Top 10 Free Alternatives to Balsamiq in 2025

As Balsamiq continues to set the standard for wireframing tools, 2025 brings forth a variety of free alternatives that offer unique features and capabilities for designers. Whether you’re looking for collaborative tools, versatile templates, or AI-driven design assistance, this article explores the top 10 free alternatives to Balsamiq, comparing them on key data points.

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1. Figma

Website: Figma
Description: A cloud-based design platform supporting the entire design process, from wireframing to high-fidelity prototyping, with exceptional collaborative capabilities.
Data Points:
Free Plan: Available with limitations (3 projects and 2 editors), suitable for individuals and small teams.
Collaboration: Real-time collaboration features.
Prototyping: Excellent for creating interactive prototypes and sharing with others.
Versatility: Can create low to high fidelity wireframes.
Platform: Works on web browsers, desktop apps (Mac and Windows), and mobile preview.

2. Miro

Website: Miro
Description: A virtual whiteboard platform with AI capabilities, ideal for collaborative brainstorming and designing.
Data Points:
Free Plan: Offers a free plan with a limited number of boards.
Collaboration: Designed for real-time collaboration among team members.
Templates: Includes a wide range of pre-built templates for wireframing.
Features: AI-enabled features for mind-mapping and design assistance.
Use Case: Great for asynchronous teamwork as well as presentations.

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3. Mockplus

Website: Mockplus
Description: A rapid prototyping tool with a focus on reusing design assets and effective collaboration.
Data Points:
Free Plan: Available.
Asset Reuse: Allows reuse of wireframe assets for brand consistency.
Collaboration: Real-time co-wireframing features for team collaboration.
Interaction: Supports animations, transitions, and interactive elements.
Prototyping: Designed for rapid prototyping.

4. Wireframe.cc

Website: Wireframe.cc
Description: A minimalist, browser-based tool for creating simple, low-fidelity wireframes.
Data Points:
Free Version: Offers a free version for basic wireframing.
Minimalist Interface: Focuses on simplicity and ease of use.
Design: Primarily for designing website layouts.
Collaboration: Limited collaboration options.
Export: Requires paid plan to export to PNG or PDF.

5. Pencil Project

Website: Pencil Project
Description: A free, open-source GUI tool for wireframing and prototyping.
Data Points:
Free: Completely free and open-source.
Offline: Downloadable tool that works offline.
Templates: Offers a library of templates for both mobile and web.
Features: Includes diagramming capabilities and a connector tool for linking elements.
Platforms: Available for Mac and Windows, also as a Firefox add-on.

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6. FluidUI

Website: FluidUI
Description: A prototyping tool that is useful for sharing and getting feedback on wireframes quickly.
Data Points:
Free Plan: Offers a free plan.
Prototyping: Known for fast prototyping capabilities.
Collaboration: Features reviewer mode for enhanced collaboration.
Grouping: Helps quickly map out wireframe groupings.
Sharing: Easy to share for feedback.

7. Moqups

Website: Moqups
Description: A tool with a wide variety of templates for different stages of a digital product, particularly for e-commerce.
Data Points:
Free Plan: Available.
Templates: Extensive collection of templates for different types of products and pages.
Features: Used for wireframe and template mockups.
Focus: Very useful for e-commerce digital products.
Collaboration: Offers collaboration options for teams.

8. Cacoo

Website: Cacoo
Description: A diagramming application that allows for visual presentations of ideas, with templates including wireframes.
Data Points:
Free Plan: Offers a free plan with unlimited users.
Integrations: Integrates with Google Docs, Adobe Creative Cloud, AWS, Slack, and Dropbox, among others.
Templates: Provides templates for wireframing.
Limitations: Free plan has limitations of 6 sheets and PNG export only.
Collaboration: Supports collaboration features.

9. Whimsical

Website: Whimsical
Description: A browser-based collaboration tool for brainstorming and designing wireframes.
Data Points:
Free Plan: Offers free personal boards.
AI Features: Comes with AI-enabled mind map features.
Exporting: Can export to high-resolution PDFs.
Collaboration: Provides 3 collaborative boards with unlimited view-only guests.
Components: Comes with built-in components and an icon library.

10. Visily

Website: Visily
Description: An AI-powered design tool for creating wireframes and prototypes without needing design expertise.
Data Points:
AI-Driven: Uses AI to generate wireframes and prototypes quickly.
Collaboration: Supports real-time team collaboration.
Templates: Pre-made templates available for different industries.
Efficiency: Designed to help teams iterate faster.
Pricing: Free limited plan available.

This list provides a starting point for exploring free alternatives to Balsamiq in 2025. Remember to visit the linked websites for the most up-to-date information and to explore each tool's capabilities fully.

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FAQ

1. What are the top free alternatives to Balsamiq in 2025?

The top free alternatives to Balsamiq include tools like Figma, Miro, Mockplus, Wireframe.cc, Pencil Project, FluidUI, Moqups, Cacoo, Whimsical, and Visily. Explore Figma | Visit Miro | Discover Mockplus

2. Which tool is best for collaborative design work?

Figma is renowned for its real-time collaborative features, making it an excellent choice for team-based design projects. Explore Figma

3. Which tool provides AI-enabled design assistance?

Miro utilizes AI for enhanced mind-mapping and design assistance, which is useful for brainstorming sessions. Visit Miro

4. What tool is ideal for creating high-fidelity prototypes?

Figma excels at creating high-fidelity prototypes, offering extensive capabilities for detailed design and interactivity. Learn more about Figma

5. Are there any open-source alternatives to Balsamiq?

Yes, Pencil Project is a free, open-source tool for wireframing and prototyping. Explore Pencil Project

6. Which tool is great for rapid prototyping?

Mockplus is designed for rapid prototyping and offers features like asset reuse and interactive elements. Discover Mockplus

7. What is the simplest tool for low-fidelity wireframes?

Wireframe.cc is a minimalist, browser-based tool that excels in creating simple, low-fidelity wireframes. Check out Wireframe.cc

8. Which tool includes ready-made templates for various industries?

Visily offers pre-made templates tailored for different industries, aided by AI-driven design. Explore Visily

9. What tool offers excellent diagramming capabilities besides wireframing?

Cacoo is not only great for wireframing but also for creating various diagrams and integrating with other tools like Google Docs and Slack. Visit Cacoo

10. Is there a tool specifically useful for e-commerce digital products?

Moqups is particularly useful for e-commerce projects with its extensive collection of templates and focus on product mockups. Discover Moqups

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.