UI designing field is growing rapidly due to digitalization and this opens opportunities for UI developers. Each and every web application is designed with the help of designs created by UI/UX developers. It makes coding work easy and follows a structured manner. User interfaces are designed using software like Figma, Zeplin, InVision, etc. It becomes confusing for beginners to choose the right software. So let’s compare commonly used UI/UX designing software which is Zeplin and InVision to find the best among the two.
What is Zeplin?
Zeplin can be understood as an organized workspace for both developers and designers for the purpose of UI/UX designing. It was launched in 2014 by Zeplin Incorporation. Founder members of Zeplin are Ismail Ceylan, Pelin Kenez, Merih Akar, and Berk Cebi. This software comes with design management features for organizing designs with the help of tags.
Advantages of Zeplin
- It allows code generation from designs which is really helpful for developers.
- It has proper documentation for easy understanding.
- The autosave feature saves designs from unexpected failure or improper loading.
- It allows developers to use other prototyping software.
Disadvantages of Zeplin
- A free plan is limited to a single project.
- Separate projects need to be created for different platforms like iOS and Android.
What is InVision?
InVision is a prototype for creating and managing software that was developed by Ben Nadal and Clark Valberg. It is a cloud-based software that is compatible with platforms like Windows, Mac OS, Android, etc. It was launched in 2011 by InVision studio for creating website mockups. Over time it became popular due to its advanced features like real-time sharing.
Advantages of InVision
- It provides advanced features to control the design.
- It is highly scalable.
- It comes with version history functionality to track designs.
- It also supports user testing features.
Disadvantages of InVision
- It follows a pay-per-user policy which is expensive for bigger teams.
- Sometimes integrations are problematic and did not work as required.
Following is a table of differences between Zeplin and InVision:
|
Categories |
Zeplin |
InVision |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | It can be understood as a collaboration platform for front-end developers and graphic designers. | It can be understood as a cloud-based user interface designing software that helps in editing vector graphics and prototyping. |
| Developer(s) | It was developed by Zeplin Incorporation. | It was developed by InVision Incorporation. |
| Subscriptions | Its basic plan is free while a team subscription is available at $8 per month and the organization plan costs $16 per month. | It does not have a free plan and costs $9.95 per month. |
| Training Option | It has different training options like Videos Live Online, Webinars, Documentation, etc. | Available training options are Documentation and Webinars. |
| File Format | It exports files in SVG formats only. | It supports SVG files along with other file formats. |
| Freehand designing | It does not offer free hand designing. | It has the functionality of free-hand designing. |
| Platform supported | It does not support android systems. | It supports mobile platforms. |
| Rating | It has a G2 rating of 4.4 on a scale of 5. | It has a G2 rating of 4.3 on a scale of 5. |
Conclusion/Summary
On comparing Zeplin and InVision it is found that both software has nearly the same capabilities like collaboration tools, supported platforms, ease of usage, etc. So one can use any of the above except for the budget. If your budget is low then go for Zeplin as it offers a free platform otherwise both are good choices.