Best Mobile App Wireframe Tools That Optimize the Application Design Process

Almost every process requires planning and mapping out ideas. Take a simple example of building a house; you need a detailed blueprint to construct a well-structured property. Well, the same concept goes with the mobile app design and development process as well.

Structuring a mobile app and designing its interface is one of the most complex yet crucial stages of development. Being a business owner, you can’t invest all your time and money in finding the perfect app designing software that creates a flawless app design. Also, you will need to plan and analyze before initiating the design process. That’s why designers build an app wireframe first to create a strategic outline of the UI design.

Mobile app wireframe tools help app designers critically sketch the UI essentials of the application and make appropriate amendments in the final design. In order to save you time, we have narrowed it down to five prominent mobile app wireframing tools. These are:

• Sketch for detailed, vector-based designs
• Justinmind for interactive wireframes
• Figma for all-round functionalities in different design processes
• UXPin for creating documentation for developers
• MockFlow for prototyping and end-to-end project management

However, to get a better understanding of these wireframe apps and tools, let’s delve a little deeper into the blog.

What Exactly Are Mobile App Wireframe Tools?

First things first, before understanding what mobile app wireframe tools are, it is essential to look at the core concept – ‘wireframing’. So, mobile app wireframing is a process of developing two-dimensional sketches that demonstrate how an application will look and function.

Typically, a mobile application wireframe does not illustrate the entire UI design of an app but highlights only the key elements and critical app screens. Earlier, mobile app wireframing was only used in websites and computer-aided designs (CAD). However, it soon becomes an integral part of the mobile app development process.

Since an application can have unique functionalities, app designers must keep an eye on trending mobile app UI design trends and develop interfaces that align with them. Subsequently, mobile wireframing with the same design software becomes cumbersome. That’s when mobile app wireframing tools turn out to be handy. These tools help developers craft effective iOS and Android wireframes and make space for a seamless UX flow.

Best Wireframing Tools for Mobile Apps at a Glance

If you scour the internet for the best mobile app wireframe tools, you will get a dozen names, making it more challenging to pick one. However, we did some heavy lifting and figured out the top five mobile wireframing tools for you. 

A Detailed Analysis of the Mobile App Wireframe Tools We Prefer in App Designing

Choosing a wireframing tool is essential, especially when you are working with a fast-paced development team. These tools help in making the design process seamless and provide the users with a detailed look at the mobile app design.

As a professional mobile and web design company, we use the following popular mobile app wireframing tools in product designing:

Sketch

The first on the list is Sketch, a lightweight yet robust vector mobile app design tool especially used by Mac users. This tool can be utilized for anything from wireframing to UI designing.

Sketch does not come up with in-built UI components. However, you can easily design your own components and use them significantly while creating wireframes. In fact, there is already a massive community of designers out there who have crafted and released a plethora of free mobile app wireframe templates. You can easily download these wireframe design kits and get a rich collection of icons, buttons, and other interactive UI elements.

The best thing about this app is that its interface is highly comprehensive and user-friendly to use. Navigating features and accessing functionalities is much easier in Sketch than in heavy and complex tools like Adobe Illustrator and Affinity Designer.

Key Features:

• Easy synchronization with free stock photography websites like Unsplash helps in a quick search and use of royalty-free graphics.
• Enable users to collaborate with and access a specific design in real-time.
• Provide color-coded cursors to keep track of all the users accessing and working on the design.
• Save individual elements or a full wireframe design using the Export option.
• Offer reusable and responsive design components that could be easily collaborated with content.

Justinmind

Justinmind is another powerful tool with which you can craft high-fidelity wireframes and prototypes in no time. With a rich collection of gesture operations, transitions, and interactive effects, it is exclusively used for mobile app designs rather than as a mainstream design tool.

The best thing about this tool is that you don’t need to code to create interactive wireframes combined with animations and interactions. You can simply choose customizable mobile app wireframes available in its drag-and-drop interface.

Key Features:

• Project stakeholders can easily access the primary design file and provide feedback to ensure seamless communication and integration.
• Contain interactive prototype components such as radio buttons, drop-downs, text inputs, etc.
• Tested wireframes can be quickly moved for prototyping, which can be further downloaded and published in a single click.
• The comprehensive layout of this software (all design elements on the left and organization elements on the right) makes wireframing straightforward.
• Support check-in/check-out collaboration model for better authorization and tracking.

Figma

An all-in-one mobile application design tool, Figma stands out as one of the most powerful mobile app wireframing tools. It is an outstanding option for users who just want a single convenient tool for the complete design process.

Creating a wireframe design for mobile apps with Figma is both quick and simple. You can either use the pre-designed UI kit or create your own components for the process. It’s one of the best apps for wireframing where you can craft your own artboards and make prototypes to obtain a better feel of the design flow. The panel on the left will help assist you with organizing everything within the same doc, be it layers, artboards, or even separate pages.

The best thing about this tool is that it is a perfect option for businesses with limited budgets. It offers a rich set of features that can be accessed without opting for a premium subscription. This could help in lowering the overall cost of designing a mobile app.

Key Features:

• Easy team collaboration by providing access to multiple users and allowing them to leave comments in the form of sticky notes.
• A massive range of free tools and features to craft well-descriptive wireframes.
• Brainstorm design ideas and map user flows with FigJam, an online whiteboard partner for Figma.
• Test the responsiveness of the design using Figma constraints.
• Create multiple complex shapes in a few clicks with the help of vector-based pens.

UXPin

UXPin is one of those UI design tools recommended to individuals learning the basics of wireframing. This tool comes with a robust built-in library of UI components that can be easily dragged and dropped onto the canvas.

One thing that makes this wireframing software different from others is that you can easily fine-tune the functionalities and flow of the design. No longer need to spend hours redesigning the components of the app’s screens. Also, UXPin can read the files developed in Photoshop or Sketch. Therefore, by using top mobile app prototyping tools, you can easily turn simple wireframes into high-fidelity prototypes.

Besides these general features of a wireframing tool, UXPin can also help users with documentation and live presentation. In addition, the Preview Mode in this tool allows users to present a working design prototype and collect feedback from the collaborators.

Key Features:

• Comes with an all-in-one sharing option that helps in forwarding the final review, approvals, and design documentation simultaneously.
• Provide an option to integrate permission-based access for specific and confidential projects.
• Create wireframes that are focused on the design ops approach.

MockFlow

Another widely used option in the category of the most popular mobile app wireframing tools is MockFlow. It is one of those wireframing tools that prioritize real-time collaboration for better project functioning and delivery. Even when accessed using the desktop version, you can design the wireframe alongside others in real time.

MockFlow is known for its highly clear and intuitive user interface. Almost all the controls located in the edit screen are situated on the left, clearing out a wide space for designing. It is a perfect choice for beginners who quickly and easily want to learn to wireframe. It comes with a huge library offering thousands of UI packages and tools.

The UI of MockFlow is quite different from other mobile app wireframing tools. The design components are arranged in a well-organized manner. The tool also provides you with an option to make separate design spaces for different projects. All the wireframes that are not categorized are automatically organized and placed into a “default space”. You can easily locate them and categorize them later at your convenience.

Key Features:

• Create a handy UI style guide that clearly defines the brand’s user interface.
• Allow users to develop wireframes much quicker than the code-based tools.
• Offers an option to instantly share designs with anyone and provide users with real-time collaboration features.

What Is the Significance of Mobile App Wireframing Tools in Product Design?

“Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.”

–Steve Jobs

An application design is not just about the idea or appearance of the app, it helps in interpreting its overall functioning. But from idea formulation to element inclusion, app designing is a complex and time-consuming process.

Mobile app wireframing tools help bridge the gap between your initial app design idea and the final product you are expecting. Besides this, they also assist designers in overcoming the challenges of crafting visually appealing elements that improve user experience. Here are some of the ways in which a mobile app wireframe template and design tool can help you:

Provide a Better Understanding of the App

A wireframe mobile app helps in understanding the purpose of your application. Based on the project objectives, a designer creates a specific wireframe for mobile apps. With the help of mobile app wireframing tools, they create interactive wireframes that transform abstract ideas into an illustration to better understand the core concept of the application. 

Clarify the Interface Features

Not all the clients are tech and design experts, making it challenging for them to understand jargon such as “product filtering”, “UI breadcrumbs”, or “dynamic slideshow”. In such a case, designers can use wireframe apps to create simple mockups and make the clients understand how specific functionalities will work.

Bring Usability to the Limelight

It is one of the most significant advantages of developing an app wireframe. For any application design, its usability is the most basic requirement that someone looks for. By creating mobile wireframes, you can bring usability to the forefront and present page layouts as the focus point. This helps the audience to objectively analyze the app’s ease of use, placement of features, and navigation system.

Save Time, Money, and Effort

By developing a mobile app wireframe design, your designers could be more calculative. Since they have a well-analyzed set of mobile app development strategies in mind, they can deliberately work on the design. Besides this, content creation becomes easier as well, as everything will be clearly depicted in the wireframe. Also, by having the same wireframe handy, both the development team and the client can stay on the same page. Consequently, it will significantly save time, effort, and investment required for app designing.

“Wireframes lay the foundation for a seamless and immersive user experience, ensuring your mobile app functions flawlessly on any device. Wireframing will not only improve your understanding about the app but also streamline a time-consuming process.”

— Durgesh Pal Singh

What Makes Mobile App Wireframing Tools Greatly Effective?

Now, this is the hardest part. Since every designer follows a unique mobile app design process, no one-size-fits-all approach can work with wireframing. In such a case, it is challenging to define which ones are the best wireframing tools. However, there are still a few things that you can look for that make a wireframing tool stand out from the rest:

Availability of a UI Kit:

An in-built UI kit or component library allows you to craft a robust interface and its elements.

Ability to Upload Pre-designed Kits:

There could be a chance that your chosen wireframe tools for mobile apps do not have an in-built UI kit. So, as a substitute, you must ensure that it supports uploading pre-designed UI kits to the architecture using third-party integrations.

Mockup Fidelity:

Fidelity, in general, is the range of details and realism in your app design. This fidelity level could shift from low to high with the change in the spectrum of interactivity and details. As a business owner, you must ensure that the wireframing tools you choose have the full range of functionalities in terms of mockup fidelity to refine the product’s design gradually.

Options to Provide Collaborative Feedback:

The main purpose of using mobile app wireframing tools is to share the design with all participants of the project and collect their crucial feedback. Therefore, make sure the tool you pick allows you to create a wireframe for apps with feedback and review options.

Hand-off Features:

Besides having built-in functionalities, the best wireframing tools for mobile apps are the ones offering users to export specific design elements, such as icons, graphics, etc. Also, they must come with an option to inspect and view the CSS code for rapid development.

How Can Appventurez Help You with Mobile App UI Design?

While designing a mobile app UI, your topmost priority should be maintaining and enhancing the user experience. A mobile application deprived of interactivity and immersive experience will fall into the same category of the apps that are never discovered.

That’s why businesses need to be aware of the design process to be followed for creating an app interface. Choosing suitable mobile app wireframing tools is also a part of that process. However, considering all these could be cumbersome for businesses, especially when they don’t belong to this industry. In such a case, the best option would be to partner with a professional mobile app development company.

Appventurez is one of the leading companies having expertise in mobile app development and design services. Our team of UI/UX designers follows a refined approach to crafting robust and engaging interfaces. The primary objective of Appventurez is not just to create a product, but to develop a solution that sells itself.