Best Free-to-Use Wireframing Tools

Wireframing is the process of creating a low-fidelity sketch of a user interface that helps the designer in planning how all the design components are laid out on the screen before they get bogged down in the details of the design. Wireframing tools help the designers create this low-fidelity rough sketch as quickly as possible so that they have a high-level overview of how the design is planned out. Choosing the right wireframing tool can make you more productive but also enable you to improve your wireframe significantly. This is why in this article we will be discussing the top 5 Free-to-Use Wireframing tools recommended by professionals and industry experts.

Free-to-Use Wireframing Tools

What is Wireframing?

Wireframing is the process of creating a low-fidelity sketch of a user interface that helps the designer in planning how all the design components are laid out on the screen before they get bogged down in the details of the design. A Wireframe includes the outline or bare bones of the key elements of a design. Another important use case of Wireframes is that it provide a basic artifact that can be tested with users to confirm or deny different design choices.

For example, before designing a mobile app, the designer can create wireframes for each basic screen. This will help the designer plan out exactly how the user will undertake tasks and engage with key elements as well as navigate through the website or application.

Top 5 Free-to-Use Wireframing Tools

Following is the list of top 5 Free-to-Use Wireframing tools in no particular order, that are highly recommended by the professionals in design and industry experts.

MockFlow

MockFlow is consider as one of the quickest tools to create a wireframes, along with that you can design architecture diagrams, user flows, sitemaps and much more with MockFlow. MockFlow is available on both mac and Windows and also has a web version which can be accessed from anywhere. The core USP (Unique Selling Proposition) of MockFlow is its clean and intuitive interface which makes it quite easy to understand and work with. It comes with a huge library of UI packages and since it is an online wireframe tool, real time team collaboration is quite simple to achieve with MockFlow.

Key features:

• Slack and Microsoft Teams integrated
• Huge Library of UI components
• AI image generation features
• Simple to user and intuitive
• Free for one project and then paid plans starts from $14 per user pr month

Figma

Figma is a browser based UI and UX creation application with design, prototyping and code generation tools. With Figma you can design Wireframes, Prototypes, Flowcharts and Presentations, User Interfaces, Social Media Graphics and a lot more. Figma also comes with its desktop application but it is known for its browser compatible seamless experience. The reason for Figma to be on this list is its FigJam which is a whiteboard feature inside Figma, very useful to create user flows in the easiest and quickest manner.

Key features:

• Rapid prototyping
• The Benefits of the Cloud, work from anywhere
• Real-time Collaboration
• Vibrant community and easy resources to learn
• Simple to learn and simple to use

Mockplus

Mockplus is another popular choice when it comes to Free-to-Use Wireframing Tools. it is a wireframing and prototyping tool for designing websites and mobile apps. It is used by companies like Microsoft, Ubisoft, IBM, Oracle and many more. Similar to tools like Justinmind, it also allows the designers to test their wireframe as a working prototype right from the start of the wireframe which is a significant upgrade from other wireframing tools that requires a lot more manual work to be done for testing a wireframe. Mockplus comes with a freemium model where the basic plan is free and pro plan is about $15 per month when billed annually. The Pro version of the tool comes with a 15 days free trial.

Key features:

• 15 days free trial for pro version
• Freemium model – Standard plan starts from $15 per user per month.
• Huge Library of UI Components
• Create Wireframes 200% faster
• Hassle-free animating

Justinmind

Justinmind is a professional designing and wireframing tool for websites and applications for desktops and mobile. The Unique feature that comes with Justinmind is that it enables the designers to test their wireframe as a working prototype right from the start of the wireframe. It comes interactive prototype elements like text inputs, buttons, dropdowns etc. hence a working dropdown with Justinmind can be created with a single click which would take minutes for other wireframing tools. The UI of Justinmind is clear and intuitive and it does support real time collaboration but it comes with an desktop-only access. Justinmind comes with a very generous freemium model where the desktop app is free and you have to pay for features like real-time collaboration and advanced prototyping.

Key features:

• Freemium model – Standard plan starts from $9 per user per month.
• Real time collaboration with detailed version history.
• Test your wireframe right from the start.
• Intuitive UI
• Huge library of interactive prototype elements

Wireframe.CC

Wireframe.CC is a wireframing tool popular among designer community for its simple and minimalist UI. It is a web application for wireframing purposes, unlike other wireframing tools, Wireframe.CC comes with a the layout that includes drawing items on pencil and paper and then cutting and pasting them on your design. This makes the process of wireframing much more accessible for new designers. With Wireframe.cc we can also create multiple wireframes at a time. Wireframe.CC comes with a freemium model where the basic plan is free and pro plan is about $9 per month per user.

Key features:

• Freemium model – Free Basic plan and Premium starts from $9 per user per month.
• Convert your mouse into a multipurpose tool.
• Draw items on pencil and paper format
• Many design templates to choose from
• Accessible and intuitive interface

Conclusion

Wireframing is the process of creating a low fidelity sketch of a user interface that helps the designer in planning how all the design components are laid out on the screen before they get bogged down in the details of the design. A Correct Wireframing tool can really streamline the process of UI/UX designer for a professional design hence the choice of a wireframing tool is crucial is must of done after considering a number of options. Make sure to try out different wireframing as defined by us in the article before settling upon a single wireframing tool.