Adobe XD vs. Zeplin

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Adobe XD
Score 6.1 out of 10
N/A
Adobe XD is a prototyping and UX/UI option for website and mobile application design, featuring a range of UI tools and and templates, a versatile artboard and contextual layer panels, and deep integration with Adobe's creative suite of products for fast import of objects from these applications.
$33.99
per month per license
Zeplin
Score 6.8 out of 10
N/A
Zeplin, from the company of the same name, is a platform supporting collaboration in application development by engineers and designers by providing an API with popular collaboration, development and prototyping tools and creating a space where productions can be shared and reviewed.
$0
up to 1 project
Pricing
Adobe XDZeplin
Editions & Modules
Individual
$9.99 ($119.88)
per month (annual, prepaid)
Students & Teachers - All Apps
$19.99 ($239.88)
per month, annual plan (for the year)
Business - Single App
$33.99
per month per license
Business - All Apps
$79.99
per month per license
Schools & Universities - Institution Wide
Contact Sales
Free
$0
up to 1 project
Advanced
$15
per month per seat (up to 50 projects)
Basic
$15
per month per project
Enterprise
Contact sales team
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Adobe XDZeplin
Free Trial
NoYes
Free/Freemium Version
NoYes
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Adobe XDZeplin
Considered Both Products
Adobe XD
Chose Adobe XD
Adobe XD used to be able to stack great, but I would select Figma over Adobe XD any day. Much better features, better quality of life features and includes darkmode. Another great part of Figma is the fact you can strickly use it in a browser without having to install any apps, …
Chose Adobe XD
So far I've had minimal issues with Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign. All my issues have been with Adobe XD simply not being that great.
Chose Adobe XD
More and more competitors, agencies, start-ups, tech companies are using Figma instead of Adobe XD or sketch so our company is trying to get licenses of Figma in addition to Adobe XD. At a large company like us, we already have an Adobe Creative Cloud license so it makes sense …
Chose Adobe XD
First off if we talk about Sketch, then Adobe XD has the upper hand because it supports both Windows and Apple Macintosh. Then coming on Axure RP, Adobe XD is far better than Axure. Because it comes with extensive features. Finally, about Figma, Figma is the only rival to Adobe …
Chose Adobe XD
Figma is also a very good product, but the reason we are still using Adobe XD is because we can grab this software and have multiple projects that are going on at the same time, so it's very hard for to move on to other software. ** The Repeat Grid Feature is super good and, in …
Chose Adobe XD
If we compare with Sketch, I would still prefer Adobe XD. Sketch is a pioneer as a UI design tool, but the features and integration (without plugins) that Adobe XD provides are number 1, especially on the prototyping side.
Chose Adobe XD
Before XD came to the company, screens were designed in Illustrator or Photoshop and a PDF presentation was generated, which was extremely time-consuming. XD saved us a lot of time (and money) by generating interactive prototypes, which are much more tangible for the client …
Chose Adobe XD
A little change in layout can lead to massive process in Wix, Although templates and ADI system is good it makes issues sometimes. ADOBE XD has more powerful tools than it and for a customized website, It works very well. basic designing particles in the library can be used …
Chose Adobe XD
While I have used Zeplin, Invision, and Adobe XD on various projects, partly dependent on in-house client teams preferences, Adobe XD is the most familiar to me based on 20+ years [of] working within Adobe applications. They all can do most of what I am looking to do within …
Chose Adobe XD
Sketch, InVision, Affinity, Adobe After Effects, Adobe Illustrator CC, Adobe Photoshop, KeyShot and Balsamiq
Chose Adobe XD
It's a lot easier to prototype ideas and make mock-ups faster in Adobe XD than it is to in say Photoshop. Figma is fairly similar but XD works with the Adobe ecosystem and I feel is easier to learn and use and the way you can share XD links is what I really like.
Chose Adobe XD
I have tried Sketch to see how it compares to Adobe XD but that didn't last long and i will stick to XD.
Chose Adobe XD
Adobe XD is very comparable to most of the other wireframing and UX builders on the market. One of the big advantages is that it works on both a Mac & PC environment removing a possible tech barrier. The similarity with the other Adobe products makes it easy to get up to …
Chose Adobe XD
I do not use Sketch consistently as it is designed for Mac computers but Sketch is an alternative to consider if you don't have an Adobe Creative Cloud Subscription. Sketch is a one-time charge, has an intuitive interface. There is a low learning curve and has useful …
Chose Adobe XD
Compared to Sketch, Adobe XD is perfectly capable for most prototyping needs that we have. And it's free! I am less familiar with Figma, but can only say that it was a cost-prohibitive choice at the time we were evaluating. I do believe that Figma has become more sophisticated …
Chose Adobe XD
Highlighted previously, but Sketch is likely a better product. We have XD included in Creative Cloud so it was no additional cost, and half the team is on Windows. Otherwise would be paying for Sketch.
Chose Adobe XD
Adobe XD is a very useful tool for building wireframes, but I've now turned to Figma for my go-to wireframing and prototyping software. The thing that both Adobe and Figma have going for them is that they're available on Windows, as well as Mac. A lot of tools are Mac-only. …
Chose Adobe XD
I think in the next year XD will make Sketch irrelevant. It's sad to see giants like Adobe flat out copying independent companies, but it's hard to say no when XD is already included in my CC subscription. They have (mostly) the same features, so it's just a no-brainer.
Chose Adobe XD
We actually use Figma, Sketch, and InVision along with XD in our design practice. We mainly use XD on quick prototypes or experimentation for mobile projects. We always end up falling back to Sketch+InVision for our Design System Implementations and developer collaboration …
Chose Adobe XD
I'm still trying to explore why I should choose XD over Figma.
Chose Adobe XD
In terms of visualization, it is best when compared to any other software.
Chose Adobe XD
We have used Sketch software alongside Adobe XD to make prototypes and wireframes of our projects. There are some features which are exclusively available into Sketch and we don't want our clients to get shorted on any features, so that's why we use both.
Chose Adobe XD
Standard Adobe type expectations as far as integrating with other apps.
Zeplin
Chose Zeplin
Zeplin is used for us purely as a handoff tool. It keeps it clean and clear for devs and product managers what is completed. It has some good labels and other organizing features. The different levels of access are also super helpful to give the correct people the view they …
Chose Zeplin
As our project is large and there are many modules and they should be consistent. So, Zeplin's style guide can be shared globally across different projects and we can easily ensure consistency across all modules. Zeplin automatically exports assets in multiple file formats like …
Chose Zeplin
Actually, we didn't select Zeplin. After a long time of internal discussions, the majority of the team decided that we want to move to Figma. We still use Zeplin as a legacy, but we don't use it for new features. In my opinion, it's less flexible than Figma, which allows …
Chose Zeplin
We went without a tool like Zeplin for a long time, but as we grew we needed to get a better handle on the design process and handoff to engineering. We went straight to Zeplin off of numerous recommendations and didn't look back. We have had a great experience with Zeplin.
Chose Zeplin
Zeplin is more focused on the handoff than in the creation itself. The other alternatives can do both, but Zeplin is an awesome tool for the handoff part. It depends in how big is your team and how the workflow is organized to understand whats the best tool for your team.
Chose Zeplin
It was a business need from different departments. From an IT point of view, we have been a part of purchasing and setting up. However, the decision to go with Zeplin was not ours.
Chose Zeplin
I believe Invision is the only one that is supporting such inspection tools at this moment.
Chose Zeplin
Zeplin has and easier on the eyes UI, not a cumbersome constructors of projects and easier collaboration.
Chose Zeplin
Out of all of the products that I have used to support design-to-development handoffs, Zeplin is my favorite. It’s pretty lightweight and easy to use (once you get the hang of it). Zeplin also has a smooth interface and is, generally, clearer to use than other tools, such as …
Chose Zeplin
These other tools are really helpful products for creating and sharing wireframes / prototypes. However, Zeplin is the best tool for the actual hand off between the design and development teams once the design is actually ready to share. Zeplin fills this gap and improves the …
Chose Zeplin
Zeplin is simpler. Zeplin lacks prototyping on par with Invision. Zeplin doesn't give a direct code for Android and iOS like Figma does. Zeplin doesn't have a lot of advanced features like Invision, for example, whiteboard. But Zeplin is good for at its job which is to share …
Chose Zeplin
Zeplin is a really nice lightweight app, that is easier to use than Invision for sharing purposes. Invision does primarily handle prototyping, which Zeplin does not do. Abstract is my product of choice but is also a slightly different tool — almost a Github for design. It …
Chose Zeplin
We chose Zeplin because it allowed our product and design teams to collaborate more effectively, while providing the rest of the organization an easily accessible location to access up-to-date assets. While InVision's interface can be more intuitive, we prefer Zeplin because it …
Chose Zeplin
Marvel is a pretty expensive application for what it gives you, it is a pretty good tool but I think the handoff is not as good as Zeplin's. I think the style of Zeplin is more oriented to developers and Marvel is more oriented to the designers. I like the way Zeplin is …
Chose Zeplin
Zeplin is great to inspect and share user interfaces, specifications and assets, perfect for developers. Tools like Invision and Marvel are much better to create prototypes for both developers, coworkers and even stakeholders, but they don't have this kind of feature …
Chose Zeplin
For my company needs, Zeplin comes as the best tool in its category. Zeplin's competitors are great tools but they either offer way too many features or are priced above Zeplin with the same features.

Zeplin is in the right spot for both pricing and features.
Chose Zeplin
Zeplin is a better tool for collaboration and has a deeper feature set that helps communicate the information developers need to build products.
Chose Zeplin
I know there are other products out there but Zeplin has been so effective that I haven't even bothered to look elsewhere. The whole experience of Zeplin has been excellent. However, once Adobe XD is more built out Zeplin will finally have a formidable competitor as it will be …
Chose Zeplin
Zeplin is much better when it comes to seeing the properties and CSS code of the design elements. Our developers love it when they get all that info from the Zeplin file.
Chose Zeplin
Zeplin is the only solution tailored for this common use case. Previously we just shared files in dropbox but that was messy and didn't allow for specific comments, etc.
Features
Adobe XDZeplin
Project Management
Comparison of Project Management features of Product A and Product B
Adobe XD
-
Ratings
Zeplin
5.2
Ratings
39% below category average
Search00 Ratings5.20 Ratings
Communication
Comparison of Communication features of Product A and Product B
Adobe XD
-
Ratings
Zeplin
8.0
Ratings
1% above category average
Notifications00 Ratings8.00 Ratings
File Sharing & Management
Comparison of File Sharing & Management features of Product A and Product B
Adobe XD
-
Ratings
Zeplin
6.5
Ratings
19% below category average
Versioning00 Ratings8.00 Ratings
Document collaboration00 Ratings9.00 Ratings
Access control00 Ratings5.20 Ratings
Advanced security features00 Ratings4.00 Ratings
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Adobe XDZeplin
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User Ratings
Adobe XDZeplin
Likelihood to Recommend
5.5
(0 ratings)
6.3
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
7.7
(0 ratings)
8.2
(0 ratings)
Usability
5.5
(0 ratings)
8.0
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
8.3
(0 ratings)
9.5
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
10.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Adobe XDZeplin
Likelihood to Recommend
Adobe XD is particularly useful and extremely easy to learn if you are a designer or a frequent user of the Adobe Creative Suite. Like all Adobe software, the tools, shortcuts, and interface are very similar to each other and allow for easy migration. Now, if you are not a frequent user of Adobe, it will probably cost a bit more to learn how to use the software, plus it is probably not going to be worth the price just for Adobe XD.
Read full review
I still have some issues, especially with color integration between the style guide and also project. When we update the colors, it's not automatically sync to every project. Aside from that, zeplin solves my problem for hand-off design from design to developer. I set zeplin is source of truth design file
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Pros
  • Wireframing/high fidelity mockups. We're using it for both responsive websites and apps.
  • Prototyping. It just gets better with each update, especially with auto-automate.
  • Ridiculously small learning curve. In my opinion, everything seems to be just where I would expect it to be, especially being familiar with other Adobe products.
Read full review
  • Provides dimensions across iOS, Android and Web which saves developers from a lot of guess and check when implementing designs
  • Allows for easy download of digital design assets for developers to easily organize and implement
  • Great user experience in terms of the product itself and a great value for your money
  • Automatically generates CSS for web designs which is AMAZING!
Read full review
Cons
  • Doesn’t have image editing tools, so having to go back to Photoshop or Lightroom just to make a sight edit can be a pain.
  • Could add some text editing functionality. It feels silly that I have to draw a line under text when I should just be able to underline.
  • Would be nice to have some real-time collaboration functionality.
Read full review
  • It would be better if it has a dedicated web application
  • It's not the easiest tool to learn and start working with
  • It would be awesome if it had more features turning it into an all-around tool for mockups and prototypes
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
We utilize many of the applications in the Adobe CC suite and our usage of this application came about simply because it was the one that was already paid for. Bearing that in mind we will definitely be renewing the software upon the expiration of the licensing. I am not sure if this is the solution we would go with were it not already included, we would have to evaluate all other options
Read full review
Great tool
Read full review
Usability
Adobe XD is basically on life-support now, there are much better software out there that do everything XD can do, and a few that you don't even have to pay a monthly subscription fee on. While Adobe XD is great as shortcuts that are used in other CC software works, and its integration with CC is great. But it still lacks compared to its closest competitor.
Read full review
Zeplin's component management and style guide help us to be consistent across whole product and it so easy to use for non-technical person. It is now easy to collaboration for designes between different teams like stackholders, product owner, UI/UX, developers and testers. Now there is only one point of reference is Zeplin so it is so easy to get details without asking designer or developer again and again.
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Support Rating
I have not had a need to connect with the Adobe XD support team as of yet, but from past experience when dealing with the other products, the support has been very very good, and I would have no reason to think that this product would be any different. There are a good number of training videos on the Adobe site for this product as well as on other social media sites so a quick search should let you find the answers in several different ways.
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Zeplin has classic support with a chat from the website. It's working fine, and we're also getting the support needed when needed. However, Zeplin is very good at closing the incidents and moving on. It was a while ago we had a case with their support so that it might have improved since then.
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Implementation Rating
Implementation was a snap
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No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
Adobe XD used to be able to stack great, but I would select Figma over Adobe XD any day. Much better features, better quality of life features and includes darkmode. Another great part of Figma is the fact you can strickly use it in a browser without having to install any apps, but if you do install the apps, it works great if not better.
Read full review
Out of all of the products that I have used to support design-to-development handoffs, Zeplin is my favorite. It’s pretty lightweight and easy to use (once you get the hang of it). Zeplin also has a smooth interface and is, generally, clearer to use than other tools, such as InVision. Plus, all of the plug-ins that you can use with Zeplin have supported the design-development relationship and workflows in which I’ve been involved in more efficient, clear, and effective ways than I’ve seen with any other product.
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Return on Investment
  • The time it takes to design in Adobe XD is significantly faster. Saving time.
  • It boosts productivity, causing better ideas to be created.
  • It's easy to use and quick to learn. Not much of a learning curve so we can get to work pretty quickly.
Read full review
  • We're using the free plan, so it fits in our needs, although we're limited to create only one project at a time
  • Sketch has some plugins that offers exactly what Zeplin does, for free
  • The integration with design apps (Sketch, Photoshop, XD) and collaboration (Slack and Trello) helps our team to better communicate and be notified on every update
Read full review
ScreenShots