Unlocking Collaboration: Top Wake Alternatives for Designers
Wake is an enterprise web, desktop, and mobile platform designed to simplify the sharing of design work and feedback collection for designers. Created by former Facebook product designer Chris Kalani and the Norwegian digital agency Bakken & Baeck, Wake addresses the common challenge designers face when deep into a project: losing perspective on whether their work looks good. While Wake provides an effective way to share works-in-progress and gather team feedback, many designers seek alternatives that might better suit their specific workflows, budget, or feature requirements. This article explores the best Wake alternative solutions available today.
Top Wake Alternatives
Whether you're looking for advanced prototyping, seamless team collaboration, or a more budget-friendly option, there's a Wake alternative out there to meet your needs. Let's dive into some of the most prominent contenders.
InVision
InVision is a powerful Wake alternative that helps you deliver the best possible digital product experience. It's available on a Freemium model with various pricing tiers, supporting Web, Android, iPhone, Android Tablet, and iPad. Key features include Prototyping, Basecamp integration, Design handoff, GitHub integration, Group chat, Jira integration, Kanban boards, Support for @mentions, Real-time collaboration, Slack integration, and Trello integration, making it a comprehensive solution for design feedback and project management.
STUDIO
STUDIO is an excellent Wake alternative for designers who want to create and publish websites from scratch without writing any code. Available on a Freemium model for Web, STUDIO offers features like Custom types builder, Responsive design, Web Development, Web hosting, Website builder, and WYSIWYG Support. It provides the flexibility to start from a blank canvas, wireframe, or template, catering to diverse project needs.
UXPin
UXPin stands out as a robust Wake alternative, offering a web-based system for managing design documents such as wireframes, sitemaps, persona descriptions, or flowcharts. It's a Commercial product available for Mac, Windows, Linux, and Web, providing features like Prototyping, Team Collaboration, User interface design, UX Design, and Wireframing. UXPin allows users to upload image files and easily invite teammates for collaborative feedback.
Red Pen
Red Pen offers a super-fast and straightforward Wake alternative for collecting live, annotated feedback on designs. It's a Free web-based tool with features like Customer Feedback and Image Sharing. Red Pen simplifies the feedback process by allowing users to upload a design, share a short URL, and get immediate comments without the need for logging in or complex project management, making it ideal for quick reviews.
Notism
Notism is a Freemium web-based Wake alternative that focuses on the visual design stage, allowing users to discuss, experience, and share design work efficiently. It offers features like Customer Feedback, Prototyping, and Real-time collaboration, helping teams iterate faster and create better websites. Notism bridges the gap between wireframes and final visual designs, fostering effective communication.
Montage Prototyping
Montage Prototyping provides a rapid app prototyping solution as a Wake alternative, especially useful for those without extensive design skills. This Freemium web-based tool features a user-generated library of components, streamlining the prototyping process. Its focus on speed and ease of use makes it a valuable option for quickly visualizing app concepts.
The landscape of design collaboration tools is rich and varied. While Wake offers a valuable platform, exploring these alternatives can help you find a solution that aligns perfectly with your team's size, specific design needs, and budget. Consider features like real-time collaboration, prototyping capabilities, integration with existing tools, and pricing models to make the best choice for your next project.