Web Design Apps for Designers: Sketch, Figma, Webflow and More

The web design apps we selected in 2017 were Sketch, Avocode, Webflow, UXPin, Affinity Designer and Figma. Checked in September 2026, five are still available: Figma and Sketch for interface design, Webflow for building sites visually, UXPin for code-backed prototypes and Affinity, now free for individuals, for graphics. Avocode was shut down in 2023.

A stunning web design is the fruit of great ideas and inspiration, but it is never an easy task. Between the moment you picture a design and the moment it goes live, you face a series of challenges that can quickly sap your enthusiasm and creativity.

The picture in your mind needs to work with other apps, meet accessibility standards, ensure a good user experience, be secure and responsive, load fast, and the list goes on. Any web design that turns into a satisfied client is the fruit of many brainstorming and problem-solving sessions, which can be time-consuming and frustrating.

So how can you make your life easier and let your creativity flow? The answer lies in the right web design apps. Whether you design your own website or brief a team that provides website design services, these tools speed up the workflow.

There are plenty of web design apps, and new ones keep coming out. You cannot try them all without overloading your schedule, so we selected the top apps for designers that can help you create outstanding web designs. We first published this selection in 2017; in September 2026, we checked each tool again on its official website, and the notes below say what has changed.

Web Design Apps: Our Selection and What Has Changed

Sketch

Sketch has been around since 2010 and has become a powerful tool for web design. It is a strong alternative to the more traditional Adobe Creative Suite and gives you full control over your design.

Sketch is a vector-based app, so you can resize your work to any dimension without losing sharpness. The design you create is very close to the HTML and CSS result, which lets you design each page exactly as you want it and speeds up the web design process. With compatible plugins, you can also use Sketch for prototyping.

Compared to apps like Photoshop, Sketch is easy to use and does not require a steep learning curve. In 2017, it was also much more affordable than design tools like Adobe Creative Suite.

On the downside, the Sketch editor still runs only on Mac: the current version requires macOS Sequoia. Prototypes, however, can be tested in any web browser, on iPhone or on iPad, according to Sketch’s website. And while the app works very well for web design, it is more limited than other software for custom logos or elaborate illustrations.

Avocode

Avocode no longer exists: Ceros, the company behind it, sunset Avocode on October 1, 2023, and all its products are no longer in service, according to the Avocode website. We keep our 2017 review below for reference.

In the words of Vu Hoang Anh, co-founder of the app, Avocode helped you build web, iOS and Android apps precisely the way you designed them. What we liked about Avocode was its simple Photoshop plugin, which synced all your PSD files into Avocode in one click.

Avocode was compatible with both PSD and Sketch files. Once you uploaded a file, Avocode analyzed it and turned it into web design code, which made it reasonably straightforward for a front-end developer to convert a design into website code. Avocode ran on Mac, Windows and Linux, with a free trial followed by a paid monthly plan.

Webflow

Webflow is one of the code-free design apps. It was created to speed up the creation of custom responsive websites, and it does an excellent job at that.

Webflow is easy to use. Its drag-and-drop tool lets you focus on the design without dealing with code, and its CMS lets you change the content directly on the live page without going through the back end. Today, Webflow presents itself as a complete web platform, with a visual canvas, a CMS and hosting built in.

In 2017, the drag-and-drop concept made Webflow user-friendly, but the lack of a dedicated design tool could limit what you created.

UXPin

UXPin is a collaborative platform to present wireframes, mockups and prototypes. It is a flexible application that gives you the freedom to design your apps or responsive website exactly how you want.

You can start your project from scratch with an empty screen and add all the elements as you go. Alternatively, you can import your design from Photoshop or Sketch, and UXPin will add interactivity to your web design or create a prototype. As you add interactivity to your project, a step-by-step process assists you all the way through.

There are countless apps for wireframing or prototyping. What made UXPin stand out in 2017 was that it was both powerful for creating and collaborative. For instance, its point-and-click interface let clients click on different elements and add their comments, which made it easy to track how the project was developing and which revisions were required. Today, UXPin focuses on designing with code-backed components, so that designers and developers use the same components.

UXPin is user-friendly, but it still requires a short learning curve. In 2017, it also lacked a bird’s-eye view of prototype screens.

Affinity Designer

Affinity Designer was created as an alternative to Adobe Illustrator. Its interface is very similar to its competitor’s, so if you move from Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop, you will not feel lost. It also adds functionalities that can improve your design.

Affinity Designer offered a 1,000,000 percent zoom that lets you adjust and transform your vectors with great precision. It can open and edit PSD, AI and EPS files, which solves the compatibility issues that bother many web designers working across platforms. Its large library of non-destructive adjustment layers, effects and blend modes offers a level of layer control that is hard to find in other vector-based apps. In 2017, its only downside was that it treated all objects as filled, which could be annoying at times.

Affinity has changed since: design, photo editing and page layout are now combined in a single Affinity app. It is free for individuals on Mac and Windows, and an iPad version is announced.

Figma

Figma is an online, browser-based collaborative design tool. You can use it to create any design, such as web applications, web pages, mobile applications, banners or logos. Figma was released in 2016 and has gained wide popularity among designers. Unlike tools that are installed and used on a single device, Figma runs in your browser or in its mobile app, and your work is saved online.

You can also collaborate with other team members. Figma offers a free plan, so you can try it at no cost.

What Should You Do Next?

If you add some of these apps to your workflow, you will be faster and more efficient in your web design. The perfect app for web designers does not exist, but several tools can make your life a little better: try a few and see which one works best for you.

If you need a team to design your website rather than tools to do it yourself, our UI/UX design agency in Shanghai designs websites for international and Chinese audiences. If you have any question, do not hesitate to contact us.

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