HN Explorer

Ask HN:The best free web based mockup/wireframe tool?

8 points by anujkk ↗ HN
I'm looking for a web-based prototyping/mockup/wireframe tool that

1)Let me design mockups/designs online

2)Allows collaboration with others

3)Let me share it with others to get feedback

4)is free

12 comments

[ 3.5 ms ] story [ 37.2 ms ] thread
jarek-foksa
I was recently told about Balsamiq. Looks quite nice, though the full version requires Adobe Air and is not free. You can try online demo here: http://builds.balsamiq.com/b/mockups-web-demo/

Also check Mockingbird: https://gomockingbird.com/mockingbird/

ohashi
I enjoyed using mockingbird. Can't collab in free, but can show other people and have them look through it. Balsamiq got old with popups asking me to upgrade.
slindstr
I was actually in a meeting today where someone was showing us mockups using Balsamiq. First time I've ever seen it - looked pretty cool. He was able to make interactive PDFs so when you click on an element of the mockup (say a button) it showed the action (like popping up a dialog). He seemed to like it well enough too, but like you said it's not free and requires Adobe Air...
rabidonrails
I've been using Balsamiq for a while now and I love it. Sure it runs on Air and isn't free, but it's one of the best purchases we've made as a bootstrapped startup. Also, the group that runs Balsamiq is awesome and the CEO -Peldi?- writes a great blog.
infocaptor
You should check MockupTiger too, it is also using html5 so works only in chrome and firefox. But you can host it on your own domain or use it on desktop.
knes
Its hard to find a good free one. I've look around and I've been a long time user of Balsamiq. But it like the possibility to easily make an interactive/useable mockup.

I've switched to Protoshare ( http://www.protoshare.com ) and you can easily create full fledge prototype that can be actually used/tested.

Check the video on their landing page. Pricing wise it's 29$ / Month

Cheers

ravipathak
I have used Mockflow for a year, but seems the frequency of my design need wasnt so high that I continue to use it.

I'd love to hear which tool falls all the criteria !

VuongN
Believe it or not, I was in your shoes about a few weeks ago. I decided against the online/web services because I felt it was a bit limiting and I rather have my stuff on my own computer. Here's something I found that fit all my needs and yours: http://pencil.evolus.vn/en-US/Home.aspx

You can generate stuff into other formats AND html with jquery tab. Some pretty nice options. And everything is free and open source.

theballwatcher
I've been using http://www.lumzy.com/ for some time now. Its free and does the job quite nicely.I havent used its collab features but its evident that it has some nice ones.
michaelw
Wireframe Sketcher has become my favorite tool of late.

Clickable PDFs, simple text markup for control data, story boarding and eclipse integration. No real time collaboration but that hasn't been an issue for me.

The free version nags you a bit but the price was so low I just paid for it.