# Balsamiq vs Zeplin

| Attribute | Balsamiq | Zeplin |
|---|---|---|
| **vioscaleAI score** | 69 (69% (medium)) | 69.1 (40% (low)) |
| content.faq | `[{"answer":"A wireframing and prototyping platform that combines AI-assisted design with real-time collaboration to help teams turn rough ideas into validated, interactive prototypes before handing off to developers. It is indexed under UI/UX & Prototyping Tools.","source":"https://balsamiq.com","question":"What is Balsamiq?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Balsamiq offers a free tier, so you can start without paying. Paid plans start at $16 per editor per month. Prices are published openly on the vendor's own pricing page. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://balsamiq.com","question":"Is Balsamiq free?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed browser-based access to Balsamiq. That is the extent of what we could verify from public sources, so it may well offer desktop or mobile clients we have not indexed.","source":"https://balsamiq.com","question":"What platforms does Balsamiq support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have only confirmed a cloud / SaaS deployment for Balsamiq, so it appears to be vendor-hosted. If a self-hosted option exists we have not found it documented publicly.","source":"https://balsamiq.com","question":"Can Balsamiq be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed 5 integrations for Balsamiq, including Slack, Jira, Confluence, Notion and MCP server (Claude, Cursor). This is what we could verify from public sources, so the vendor may support others we have not indexed.","source":"https://balsamiq.com","question":"What does Balsamiq integrate with?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have independently confirmed SOC 2 and GDPR for Balsamiq. Certifications we do not list are ones we have not been able to verify from public sources, which is not the same as Balsamiq not holding them. Always confirm compliance directly before you rely on it.","source":"https://balsamiq.com","question":"What security certifications does Balsamiq have?","confidence":0.48}]` | `[{"answer":"Zeplin is a collaboration platform where design teams finalize designs, document requirements, manage versions, and handoff to developers with integrated code generation. It sits between design creation tools and development environments, keeping specifications organized and synchronized without disrupting the design process. It is indexed under UI/UX & Prototyping Tools.","source":"https://zeplin.io/pricing/","question":"What is Zeplin?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Zeplin offers a free tier, so you can start without paying. Paid plans start at $12 per user per month. Prices are published openly on the vendor's own pricing page. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://zeplin.io/pricing/","question":"Is Zeplin free?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed browser-based access to Zeplin. That is the extent of what we could verify from public sources, so it may well offer desktop or mobile clients we have not indexed.","source":"https://zeplin.io/pricing/","question":"What platforms does Zeplin support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have only confirmed a cloud / SaaS deployment for Zeplin, so it appears to be vendor-hosted. If a self-hosted option exists we have not found it documented publicly.","source":"https://zeplin.io/pricing/","question":"Can Zeplin be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed 10 integrations for Zeplin, including Jira, Azure DevOps, VS Code, Storybook, Slack, Teams, Figma and Zeplin API, plus 2 more. This is what we could verify from public sources, so the vendor may support others we have not indexed.","source":"https://zeplin.io/pricing/","question":"What does Zeplin integrate with?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have independently confirmed GDPR for Zeplin. Certifications we do not list are ones we have not been able to verify from public sources, which is not the same as Zeplin not holding them. Always confirm compliance directly before you rely on it.","source":"https://zeplin.io/enterprise/design-compliance/","question":"What security certifications does Zeplin have?","confidence":0.7},{"answer":"Zeplin is available worldwide. Its primary market is the United States.","source":"https://zeplin.io/pricing/","question":"Where is Zeplin available?","confidence":0.75}]` |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true}` | `{"cloud":true}` |
| description.long | A wireframing and prototyping platform that combines AI-assisted design with real-time collaboration to help teams turn rough ideas into validated, interactive prototypes before handing off to developers. | Zeplin is a collaboration platform where design teams finalize designs, document requirements, manage versions, and handoff to developers with integrated code generation. It sits between design creation tools and development environments, keeping specifications organized and synchronized without disrupting the design process. |
| features.capabilities | `{"ai_design":true,"dev_handoff":true,"pricing_model":"subscription","vector_design":true,"platform_breadth":"Web (Cloud), Desktop, Confluence, Jira","plugin_ecosystem":"Slack, Jira, Confluence, Notion, MCP server for Claude/Cursor","component_libraries":true,"clickable_prototyping":true,"realtime_collaboration":true}` | `{"ai_design":true,"dev_handoff":true,"pricing_model":"freemium","self_hostable":false,"platform_breadth":"Web application, VS Code extension, integrations with Jira, Azure DevOps, Slack,","plugin_ecosystem":"Official integrations with design tools (Figma) and dev tools (Jira, Azure DevOp","architecture_model":"managed_cloud_saas_browser","component_libraries":true,"realtime_collaboration":true,"storybook_two_way_component_syncing":true,"one_click_svg_png_and_webp_asset_extraction":true,"redline_spacing_and_css_property_inspection":true,"react_vue_swift_compose_semantic_code_export":true,"vs_code_extension_for_inline_design_inspection":true,"design_token_variable_support_and_export_css_variables":true}` |
| integrations.count | 5 | 8 |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"Slack"},{"name":"Jira"},{"name":"Confluence"},{"name":"Notion"},{"name":"MCP server (Claude, Cursor)"}]` | `[{"name":"Jira"},{"name":"Azure DevOps"},{"name":"VS Code"},{"name":"Storybook"},{"name":"Slack"},{"name":"Teams"},{"name":"Figma"},{"name":"Zeplin API"},{"name":"Webhooks"},{"name":"Microsoft Teams","native":true,"category":"chat","direction":"outbound"},{"name":"Zeplin MCP Server","native":true,"category":"development","direction":"outbound"}]` |
| market.availability | - | `{"primaryMarkets":["US"],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` |
| platform.support | `{"web":true}` | `{"web":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"subscription","plans":[{"free":false,"name":"Starter","summary":"$16/editor/month billed annually ($192/year)","features":["Up to 10 projects","Unlimited reviewers","500 monthly AI credits per editor","Balsamiq MCP server","Slack integration","Custom UI components","Export to PDF or image"],"minSeats":1,"commitment":"annual","components":[{"kind":"per_unit","unit":"editor","amount":16,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"Up to 10 projects, 500 monthly AI credits, Slack integration","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"projects":"10","reviewers":"unlimited","ai_credits_monthly":"500"}},{"free":false,"name":"Teams","summary":"$24/editor/month billed annually ($288/year)","features":["Up to 100 projects","Unlimited reviewers","1,000 monthly AI credits per editor","Balsamiq MCP server","Billing admin role and permissions","Custom UI components","Export to PDF or image","Priority support"],"minSeats":1,"commitment":"annual","components":[{"kind":"per_unit","unit":"editor","amount":24,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"Up to 100 projects, 1,000 monthly AI credits, priority support","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"projects":"100","reviewers":"unlimited","ai_credits_monthly":"1000"}},{"free":false,"name":"Enterprise","summary":"$35/editor/month billed annually ($420/year)","features":["Everything in Teams, plus:","Up to 400 projects","2,500 monthly AI credits per editor","Balsamiq MCP server","SSO with SAML","Legal and security review support","Data storage in the US or EU","Premium support"],"minSeats":1,"commitment":"annual","components":[{"kind":"per_unit","unit":"editor","amount":35,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"Up to 400 projects, 2,500 monthly AI credits, SSO, premium support","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"projects":"400","reviewers":"unlimited","ai_credits_monthly":"2500"}}],"summary":"From $16/editor/month. Free 14-day trial. Save 30% with annual billing.","currency":"USD","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://balsamiq.com","retrievedAt":"2026-08-01T15:33:44.068Z","freeTrialDays":14,"startingPrice":{"amount":16,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},"billingPeriods":["month","year"]}` | `{"type":"hybrid","plans":[{"free":true,"name":"Free","summary":"Free forever, unlimited users per workspace","features":["Code-connected components","Jira & Azure integrations","Storybook integration","Slack & Teams","VS Code extension","Annotations, flows, approvals","Chat & email support","AI Design Review"],"components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":0,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"Free workspace with core features, limited controls","contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Basic","summary":"One flat rate per project (packs of 1, 3, 6, 9, or 12); annual plans include 1 month free","features":["All Free features","Styleguides and component versioning","Component variants","No user dashboard or advanced permissions"],"commitment":"annual","description":"Pay-per-project model with unlimited users per project","contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Advanced","summary":"$12 per seat/month billed annually","features":["All features","User dashboard","Admin, Editor, Developer, and Reviewer roles","SAML-based SSO","MFA","SCIM user provisioning","Invoiced billing via bank transfer","24-hour priority support SLA","On-prem Jira Server integration available"],"commitment":"annual","components":[{"kind":"per_unit","unit":"seat","amount":12,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"Per-seat pricing with advanced team and access controls","contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Enterprise","summary":"Custom pricing, contact sales","features":["All features","Success Manager","Custom configuration","24-hour support SLA"],"description":"Custom plan with dedicated support and flexible terms","contactSales":true}],"summary":"Free tier available. Per-project and per-seat options. Advanced from $12/seat/month.","currency":"USD","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://zeplin.io/pricing/","retrievedAt":"2026-09-03T18:00:24.259Z","startingPrice":{"unit":"seat","amount":12,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},"billingPeriods":["month","year"]}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | yes |
| pricing.model | commercial | freemium |
| pricing.price_level | mid | low |
| pricing.starting_price | - | `{"amount":12,"currency":"USD"}` |
| pricing.transparent | yes | yes |
| reliability.sla_pct | 99.9 | - |
| reliability.status_page | yes | - |
| security.gdpr | yes | yes |
| security.soc2 | yes | - |
| security.trust_center | - | https://zeplin.io/enterprise/design-compliance/ |

## Capabilities (UI/UX & Prototyping Tools)

| Capability | Balsamiq | Zeplin |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Design** |  |  |
| Vector UI design | ✓ | - |
| Component / design-system libraries | ✓ | ✓ |
| Auto layout / responsive | - | - |
| **Prototyping** |  |  |
| Clickable prototyping | ✓ | - |
| Advanced interactions (variables / conditions) | - | - |
| **Collaboration** |  |  |
| Real-time multiplayer collaboration | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Handoff** |  |  |
| Dev handoff / spec export | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Platform** |  |  |
| Platform breadth (Web / macOS / Windows / Linux / self-hosted) | Web (Cloud), Desktop, Confluence, Jira | Web application, VS Code extension, integrations with Jira, Azure DevOps, Slack, |
| **Licensing** |  |  |
| Self-hostable / open-source | - | ✗ |
| **AI** |  |  |
| AI design assist | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Pricing** |  |  |
| Pricing model | Subscription | Freemium |
| **Ecosystem** |  |  |
| Plugin / community ecosystem | Slack, Jira, Confluence, Notion, MCP server for Claude/Cursor | Official integrations with design tools (Figma) and dev tools (Jira, Azure DevOp |

*Source: vioscaleAI. Generated 2026-10-17T05:04:33.936Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*