Top 10 Open Source Alternatives to Proto.io in 2025: A Comprehensive Comparison

As Proto.io remains a popular tool for creating interactive prototypes, 2025 has seen the rise of several powerful open-source alternatives. These tools provide unique features, better pricing, or enhanced integration. This article explores the top 10 open-source alternatives to Proto.io, comparing them on key data points like cost, prototyping capabilities, collaboration, and community support.

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1. Figma

Open Source Aspect: While the core Figma platform isn't open-source, it has a vibrant community with many open-source plugins and components that can be incorporated into your designs.
Prototyping Capabilities: High-fidelity prototyping, interactive components, and advanced transitions.
Collaboration: Real-time, multi-user collaboration with comments directly on designs.
Cost: Free plan available with limitations, paid plans starting at $15/user/month (billed annually).
Integrations: Integrates with a variety of apps like Maze, Zeplin, Maker, Axure RP, GitLab, Slack, Notion, and Asana.
Community Support: Strong community support with pre-built open-source components. Learn more about Figma

2. Penpot

Open Source Aspect: Fully open-source, self-hostable, and with a focus on involving the entire product team in the design process.
Prototyping Capabilities: Interactive prototypes, pixel-perfect UI design, and shareable prototypes.
Collaboration: Real-time collaboration with multiple users working on the same design and easy feedback gathering.
Cost: Free and open-source.
Cross-Platform: Browser-based and cross-platform accessibility.
Developer-Friendly: Aims to bridge the gap between designers and developers. Explore Penpot

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3. Pencil Project

Open Source Aspect: Completely open-source, available for download on Mac, Windows, and as a Firefox add-on.
Prototyping Capabilities: Good for low-fidelity wireframes, mockups, and diagrams.
Templates: Offers a variety of built-in templates and stencils.
Cost: Completely free.
Interactive Elements: Features interactive elements and a "connector" tool for linking shapes and pages.
Offline Use: Usable offline. Discover Pencil Project

4. Origami Studio

Open Source Aspect: Free to use (open source).
Prototyping Capabilities: Excellent for creating complex prototypes with interactive elements and flows between screens.
Platforms: Well suited for Android and iOS prototypes.
Cost: Free to use.
Learning Curve: It is known to be a bit more complex, but very capable.
Community: Trusted by a large community in the design space. Explore Origami Studio

5. MockFlow

Open Source Aspect: Has a free plan but not fully open-source.
Prototyping Capabilities: Useful for wireframing, UI design, feedback collection.
Cost: Free plan available, with paid plans starting at $14/user/month.
Speed: Aims to speed up the development process.
Libraries: Has a rich library of mobile app-focused buttons and elements for quicker design. Learn more about MockFlow

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6. Draw.io

Open Source Aspect: Fully open-source and browser-based.
Prototyping Capabilities: Useful for creating flowcharts and basic interactive prototypes.
Cost: Free to use.
Versatility: Can be used for a variety of diagrams.
Accessibility: Accessible via a browser. Explore Draw.io

7. Avocado by IDEO

Open Source Aspect: Open source with ready-to-use patches.
Prototyping Capabilities: Allows designers to create quick interactive prototypes without coding.
Customization: Patches can be combined to create custom prototypes.
Ease of Use: Designed to be used without any code.
Foundation: Built on top of Facebook's Origami framework. Discover Avocado by IDEO

8. Wireframe.cc

Open Source Aspect: Not fully open-source, but the base version is free to use, the site itself is also very basic.
Prototyping Capabilities: Focuses on low-fidelity wireframes.
Cost: Free to use.
Simplicity: Very minimalistic interface for fast wireframing.
Ease of use: Very simple and easy to use. Learn more about Wireframe.cc

9. Fluid UI

Open Source Aspect: It offers a free plan, but is not fully open source.
Prototyping Capabilities: Rapid prototyping of web and mobile applications.
Cost: Free trial and paid plans.
Library: Extensive library of thousands of components.
Collaboration: Allows teams to collaborate and leave feedback. Explore Fluid UI

10. Miro

Open Source Aspect: Not fully open-source but has a free version for use.
Prototyping Capabilities: Good for collaborative design and interactive presentations.
Cost: Free plan available, paid plans for expanded features.
Collaboration: Real-time collaboration, design thinking workshops.
AI features: Includes AI-enhanced functionality. Learn more about Miro

This list should provide a solid starting point for exploring open-source alternatives to Proto.io in 2025.

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FAQ

1. What is Figma and what are its key features?

Figma is a collaborative, cloud-based design tool widely used for UI/UX design. It offers high-fidelity prototyping, real-time collaboration, and a free plan with limitations. Explore Figma

2. What makes Penpot a good alternative to Proto.io?

Penpot is fully open-source, browser-based, and focused on collaboration between designers and developers. It offers interactive prototypes and real-time collaboration. Learn more about Penpot

3. How does Pencil Project support prototyping?

Pencil Project is an open-source GUI prototyping tool for creating mockups and wireframes. It provides templates and interactive elements for offline use. Discover Pencil Project

4. What is Origami Studio and who developed it?

Origami Studio is a free prototyping tool created by Facebook designers for advanced interactive prototypes, especially for Android and iOS. Visit Origami Studio

5. Is MockFlow a free tool and what are its main uses?

MockFlow has a free plan and is useful for wireframing, UI design, and feedback collection, aimed at speeding up the development process. Explore MockFlow

6. What differentiates Draw.io from other tools?

Draw.io (diagrams.net) is fully open-source and browser-based, useful for creating various types of diagrams and basic interactive prototypes. Check out Draw.io

7. What is Avocado by IDEO and its unique feature?

Avocado is an open-source interaction design toolbox built on Facebook's Origami framework, allowing designers to create interactive prototypes without coding. Explore Avocado

8. What is Wireframe.cc best used for?

Wireframe.cc is a basic, browser-based wireframing tool with a minimalist approach, perfect for low-fidelity wireframes.

9. How does Fluid UI assist in prototyping?

Fluid UI offers rapid prototyping with a library of ready-to-use components, allowing for quick creation of web and mobile prototypes. Learn more about Fluid UI

10. What are Miro’s key features for collaboration and prototyping?

Miro is a collaborative, AI-enabled virtual whiteboard offering real-time collaboration, design thinking workshops, and a free version with paid plans for advanced features. Discover Miro

References

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.