Best Collaborative Design Software Shortlist
Have a quick glance at the best design collaboration tools I evaluated in this article.
- 6. GoVisually — Best collaborative design software for graphic designers, marketing teams, and agencies
Going through a web design project or creating mockups for mobile apps can be very challenging if your teams are not communicating, siloed, or if they are using you as the hub for all communications. The collaborative design software on this list will help you bridge those connections between the team, whether that is through a kanban board, shared to-do lists, or in-app chats.
What is collaborative design software?
Collaborative design software allows designers and other stakeholders to work together on design projects in real time. These platforms often include features like version control, feedback management, and team collaboration tools, making it easier for teams to work together efficiently.
Overviews Of The 10 Best Collaborative Design Software
Here’s a brief description of each tool that showcases each tool’s best use case. Feel free to check out how I picked the software on this list at any time.
Picmaker
Best collaborative design software for AI-powered design assistance
Picmaker is an online graphic design platform that offers AI-powered design assistance to businesses, marketers, and individuals looking to create professional and eye-catching visuals. Their advanced AI technology helps users create high-quality designs quickly and easily, even with little to no design experience.
Why I picked Picmaker: One cool feature of Picmaker is its AI-powered design assistant, which helps users create designs in a matter of minutes. With this feature, users can input their design requirements, and the AI will generate various design options.
The AI considers design principles such as color theory, typography, and layout to create visually appealing designs that meet the user's requirements. This feature saves time and ensures that the designs are of high quality, even for users with little to no design experience.
Picmaker offers a variety of collaboration features that allow teams to work together efficiently and effectively. These features include real-time collaboration, commenting, sharing, design templates, revision history, exporting, and sharing designs in various formats. With these collaboration tools, Picmaker makes it easy for teams to create high-quality designs, whether working in the same location or remotely.
Picmaker Standout Features and Integrations
Features include brand kits, icons and illustrations, sharing and collaboration tools, background remover, MAD button, templates, fonts, file formats, shapes and frames, photo effects, sticker maker, and a one-click resizing tool.
Pros
- Suitable for small teams and freelancers
- Easy design file sharing
- Simple user interface
Cons
- No integration with communication tools
- Limited real-time collaboration features
Invision
Best collaborative design software for every stage of the design process
InVision is a digital product design platform with tools to help teams create, prototype, and collaborate on design projects.
Why I picked InVision: With the design handoff feature of InVision, developers can access design specs, assets, and code snippets directly within the software, reducing the need for manual handoff. Developers don't have to spend time recreating designs or deciphering design specifications and can instead focus on building the product.
InVision is a good solution for product design teams that need a comprehensive suite of tools to help optimize the entire design process, from ideation to handoff. Additionally, it integrates with other popular design and project management tools. Finally, the drag-and-drop features and easy-to-use interface ensure team members can easily offer design feedback.
InVision Standout Features and Integrations
Features include commenting, public share links, guest permissions, custom freehand templates, prototypes, design management, digital canvas, feedback management, mind maps, multiple user accounts, planning tools, and presentation tools.
Integrations include Asana, Basecamp, Dropbox Business, Google Drive, Jira, Microsoft Teams, Notion, Rippling, Slack, Trello, and others.
Pros
- Good support team
- Scalable
- Easy to use
Cons
- Occasional glitches
- Sometimes pages load slowly
Balsamiq
Best collaborative design software for sharing design mockups
Balsamiq is a popular wireframing tool that can help you generate mockups of software and websites. Its simple interface makes it an ideal choice for those who are new to the process of wireframing.
Why I picked Balsamiq: One of the notable features of Balsamiq is its built-in presentation tools that allow users to showcase their mockups in a visually appealing way. With Balsamiq, users can easily create interactive prototypes, add annotations, and create custom presentations that can be viewed on any device.
One of the main advantages of Balsamiq's presentation tools is that they make it easy to share mockups and ideas with stakeholders, clients, and team members. Users can share their presentations through a variety of channels, such as email, social media, or embedded links, and receive feedback in real-time.
Balsamiq caters to designers, developers, and product managers who need to create quick mockups of their software and web applications.
Balsamiq Standout Features and Integrations
Features include commenting, exporting and importing, feedback management, multiple user accounts, synchronous editing, version control, presentation tools, UI prototyping, whiteboard, user management, image library, and multiple projects.
Integrations include Bubbles, Confluence, Google Drive, Google Workspace, Jira, Shift, and Trello.
Pros
- Affordable pricing plans
- Simple and easy interface
- Good real-time collaboration features
Cons
- Limited animation features
- Limited export options
Simplified
Best collaborative design software for getting instant approvals on designs
Simplified is design software that caters to businesses and creative professionals who need to streamline the design approval process. With its user-friendly interface and powerful collaboration tools, Simplified is the go-to solution for teams looking to speed up the design review process.
Why I picked Simplified: The unlimited workspaces feature allows users to create and manage multiple workspaces, each with its own team members and design projects. This feature is handy for agencies, design studios, or in-house creative teams that need to work on multiple projects simultaneously. With unlimited workspaces, users can collaborate with more clients and stakeholders and take on a higher volume of projects without sacrificing organization or productivity.
Other standout features of the software are an intuitive interface, unlimited workspaces, real-time collaboration tools, and the ability to get instant approvals on designs. These features will help you minimize team communication errors and deliver high-quality designs on time.
Simplified Standout Features and Integrations
Features include unlimited workspaces, real-time comments, workflow folders, content import/export, content library, content management, and reporting or analytics.
Integrations include Facebook, Google Docs, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Shopify, Twitter, and WordPress.
Pros
- Folders help keep designs organized
- User-friendly interface
Cons
- Limited customization options
- Limited advanced design features
Zeplin
Best collaborative design software for improving the design handoff process
Zeplin provides a platform for designers to share design specifications, assets, and resources with developers in a structured and organized manner.
Why I picked Zeplin: One cool feature of Zeplin is its ability to automatically generate CSS snippets for developers based on the design specifications. This feature saves developers a lot of time and effort in translating the design specs into CSS code, as they can simply copy and paste the generated code snippets into their code editor. Additionally, this ensures consistency between the design and development stages of the product.
Zeplin is primarily for digital product teams, designers, developers, and project managers looking for a collaborative platform to facilitate the design-to-development handoff process. The essential features of the software are the ability to generate code snippets for developers and its integration with popular design tools like Sketch, Figma, and Adobe XD.
Zeplin also offers features like commenting, versioning, and project management, making it a comprehensive solution for digital product teams.
Zeplin Standout Features and Integrations
Features include user flows, design version control, design operations, global style guides, connected components, design tokens, extensions, version tracking, data archiving, and documentation management.
Integrations include Adobe XD, Figma, Jira, Microsoft Teams, Sketch, Slack, Storybook, Trello, Visual Studio Code, and Zapier.
Pros
- The style guide feature helps ensure consistency
- Supports a wide range of file formats
- Helps designers and developers collaborate in real-time
Cons
- Relatively expensive for small teams
- Some users report issues with speed
GoVisually
Best collaborative design software for graphic designers, marketing teams, and agencies
GoVisually is an online proofing and collaboration tool designed for graphic designers, marketing teams, and creative agencies to streamline their design review process and simplify collaboration among team members.
Why I picked GoVisually: Another unique feature of GoVisually is its ability to provide a visual timeline that allows users to see the progress of a design project over time. This timeline includes all versions of the design and any comments or feedback, giving users a clear picture of how the design has evolved throughout the project. This feature is suitable for tracking the progress of a design project and ensuring that it stays on track.
GoVisually is best suited for graphic designers, marketing teams, and creative agencies that need to collaborate on design projects with multiple team members and clients. It works well for this use case because it provides a simple, intuitive design review and feedback platform.
Standout features of GoVisually include a visual timeline, detailed activity log, and built-in version control system, which help streamline the design review process and ensure that everyone is working with the most up-to-date version.
GoVisually Standout Features and Integrations
Features include collaboration tools, commenting/notes, document management, file sharing, progress tracking, project management, real-time updates, reminders, role-based permissions, version control, and workflow management.
Integrations include Airtable, Asana, ClickUp, Trello, and Zapier.
Pros
- Offers powerful collaboration tools
- Provides a centralized platform for managing design projects
- Simple and intuitive interface
Cons
- Limited customization and flexibility
- Some users experienced performance issues
Conceptboard
Best collaborative design software for whiteboarding and digital collaboration
Conceptboard is a visual collaboration tool that helps creative teams, designers, and remote teams brainstorm ideas and plan strategies.
Why I picked Conceptboard: The tool offers a managed hosting feature that provides additional security, flexibility, and control for enterprise-level organizations. With managed hosting, organizations can host Conceptboard on their servers or private cloud infrastructure. This allows them to have complete control over their data, as it is not stored on Conceptboard's servers.
The infinite canvas and real-time collaboration feature make Conceptboard great for whiteboarding. With an infinite canvas, users have unlimited space to brainstorm and create ideas, making it an ideal tool for ideation and brainstorming sessions. In addition, users can add templates or various elements to their canvas, including text, images, shapes, and drawings.
Conceptboard also offers video and audio conferencing capabilities, which help users to gather feedback on designs in real time.
Conceptboard Standout Features and Integrations
Features include infinite canvas, moderation, live cursors, file import, board history, role management, template library, project management, managed hosting, screen sharing, chat, comment, and board approval workflow.
Integrations include Atlassian Confluence, Dropbox, Full Page Screenshot, Google Drive, and Microsoft Teams.
Pros
- Easy to create boards
- Large library of templates
- Good interface
Cons
- Limited languages
- Limited customization
Avocode
Best collaborative design software for cross-functional collaboration between teams
Avocode is a design collaboration software that facilitates cross-functional collaboration between graphic designers, web developers, and other creative professionals.
Why I picked Avocode: The best part about Avocode is that it automatically tracks changes to design files and allows team members to compare and revert to previous versions of the design easily. This feature is particularly useful when multiple team members are collaborating on a project and need to keep track of changes and revisions made to the design.
Avocode helps generate code snippets directly from design files and supports a wide range of design file types, including Sketch, Adobe XD, and Photoshop.
Avocode Standout Features and Integrations
Features include synchronous editing, group calendars, discussion boards, chat, brainstorming, content management, task management, project management, contact management, document management, and version control.
Integrations include Atom, Behance, Confluence, Dropbox, HTML iframe, Jira, Medium, Notion, Slack, Visual Studio Code, and others.
Pros
- Easy to convert designs into code snippets
- Easy to export files
- Responsive customer support
Cons
- Performance issues with large files
- The interface is difficult to navigate
Bluescape
Best collaborative design software for advanced security and privacy features
Bluescape is a virtual workspace that offers a highly collaborative platform for creative design, project management, and virtual events.
Why I picked Bluescape: Bluescape comes with advanced security features to ensure that all data and information shared within the platform is safe and secure. All data transfers between the user's device and the Bluescape server are encrypted using industry-standard SSL/TLS protocols.
It also offers a multi-factor authentication system that includes password protection, SSO, and multi-factor authentication (MFA) options to ensure that only authorized users can access the platform.
The tool is ideal for businesses and organizations of all sizes. It also offers an unlimited canvas, interactive whiteboard, video conferencing, and chat features. In addition, the co-browsing feature lets team members navigate web pages together in real-time, which is helpful during research.
Bluescape Standout Features and Integrations
Features include an activity dashboard, activity tracking, annotation, approval workflow, archiving and retention, audio/video conferencing, brainstorming, calendar management, messaging, notes, diagramming, digital canvas, forums, document management, and storage.
Integrations include Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Dropbox, Google Drive, Microsoft 365, Microsoft Teams, Slack, Zoom, and others.
Pros
- Ideal for big companies
- Audio quality needs improvement
- Good visualization tools
Cons
- Clunky at times
- Steep learning curve
Cage
Best collaborative design software for project feedback and approval workflows
Cage is a web-based collaboration platform for creative teams working on visual projects. The platform is ideal for creative agencies, design studios, and marketing teams who need to manage design projects and obtain client feedback.
Why I picked Cage: The best thing about Cage is that it supports a wide range of file formats, including PDF, images, audio, video, and so on. So regardless of the type of digital asset you work with, Cage likely can support it. Also, since Cage supports many file formats, you won't have to switch between multiple software applications.
Overall, Cage is for you if you require a solution to manage large volumes of digital assets efficiently. It provides a centralized platform for organizing, sharing, and collaborating on files, with powerful search and metadata features. It also integrates with popular design and project management tools.
Cage Standout Features and Integrations
Features include annotations, approvals, project messages, version history, task comments, dashboard and activity streams, file attachments, calendars, project milestones, flexible sharing, permissions and roles, automatic backups, and unlimited archiving.
Integrations include Adobe Photoshop, Adobe XD, Desktop, Dropbox, Google Chrome, Slack, and others.
Pros
- Provides task management features
- Good visual collaboration features
- Extensive range of file formats
Cons
- Limited customizations
- The auditing feature needs improvement
The Best Collaborative Design Software Comparison Chart
Here is a table you can use to compare all the tools that we just covered in the overviews.
Tool | Free Option | Price | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Picmaker Best collaborative design software for AI-powered design assistance | Free forever plan available | Plans start at $9.95/month | Visit Website |
2 | Invision Best collaborative design software for every stage of the design process | Free plan available | From $7.95/user/month | Visit Website |
3 | Balsamiq Best collaborative design software for sharing design mockups | 30-day free trial | From $9/month | Visit Website |
4 | Simplified Best collaborative design software for getting instant approvals on designs | Free forever version available | Plans start at $24/month | Visit Website |
5 | Zeplin Best collaborative design software for improving the design handoff process | Free plan available | Plans start at $8/user/month | Visit Website |
6 | GoVisually Best collaborative design software for graphic designers, marketing teams, and agencies | 7-day free trial available | Plans start at $30/month (billed annually) | Visit Website |
7 | Conceptboard Best collaborative design software for whiteboarding and digital collaboration | Free forever plan + 30-day free trial available | Plans start at $6/user/month | Visit Website |
8 | Avocode Best collaborative design software for cross-functional collaboration between teams | Free trial available | Plans start at $19/user/month | Visit Website |
9 | Bluescape Best collaborative design software for advanced security and privacy features | Free forever plan available | Plans start at $12/user/month | Visit Website |
10 | Cage Best collaborative design software for project feedback and approval workflows | Free forever plan available for one user | Plans start at $8/user/month | Visit Website |
Other Options
Here are a few more worthwhile options that didn’t make the best collaborative design software list:
- Figma
Best collaborative design software for real-time collaboration
- Visme
Best collaborative design software for non-designers
- Filestage
Best collaborative design software for teams that need to manage design feedback and approvals with clients and stakeholders in a single platform
- Usersnap
Best collaborative design software for gathering user feedback and bug reports
- Binfire
Best collaborative design software for remote teams that need to manage projects, tasks, and team collaboration all in one place
- ViewFlux
Best collaborative design software for teams that need to create and share design prototypes with clients and stakeholders for feedback and collaboration
- Moqups
Best collaborative design software for teams that need to create interactive prototypes and wireframes
- Mural
Best collaborative design software for teams that need a digital whiteboard to brainstorm, plan, and collaborate visually on design projects
- Notion
Best collaborative design software for creating design briefs and project planning
How I Picked The Best Collaborative Design Software
If you’re curious about how I selected the best collaborative design software, then let me take you through the process. I compiled a list of collaborative design software with positive reviews and ratings and then refined the list against the following selection criteria.
Selection Criteria
Here’s a short summary of the main selection and evaluation criteria I used to develop my list of the best collaborative design software for this article.
Usability
I evaluated each tool's ease of use and overall user experience, ensuring that it was accessible and intuitive for both designers and non-designers alike.
Standout Features
I looked for software with standout features, such as real-time collaboration, version control, and easy feedback management.
Software Integrations
I considered each tool's ability to integrate with other software and platforms that designers commonly use, such as Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite, and project management tools.
Pricing
I also evaluated each platform's pricing model and overall value for the features. Finally, I prioritized tools with a free plan and various pricing options.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some other common questions and answers about collaborative design software.
What are the benefits of collaborative design software?
Why is collaborative design important?
What other product management software should I use?
What’s Next?
We have more articles that will help you know more about designers and their work. Check out the 5 design frameworks to run a killer ideation workshop and the basics of product design to build stickier experiences.
Related tool lists:
If you found this article helpful, you might like our compilation of the best product design software. Also, if you want to receive the latest news and tips related to product management, sign up for The Product Manager newsletter.