The need to constantly innovate and deliver delightful experiences is becoming more and more important for businesses. It’s why in 2023, it’s no longer enough to just have the basics mastered. You also need to know what UI/UX design tools can help enhance customer experiences and propel your skills to the next level.
According to the 2022/23 Hays Salary Guide, the average salary for user experience designers ranges from $95,000 to $160,000, based on experience and location. Like in many industries, major cities in Australia tend to offer higher average salaries for UX designers.
So while you’re honing your skills to stay competitive, here are the best 13 UI/UX tools that will help you create innovative designs in 2023:
1. Sketch
If you’re in the UI design world, you’ve probably heard of Sketch. It’s not just popular; it’s practically a legend! Sketch is the go-to tool for designers, and it’s easy to see why.
Sketch is an all-in-one designer’s toolkit that covers the entire design process. Boasting over 700 extensions, it seamlessly integrates with other software. Equipped with a suite of intuitive vector editing tools, it provides everything you need for a collaborative design journey—from initial ideation to developer handoff.
While originally a Mac-only app, it now includes a web app accessible from any browser. However, a native Windows app is still unavailable.
Key features worth mentioning:
- User-friendly vector editing and editable boolean operations for smooth iteration.
- Infinite canvas, adaptable Artboards, presets, and customizable grids for various screens.
- Variable and OpenType fonts for complete typography control.
- Reusable smart components for a consistent design.
- Cross-platform tools for live collaboration and feedback.
Pricing:
Get started with a complimentary 30-day trial. If you’re impressed, you can subscribe to Sketch for just $10 per user per month. Additionally, they provide a business plan option priced at $20 per month.
2. Adobe XD
When it comes to the best UX tools, we can’t ignore Adobe XD. It’s Adobe’s offering for UI/UX designers, and let’s be honest, Adobe is like the royalty of design software. So it’s not a surprise that they provide an all-inclusive design experience.
Adobe XD has got you covered with its vector-based UI tools for creating awesome prototypes and mockups. Plus, the interface feels familiar, like other Adobe software, so you’ll feel right at home.
XD is part of the Adobe Creative Cloud suite, so you can expect it to be packed with functions and features to bring your designs to life. The best part? You can collaborate in real time, making it the go-to choice for UI designers everywhere!
Key features worth mentioning:
- UI kits: Apple Design, Google Material Design, Amazon Alexa, and more.
- 3D Transforms for depth and perspective (AR and VR possibilities).
- Components and states for fast, scalable design. Create, update, and sync UI elements effortlessly.
- Robust animation: video, Lottie playback, micro-animations, motion effects, scroll groups, anchor links.
- Voice prototyping: voice commands, speech playback, integrated voice features.
Pricing:
By default, Adobe XD starts at $9.99 per month. Adobe XD has four different plans:
- XD Single App at $9.99 per month.
- XD for Teams at $22.99 per month.
- Creative Cloud All Apps at $52.99 per month. For Teams, it starts at $79.99 per month.
3. Balsamiq
Balsamiq, an esteemed wireframing tool, has stood the test of time, becoming a beloved staple in the UX/UI design world. Adored by designers, product managers, and innovators alike, Balsamiq steals the show as one of the finest UI design tools out there.
Balsamiq combines the best of both UI and UX, but what really makes it shine are its low-fidelity wireframes. With a deliberate choice of a hand-drawn and cartoonist style, it brings a playful and unique display of elements.
Balsamiq offers a wide range of UI controls and icons, both built-in and community-generated. With Balsamiq’s linking capabilities, UX designers create prototypes for demos or usability testing.
Whether you’re a beginner or a pro, you can easily create templates, masters, and customizable component libraries for future designs. Indeed, it’s a handy tool during the ideation phase with its sketch-like appearance that encourages brainstorming.
Key features worth mentioning:
- Compatible with Mac and PC
- Recreates notepad or whiteboard sketching experience
- Emphasis on structure and content over features
- Minimal learning curve
- Hundreds of built-in components
- Drag-and-drop functionality
Pricing:
Every edition of Balsamiq offers a generous 30-day free trial, giving you ample opportunity to experience it before making a purchase. Once the trial period is over, you can explore various paid options:
- Balsamiq Cloud for $9/month
- Balsamiq for Desktop (runs on Windows or Mac) at $89/user
- Balsamiq for Google Drive at $5/month or $50/year
4. Axure
Axure is the ultimate UI design tool that empowers designers to craft lifelike and functional prototypes. With endless possibilities of event triggers, conditions, and actions, it unleashes your creativity to explore captivating digital experiences.
This is a powerful tool for creating UX documentation alongside interactive prototypes. With support for mouse, touch, and keyboard events, you can trigger interactions and add conditions and variables to enhance your prototypes.
Axure is also user-friendly, especially with its handy widgets. For instance, you can drag and drop working text fields, droplists, and radio buttons. Plus, with multi-state dynamic panels, you can create anything from pop-ups to mobile screens that are scrollable and swipe-able.
The tool is great for project managers who don’t have design or coding skills. They can document any issues within the platform and get everyone on the same page, working towards the same goal.
Key features worth mentioning:
- Share prototypes instantly using Axure Cloud feature
- Syncs with Slack and Microsoft Teams for real-time updates
- Enhances designer-to-developer handoff with documentation and prototypes
- Available upgrade for co-authoring, revision history, and team hosting
- Seamless project handoff with comprehensive documentation, ideal for non-coders.
Pricing:
As a prototyping tool, Axure offers two plans, both with free trial options available.
- Axure RP Pro for $25/month
- Axure RP Team for $42/month
- Contact them to get Axure for Enterprise for unlimited projects
5. Figma
Figma stands tall among the leading UI design collaboration tools, effortlessly bridging the gap between designers, developers, and project managers. It’s a game-changer in the world of UX tools, empowering collaboration and unleashing boundless creativity.
This browser-based UX design tool has got you covered with a wide range of capabilities, including wireframing. You’ll find component-based wireframing kits equipped with a user-friendly drag-and-drop interface. It’s a breeze to insert, customize, and organize all the cool elements of your user interface design.
FigJam, Figma’s collaborative environment, empowers multiple designers to work on a project simultaneously. It’s like Google Docs but for design! Get real-time insights on who’s online and actively working. See your team members’ progress and collaborate seamlessly.
Key features worth mentioning:
- Auto Layout for responsive design
- Perform Boolean operations for shape combinations
- 60fps interactive editing for crisp design previews
- Use Vector Networks pen tool for design
Pricing:
Figma offers a free Starter plan that grants you access to 3 Figma and FigJam files, unlimited personal files, and collaborators. If you’re looking for more advanced features, consider paid plans:
- Figma Professional: $12 per editor/month
- Figma Organization: $45 per editor/month
- Figma Enterprise: $75 per editor/month
6. InVision Studio
InVision Studio is one of the tools in the InVision suite. It’s accompanied by InVision Cloud, where you can connect, store, and share your entire product design process. And it has InVision DSM, a design system manager and library to store and control all your brand and UX components.
InVision Studio simplifies communication for UX/UI designers. With collaborative features, it enables instant feedback, real-time document updates, and a digital whiteboard for team collaboration and idea sharing.
This is one of the tools that comes highly recommended for UX designers at every level, as well as their partners throughout the product marketing organization. It’s the ultimate tool for rapid prototyping and seamless approval processes.
Key features worth mentioning:
- Rapidly prototype UX feedback with vector-based drawing
- InVision DSM centralizes brand assets for a single source of truth
- Organize approved assets for the content marketing team
Pricing:
Get a free plan for one project on Invision Studio. If you need more, then you can choose among their plans:
- STARTER: $15 per month
- PROFESSIONAL: $25 per month
- TEAM: $100 per month
7. Framer
Framer, formerly known as Framer X, is a powerful UX tool that provides realistic product examples and prototypes. It is a top choice for professional UI designers, offering an intuitive interface and minimal learning curve.
Framer prides itself as “the only prototyping software built on web technologies.” It’s an incredible browser-based tool with drag-and-drop functionality. You can begin with a blank canvas and incorporate pre-made components and interactive elements to bring your prototypes to life!
It also comes with tons of plug-ins that give UI designers a wide range of features like UI kits, players, and other useful components. With UI kits, designers can easily integrate social media channels like Twitter and Snapchat.
Key features worth mentioning:
- Early-stage collaboration with JavaScript input for development translation
- Enables complex AR and VR prototypes
- Multiple UI tools for functional, usable prototypes
- React compatibility for modern web design
Pricing:
Framer offers a free plan with access to limited features. If you need more, Framer has two pricing plans:
- Mini: $5 per month/site
- Basic: $15 per month/site
- Pro: $30 per month/site
8. Origami Studio
Origami Studio was meticulously crafted by Facebook specifically for its designers, embodying a touch of complexity that sets it apart from the likes of Sketch or InVision.
This platform provides you with a user-friendly interface and all the tools you need to build complete prototypes. Powered by a sophisticated patch editor, designers have the opportunity to integrate advanced functionality. The end result? Prototypes that look and work just like a real app or webpage!
However, since it was initially built for designers at Facebook but is now available for free, it does have a bit of a learning curve. This can make it a complex prototyping tool for beginners.
But don’t worry; Origami Studio is one of the state-of-the-art UX design tools in the market that brings your designs to life with realistic interactions. Plus, it seamlessly integrates with Sketch.
Key features worth mentioning:
- Build prototype logic with the patch editor
- Access real-time patch library for rich functionality
- Seamlessly copy-paste Sketch layers
- All-in-one for prototyping, design, animation
Pricing:
It’s completely free.
9. FlowMapp
While many other tools already out there attempt to blend UI and UX into a single platform, FlowMapp focuses exclusively on the art of UX design.
FlowMapp provides a user-friendly way to map out user flows using a low-fidelity, wireframe-style approach. You can easily create diagrams using shapes, lines, and icons. It’s perfect for visualizing the user journey, from the very beginning to the ultimate conversion goals.
What’s great about it is that it allows you to iterate on a traditional tree-diagram style sitemap, all while offering features similar to Trello for tracking the status.
Key features worth mentioning:
- Includes user research features
- Easy-to-use sitemap tool with collaboration support
- Personas function aids in buyer persona creation
- Flowchart tool for project collaboration, planning, and communication
Pricing:
FlowMapp is one of the most affordable wireframing tools out there, offering three plans with free trial options available.
- Pro: $16 per month
- Team: $50 per month
- Agency: $180 per month
They also offer special discounts for students and educational organizations!
10. Proto.io
Proto.io is definitely one of the few UI and UX design tools that let you create high-fidelity prototypes with ease. It has really established itself as a competent software.
Proto.io empowers designers with a comprehensive toolset for organizing, creating, and testing accurate mockups. It streamlines collaboration, enabling seamless communication through video feedback and comments.
When it comes to integrating with testing tools, Proto.io seamlessly integrates with leading market testing tools such as Lookback, Userlytics, and Validately.
Key features worth mentioning:
- 1,000+ customizable templates for web and mobile
- 250+ UI components and 6,000+ digital assets
- Plugins for Sketch, Figma, Adobe XD, and Photoshop
- Various interactions: touch, gestures, transitions
Pricing:
Proto.io lets you start with a 15-day trial. Their plans include:
- Freelancer: $29/month
- Startup: $49/month
- Agency: $99/month
- Corporate: $199/month
11. Marvel
Whether you’re a seasoned UI designer or just taking your first steps in the role, Marvel’s design platform makes the design process a breeze.
With its user-friendly design and prototyping tools, wireframing, design, and prototyping is easy. Generate design specs instantly and connect integrations to supercharge your workflow. And if you’re part of a large team, Marvel Enterprise 3 is here to help you create outstanding products at scale!
Marvel design software has a slight learning curve, making it super effective for creating prototypes and designing interfaces efficiently!
Key features worth mentioning:
- Rapidly prototype, handoff, and test
- Integrates with Sketch, Jira, Maze, Smartmockups, etc
- Use gestures for prototype creation
- Handoff includes HTML/CSS for developers
Pricing:
You can start for free with Marvel. If you want to create more projects, you can choose among their plans:
- Pro: $16/month
- Team: $48/month
- Enterprise: request a quote here
12. Optimal Workshop
Optimal Workshop is the ultimate UX research toolbox, bringing together 5 amazing tools in total:
- OptimalSort: Card sorting for info architecture planning
- Treejack: Evaluate website navigation and info finding
- Chalkmark: First-click testing tool for an intuitive interface
- Questions: Create online surveys, and add screening questions to recruit the right participants
- Reframer: Organize insights from qualitative research
The strength of this design platform lies in its ability to test and evaluate the usability, accessibility, and intuitiveness of a website or app. Its solutions accurately measure user experience for companies in various industries.
Key features worth mentioning:
- Bundled tools for professional UX designers
- Create surveys, tests, focus groups, and interviews to gain insights into their user research
- Get in-depth data about users and how they interact with your design
- Design reports that are easy to understand
Pricing:
Optimal Workshop offers a free plan with no need for credit card details and absolutely no pressure to upgrade. These are their paid options:
- Pro plan for unlimited studies at $249/month for 1 user
- Team plan for unlimited studies at $249/month/user for up to 3 users
- An enterprise plan is available for a customized quotation
13. Webflow
With Webflow, design like a pro without HTML or CSS knowledge. It has an intuitive drag-and-drop functionality that lets you create stunning user interfaces effortlessly.
When you use Webflow to build a prototype, you get a real website that generates precise HTML, CSS, or JavaScript code for micro-interactions. This saves you time. Instead of taking what’s been drafted in a prototype and building a design from scratch, you already have everything you need to hand html code off to a developer.
Webflow is a super scalable UI design tool that comes with a fast, reliable, and hassle-free hosting network. And if you don’t feel like starting from scratch, you can also use one of their templates!
Key features worth mentioning:
- Generates CSS, HTML, or Javascript for micro-interactions
- Provides instant start with various UI templates
- Supports CMS for SEO, social media, and content marketing
Pricing:
You can start using Webflow with their free starter plan. Upgrading to their paid plans will give you access to more features and tools:
- Basic plan for $18/month
- CMS plan for $29/month
- Business plan for $49/month
Hire UI/UX Designers from StarTechUP!
Each UI/UX design tool offers its own unique strengths and features. However, a lot of times, having an experienced UI/UX designer on board can make the design process even smoother and more efficient.
At StarTechUP, we provide certified UI/UX designers with expertise in all the latest tools and technologies. So if you’re looking for reliable professionals to get your project done right, then look no further!
Book a consultation and learn more about our UI/UX designers to see how we can help you streamline your design process in 2023!
