Usually, I don’t recommend using free tools for your important design projects since it’s not easy to find free mockup software with adequate features.
Most of the time, they’ll offer a lesser version of the premium app, which will hinder your progress. And users are required to pay to access the advanced features and enjoy the platform.
That being said, here are a few options that offer decent design tools while still maintaining a free price, which will come in handy if you need free mockup tools for web applications.
Flinto
To start with, Mac users can have Flinto, a popular design tool for creating innovative and interactive mockups.
Feel free to use its many design tools to create your animated transitions and animations without the need for coding.
Use the Behavior Design tool to add on-screen components and their many interactions to create the perfect UI. These include buttons, scrollable areas, and more.
And suppose you need to draw on the canvas. In that case, Flinto will offer its powerful drawing features, allowing you to create quick and easy wireframes or high-fidelity mockup designs using only the drawing tools.
And speaking of which, it’s also possible for Flinto users to import their sketches and designs from Sketch, Figma, and other popular design platforms, which will allow for more seamless experiences.
Once finished, you can work on the simple prototyping tools, allowing you to test your designs on any connected iOS devices immediately.
Flinto offers a free trial for users to access most of its features for a limited time. So, if you need a quick and fully-featured tool to complete your job immediately, it’s worth a try.
However, since the app consists of mostly design-related features, you’ll find it quite limiting when collaborating with others on team projects.
Adobe XD
For Adobe Creative Cloud subscribers, Adobe XD will come in the same package without requiring any extra payments.
Here, creative professionals can have many useful and powerful design features available at their disposal. No trouble designing different web and app layouts on the responsive canvas, which can resize and adjust the components according to the screen sizes.
Have the smart Content-Aware layout adjust your web content automatically so that you can spend less time editing. In addition, the click and drag simplicity and convenient editing features will allow you to adjust your web and app elements with ease.
Use the design platform to add and customize interactions for different on-screen scenarios. And have fun working with the unique 3D transformations, which will give more depth and enable cool perspectives on your designs.
And with the Creative Cloud being available, Adobe XD users can easily collaborate with other Adobe users in the same ecosystem. Feel free to import your designs from Photoshop, Illustrator, and Sketch into the software.
Work with your favorite design tools to realize your mock-up, then have it featured in Adobe XD, where you can continue editing the UI and enabling the UX.
With the shared cloud interface, you can create reusable design assets and synchronize them across your libraries. The same goes for your Adobe fonts and design packages.
However, I can only recommend the app if you’re already in the Adobe ecosystem and with its different design tools. Otherwise, it’s not worth your time to get comfortable with Adobe design tools and pay for the premium subscriptions just to use Adobe XD.
UX-App
If you’re looking for a quick and easy mockup tool with adequate prototyping features, then UX-App is definitely one of the best free mockup tools for web applications.
Here, users are introduced to the fully-featured and smart design tools, which will allow them to create high-fidelity mockups with simple clicks. Feel free to style your on-screen components and their layouts according to your preferences.
You have access to the 100+ components and 1500+ icons of different styles and designs, which you can easily add to your mockups.
And to enable easy collaboration, UX-App will allow Android users to invite team members to join them in their designs at any time. Here, you can use the team chat to communicate and share links to your designs.
You can export your mockups into PNG image files or fully functional HTML or JavaScript files, which will allow you to share the designs with clients or the development team, respectively. Use the rapid prototyping feature to turn your high-fidelity mockups into visually interactive designs quickly.
However, with only the browser-based version, the software only works best with desktop devices and can’t handle large projects due to the limitations of your web browser.
Figma
Figma offers many convenient and advanced features to connect everyone in your team through the design processes and deliver better products.
Here, users can have a convenient design system that offers a centralized and accessible team workspace for your entire company. Feel free to store and access design assets and styles in one single place.
Have an online whiteboard where team members can all brainstorm and introduce their different ideas in real-time. Instantly share the links to your prototypes with the stakeholders or offer the most convenient developer handoffs so they can easily complete their jobs.
Here, Figma users can use the smart prototypes, which come with smart animations and design elements, allowing you to enable the best web and app layouts.
To start with, you can enjoy the free basic plan, which is only available to 2 users and supports a maximum of 3 projects. This is nice to start with, but may not be enough if you’re working on large projects with multiple members, as it lacks all the features from the Figma Pro and Figma Organization plans.
Visily
And last but not least, if you want a total balance between the free pricing and premium features, then Visily is definitely among the best free mockup tools for web applications.
Visily offers the best design experiences for free
Here, you can easily improve your work using advanced AI features, speeding up the process and eliminating all the mundane design tasks.
Feel free to use the smart design tools to instantly realize your designs from images, sketches, and wireframes. At the same time, you always have the AI assistant to design UI/UX elements to guide you through many steps and set you on the right track.
With many design templates and elements, you never have to start from scratch when approaching your web and app designs. Feel free to use the templates and themable designs to enable your mockup layouts and customize the on-screen elements automatically.
Have access to hundreds of components and thousands of icons, which will help you realize your creative designs with little trouble. Simply save, and you’ll have your designs available in multiple screen sizes and layouts.
And when it comes to team collaborations, the app will let you join the Team Workspace, where the project manager, designers, and developers work together simultaneously. Feel free to access the platform from your desktop and mobile devices.
Use the software to generate CSS code from your high-fidelity mockups for the dev team. Enable the convenient image exports in different resolutions for clients who don’t use the software.
And with the app being free for users, you can register your free account without entering payment information and start using it without any trouble.
Conclusion
While the options on the list are all great for your web and app designs, if I have to pick the best of them, then Visily is always the answer. With smart features and advanced tools, the app is great for non-designers and designers of all levels.
And most importantly, it has everything other software offers while maintaining a free subscription plan with adequate features. As a result, it is an excellent tool for those on a tight budget.
