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Top 10 Open Source Alternatives to Fluid UI in 2025: A Comprehensive Comparison

Top 10 Open Source Alternatives to Fluid UI in 2025: A Comprehensive Comparison

Fluid UI is a well-regarded tool for design and prototyping, but the ever-growing open-source community offers numerous alternatives that can provide comparable, if not superior, functionality. This article explores the top 10 open-source alternatives to Fluid UI for 2025, comparing them on several key data points.
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1. Penpot

  • Description: Penpot is a free and open-source, web-based design and prototyping tool focused on collaboration between designers and developers. It's a cross-platform solution accessible directly in the browser.
  • Key Features:
  • Real-time Collaboration: Allows multiple users to work on the same design simultaneously.
  • Feedback and Review: Enables users to provide and receive feedback directly on designs and prototypes.
  • Code Generation: Can generate code based on flex and grid layouts that developers can use directly.
  • Flex and Grid Layouts: Offers powerful layout options for precise design implementation.
  • Open Source: Community-driven with transparent development, and adaptable to different workflows.
  • Learn more about Penpot

2. Pencil Project

  • Description: Pencil is a free, open-source GUI prototyping tool that is available as a downloadable desktop software for Windows, macOS, and Linux.
  • Key Features:
  • Offline Use: Can be used offline as it is a downloadable application.
  • Wireframing: Allows creation of low-fidelity wireframes using built-in shapes and stencils.
  • Prototyping: Enables simple prototyping with pre-installed Android and iOS UI stencils.
  • Cross-Platform: Available on Windows, macOS, and Linux.
  • Stencils and Templates: Offers pre-built stencils and templates for quick wireframe creation.
  • Discover Pencil Project
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3. Figma

  • Description: While Figma has a free tier and is not strictly open-source, it's a very popular, powerful, and widely used design tool with strong collaborative features and a very generous free plan. It functions both as a browser-based and desktop application.
  • Key Features:
  • All-in-One Platform: Can be used to create wireframes, prototypes, and high-fidelity designs.
  • Real-time Collaboration: Multiple users can work on a project simultaneously.
  • Version History: Free plan supports 30-day version history, and unlimited cloud storage.
  • Mobile Preview: Ability to mirror and preview designs on mobile devices in real-time.
  • Community and Plugins: Has a large community and numerous plugins for extended functionality.
  • Explore Figma

4. Whimsical

  • Description: Whimsical is a browser-based collaborative brainstorming tool that includes wireframing capabilities, offering a visually clean interface.
  • Key Features:
  • AI-Enabled Mind Maps: Offers features such as AI-enabled mind maps to assist with brainstorming.
  • Built-in Components: Offers a wide selection of built-in components and an icon library to use for wireframing.
  • Unlimited Personal Boards: The free version offers unlimited personal boards that you can export to high-resolution PDFs.
  • Collaboration: Offers 3 collaborative boards with unlimited view-only guests in the free plan, suitable for smaller projects.
  • Browser Based: Available directly in a web browser.
  • Check out Whimsical

5. Srcbook

  • Description: Srcbook is a community-driven, open-source UI design tool, making it a good alternative for developers looking for free options.
  • Key Features:
  • Open-Source: Community-driven and open-source.
  • Developer Focused: Popular with developers.
  • Free: Open Source implies no costs to the user.
  • Collaboration: Enables developers and designers to collaborate efficiently.
  • Customizability: Offers customization options.
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6. BrowserStack Percy

  • Description: While not a design tool, BrowserStack Percy is an open-source GUI testing tool that helps ensure the quality of UI designs by catching visual changes, thus being important in ensuring accurate implementation of design.
  • Key Features:
  • Visual Testing: Designed to catch unintended visual changes in web and mobile applications.
  • Responsive Design Testing: Captures snapshots at multiple screen sizes for responsiveness validation.
  • Parallel Testing: Allows tests across various browsers and devices simultaneously.
  • Cloud-Based: Fully managed in the cloud, eliminating the need for infrastructure management.
  • Integrations: Works with other testing tools and workflows.
  • Learn more about BrowserStack Percy

7. Selenium

  • Description: Selenium is a widely-used open-source automation framework for testing web-based applications, essential for developers to ensure UI functionality.
  • Key Features:
  • Web-Based Automation: Specifically designed for automating web-based applications.
  • Cross-Browser Compatibility: Supports testing across multiple browsers and operating systems.
  • Open Source: Free for use and modification.
  • Active Community: Benefit from a large community that actively provides support, updates, and resources.
  • Versatile: Used for both functional testing and regression testing of GUI elements.
  • Explore Selenium

8. Appium

  • Description: Appium is an open-source tool for automating native, hybrid, and mobile web applications on iOS and Android, essential for ensuring mobile UI functionality.
  • Key Features:
  • Cross-Platform Testing: Automates testing for both iOS and Android apps.
  • Mobile Focus: Designed specifically for mobile GUI testing.
  • Selenium WebDriver: Utilizes Selenium WebDriver for mobile app testing.
  • Device Compatibility: Ensures consistent performance across various mobile devices.
  • Free: Open source and free to use.
  • Discover Appium

9. Taiko

  • Description: Taiko is an open-source, JavaScript-based tool for automating the testing of modern web applications, focusing on browser-based GUI testing.
  • Key Features:
  • Browser-Based Testing: Focused on browser-based GUI testing.
  • Headless Browser Testing: Supports testing in headless mode to speed up tests.
  • Simple API: User-friendly API for writing clean and maintainable scripts.
  • JavaScript Based: Created with a JavaScript base which makes it easy to integrate into JavaScript projects.
  • Open Source: Free for use.
  • Explore Taiko

10. Origami Studio

  • Description: Origami Studio is a free, advanced prototyping tool created for Facebook designers, focusing on creating complex logic, animations, and interactions.
  • Key Features:
  • Advanced Prototyping: Allows the creation of complex interactions and animations.
  • Patch Editor: Includes a Patch Editor for setting up complex logic.
  • Real-Time Preview: Offers real-time preview and testing capabilities.
  • Sketch and Figma Integration: Can seamlessly switch between Sketch and Figma for vector shapes.
  • Free: Available as a free prototyping tool.
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FAQ

1. What is Penpot?
Penpot is a free and open-source, web-based design and prototyping tool focused on collaboration between designers and developers. Learn more about Penpot
2. How can Pencil Project be used offline?
Pencil Project is a downloadable GUI prototyping tool available for Windows, macOS, and Linux, allowing offline use. Discover Pencil Project
3. Is Figma open-source?
While Figma is not strictly open-source, it offers a free tier with strong collaborative features and functionality. Explore Figma
4. What are the key features of Whimsical?
Whimsical offers AI-enabled mind maps, unlimited personal boards, built-in components, and browser-based access for collaborative brainstorming. Learn more about Whimsical
5. What is Srcbook?
Srcbook is a community-driven, open-source UI design tool, popular among developers for free and efficient collaboration.
6. What does BrowserStack Percy offer for GUI testing?
BrowserStack Percy is an open-source GUI testing tool that catches visual changes to ensure accurate UI implementation. Discover BrowserStack Percy
7. How does Selenium help in UI functionality testing?
Selenium is an open-source framework for automating web-based application testing, supporting cross-browser compatibility. Explore Selenium
8. What makes Appium suitable for mobile UI testing?
Appium automates testing for both iOS and Android apps, leveraging Selenium WebDriver and offering cross-platform compatibility. Learn more about Appium
9. Why use Taiko for browser-based GUI testing?
Taiko is a JavaScript-based tool for automating web application testing, featuring headless browser testing and a simple API. Discover Taiko
10. What is Origami Studio?
Origami Studio is an advanced prototyping tool created for Facebook designers, enabling the creation of complex interactions and animations.

About the Author

Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur. She’s been living, studying and working in many countries around the globe and her extensive multicultural experience has influenced her immensely.
Violetta is a true multiple specialist who has built expertise in Linguistics, Education, Business Management, Blockchain, Entrepreneurship, Intellectual Property, Game Design, AI, SEO, Digital Marketing, cyber security and zero code automations. Her extensive educational journey includes a Master of Arts in Linguistics and Education, an Advanced Master in Linguistics from Belgium (2006-2007), an MBA from Blekinge Institute of Technology in Sweden (2006-2008), and an Erasmus Mundus joint program European Master of Higher Education from universities in Norway, Finland, and Portugal (2009).
She is the founder of Fe/male Switch, a startup game that encourages women to enter STEM fields, and also leads CADChain, and multiple other projects like the Directory of 1,000 Startup Cities with a proprietary MeanCEO Index that ranks cities for female entrepreneurs. Violetta created the "gamepreneurship" methodology, which forms the scientific basis of her startup game. She also builds a lot of SEO tools for startups. Her achievements include being named one of the top 100 women in Europe by EU Startups in 2022 and being nominated for Impact Person of the year at the Dutch Blockchain Week. She is an author with Sifted and a speaker at different Universities. Recently she published a book on Startup Idea Validation the right way: from zero to first customers and beyond and launched a Directory of 1,500+ websites for startups to list themselves in order to gain traction and build backlinks.
For the past several years Violetta has been living between the Netherlands and Malta, while also regularly traveling to different destinations around the globe, usually due to her entrepreneurial activities. This has led her to start writing about different locations and amenities from the POV of an entrepreneur. Here’s her recent article about the best hotels in Italy to work from.

About the Publication

Fe/male Switch is an innovative startup platform designed to empower women entrepreneurs through an immersive, game-like experience. Founded in 2020 during the pandemic "without any funding and without any code," this non-profit initiative has evolved into a comprehensive educational tool for aspiring female entrepreneurs.The platform was co-founded by Violetta Shishkina-Bonenkamp, who serves as CEO and one of the lead authors of the Startup News branch.

Mission and Purpose

Fe/male Switch Foundation was created to address the gender gap in the tech and entrepreneurship space. The platform aims to skill-up future female tech leaders and empower them to create resilient and innovative tech startups through what they call "gamepreneurship". By putting players in a virtual startup village where they must survive and thrive, the startup game allows women to test their entrepreneurial abilities without financial risk.

Key Features

The platform offers a unique blend of news, resources,learning, networking, and practical application within a supportive, female-focused environment:
  • Skill Lab: Micro-modules covering essential startup skills
  • Virtual Startup Building: Create or join startups and tackle real-world challenges
  • AI Co-founder (PlayPal): Guides users through the startup process
  • SANDBOX: A testing environment for idea validation before launch
  • Wellness Integration: Virtual activities to balance work and self-care
  • Marketplace: Buy or sell expert sessions and tutorials

Impact and Growth

Since its inception, Fe/male Switch has shown impressive growth:
  • 3,000+ female entrepreneurs in the community
  • 100+ startup tools built
  • 5,000+ pieces of articles and news written

Partnerships

Fe/male Switch has formed strategic partnerships to enhance its offerings. In January 2022, it teamed up with global website builder Tilda to provide free access to website building tools and mentorship services for Fe/male Switch participants.

Recognition

Fe/male Switch has received media attention for its innovative approach to closing the gender gap in tech entrepreneurship. The platform has been featured in various publications highlighting its unique "play to learn and earn" model.
2025-08-23 07:30 Top Alternatives