Zeplin is a project management platform where designers and developers collaborate. It can best be understood as a space used by product teams that require a collaboration platform when they are working together on design files.
Zeplin takes a design file and breaks it up into sources, specs, and style guides. This information can then be used for a seamless UI developer handoff, saving you a lot of time.
It also allows design handoffs and supports uploads from Figma, Adobe XD CC, Sketch, and Photoshop (on beta).
Another plus is that it has a Slack integration that allows for even more file sharing.
Here are some further features of Zeplin:
- Project Management Features
- Streamlining complex project management through workflow automation tools
- Allows for integration with other project management platforms
- Communication Features
- Easy communication between teams
- Members can choose to receive notifications or not
- Clever voting and commenting systems on design specs
- Helps designers stay on the right track with their UI designs
- File Sharing & Management Features
- Collaboration for file sharing and viewing as well as organizing files
- Tracking changes
- Supporting different file types: .docx, .doc, PDF, .jpeg, .png, .mp3, .wav, etc.
- Supports web interface
Here 5 of the best alternatives to Zeplin:
What we cover
1) Mockplus
Link: Mockplus.com
Many users have described Mockplus as the best alternative to Zeplin. This online-based design collaboration and handoff tool takes the idea behind Zeplin to the next level. It streamlines everything you will need when working as a remote team.
Pricing:
- Free Plan
- Complete Pricing
Pros:
- Easy handling for iOs and Android
- Easy creation of prototypes
- Not too complex
Cons:
- Very expensive pro version
- No interactive text components
- Creating complex UI designs is a bit difficult
- Difficult to use multiple panels
2) Feedback by Pixelic
Link: Feedback.Pixelic.io
One big advantage of Feedback by Pixelic is that this completely free version lets you add feedback in visual form to any design. Again, it is perfectly designed for remote workers that are joining project teams.
Pricing:
- Free
Pros:
- Simple and straightforward user experience
- Great integration with Slack
Cons:
- No integration with Jira yet
- Pricing is quite expensive for the pro version
3) Sketch for Teams
Link: Sketch.com
Sketch is especially useful when you want a quick and easy collaboration tool for teams. You can easily access Sketch from macOS or Windows and add viewers without additional costs. Meaning you can share your development stages with the clients.
Pricing:
- Free version is only available as a trial
- Complete Pricing
Pros:
- Retains quality thanks to being vector-based
- Handles pixel-friendly photos incredibly well
- Easy to use
- Can export graphics in a lot of different formats
Cons:
- No Windows-compatible version available
4) Invision
Link: InVision
As with most of these tools, it is focused on design teams that are working together remotely. Invision is a market leader that is specifically focused on the needs of designers, as it has an extensive suite of design tools that enables:
- Prototyping
- Wireframing
- Design Handoffs
- Design management
Pricing
- Free version available
- Complete Pricing
Pros:
- Vast number of tools to be integrated (Jira, Dropbox, etc.)
Cons:
- Very pricey pro-version
- Not suited for smaller businesses
- Purely web-based
5) Pitch
Link: Pitch.com
Pitch focuses on smart workflows and manages everything as a real-time collaboration and project management platform. Their design and interface are a lot more intuitive than that of Zeplin, which already makes it one of the better alternatives.
Another plus for Pitch is you can work online or offline on this platform and across several devices.
Pitch is used and loved by teams from big businesses such as Notion or Grammarly for offering all the tools necessary to manage remote teams.
Pricing
- Free version for a starter plan
- Paid plan for $10 per member per month
- Complete Pricing
Pros:
- Works online and offline
- Great for big businesses
- Intuitive interface
- Great customer support
Cons:
- More templates needed
- No automatic play-time features
- More shapes or additions for the gallery needed
Best Zeplin Features
In most reviews, these are the reasons why people love using Zeplin:
- It has a free version.
- You can work in small teams, which is great for small businesses.
- It’s perfect for design collaboration.
- They have great customer support.
- Design snippets for coding are auto-generated.
- It can be integrated with other collaboration or development tools, such as Slack, MS teams, and Visual Studio Code.
- It is easy to add comments to the design. Good documentation for engineers.
- Tasks can be assigned to the right person.
- It is a simple-to-use prototyping tool.
Worst Zeplin Features
These are the features that are mentioned most in reviews that made users change to Zeplin alternatives:
- The interface design tool is confusing and counterintuitive at times.
- New users require a lot of time to understand the platform.
- The tutorials are not sufficient and will need a lot more in-depth information.
- While there is a free version, the subscription model has bugged a lot of users who wanted to get more out of this design tool.
Why use Zeplin alternatives?
In general, it seems that as the first interface design tool, Zeplin is doing an overall good job in bringing people from different teams together to manage design projects. Zeplin offers a lot of integrations to many other tools and mobile apps, which makes it really easy to use, no matter what platform you’ve been using before.
However, it is a very tricky interface. When starting off with this platform, users find that they need a lot of time to understand the workings behind everything. This time can be used better for working on the actual project. This makes the platform a bit unsatisfactory, as it should make project management more effortless.
There are many reasons why you might want to try out Zeplin alternatives. Some programs might have a better subscription model, while others offer even more integrations or have less of a learning curve for new users. Either way, we’ll provide you with the best Zeplin alternatives below.
FAQs
Is Zeplin a prototyping tool?
Yes, Zeplin can be used to create art and design prototypes and export them as links from different artboards.
Does Zeplin integrate with Figma?
Yes, Figma has a Zeplin plug-in that lets you integrate it.
How do you convert Zeplin to Figma?
There are several options when it comes to converting designs from Zeplin to Figma. Probably the most commonly used option is to simply use the “Export” button and then choose to download your design in one of the following file options:
- .ipg file
- .png file
You can otherwise try the “Share” button and export your design as a .pdf.
If you do want to export your design to import and work on it in Figma, we recommend choosing the “Download” button. This way, you can choose to download your design as a .svg file.
After downloading, simply upload your .svg file into Figma. You can, however, also upload and open your .pdf file from Zeplin to Figma.
