What Is the Best Product Design Tool? 2025 Recommendations & Reviews
10 Best Product Design Tool Shortlist
Here's my pick of the 10 best software from the 17 tools reviewed.
Our one-on-one guidance will help you find the perfect fit.
As a product manager, I know the struggle of turning great ideas into polished, user-friendly designs.
On the best days, I loved seeing wireframes come to life, collaborating with designers and engineers who just got it, and watching users engage with a product that felt effortless.
But on the tough days, I faced clunky design tools that made collaboration a nightmare, endless feedback loops that slowed everything down, and frustrating developer handoffs that led to mismatched expectations.
Looking back, I realized a lot of these struggles came from not having the best product design tool to streamline the process.
That’s why I’ve put together this list of my top product design tools—so you can spend less time wrestling with software and more time creating products your users will love. Let’s dive in.
The 17 Best Product Design Tools Comparison Chart
Here is a table where you can compare all the tools we just covered in the overviews.
| Tool | Best For | Trial Info | Price | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Best collaborative design tool for wireframing and UI/UX designing | Free plan available | From $15/user/month (billed annually) | Website | |
| 2 | Best beginner-friendly design platform for creating social media graphics | Free plan available | From $12.99/month (billed annually) | Website | |
| 3 | Best for cloud-based prototyping and wireframing of multi-device apps | 7-day free trial + free plan available | From $16/user/month (billed annually) | Website | |
| 4 | Best for designing low-fidelity wireframes quickly with pre-built UI components | 30-day free trial | From $12/month (billed annually) | Website | |
| 5 | Best for seamless design delivery to the development team | Free plan available | From $13.75/project/month (billed annually) | Website | |
| 6 | Best for 3D mechanical product designing | Free trial available | Pricing upon request | Website | |
| 7 | Best for multi-screen app prototyping and design on Mac | 14-day free trial | From $129 | Website | |
| 8 | Best for vector image handling | 15-day free trial | From $89/year | Website | |
| 9 | Best for quick 3D studies and production of clean presentation graphics | 30-day free trial | From $119 /year | Website | |
| 10 | Best vector-based design tool for motion designing and animations | 7-day free trial | From $20.99 /user/month (billed annually) | Website |
Overviews Of The 10 Best Product Design Tools
Here’s my in-depth review of each tool. I’ll walk you through the pros and cons, features and functionality to highlight what makes each tool great.
Figma
Best collaborative design tool for wireframing and UI/UX designing
Figma is a collaborative interface design tool that helps with wireframing websites, making social media posts, designing mobile app interfaces, and generating prototype designs. With intuitive UI elements, dynamic overlays, animated GIFs, and cross-platform compatibility, Figma is a heavyweight in the design domain.
Why I picked Figma: No product design tool quite compares to Figma regarding collaborative functionalities. With Figma, you can design, present, and collaborate from anywhere.
To witness how a design evolves in real time, team members can co-create and provide real-time feedback. Using Figma's observation mode, you can follow the presenter's every move to understand how a design progresses and how to duplicate those changes if necessary. Additionally, Figma has plugins for everything—stock imagery, color accessibility, flow diagrams, charts, and more.
Figma Standout Features and Integrations
Standout features include cloud-based collaboration for real-time teamwork, built-in design and prototyping, a reusable component system for consistency, version control for easy tracking, extensive plugins for automation and accessibility, and cross-platform access for use anywhere.
Integrations include over 30 tools, such as Asana, Confluence, Dropbox, GitLab, Lingo, Microsoft Teams, Mixpanel, Pendo, Sprig, and UserTesting.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Amazing real-time collaboration
- Great plugins
- Drag-drop and file import features for seamless prototypes
Cons:
- Multiple pages complicate micro-interactions in prototypes
- No offline or mobile support
Canva
Best beginner-friendly design platform for creating social media graphics
Canva is the go-to design application for non-designers who want to create eye-catching social media posts, presentations, posters, and other visual content. With an easy-to-use drag-and-drop interface and an extensive library of templates and design elements like fonts, illustrations, stock photos, audio and video clips, Canva is the perfect product design tool for non-designers.
The application is accessible on iOS, Android, and the web.
Why I picked Canva: This is a one-stop shop for all kinds of design requirements. Whether you are a beginner or an expert, Canva’s abundance of tools, a huge library of free and paid templates and vector elements, collaborative features, and a high level of customization will help you create beautiful designs quickly and effortlessly. The application offers 400k+ professional design presets, of which 250k are free. These include presentations, emails, videos, audio, social media posts, etc.
Canva also offers unlimited cloud storage for all of your designs, and its interface is available in over 130 languages, further promoting ease of use for designers and non-designers worldwide.
Canva Standout Features and Integrations
Standout features include accessibility across devices, text and image editing, color customization, and unlimited design options. Its search and organized categories simplify finding stock images, icons, and fonts. Real-time collaboration allows users to invite others to edit or give feedback. Canva also offers AI-powered design suggestions, brand kit management for consistency, a vast template library, and direct publishing to social media or print services.
Integrations include tools like Bizplay, Bransfetch, Dropbox, Dynamic QR Codes, FlippingBook, Google Maps, HubSpot, LinkedIn, MailChimp, Mockups, Publr, and VNTANA.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Clean UI
- Brand directory to store all brand-related information (even colors)
- Huge library of templates for diverse design creation formats
Cons:
- Direct-to-print options are non-existent
- No advanced typography options like kerning and baseline shift
Marvel
Best for cloud-based prototyping and wireframing of multi-device apps
Marvel is a design platform for digital products that is great for beginners to visualize their designs through wireframing and prototyping. The software helps users quickly create basic layouts. Subsequently, you can demonstrate to clients how a website or an application would render on multiple platforms. Marvel is a godsend for designers who want to create realistic prototypes quickly.
Why I picked Marvel: Marvel comes with an extremely intuitive and clean user interface and allows you to collaborate and assemble designs for the web quickly. Its cross-platform capabilities enable users to create interactive prototypes and mockups that can be accessed in real time, which gives a sense of genuineness to the designs, especially in the case of multi-device apps.
Additionally, Marvel provides valuable tools to view CSS styles, which you can leverage during the construction of HTML. Consequently, you can send the designs to clients using shareable links for review and approval, followed by a smooth developer hand-off with specific design and code parameters.
Marvel Standout Features and Integrations
Standout features include pre-made mockup templates and preloaded backgrounds for quick wireframing. Marvel offers strong Sketch file sync and expansive prototyping options such as link, anchor, scrolling, last visited, and layered image interactions. Additional features include user testing, design handoff for developers, and project management tools for organizing workflows and test sessions. Marvel also includes real-time collaboration, allowing teams to comment directly on designs. Its automated design handoff provides developers with CSS, Swift, and Android XML code.
Integrations include Ballpark, Confluence, Dropbox Paper, Jira, Microsoft, Niice, Sketch, Smartmockups, YouTube, Zeroheight, and others. Marvel also integrates with four tools developed by its proprietary platform, Marvel LABS, including BotBot, Dashboard, Keynote, and Userflows.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Simple link-sharing enables smoother collaboration among stakeholders
- Design specs to develop CSS guides for developers
- User-friendly interface for creating custom prototypes
Cons:
- Lacks animations and other advanced features like quicker transitions
- Organizing repetitive screens and flows is challenging
Balsamiq
Best for designing low-fidelity wireframes quickly with pre-built UI components
Balsamiq is an easy-to-use and quick-to-learn low-fidelity UI wireframing tool that simulates the experience of drawing a design on a notepad or a whiteboard. It is available for Mac and PC (a one-time single license purchase and installation). It also has a web version called Balsamiq Cloud (which follows a monthly subscription pricing model).
Why I picked Balsamiq: It facilitates the creation of low-fidelity wireframes and mockups. There is no upfront setup or learning curve involved. It has a huge library of built-in assets containing various elements like template presets and UI components. You can drag and drop these elements to quickly create projects and link frames together. Balsamiq is an excellent tool for creating baseline screens and prototypes for app and website designs.
Balsamiq Standout Features and Integrations
Standout features include a clean, intuitive, and extremely user-friendly UI that provides all the options for the pre-built design elements upfront. Users can simply pull down icons and components directly into their raw wireframe designs, making the build process quick and smooth. The tool also provides links between multiple mockups to simulate the user's workflow.
Balsamiq also allows users to export stand-alone images of PDFs with clickable hyperlinks and has a smooth onboarding process for new users.
Integrations include Confluence, Trello, Google Workspace, Jira, Jira Service Management, Azure AD, and Shift.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Mobile, web, and desktop wireframes within one app
- Simple linking and interactive full-screen presentation functions
- Pre-built components and templates for swift wireframes
Cons:
- No walkthrough or onboarding content available
- Limited customization options for site-map creation
Zeplin is a multi-purpose collaborative product design tool for UI designers, front-end developers, product managers, and other stakeholders involved in the product build process. It facilitates easy communication primarily between designers and developers and helps the latter better understand code and design specifications, resulting in smooth design handoffs.
Why I picked Zeplin: Zeplin makes creating interactive handoffs for developers easier and seamlessly imports design files from design apps like Sketch, Photoshop, and Adobe XD. Zeplin offers an intuitive user interface that makes it easy to view design specifications, assets, and measurements in a structured and understandable way. The resources and code snippets make implementation easier and guarantee a seamless design and development transfer.
Zeplin’s collaboration features allow users to add comments, assign tasks, and organize designs into different pages and projects.
Zeplin Standout Features and Integrations
One Standout feature includes seamless design automation, which enables users to upload a design with a single click. Zeplin then extracts all code and design specifications, including CSS and HTML parameters. It also makes it easy to translate design colors, assets, and constraints to code in seconds.
Additionally, the software allows for easy download of digital products, file tagging for sophisticated organization, and easy sharing through clickable hyperlinks.
Integrations include Sketch, Figma, Adobe XD, Photoshop, Slack, Trello, Jira, and Microsoft Teams. Additionally, you can use its API and webhooks to create your own integrations.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Easy download of all assets in any format
- Great version control
- Smooth design handoffs to developers, with CSS references
Cons:
- Buggy style guides and no navigation for design flow overview
- No prototyping or full-screen presentation features
SOLIDWORKS is a 3D computer-aided design (CAD) program to develop, examine, and assess 3D designs. It is mainly useful for product development in the mechanical and electrical design industries.
Why I picked SolidWorks: SOLIDWORKS is one of the best CAD tools for 3D designing mechanical components and large assemblies owing to its easy and intuitive push-and-pull interactive functions.
SOLIDWORKS allows multiple engineers and product developers to collaborate together, speeding up the design process. The software also auto-updates 3D Sculptor files. This records design changes in real time.
SolidWorks Standout Features and Integrations
Standout features include the Animation Wizard feature that allows users to observe the real-time effects of deformation or stress distribution in an industrial design. This helps eliminate errors in practical applications. Additionally, the software supports multiple kinds of analysis, including Static, Thermal, Fatigue, Flow, Linear, Non-linear, Drop-test, Buckling, and even Mold Stimulation. You can also import many standard mechanical components using the SOLIDWORKS Design Library in accordance with their design specifications based on various standards such as ANSI, DIN, ISO, BIS, etc.
SOLIDWORKS can also generate 2D production drawings to communicate with suppliers for tool creation and quality testing.
Integrations include ArtiosCAD, Canvas Envision, CoLab, Fishbowl, HSMWorks, Lattice Technology, Makersite, Valispace, Unifize, and Vectary Web AR.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Huge library full of standard parts like fasteners, bearings, etc.
- Animation wizard feature to see the real-time impact of stress deformation
- Enables simulations mirroring real-time scenarios accurately
Cons:
- Limited collaboration abilities and occasional buggy performance
- Complex components raise solving time exponentially
Principle is a MacOS-native UI animation tool that lets users create dynamic and animated desktop, mobile, and web-based user experiences. It assists users with animated UI elements and multi-screen software processes.
Why I picked Principle: It offers extensive micro-interactions and feature-rich possibilities for various animations. It comes with an easy-to-navigate and user-friendly graphic UI and seamless integration with other design apps, from where users can import designs quickly and take them from mockups to visual prototypes.
Principle also possesses the capacity to design prototypes that use motions, bézier curve animations, scrolling, and other native iOS features.
Principle Standout Features and Integrations
Standout features include the ability to turn artboards into quick animations and easy creation of transitions between screens. Users can also export designs in .mov and .gif formats straight from Principle Preview and import designs from Sketch and Figma and bring them to life through animation.
Integrations have not been developed further than the import features mentioned above.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- User-friendly graphical UI for creating visual prototypes
- Easy to import artboards from other design tools
- Multiple options for micro-interactions within animations
Cons:
- No web-sharing capability
- MacOS shortcuts like zoom to selection are missing
Corel Vector is a cross-platform, feature-rich, web-based vector graphics tool that helps businesses create and access digital artwork, web graphics, and prints. The tool is part of the CorelDRAW Graphics Suite. Designed with a cutting-edge and user-friendly interface, Corel Vector enables users to create a wide range of designs.
Why I picked Corel Vector: Corel Vector has many cool features, especially for handling vector image editing and managing text and typography requirements. It is available on all platforms and devices, including MacOS, and facilitates centralized collaboration by storing all designs in one single repository.
Users can create artwork from simple lines or shapes and add unique effects like contours, mesh fills, and mixes to vector pictures using Corel Vector’s integrated vector illustration tools. It also enables businesses to manage image retouching tasks and set up layouts for documents and brochures.
Additionally, the tool allows the import and export of creations in multiple formats (including its native GVDESIGN format). It also enables users to select numerous vector components and export them from the Export panel.
Corel Vector Standout Features and Integrations
Standout features include vector handling features like configurable brushes and lines, form blending, Boolean path operations, sophisticated fill options (including mesh (envelope), texture, fountain, and PostScript), color spaces (CMYK, spot, Pantone, RGB, HSB, and grayscale) for printing and screens, third-party plug-ins and scripts, and much more.
Additionally, you can create, design, and validate QR codes. The tool also comes with smart shape recognition, a table-making text tool, and a LiveSketch tool that allows you to doodle line drawings freely with your stylus, which the app later turns into Bézier curves, using intelligent stroke correction.
Integrations include Adobe Illustrator, Google Cloud Platform, and Google Drive.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Clean UI and strong support ecosystem for vector image handling
- Easy editing, tracing, and contouring for bitmaps
- Image to DXF conversion feature for sheet metal industries
Cons:
- Licensing can be difficult for multiple users
- Lines, arcs, and splines distort while extracting to CAD format
SketchUp is a 3D CAD software primarily used by architects, engineers, and interior designers. Both novice and experienced designers use it to visualize space, create models with objects, and export into rendering to develop polished 3D visuals. SketchUp is a great tool for rendering, diagramming, iterative design, fly-throughs, and phasing.
Why I picked SketchUp: It is primarily useful for early massing models and design studies in the conceptual phase of large-scale projects like commercial buildings. It coffers an adaptable modeling framework, simple navigation, and configurable views.
With the SketchUp 3D library, users can get amazing control of iterative commands and quickly create different shapes and volumes. The software helps product designers and engineers save time and visualize their concepts for clients spatially and materially accurately.
SketchUp Standout Features and Integrations
Standout features include its super intuitive UI for quickly rendering layouts and prototypes and its huge warehouse of free 3D components. SketchUp also offers third-party plugins such as Vray and Enscape for rendering with precision and speed and Revit for design documentation.
Integrations includes tools like 3D Warehouse, AUGmentecture, CabWriter, D5 Render, MeshCAM, Opencities Planner, ProjectVIEW ERP, Snaptrude, Trimble Novapoint, and Yulio.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Visualization of staging, changes, and possible rehab outcomes
- Clean UI and vast web-based library of components
- Intuitive 3D modeling tools for easy renderings
Cons:
- No NURBS modeling or true curves
- No direct command for copy-paste
Best vector-based design tool for motion designing and animations
Adobe Illustrator is part of the Adobe Cloud, providing top-notch vector illustration and editing functionalities for animation design experts. You can use Adobe Illustrator to design virtually anything, including websites, logos, games, motion pictures, and much more.
Why I picked Adobe Illustrator: It is a vector-based software perfect for producing sharp images, logos, and printed materials. In conjunction with Photoshop and other Adobe Creative Cloud products, Illustrator is your go-to design tool for creating motion designs. The software supports realistic 3D effects, lighting, and textures (linked to Adobe Substance 3D assets). Using the Intertwine feature, Illustrator also allows users to overlap text and objects. Illustrator gives designers full control of their creations with anchor points, paths, and curves to unleash their design potential.
Moreover, with the introduction of generative AI, Adobe Illustrator can help designers improve the creative process by generating fresh concepts and opportunities, proposing unique design elements, and more.
Adobe Illustrator Standout Features and Integrations
Standout features include the “share for review” feature that allows team collaboration and easy sharing of created designs with clients for review and approval. Viewers can directly annotate and comment changes on the link itself, speeding up the build process. Illustrator also supports layer searching and filtering, which streamlines your design workflow. The “retype” feature can identify any embedded font type in designs and match it to the closest available Adobe font. The software also has an AI “recolor” feature that applies any chosen color theme to the entire vector graphic.
Integrations include Adobe products like Creative Cloud, Experience Cloud, Experience Cloud, Illustrator, Photoshop, Stock, and others.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Easy vectoring, tracing, file export, and image management
- Connectivity with Photoshop and other Adobe products
- Multi-page artboard publications
Cons:
- Large artboard handling is a little laggy
- Same tools for Illustrator desktop and tablet
Other Product Design Tool Options
Here are some additional product design tools that did not make my cut but are still worth considering:
- Axure
Interactive prototyping tool for creating low-fidelity and high-fidelity mockups
- Sketch
For creating UI/UX designs in the Mac environment
- Nuxeo Platform
Open-source platform providing cloud-native custom solutions for designing workflows
- Inkybay
Web-based product customization tool for print and e-Commerce businesses
- CATIA
CAD tool for creating 2D drawings and 3D simulations for automotive designs
- Autodesk Suite
3D auto CAD software for design, engineering, and construction industries
- KRFTWRK
For outsourcing design needs
Selection Criteria For The Best Product Design Tools
For curating this list of my top product design tool recommendations, I started with assessing a wide range of product design software for their user review and satisfaction ratings. Following this, I determined which key criteria I would consider as “must-have” attributes for the tools in my list, and finally, I compared how each of my chosen options compared against the rest of them.
Here is a summary of the main selection and evaluation criteria I used to develop my list of the best product design tools for this article:
Core Functionality
These are some of the basic features that each product design tool I have highlighted in my list offers:
- Offers a significantly large collection of design elements, vector graphics, and preset templates
- Enables basic design workflows like prototyping, wireframing, interface designing, and iterative building
Key Features
In addition to the core functionalities mentioned above, here are some key attributes of the selected product design tools in my list. I have also assessed the software based on these features:
- Collaborative functionality: The tools I selected are either collaborative design tools that allow for direct collaboration on their platform or they provide shareable links to prototypes that enable viewers (like clients) to annotate and comment on the design document.
- Export capabilities: The tools I chose for this list allow easy export of designs and separate elements in multiple formats to enable effortless storage and transmission of the designs to virtually any system, device, or software.
- Abundance of learning materials: The tools I selected come with large knowledge bases filled with tips, tricks, tutorials, guides, and FAQs that enable users to learn the best ways to use the software quickly.
- Feedback process and user adoption: A strong feedback process is essential for refining designs and driving product adoption. The tools on this list support user testing, enabling teams to gather insights directly from real users. Features like comment threads, annotation tools, and interactive prototypes help designers iterate quickly based on feedback. Understanding how users interact with a product is crucial—often, the biggest barriers to adoption aren’t what you expect.
Usability
The product design tools I have included are super easy to learn and will allow you to hit the ground running on the fly. Most of the recommended tools are compatible with multiple platforms, and some are downloadable for offline access. They also have helpful tutorials, robust resources and documentation, and quick and responsive customer support.
Software Integrations
The product design tools I have included in my list offer a multitude of software integrations with other apps for communication, collaboration, design, and more. This can help streamline your workflows and shorten your build lifecycle while keeping everyone on the same page. For example, suppose a product design tool seamlessly integrates with a messaging and communications tool like Slack. In that case, you can keep stakeholders regularly updated during the stages of the product development process.
Pricing
The product design tools I have included in my list offer extremely affordable pricing plans, especially considering their array of design features. Pricing should be scalable, transparent, and offer value for money. I have also mentioned which tools offer free plans or trials so that you can experiment with the software before investing in it.
What Is A Product Design Tool?
A product design tool is software that helps build, visualize, and enhance products digitally. It allows you to create detailed 2D and 3D models for concept development, prototyping, and simulation. These tools frequently include CAD (Computer-Aided Design) features, like drawing, drafting, modeling, and rendering. These tools help you manage the entire product design process, from idea generation and wireframing to the creation of high-fidelity designs, ensuring a cohesive and user-centric product.
These features enable designers to seamlessly transition from initial concepts to fully realized designs while maintaining UI consistency and efficiency.
Product Design Tools FAQs
If you are new to product and UI/UX designing, you may have some questions after reading my guide. Here are some common questions other people ask about this topic.
Why is product design important?
Product design is critical because it determines how products look, feel, and operate. This has a direct impact on user experiences and commercial success.
A well-executed product design improves usability, aesthetics, and functionality, resulting in stickier user experiences, increased brand loyalty, and improved customer retention over the years.
A carefully constructed product design and development strategy guarantees that products meet user requirements and contribute to overall user satisfaction.
What’s the difference between a product designer and a UX designer?
Product designers are in charge of the entire product design, which includes visuals, functionality, and business considerations. They work with cross-functional teams. They must possess adequate industrial design, user interface design, and user research knowledge.
On the other hand, UX designers focus on creativity and usability when optimizing user interactions. They are particularly skilled in user research, psychology, and interaction design.
Organizations often use the two titles interchangeably, but the main difference between a “product designer” and a “UX designer” is their work environments. UX designers are best suited to project-based requirements, while product designers are meant for agile product-based environments that are continuously innovating. Though both contribute to user-centered products, product designers have a broader work scope, while UX designers focus on building seamless user experiences.
Do product designers use CAD?
Yes, product designers use CAD to create detailed 2D and 3D models that facilitate visualization, prototyping, and analysis. CAD software is used in multiple industries, including aerospace engineering, automotive, mechanical engineering, architectural design, consumer electronics, and jewelry design.
Where can I learn more about product design?
As a product manager, I know the struggle of turning great ideas into polished, user-friendly designs.
On the best days, I loved seeing wireframes come to life, collaborating with designers and engineers who just got it, and watching users engage with a product that felt effortless.
But on the tough days, I faced clunky design tools that made collaboration a nightmare, endless feedback loops that slowed everything down, and frustrating developer handoffs that led to mismatched expectations.
Looking back, I realized a lot of these struggles came from not having the best product design tool to streamline the process.
That’s why I’ve put together this list of the best product design tools—so you can spend less time wrestling with software and more time creating products your users will love. Let’s dive in.
If you’re just starting out, consider taking a product design course at your local college or online. For ongoing learning, I recommend joining a graphic design community, particularly those with a digital product focus.
What’s Next?
The right design tool supports both the creativity and usability of your UI/UX interface and helps you speed up your build lifecycle.
Before jumping into full product design, it helps to establish a clear visual foundation. Moodboard creator tools let you explore styles, gather inspiration, and align on brand direction early in the process.
You can further read how to create the perfect product requirements document that can supercharge your build process with the right product vision.
We also recommend you check out some of these awesome product design newsletters and learn about the four biggest myths around product development to avoid them while creating your ideal strategy.
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