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Without a doubt, creativity involves a lot of teamwork — and that’s what Invision is for. It’s a team collaboration platform with built-in brainstorming, approval, and many other collaborative design tools. However, following Miro’s acquisition, the platform will retire by December 31st, 2024.
So, if you feel it’s time to start looking for Invision alternatives or just want to know what other similar platforms are out there, keep reading. I’ve compiled a list covering some of the best tools currently available.
Invision is a collaborative workspace that allows creative teams to plan and review projects, create interactive prototypes, and more. The way it works is simple — you get access to various templates ready-made for numerous use cases.
Some cover meeting notes and sprint planning, while others include mockups and checklists. From there, you can collaborate with team members in real time. It also covers basic project management features, like the option to automatically turn brainstorming ideas into tasks.
As for the drawbacks, I found that Invision’s interface could do with a little more work. Although it’s highly visual and easy to browse through at first, the screen gets cluttered when you handle multiple projects. Other users also report occasional performance issues and glitches.
And again, the platform will be discontinued as of the end of 2024.
Invision offers ready-made templates for wireframes and mockups. You can set up and tweak website and mobile app mockups via a pixel-perfect drag-and-drop interface. The platform also allows you to take it a step further and create prototypes, which are interactive mockups.
Overall, I like how intuitive and customizable everything is. You have full freedom over every design element’s placement — no snap-into-place restrictions.
But, I found that Invision offers a limited choice of colors. You only have access to 16 colors, which can make it difficult for some design teams to create visuals that adhere to their company’s brand identity.
Invision’s collaboration tools are straightforward. You can collaborate on visuals through real-time comments, mentions, and sticky notes.
The platform also allows you to host slide or screen-share presentations, but you’ll need to use separate audio chat tools. You can also create polls and collect votes through emojis.
Invision lets you set up Kanban-based approval workflows, giving you an overview of projects that are on hold, work-in-progress, require reviews, or are approved.
However, I found that approving projects takes an unnecessary amount of clicks. Rather than approving prototypes directly from the canvas, you’ll need to head back over to your projects dashboard, select your prototype, open up a menu, and change the project status to Approved.
The platform also lacks the option to set up multi-level approval workflows.
Pricing: Invision offers a free version for up to 30 members and three workspaces. Paid plans start at $4 per user per month (billed annually).
What is similar to InVision?
Feedback from team members in Planable
Planable is a collaboration tool that allows you to set up social media mockups via a straightforward interface. You can also invite clients to the platform via shareable links so they can leave feedback.
Speaking of feedback, Planable stands out through its extensive collaboration and approval tools. The platform streamlines real-time collaboration through features like in-context comments and annotations, while its customizable approval workflows allow you to handle the design and approval process according to your needs — you can approve projects with just one click.
Planable also handles direct social media scheduling for the following networks: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Google Business Profile, Pinterest, TikTok, and YouTube.
Planable allows you to create mockups for all your social media profiles through a user-friendly drag-and-drop interface and offers dedicated dashboards for each supported network. The platform helps keep your work organized and lets you see exactly what your content will look like across different platforms.
There’s also Planable’s Instagram Grid view, which simulates Instagram’s interface so you can plan your layout exactly the way you want to.
Planable’s Instagram Grid view feature
If you’re happy with your mockups, you can make them public by simply connecting them to your real accounts — no going back and forth between menus needed.
Planable lets you collaborate on mockups in real time through in-context comments and suggestions, while the platform’s annotations are handy for leaving feedback on lengthier text-based posts, like blog posts.
Internal notes in Planable
You also have the option to set up internal notes and posts — perfect for ensuring that clients see your projects only when they’re ready. Other notable features include email and mobile notifications, version control, marking feedback as resolved, as well as custom user roles and permissions.
Planable’s approval features are the platform’s highlight. The platform offers four approval workflow types: none, optional, required, and multi-level.
Approval workflow types in Planable
The “No approvals” option is perfect if you work alone and want to spare yourself from a few extra clicks. Optional approvals allow you to publish content even if it didn’t get approved — convenient for small and flexible teams who can’t always have a reviewer on standby.
Required approvals ensure that posts don’t roll out unless green-lit by one of your team members or clients. Planable’s multi-layered approvals are the stand-out, though — you can set up multiple approval levels, with each having as many collaborators as you want.
Planable’s detailed multi-layered approvals
Your projects won’t roll out unless they go through each level. This is ideal for establishing in-depth review processes to ensure the finished product is in the best shape possible.
Pricing: Planable starts at $11 per user per month (billed yearly). Pricing plans vary depending on the number of workspaces and teammates you’ll have. There’s also a free version that allows you to create up to 50 posts.
Drawbacks: The platform includes social media analytics, but it currently lacks social listening tools. Although Planable also handles collaboration for blog posts, it doesn’t include any native integration with CMS platforms for direct website publishing.
Takeaway: Overall, Planable is one of the best Invision alternatives currently available. Its clean interface coupled with its extensive collaboration and approval functionalities is perfect for streamlining the design process.
Mural is a digital whiteboard collaboration tool perfect for holding brainstorming sessions. You can invite multiple members to a canvas, set up a timer, and have your teammates put down their ideas through sticky notes in real time. You can also select the best ideas together with your team through the platform’s built-in polling features.
Pricing: There’s a free version available with up to three collaborative whiteboards. Paid plans start at $9.99 per user per month (billed annually).
Drawbacks: Mural doesn’t include features outside of collaboration tools. For instance, it doesn’t have any options to create prototypes or approve content.
Takeaway: Mural is an alternative to Invision for teams seeking a solid collaboration tool for brainstorming.
Similar to Mural, Lucidspark is a whiteboard collaboration tool that facilitates brainstorming sessions, live polling, and more. The platform stands out through its Breakout Boards feature.
You can split a project planning or brainstorming session into smaller boards, each dedicated to specific parts of your project, where different parts of your team can hold their own separate mini-sessions.
Teammates can then re-join the main meeting to share the ideas discussed in the breakout boards — perfect for Agile teams that cover multiple skill sets.
Pricing: There’s a free plan available that includes up to three project boards. Paid plans start at $7.95 per month (billed annually).
Drawbacks: The platform lacks built-in auto chat, while the entry-level paid plan is limited — it lacks the option to invite guest collaborators, timers, and more.
Takeaway: Lucidspark is an excellent alternative to Invision for Agile teams seeking to make the most out of their meetings via the platform’s Breakout Boards.
FigJam is a collaborative platform suitable for holding brainstorming and diagramming sessions, as well as setting up Agile workflows. The best part about FigJam is that you can seamlessly use it along with the company’s prototyping and design systems, Figma.
You can copy/paste any object from FigJam to Figma like images, sticky notes, or reference links. This allows design teams to easily jump into prototyping processes and keep meeting notes at their fingertips.
Pricing: There’s a free plan available, while paid packages start at $3 per user per month (billed annually).
Drawbacks: Users report that the interface can get clunky.
Takeaway: FigJam is an excellent option for design teams on the lookout for an affordable whiteboard tool with the option to use it alongside Figma to unify the planning and design processes.
Figma is a design collaboration platform that allows design teams to create interactive mockups and prototypes. Its pixel-perfect interface gives you full freedom over your designs.
One of the platform’s standouts is its Multiplayer functionality — it allows multiple team members to edit and collaborate on the same project in real time. The platform also includes a built-in audio chat tool, sparing you the headache of using other third-party platforms.
Pricing: Figma offers a free version with up to three collaborative design files included. Paid plans start at $12 per user per month (billed annually).
Drawbacks: Due to Figma’s complexity, the platform has a rather steep learning curve.
Takeaway: Figma is an excellent alternative to Invision for those seeking advanced collaborative design tools for interactive prototypes.
Sketch is a design collaboration tool similar to Figma. However, Sketch’s native Mac app also allows creative teams to work offline — Figma requires a permanent online connection.
Moreover, Sketch doesn’t include any document size limitations, while its entry-level plan includes access to all of the platform’s design and collaboration features. However, Sketch lacks Figma’s brainstorming and audio chat tools and lacks a free plan.
Pricing: The platform’s annual subscription costs $10 per user per month. There’s also the option to purchase a one-time license for $120 per user.
Drawbacks: Sketch’s design tools are only available to Mac users. Team members can leave feedback and test prototypes from any device through the platform’s web app.
Takeaway: Overall, Sketch is an excellent design and prototyping tool for Mac users. The platform’s native Mac app allows for offline work, which prevents any slow-downs caused by poor internet connections.
And there you have it — the best Invision alternatives currently available. Since the platform will retire by the end of 2024, it’s best to move quickly and nail down your workflows ahead of time.
That won’t be an issue with Planable — its UI is as straightforward as it can get, while the platform’s direct scheduling, built-in image and video editing, along with its in-depth collaboration and approval tools help you unify your workspace and deal with fewer headaches.
Digital marketing enthusiast, language nerd, and content writer. Horea loves writing about SaaS and anything that involves boosting online presence – from SEO to social media, web design, and more. His content is allergic to fluff and eats research for breakfast.
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