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There are seemingly countless mockup and prototype solutions available, so figuring out which one is best for you is tough. You want to conceptualize and communicate design ideas, ensuring a clear representation of the final product's structure and layout but need to figure out which tool is the best fit. I've got you! In this post I make things simple, leveraging my experience managing big, complex products, and being exposed to dozens of different tools to bring you this shortlist of the best mockup tools.

Best Mockup Tools Summary

This comparison chart summarizes pricing details for my top mockup tools selections to help you find the best one for your budget and business needs.

Best Mockup Tools Review

Below are my detailed summaries of the best mockup tools 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.

Best for collaborative interface design

  • Free plan available
  • From $15/user/month (billed annually)
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Rating: 4.7/5

Figma is a collaborative interface design tool that operates as an all-in-one design platform, offering features for design, prototyping, design systems, and development. It was created with the goal of making design tools accessible to more people by utilizing the web, allowing for real-time collaboration and eliminating the need for multiple versions of design files.

Figma was developed in 2015 as the first design tool to combine the accessibility of the web with the functionality of a native app, and it has since become a popular choice for teams looking to streamline their design process and work together more efficiently. 

Why I picked Figma: Figma provides a platform for users to create and share wireframes for web and mobile mockups. The tool is designed to support UI and UX design, wireframing, diagramming, brainstorming, and team collaboration, making it a versatile choice for design professionals.

Figma facilitates collaboration by allowing users to share wireframes and collect feedback, either in real time or asynchronously, by simply sharing a link. Figma's ability to allow users to drop comments directly on the wireframes adds a layer of contextual feedback that can be crucial during the design process. Users can also convert wireframes into detailed, high-fidelity components, which is suitable for both beginners and experienced designers.

Figma Standout Features and Integrations

Features include interactive prototyping, design systems with with linked UI components and style libraries, plugins and widgets to automate repetitive tasks, aggregate data, and more, and features for organizing design files, including team spaces, project folders, and file browsing.

Integrations include Dropbox, Trello, Jira, Confluence, GitLab, Storybook, Notion, Slack, Asana, and Zoom.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Community support is available
  • Supports an atomic design approach
  • User-friendly interface for UI designing and prototyping

Cons:

  • Real-time prototype views can be slow with many screens
  • Limited language and translation features

Best for effective collaboration amongst product & technical stakeholders

  • Free plan available
  • From $24.99/user/month (billed annually)
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Rating: 4.5/5

Mockplus has over ten years of experience in the mockup software industry. Mockplus specializes in prototyping software and effective collaboration. Some of the biggest brands, including IBM, Microsoft, and Huawei, vouch for Mockplus.

Mockplus features three products called Mockplus Cloud (focussed on collaboration), Mockplus RP (for prototype designing) and Mockplus DS (for fine tuning design nuances). The Mockplus Cloud offering allows product managers to brainstorm and review changes to wireframes, prototypes and mockups. What’s also noteworthy is that Mockplus supports several design tools like Photoshop, and Adobe XD, etc., meaning designers can import assets from various software into Mockplus Cloud.

Why I picked Mockplus: As a former product manager, I always strive for effective team collaboration, and Mockplus helps achieve that. With Mockplus, product managers can involve developers and designers early in the ideation process. As a result, all key stakeholders are on the same page from day 1.

Mockplus has all the firepower developers need regarding code compatibility and versatility in downloading assets. Also, tracking “user stories” or development progress is critical for product managers. Using Mockplus, you can visually prioritize and track progress. 

Mockplus Standout Features and Integrations

Features include vector UI designing, drag-and-drop designing, remote collaboration, streamlined design handoff, custom codes, rapid prototyping, prototype user testing, and version control.

Integrations include 10+ tools, such as Adobe XD, Axure, Confluence, Figma, Jira, Lark, Photoshop, Sketch, Slack, Symbol, and others.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Easy drag-and-drop functionality
  • Streamlines design workflow
  • Great plugins for design handovers

Cons:

  • Design uploading requires Adobe Flash plugins
  • A slightly steep learning curve

Best for streamlining design feedback processes

  • 7-day free trial + free plan available
  • From $16/user/month (billed annually)
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Rating: 4.4/5

Marvel started as a side hustle in 2013 and quickly rose to prominence in the mockup and wireframe designing industry. Marvel's powerful collaborative platform helps reduce friction from multiple iterations with stakeholders to attain sign-offs on product ideas.

Why I picked Marvel: In my books, Marvel is an absolute marvel mainly because of the supreme collaboration and handoff features. As a product manager, getting sign-offs on ideas to start development takes time and effort. With Marvel, you can promote effective cross-company collaboration and reduce the GTM (go-to-market) time for a new feature or product. 

With shared folders and real-time activity notifications, all relevant stakeholders are constantly in the loop to close open points and march towards sign-offs. Additionally, maintaining team libraries on Marvel helps you elevate brand consistency in your company.

Marvel Standout Features and Integrations

Features include a drag-and-drop design interface, editing Sketch designs, team libraries, a huge repository of pre-made images & assets, and effective design handoff tools.

Integrations include 5+ tools, such as Ballpark, Dropbox Paper, Jira, Sketch, Slack, Userflows, and others.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Easily shareable links to prototypes
  • Clean and simple UI
  • Nifty slack integration

Cons:

  • Animations are not very fluid
  • Assets could be more comprehensive

Best for generating mockups based on existing websites or applications

  • 14-day free trial + free plan available
  • From $6/user/month
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Rating: 4.2/5

UXPin has been around in the prototyping and wireframing industry for over a decade. Founded in 2010 in Poland, the company was acquired by Xenon Partners in 2020. UXPin offers a revolutionary technology called Merge that allows you to import and maintain in-sync ReactJS elements.

UXPin promotes component-driven design. This means you can build upon your existing UI components and design mockups with these exact elements.

Why I picked UXPin: UXPin made my cut because of the emphasis the tool places on design customizations. You can design inclusive mockups aligning with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) standards. Features like color blindness simulator and contrast checker help test your prototypes. UXPin enables you to build a tailored UI anatomy focusing on color usage, content layout and typography.

Component-driven design is a significant feature that enables you to create mockups in line with your brand style guidelines easily. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel; leverage existing designs using UXPin’s prototyping tool.

UXPin Standout Features and Integrations

Features include user journeys, usability testing, user research, animation, remote collaboration, and logic-based prototyping with variable definitions and conditional interactions. Heat Mapping is a nifty feature that allows you to visualize where users click or scroll and how far users scroll.

Integrations include 10+ tools, such as Asana, Google Sheets, Microsoft Dynamics 365, NPM, Salesforce, Storybook, Zendesk, and others.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Password protected prototypes
  • Custom fonts upload
  • Rapid prototyping

Cons:

  • Lots of marketing spam emails
  • Poor customer service

Best mockup tool for mobile application focused product managers

  • Free plan available
  • From $14/user/month
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Rating: 4.2/5

MockFlow helps product and development folks achieve flow in their work. MockFlow has several wireframing and product design tools to help you quickly nail low-fidelity designs and business processes.

If you’re a product manager handling a mobile application launch, MockFlow is your ally! Using MockFlow, you can draw UI for many mobile devices. The tool provides several UI wireframe libraries to design a visually stunning low-fidelity wireframe quickly.

Why I picked MockFlow: As a product manager, you often get bombarded with several ideas. Being able to translate these ideas into something presentable quickly is crucial. MockFlow offers valuable tools to visualize the UI for a mobile app or website effortlessly.

Mockflow also has direct CSS support that helps add an extra layer of customization to your wireframes and mockups. The annotation feature is quite helpful in dropping insights and suggestions.

MockFlow Standout Features and Integrations

Features include a comprehensive UI change log, UX design documentation, a proposal creator, file management, a UI heat mapper, a time-tracker, and video feedback. The whiteboard feature helps you effectively present UI designs during meetings. 

Integrations include 10+ tools, such as Adobe Photoshop, Azure, Confluence, Google Drive, GSuite, Jira, Microsoft Office, Microsoft Teams, Okta, Slack, Trello, and others.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Frequent product updates
  • Easy to learn
  • Lots of pre-built UI templates

Cons:

  • Requires an Adobe flash plugin to operate
  • Difficult to use for non-English users

Best mockup tool for building link-connected prototypes

  • Free plan available
  • From $8.25/user/month (billed annually)
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Rating: 4.1/5

Fluid UI is a design platform that helps teams plan, create, and share interactive mockups. It’s used by people who want to turn ideas into clickable screens without needing complex setup. The tool lets you connect screens together so you can show how an app or website flows.

Why I picked Fluid UI: You can use the free plan to build prototypes that link screens together, making it easy to show how your designs work. The tool gives you access to pre-built libraries so you don’t need to start from scratch. It also allows you to add simple interactions, enabling your team to walk through the flow. Sharing is built-in, so everyone can see and comment on your design.

Fluid UI Standout Features and Integrations

Features include real-time collaboration so you and your team can work on the same project together, live video calling directly inside the tool, and quick feedback options for reviewing mockups. You can also organize screens into pages to keep larger projects tidy.

Integrations include Google Drive, Dropbox, and Slack.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Cloud-based so projects stay updated
  • Built-in video chat during design reviews
  • Real-time collaboration for design teams

Cons:

  • Advanced animations not supported
  • Complex projects feel hard to manage

Best for designing responsive website mockups

  • Free trial available
  • From $9/user/month (billed annually)
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Rating: 4/5

Justinmind is a prototyping software company based out of San Francisco, California. The company has been specializing in software simulations and wireframe tools since 2005.

Justinmind helps product managers create a highly responsive website mockup in minutes. Even if you don’t know basic HTML commands, Justinmind enables you to create aesthetic and interactive mockups.

Why I picked Justinmind: I was impressed with the liquid layouts that Justinmind offers. You can use liquid layouts to create interactive prototypes that dynamically adapt to several screen resolutions. Justinmind takes the sting out of complicated web-design concepts like pinning elements on a specific position and auto-resizing elements. If you’re dealing with a mobile application, Justinmind has fantastic app transitions like a pop, flip, fade or slide to improve engagement.

The testing functionality is also quite handy. Using Justinmind, you can quickly test a mockup and ensure smooth flow with minimal friction. The tool allows you to simulate applications and websites on various devices. Justinmind also allows you to import multiple file formats from applications like Photoshop, Illustrator, and Sketch to add them as layers or images to your mockups.

Although some responsive features typically come under prototyping, Justinmind blurs the line (in a good way) between mockups and prototyping - enabling you to collaborate better with technical teams.

Justinmind Standout Features and Integrations

Features include 4,000+ elements in a library of UI kits, smart templates, responsive and adaptive web design, Adobe and Sketch plugins, mobile gestures, animations, and data-driven variables. You can also set conditions and rules for a given interaction (for example, you can define how the app must react to a mouse-over).

Integrations include 10+ tools, such as Azure, Confluence, Figma, Hotjar, Illustrator, JIRA, Photoshop, Sketch, UserZoom, XD, and others.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • The free app is quite extensive
  • Responsive prototyping
  • Mobile app available

Cons:

  • Lack of comprehensive tutorials
  • Occasional app freezes

Best mockup tool for preparing visual flowcharts and mind maps

  • Free trial available
  • From $12/user/month

Mockitt by Wondershare is a real blessing for product managers. You can translate high-level ideas into mockups using Mockitt’s templates and tools. Also, for designers and web developers, Mockitt helps create dynamic and functional prototypes from mockups made by the product manager.

Product managers must chart business processes and operations in a flowchart or mind map for brainstorming or presenting to management. Mockitt comes topped with several templates to get off the block quickly.

Why I picked Mockitt: I love flowcharts and the notion of diagrammatically expressing my thoughts. Mockitt helps create beautiful flowcharts and features a practical real-time collaboration functionality. Be it standalone business processes or a flowchart of ideas using screenshots or mockups, Mockitt helps you clearly articulate your thoughts and suggestions.

The template library is extensive, with several flowcharting and mind-mapping start points. Some popular flowchart templates include the user journey flowchart, project management system, decision flowchart, and bug fix process.

Mockitt Standout Features and Integrations

Features include rapid prototyping, flowchart templates, real-time collaboration, vector graphic design, and auto-handoff.

Integrations include Sketch and others.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Version control
  • Rapid prototyping
  • 500+ templates and widgets

Cons:

  • No gradient fill design feature
  • Eyedropper tool is not available on the web version

Best mockup tool for packaging and apparel

  • 7-day free trial
  • From $14/month

Smartmockups helps businesses generate engaging product mockups. If your product is garment apparel like T-shirts or merch like coffee mugs, Smartmockups can help you quickly create stunning mockups. If you’re an ecommerce product manager, you’re in for a real treat.

Why I picked Smartmockups: Back in the day, I had an idea of starting a T-shirt dropshipping company. I’d spend hours learning Photoshop and eventually procrastinating. I love Smartmockups because of the simplicity and versatility in design selection. 

You can design mockups for T-shirts, smartphones, magazines, books, and even face masks. Smartmockups also offers excellent export quality for your social media and prints. With Smartmockups, you can effortlessly incorporate your brand logo or watermark into the product mockup. Lastly, you can upload assets in various formats, including PDF, JPG, and PNG. 

Smartmockups Standout Features and Integrations

Features include a growing mockup library, 5K resolution exports, crop presets, transparent background, and an advanced color picker.

Integrations include Canva, Dropbox and Unsplash.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • New mockups get added every week
  • Export unlimited projects and mockups
  • Free version is quite effective

Cons:

  • The main use case is for physical products and not tangibles like websites or mobile applications
  • Web design mockups are limited

Best mockup tool for UX research & mind mapping

  • Free plan available
  • From $13/month

Moqups is an excellent visual collaboration tool that allows you to create several assets like wireframes, diagram maps, mockups, and prototypes.

The pre-built template library thatMoqups offers is simply stunning. Several valuable templates exist for wireframing, diagramming, UX research and even project management. Additionally, there is an excellent level of detail in each template category. For instance, the UX research category features templates for user personas, empathy mapping, and story mapping.

Why I picked Moqups: I picked Moqups because of the wide range of templates. Sometimes, as product managers, you may need more artistic or technical inspiration to draw or design stuff. Consequently, the pre-defined templates and UI elements are a practical starting point. You can look at some templates and start populating them with details relevant to your product.

Moqups is great for several use cases: if you’re early on looking to create a low-fidelity wireframe or a more high-fi mockup. Also, with Moqups’ library of popular icon sets, you can quickly create a comprehensive mockup for a website design.

Moqups Standout Features and Integrations

Features include a library of icon sets, pre-defined templates, an extensive font range, intuitive object editing, powerful page management, and a drag-and-drop image upload. The collaboration capabilities allow stakeholders to collaborate remotely on a wireframe or mockup easily.

Integrations include 10+ tools such as Box, Confluence Cloud, Dropbox, Google Chrome, Google Drive, Jira, Mattermost, Microsoft Azure AD, Mozilla Firefox, Okta, Slack, and others.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Snappy Chrome extension
  • A vast range of templates
  • Intuitive UI

Cons:

  • No renewal notifications after the trial period
  • Choppy customer service at times

Best mockup tool for generating packaging and print designs

  • 14-day free trial + free plan available
  • From $12.25/user/month (billed annually)

Visme offers tools to make professional presentations, social media advertisements, and several different kinds of mockups. You can also use Visme to create infographic templates, logos, charts, and other graphics for blogs and social media.

Why I picked Visme: I picked Visme because of the sheer simplicity the tool offers. If you want to create some product mockups of a physical object, Visme intelligently transposes your assets (brand logo, text, etc.) onto the object. You can also prepare design mockups to showcase your brand’s packaging on a paper bag or box.

Moreover, from a personal brand perspective, Visme helps you create customized brochures, flyers, and business cards. Visme also supports mockups for apparel like T-shirts, hoodies, and polo shirts.

Visme Standout Features and Integrations

Features include elegant mockup templates, a drag-and-drop designer, device templates, customizable design capabilities, and easy resizing.

Integrations include 10+ tools, like GIPHY, Google Drive, HubSpot, Jotform, Loom, One Drive, Salesforce, Vimeo, Wistia, YouTube, Zapier, and others.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Impactful business presentation templates
  • Good customer service
  • Easy to use

Cons:

  • No support for guest collaborators
  • Formatting and layout bugs

Best for generating Android and iOS mockups

  • Free plan available
  • From $26.90/month

Mockuuups Studio is a mockup tool that doesn’t require any design skills. Their mockup generator offers several pre-built mockups for several different device types including smartphone, laptops, smart watches, tablets, and even smart TVs.

Mockuuups Studio has a downloadable application for Windows and macOS.

Why I picked Mockuuups Studio: I’m not the most creative person. I’ll be honest — most of my presentations start off with me “stealing” slides from my boss. Mockuuups Studio helps you gain some much needed initial momentum by providing you with tons of templates to create amazing mockups. Also, if you are not well-versed in color scheming, fonts, and the visual aspects of designing, Mockuuups Studio simplifies it all.

The tool has a great repository of (Original Equipment Manufacturers) OEMs devices including Samsung, iPhone, OnePlus and others. You can select royalty-free images for your mockup background and even customize the model’s hand position on your mockup. Also, with photorealistic effects, you can apply great-looking gradient backgrounds to your mockups and leave a long-lasting first impression.

Mockuuups Studio Standout Features and Integrations

Features include a drag-and-drop interface, a growing library of mockups, and a great degree of customization options for your hand mockups.

Integrations include Figma and Sketch. The tool also offers an API to integrate their services into your application or website.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Sharp exports
  • Exhaustive library of mockups
  • Very easy to use

Cons:

  • Rare app crashes
  • Occasional alignment bugs

Best mockup tool for implementing interaction events and conditional logic

  • 30-day free trial
  • From $29/user/month

Axure is a powerful design software packed with rich web mockup features. As product managers, you ideally want to minimize time spent tinkering with the technicalities and focus more on the value or customer pain points. Axure helps you quickly translate brilliant ideas into unique and interactive mockups.

Axure does it all: diagrams, wireframes, customer journeys, and prototypes. Additionally, the level of prototyping detail is awe-inspiring. You can create tailored responses to user events like OnMouseOver or OnClick. 

Why I picked Axure: I picked Axure because of the sheer firepower this tool offers. With minimal coding knowledge, you can apply complex conditional if-then-else logic to your mockups. Moreover, you can create dynamic content for a more immersive end-user experience.

As a product manager, you want to impart a certain level of uniqueness to your customers. With Axure, you can easily customize interface behaviors, like displaying an element when a user scrolls.

Axure Standout Features and Integrations

Features include conditional logic, interaction events, dynamic content, drag-and-drop working forms (droplists, radio buttons, text fields, etc.), adaptive views, remote collaboration, flow diagrams, and many others.

Integrations include 5+ tools like Adobe XD, Confluence, Figma, Jira, Microsoft Teams, Sketch, Slack, and others.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Varying fidelity levels
  • Developer handoff
  • Rapid prototyping

Cons:

  • Buggy tables
  • Sometimes requires steep technical knowledge

Best mockup tool for defining product roadmaps and customer buying journey

  • Free plan + free demo available
  • From $9/user/month (billed annually)
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Rating: 4.6/5

Lucidchart is a diagramming application that helps users collaborate on diagrams and charts. This tool is entirely web-based and doesn’t require plugins like Adobe Flash. 

For product managers, charting out a customer journey is critical. Lucidchart helps nail the various nuances of a customer journey by enabling product managers to provide much-needed clarity of thought to engineers and designers.

Why I picked Lucidchart: I picked Lucidchart because of the no-brainer approach to getting started. I recall using Lucidchart to chart business processes for my BSS (Business Support Systems) related projects. Additionally, Lucidchart allowed me to define new product roadmaps with ease. As product managers, Lucidchart helps you to revamp and pivot your roadmap to align with your company’s vision.

Moreover, Lucidchart also helps you gather feedback from relevant stakeholders and seek their buy-in before kickstarting the sign-off and development processes. Considering business processes that cut across several cross-functional teams (CFTs), LucidChart helps you create swimlane diagrams and tag respective stakeholders against particular segments of your business flow. I also love the collaborative cursor feature that shows other stakeholders’ cursor movements - it makes remote working more fun and effective.

On the other hand, if you are dealing with a website revamp, check out Lucidchart’s sitemap creator. By chalking visual sitemaps, you can nail page hierarchy and tweak things to spike your site’s conversion rate.

Lucidchart Standout Features and Integrations

Features include drag-and-drop editing, real-time collaboration, collaborative cursors, SQL import, product road mapping, work breakdown structure (WBS) templates, critical path method (CPM) templates, and others.

Integrations include 10+ tools, such as Google Suite, Google Workspace, Jira, Microsoft 365, Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Visio, Okta, Salesforce, Slack, Zoom, and others.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Real-time collaboration
  • Intuitive UI
  • Great product and project management templates

Cons:

  • Shallow object limit on the free version
  • Can’t multi-select objects

Best mockup tool for creating interactive designs

  • 14-day free trial + free plan available
  • From $5/month (billed annually)
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Rating: 4.4/5

Framer is a design platform that lets teams create, share, and test digital interfaces. It’s built for designers and developers who want to turn ideas into working mockups. The tool helps you move from static layouts to interactive experiences that feel real.

Why I picked Framer: You can design interactive prototypes that behave like real products, making it easier to test ideas. The tool gives you access to ready-made components, so you don’t need to start every design from scratch. It also supports responsive layouts, which means your team can see how a design adapts to various screen sizes. Sharing is simple, so you can collect feedback without delays.

Framer Standout Features and Integrations

Features include a visual canvas where you can design and edit directly, animation tools that enable you to add motion to your prototypes, and responsive design settings that demonstrate how your layout adapts across devices. You can also use interactive components to bring your ideas to life. The tool supports quick sharing so your team can test and review designs together.

Integrations include Figma, Sketch, Photoshop, Unsplash, Google Fonts, and Webflow.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Pre-built components save setup time
  • Built-in animation tools for realistic flows
  • Interactive prototypes feel close to final product

Cons:

  • Some advanced options need coding knowledge
  • Complex projects can slow performance

Other Mockup Tools

Here are some additional mockup tools options that didn’t make it onto my shortlist, but are still worth checking out:

  1. Balsamiq

    Mockup tool for building B2B wireframes

  2. MockupsJar

    Mockup tool for wall poster mockup designs

  3. Mediamodifier

    Mockup tool for business card and postcard designs

  4. Flinto

    Mockup tool for vector curve animation

  5. Adobe XD

    Mockup tool for content-aware design layout feature

Mockup Tool Selection Criteria

When selecting the best mockup tools to include in this list, I considered common buyer needs and pain points like ease of collaboration and rapid prototyping capabilities. 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
  • Build interactive prototypes
  • Collaborate with team members
  • Provide design templates
  • Allow user feedback integration

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 suggestions
  • Offline accessibility

Usability (10% of total score)
To get a sense of the usability of each system, I considered the following:

  • Intuitive user interface
  • Customizable workspace
  • Easy navigation
  • Quick access to tools
  • Responsive design

Onboarding (10% of total score)
To evaluate the onboarding experience for each platform, I considered the following:

  • Availability of training videos
  • Interactive product tours
  • Access to templates
  • Chatbot assistance
  • Webinars and tutorials

Customer Support (10% of total score)
To assess each software provider’s customer support services, I considered the following:

  • 24/7 support availability
  • Multiple support channels
  • Prompt response times
  • Access to a knowledge base
  • Dedicated account managers

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 set for the price
  • Discounts for annual billing

Customer Reviews (10% of total score)
To get a sense of overall customer satisfaction, I considered the following when reading customer reviews:

  • Overall satisfaction rating
  • Commonly praised features
  • Reported issues or bugs
  • User feedback on support
  • Ease of implementation

How to Choose Mockup Tools

It’s easy to get bogged down in long feature lists and complex pricing structures. To help you stay focused as you work through your unique software selection process, here’s a checklist of factors to keep in mind:

FactorWhat to Consider
ScalabilityConsider if the tool can grow with your team. Will it handle more users or larger projects as your company expands? Check if there are limitations on project size or user numbers.
IntegrationsEvaluate how well the tool connects with your existing software stack. Does it integrate with platforms like Slack, Jira, or Google Drive to streamline workflows?
CustomizabilityAssess if the tool lets you tailor features to fit your needs. Can you customize templates or workflows to match your team's unique processes?
Ease of useLook for a tool with a simple interface that your team can learn quickly. Avoid tools that require extensive training or technical knowledge for everyday tasks.
Implementation and onboardingInvestigate the setup process and available support. Are there resources like tutorials or support teams to help your team get started without disruption?
CostCompare pricing models and ensure they fit your budget. Are there hidden fees or costs for additional features? Consider if annual billing offers savings.
Security safeguardsCheck if the tool meets your security standards. Does it offer features like data encryption and regular security updates to protect your information?
Support availabilityDetermine the level of support provided. Is there 24/7 customer service? Can you reach them through multiple channels like chat or phone?

What Are Mockup Tools?

Mockup tools are apps that let you quickly create visual models of a product or webpage before it’s built. Designers, developers, and clients use these to picture layouts, test ideas, and get feedback early, instead of guessing how things will look from a sketch. With easy drag-and-drop features and shared workspaces, you can tweak designs together—saving everyone surprises and headaches once real development starts.

Features

When selecting mockup tools, keep an eye out for the following key features:

  • Wireframing: Allows you to create basic layouts and structure for your designs, helping you visualize the user interface early in the design process.
  • Prototyping: Enables you to build interactive models of your designs, which helps in testing user flows and gathering feedback before development.
  • Collaboration: Offers tools for real-time teamwork, allowing multiple users to work on a project simultaneously and share feedback instantly.
  • Design system management: Helps maintain consistency across projects by managing reusable components and style guides.
  • Animation tools: Provides the ability to add transitions and animations to your prototypes, making them more realistic and engaging.
  • User testing: Allows you to gather direct feedback from users within the platform, helping refine designs based on actual user interaction.
  • Design handoff: Bridges the gap between design and development by generating code specifications, ensuring a smoother transition to the build phase.
  • Accessibility checker: Ensures that your designs meet industry accessibility standards, making your product usable for a wider audience.
  • Offline access: Lets you work on projects without an internet connection, ensuring productivity even in limited connectivity situations.
  • Live data integration: Uses real data to create dynamic prototypes, providing a more realistic representation of the final product.

Benefits

Implementing mockup tools provides several benefits for your team and your business. Here are a few you can look forward to:

  • Improved collaboration: Real-time collaboration features allow team members to work together efficiently, reducing miscommunication and enhancing teamwork.
  • Faster iteration: Prototyping and user testing capabilities enable quick feedback and revisions, speeding up the design process and improving the final product.
  • Consistent design: Design system management helps maintain uniformity across projects, ensuring that branding and design guidelines are consistently followed.
  • Enhanced creativity: Features like animation tools and live data integration allow for more creative and realistic designs, making your prototypes more engaging.
  • Cost savings: By identifying design issues early through wireframing and prototyping, you can avoid costly mistakes and rework during the development phase.
  • Better accessibility: Accessibility checkers ensure your designs meet standards, broadening your audience and making your product more inclusive.
  • Efficient handoff: Design handoff tools provide clear specifications for developers, facilitating a smoother transition from design to development.

Costs & Pricing

Selecting mockup tools requires an understanding of the various pricing models and plans available. Costs vary based on features, team size, add-ons, and more. The table below summarizes common plans, their average prices, and typical features included in mockup tools solutions:

Plan Comparison Table for Mockup Tools

Plan TypeAverage PriceCommon Features
Free Plan$0Basic wireframing, limited prototyping, and basic collaboration.
Personal Plan$5-$15/user/monthAdvanced prototyping, access to templates, and basic integrations.
Business Plan$20-$50/user/monthReal-time collaboration, design system management, and enhanced security features.
Enterprise Plan$60-$100/user/monthCustomizable workflows, dedicated account support, advanced analytics, and full integration capabilities.

Mockup Tools FAQs

Here are some answers to common questions about mockup tools:

How do mockup tools fit into the overall design process?

Mockup tools usually come into play after initial sketches and before full development. They help you visualize layouts and refine the user interface before coding starts. Using them early can help you identify design issues while changes are still easy to make.

Can mockup tools replace coding during the early stages of design?

Yes, mockup tools let you show visual ideas without needing to code. They’re ideal for communicating layout, color, and style choices before development begins. This way, you can focus on design clarity without worrying about the technical side yet.

How accurate are mockups compared to final designs?

Mockups give you a close representation of what the final product will look like. However, small differences can still appear once real data and functionality are added. Treat them as a guide to communicate intent rather than a pixel-perfect final version.

When should you update or revise mockups during a project?

You should revise mockups whenever your project scope, branding, or user feedback changes. Keeping them updated ensures everyone stays on the same page. Regular updates prevent confusion and make the handoff to development much smoother.

What’s Next:

If you're in the process of researching mockup tools, connect with a SoftwareSelect advisor for free recommendations.

You fill out a form and have a quick chat where they get into the specifics of your needs. Then you'll get a shortlist of software to review. They'll even support you through the entire buying process, including price negotiations.

Joshua Solomon
By Joshua Solomon

Joshua Solomon is a former product manager at a top telecom firm. He has amassed a great wealth of experience in roadmap creation, user story prioritization, cross-functional collaboration and other nuances of product management.