather feedback through commenting.
- Accessibility: Utilize color management and keyboard shortcuts to ensure your designs are accessible to all users.
- Design Systems: Manage assets and components through integration with the Adobe Creative Cloud Libraries.
- Cloud Documents: Collaborate on cloud-based documents with real-time co-editing capabilities.
- Integrations: Compatible with various with assets from Photoshop and Illustrator, and use plugins for tools like Jira and Slack.
- Platform Compatibility: Works well across a range of platforms, including Windows, macOS, and Linux, ensuring accessibility regardless of your team's operating system.A browser-based interface also means you can design and collaborate without needing to install software—perfect for teams working across diverse environments or devices.
- Mobile Support: Preview your designs on iOS and Android devices to see how they look on different screens.
- Components and States: Use reusable components and states to maintain consistency and efficiency in your designs.
- Responsive Resize: Adapt your designs to different screen sizes and resolutions with ease.
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