Fe/male Switch: Your Startup Facilitator & Incubator for Women

Top 10 Free Alternatives to Axure RP in 2025

Top 10 Free Alternatives to Axure RP in 2025

As the design and prototyping landscape evolves, designers are constantly on the lookout for versatile tools beyond the expensive fares like Axure RP. In 2025, several robust yet cost-effective alternatives have come to the forefront. This article delves into the top 10 free alternatives to Axure RP, exploring their features, collaboration capabilities, and platform availability.
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1. Figma

  • Description: A cloud-based collaborative design and prototyping tool. Known for real-time collaboration, vector editing, and a wide range of features.
  • Free Plan: Yes, offers a free plan with limitations (3 projects, 2 editors).
  • Features: Includes interactive components, advanced transitions, team libraries, and developer handoff capabilities, as well as vector drawing, reusable components, animation tools, and dynamic effects.
  • Collaboration: Excellent real-time collaboration features.
  • Platforms: Accessible on the web, macOS, and Windows. Also includes mobile mirroring.
  • Explore Figma

2. Sketch

  • Description: A powerful vector-based design tool, popular with macOS users.
  • Free Plan: No free plan, but often offers a free trial.
  • Features: Known for its intuitive interface, powerful vector editing, smart layout feature, reusable components and prototyping capabilities, and a large library of plugins.
  • Collaboration: Allows sharing of designs and gathering feedback.
  • Platform: macOS only.
  • Explore Sketch
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3. Adobe XD

  • Description: An all-in-one UX/UI design tool for creating websites, mobile apps, voice interfaces, and games.
  • Free Plan: Offers a free plan with limitations, as well as free trials.
  • Features: Includes interactive prototyping, repeat grid functionality, collaboration and sharing options, and a variety of plugins.
  • Collaboration: Strong collaborative features within the Adobe ecosystem.
  • Platforms: Available on macOS and Windows.
  • Discover Adobe XD

4. Mockplus RP

  • Description: An online design and prototyping tool focused on simplicity and efficiency.
  • Free Plan: Offers a free plan with limitations.
  • Features: Includes pre-made design templates and widget libraries (over 3000 elements), code-free interactive design, real-time collaboration, and drag-and-drop interface.
  • Collaboration: Supports real-time collaboration.
  • Platforms: Browser-based, accessible on any operating system.
  • Learn more about Mockplus RP

5. InVision

  • Description: A prototyping and collaboration platform for design teams, focused on high-fidelity prototypes and collaboration.
  • Free Plan: Offers a free plan with limited features.
  • Features: Includes interactive prototyping tools, animation and transition options, and strong collaboration features.
  • Collaboration: Designed for team collaboration with commenting, sharing, and feedback features.
  • Platforms: Web-based with integrations with other design tools.
  • Discover InVision
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6. Marvel

  • Description: An easy-to-use prototyping tool with a focus on rapid prototyping and usability testing.
  • Free Plan: Offers a free plan with limited projects.
  • Features: Includes an easy-to-use interface, custom animations and transitions, collaboration tools and integrations.
  • Collaboration: Built-in collaboration features.
  • Platforms: Web-based.
  • Explore Marvel

7. Balsamiq

  • Description: A low-fidelity wireframing tool with a hand-drawn style, great for brainstorming ideas.
  • Free Plan: Offers a free trial but is not free long term.
  • Features: A quick and easy way to create wireframes with a wide range of UI elements. Known for its simplicity.
  • Collaboration: Offers collaboration features for teams.
  • Platforms: Desktop application available for macOS and Windows; also available as a web-based app.
  • Learn more about Balsamiq

8. Miro

  • Description: A collaborative whiteboard platform that is also used for design and ideation.
  • Free Plan: Offers a free plan with limitations.
  • Features: Flexible whiteboard interface, pre-made templates, collaboration tools, integrations with popular business tools, and AI features.
  • Collaboration: Strong focus on real-time collaboration for teams.
  • Platforms: Web-based.
  • Discover Miro

9. Pencil Project

  • Description: An open-source desktop prototyping tool for creating wireframes, mockups, and UI designs.
  • Free Plan: Completely free and open-source.
  • Features: User-friendly interface, pre-built stencils and templates, and is available for offline use.
  • Collaboration: Primarily for individual use but files can be shared.
  • Platforms: Windows, macOS, and Linux.
  • Explore Pencil Project

10. Whimsical

  • Description: A browser-based collaborative brainstorming and wireframing tool.
  • Free Plan: Offers a free version with limited boards.
  • Features: Built-in components, icon library, AI-enabled mind maps and the ability to export to high resolution pdf.
  • Collaboration: Supports collaborative boards.
  • Platforms: Web-based.
  • Learn more about Whimsical
These tools offer a range of options depending on the specific needs of a project, from low-fidelity wireframing to high-fidelity prototyping. The included data points provide a comprehensive overview of their capabilities, collaboration options, and platform availability.
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FAQ

What is Figma and what features does it offer?
Figma is a cloud-based collaborative design and prototyping tool known for real-time collaboration, vector editing, and a range of features like interactive components, advanced transitions, team libraries, and developer handoff capabilities. Figma offers a free plan with limitations such as 3 projects and 2 editors. Learn more about Figma
Does Sketch have a free plan and what platforms is it available on?
Sketch does not offer a free plan but often provides a free trial. It is available exclusively on macOS. Sketch is known for its intuitive interface, powerful vector editing, smart layout feature, reusable components and prototyping capabilities, and a large library of plugins. Learn more about Sketch
What features does Adobe XD offer and is there a free plan?
Adobe XD offers a free plan with limitations and free trials. It is an all-in-one UX/UI design tool for creating websites, mobile apps, voice interfaces, and games. Key features include interactive prototyping, repeat grid functionality, and strong collaboration options within the Adobe ecosystem. Adobe XD is available on macOS and Windows. Learn more about Adobe XD
What is Mockplus RP and what does its free plan include?
Mockplus RP is an online design and prototyping tool focused on simplicity and efficiency with a free plan that includes limitations. Features include pre-made design templates, over 3000 widget libraries, code-free interactive design, real-time collaboration, and a drag-and-drop interface. Learn more about Mockplus RP
Does InVision offer a free plan and what are its key features?
InVision offers a free plan with limited features. It is a prototyping and collaboration platform designed for high-fidelity prototypes, interactive tools, animation and transition options, and extensive collaboration features for team workflows. Learn more about InVision
What is Marvel and what are its main features and free plan details?
Marvel is an easy-to-use prototyping tool focused on rapid prototyping and usability testing, offering a free plan with limited projects. It features an intuitive interface, custom animations and transitions, collaboration tools, and integrations. Learn more about Marvel
What is Balsamiq used for and does it have a free plan?
Balsamiq is a low-fidelity wireframing tool with a hand-drawn style, ideal for brainstorming. It offers a free trial but isn't free long term. It is known for its simplicity in creating wireframes using a wide range of UI elements and collaboration features for teams. Learn more about Balsamiq
What is Miro and what does its free plan include?
Miro is a collaborative whiteboard platform that offers a free plan with limitations. It features a flexible whiteboard interface, pre-made templates, collaboration tools, integrations with popular business tools, and AI features, all focused on real-time team collaboration. Learn more about Miro
Is Pencil Project completely free and what are its main features?
Pencil Project is an open-source desktop prototyping tool for creating wireframes, mockups, and UI designs that is completely free and open-source. Its features include a user-friendly interface, pre-built stencils and templates, and offline usability. Learn more about Pencil Project
What is Whimsical and does it offer a free plan?
Whimsical is a browser-based collaborative brainstorming and wireframing tool that offers a free version with limited boards. Key features include built-in components, an icon library, AI-enabled mind maps, and the ability to export to high-resolution PDF. Learn more about Whimsical

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.
2025-08-05 18:14 Top Alternatives