Breaking into the world of UI/UX design or managing a startup budget shouldn’t require a massive financial investment. Fortunately, the design landscape is packed with powerful tools that offer generous “freemium” models or completely free access. Whether you are wireframing a new app, whiteboarding user flows, or running usability tests, there is a tool for you. We’ve curated a list of the top 10 applications that allow you to design, prototype, and test without breaking the bank.
1. Figma
Best For: All-in-one UI/UX Design & Prototyping
Figma has become the undisputed industry standard for interface design. It is a browser-based powerhouse that allows for real-time multiplayer collaboration, making it the Google Docs of the design world.
-
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)
-
The Free Plan: The “Starter” plan is surprisingly robust. It offers unlimited personal files, unlimited collaborators, and 3 design files per team project.
Pros & Cons:
-
✅ Pros: Runs in the browser (works on Mac, Windows, Linux), industry-standard features, massive community plugin library.
-
❌ Cons: Requires an active internet connection for full functionality; the 3-file limit on teams can be restrictive for agencies.
2. Miro
Best For: Whiteboarding, User Flows & Brainstorming
Before you design a pixel, you need to plan. Miro is a visual workspace that acts as an infinite digital whiteboard. It is essential for mapping out user journeys, conducting remote workshops, and organizing research.
-
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)
-
The Free Plan: Includes 3 editable boards, access to pre-made templates, and unlimited team members (view/comment access).
Pros & Cons:
-
✅ Pros: Extremely intuitive interface, vast library of templates (Kanban, User Personas, Mind Maps), integrates with Jira/Slack.
-
❌ Cons: You cannot create private boards on the free plan (collaboration is open to the team), and the 3-board limit fills up fast.
3. Framer
Best For: High-Fidelity Design to Published Website
Framer started as a prototyping tool but has evolved into a premier no-code website builder. It feels like a design tool (similar to Figma) but publishes real, responsive code. It is perfect for designers who want to launch a portfolio or landing page without a developer.
-
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐½ (4.5/5)
-
The Free Plan: Unlimited projects, up to 1,000 CMS items, and a published site on a .framer.website subdomain.
Pros & Cons:
-
✅ Pros: seamless “design-to-publish” workflow, high-end animations and scroll effects, imports directly from Figma.
-
❌ Cons: Steeper learning curve if you don’t understand CSS layout concepts (Stacks/Grids); free tier creates a branded banner on your site.
4. Origami Studio
Best For: Advanced Micro-Interactions & Animations
Developed by Facebook (Meta), Origami Studio is a high-end prototyping tool used to design the complex interfaces seen in Instagram and Messenger. It is unique because it isn’t a “freemium” tool—it is entirely free.
-
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)
-
The Free Plan: 100% Free.
Pros & Cons:
-
✅ Pros: Powerful logic and patch editor for creating realistic apps, accesses native device hardware (camera, haptics), completely free.
-
❌ Cons: Mac only; extremely high learning curve (requires “programmer-style” thinking); no collaboration features.
5. Maze
Best For: Rapid Usability Testing
Designing is guessing; testing is knowing. Maze allows you to take your prototypes (from Figma, Adobe XD, etc.) and turn them into actionable data. You can set up missions for users and track their heatmaps and success rates.
-
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐½ (4.5/5)
-
The Free Plan: 1 active project at a time and limited responses, but enough to validate a concept.
Pros & Cons:
-
✅ Pros: Generates quantitative data (heatmaps, misclick rates), integrates seamlessly with major design tools, easy to share via link.
-
❌ Cons: The free tier is quite restrictive on the number of testers (“blocks”) you can use per month.
6. Webflow
Best For: Visual Web Development
Webflow bridges the gap between UI design and front-end development. It allows you to build completely custom websites visually, translating your drag-and-drop actions into clean HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript.
-
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)
-
The Free Plan: “Starter” plan gives you full design control, 2 static pages, and publishing to a webflow.io domain.
Pros & Cons:
-
✅ Pros: Production-ready code, complete control over interactions and responsiveness, great for learning the box model.
-
❌ Cons: High learning curve; you must pay to connect a custom domain or export the code.
7. Balsamiq
Best For: Low-Fidelity Wireframing
Balsamiq intentionally replicates the experience of sketching on a napkin. It forces you to focus on structure and content rather than colors and typography.
-
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)
-
The Free Plan: Balsamiq is primarily paid, but they offer a 30-day free trial and have a “Balsamiq Cloud” free tier that is often available for classroom/non-profit use (application required).
Pros & Cons:
-
✅ Pros: prevents “bike-shedding” (arguing over design details too early), incredibly fast, easy for non-designers to use.
-
❌ Cons: The “sketchy” aesthetic isn’t suitable for final presentations; strict limits on the free/trial versions.
8. Marvel
Best For: Beginners & Quick Prototyping
Marvel is one of the most accessible tools on the market. It is browser-based and allows you to upload images or sketch layouts and link them together to create an app simulation in minutes.
-
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)
-
The Free Plan: 1 User, 1 Project, and access to their user testing suite (limited).
Pros & Cons:
-
✅ Pros: Zero learning curve, “Handoff” feature provides CSS to developers, integrated user testing.
-
❌ Cons: Design features are basic compared to Figma; the free plan is limited to a single project.
9. InVision Freehand
Best For: Collaborative Markup & Feedback
Note: InVision was recently acquired by Miro, but Freehand remains a popular standalone tool for the time being.
Freehand is a digital canvas strictly focused on team collaboration. It is excellent for “red-lining” designs, marking up feedback, and running retrospectives.
-
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐½ (3.5/5)
-
The Free Plan: 3 Freehand documents and unlimited spaces.
Pros & Cons:
-
✅ Pros: Very simple toolset (pen, sticky notes, text), integrates with Sketch and Photoshop.
-
❌ Cons: Feature set is stagnant due to the platform winding down/transitioning; less versatile than Miro.
10. Adobe XD
Best For: Users deeply embedded in the Adobe Ecosystem
Adobe XD was once a primary competitor to Figma. While Adobe has placed XD in “maintenance mode” (meaning few new updates), it remains a capable vector design tool if you can find the starter plan.
-
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ (3/5)
-
The Free Plan: The “Starter” plan is difficult to find (often hidden in Creative Cloud settings) but offers basic design features with limited cloud sharing.
Pros & Cons:
-
✅ Pros: Familiar interface for Photoshop/Illustrator users, good performance on Windows, offline capability.
-
❌ Cons: The product is effectively end-of-life with no major updates expected; sharing links is severely limited on the free tier.
Comparison Summary
| App Name | Primary Use Case | Free Plan Highlights | Rating |
| Figma | UI Design & Prototyping | Unlimited drafts, 3 team files | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Miro | Whiteboarding | 3 Editable Boards | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Webflow | No-Code Dev | Full design tools, staging domain | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Framer | Site Builder | Unlimited projects, 1k pages | ⭐⭐⭐⭐½ |
| Maze | User Testing | 1 Project, actionable metrics | ⭐⭐⭐⭐½ |
| Origami | Complex Animation | 100% Free | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Marvel | Simple Prototyping | 1 Project, easy Handoff | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Balsamiq | Wireframing | 30-day trial / Education free | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Freehand | Team Collaboration | 3 Documents | ⭐⭐⭐½ |
| Adobe XD | Desktop UI Design | Basic access (Maintenance mode) | ⭐⭐⭐ |
Conclusion
For most designers starting in 2025, the “Holy Trinity” of free tools is Figma for interface design, Miro for brainstorming, and Maze for testing. These three cover the entire spectrum of the UX workflow without costing a cent.
The best tool is the one that fits your specific workflow—so try out the free tiers and see what sticks!