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"Pencil Project: The Best Free Wireframing and Prototyping Tool"
Abel James A. - ConsultantFebruary 20, 2023
STARTING PRICE
Not provided by software provider
EASE OF USE
4.3/5
Based on Capterra user reviews
Open-source GUI prototyping tool used by developers and businesses to create site wireframes and mockups using various built-in tools.
Provider
Evolus
Located In
Vietnam
Open API
Unverified
Training
Not Offered
Support
Phone Support, Email/Help Desk
On-premise GUI prototyping application that allows developers as well as businesses of all sizes to create mockups and wireframe diagrams using built-in drawing features, shape collections & more.
Content Source: Pencil Project
Green rating bars show the winning product based on the average rating and number of reviews.
Pencil Project Reviews
Pros
Pencil Project is free and open source tool that is very easy to use, I enjoy the fact that I can customize templates, create my own templates and it supports lots of file format.
Its been added to my designing toolkit because it's ease to use, customize, and its cross-platform support. I just love Pencil Project.
I am regular user of Pencil, I have found that Pencil is the one the most perfect tool for me to make prototype and design wireframe. It is really easy and helpful for front end.
Cons
Little quirks that have not ironed out yet. Feels like the project has died -- which is a real pity.
Pencil is a little limited in what you can add to your mock-up.
Used it to mock up a web applications, several are rather complex and have between 15-45 pages. Currently using it to mock up a massive CMS project.
"Pencil Project: The Best Free Wireframing and Prototyping Tool"
Overall: Great! Pencil Project has help me to create wireframes and prototypes quickly and easily so as to meet tight schedules and deadline. Its been added to my designing toolkit because it's ease to use, customize, and its cross-platform support. I just love Pencil Project..thumbs up.
Pros: Awesome! Pencil Project is free and open source tool that is very easy to use, I enjoy the fact that I can customize templates, create my own templates and it supports lots of file format. It also runs across platforms different operating system platforms. It's versatility is great. I am in live with pencil project.
Cons: I notice it does not release updates regularly but all the same the community attend to any issues that comes up.
"Great, free way to generate quick UI mockups"
Overall: If you need to get a quick UI design out, this is a good option. However, it has not been kept up to date since 2013 so the mockups are not up to date with the latest UI trends. You will not want to share your mockups with a customer, but can be used to spread ideas internally.
Pros: This product is free and available on many different operating systems (Mac, Windows, Linux). It has a short learning curve and is very easy to get up to speed with.
Cons: It does feel a bit dated now for iOS application mockups. The latest stencils/templates are from ~2013 so the iOS designs are dated. Also the Windows templates are old as well.
"Free and works offline"
Overall: Overall the experience is below average. Initially i started using it because it's a free tool but now there are many other online tools which are easy to use and have advanced features
Pros: The tool is free and you can download it on your system. Works without any internet connection so you don't have to worry about having an active internet connection at all time.
Cons: I know the tool is free and helps in getting the things done but it's no where close to the paid ones plus now there are many other free tools which has better features and are very easy to use. I only use this when I don't want a good looking detailed work and want to do the work offline.
"Create flowcharts, mockups and interfaces quickly and easily"
Pros: Pencil project is an Open Source software with multiplatform support It has an important library of shapes for the creation of models and interfaces, with the look and feel of the most popular systems and platforms such as Android, IOS and Windows. It has extensions to be worked from the web browser Mozilla Firefox allows linking between the sheets of a project to optimally simulate the browsing experience between the screens of the model
Cons: As graphical elements are inserted in the multiple sheets of the documents tends to put the software slower
"Pencil Project - Free & Hassle-free Software For Your Wireframing Needs"
Overall: I am very happy with the tool. It's easy to use and I found it very useful in my projects. Tried other online tools and found them quite clunky. I love that Pencil is lightweight, responsive & the way Pencil Project allows you to create your own library of objects too. I would definitely recommend this tool to any UX designer creating prototype or wireframes.
Pros: I needed an application that could help me create mobile prototypes and this is. I needed something that could help me get my ideas out of my head and into a digital format as quickly as possible and this does that for me. What I really like about this is that it's also a community project and other users have contributed their own collections of UI shapes so that I can make use of them and this is.
Cons: Because it is lightweight and free, it is quite limited in some way. It lacks the bells-and-whistles which aren't that essential but good-to-have when it needs it.
