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Figma vs Overflow.io: What are the differences?
Introduction
Figma and Overflow.io are both popular tools used in the design industry, but they have some key differences. In this article, we will explore those differences to help you make an informed decision about which tool is best for your needs.
Design Project Collaboration: Figma allows for real-time collaboration on design projects, allowing multiple designers to work simultaneously on the same project. Overflow.io, on the other hand, focuses more on collaboration with stakeholders by providing an interactive user flow presentation. This makes Figma a better choice for teams that require extensive collaboration during the design process, while Overflow.io is more suitable for presenting and discussing design concepts with clients and stakeholders.
Prototyping Capabilities: Figma offers robust prototyping capabilities, allowing designers to create interactive prototypes with transitions, animations, and interactive elements. Overflow.io, on the other hand, excels in creating interactive user flows by importing designs from other tools like Figma or Sketch. Overflow.io provides features like auto-generating user flows and manual linking of screens for creating seamless user flow presentations. So, if you are looking for in-depth prototyping capabilities, Figma is the better choice, while Overflow.io is perfect for creating and presenting user flows.
Design Handoff: Figma is known for its excellent design handoff features, allowing designers to export assets, generate CSS code snippets, and even inspect designs for developers. Overflow.io, on the other hand, focuses more on presenting and documenting user flows rather than design handoff. While it does provide the ability to export user flows as PDF documents, it lacks the comprehensive design specification and code generation features found in Figma. So, if you are looking for a tool that provides excellent design handoff capabilities, Figma is the way to go.
Integration with Design Tools: Figma is a standalone design tool that allows you to create, prototype, and handoff designs all in one place. Overflow.io, on the other hand, is not a design tool itself but rather integrates with other design tools like Figma and Sketch. This means Overflow.io is perfect for supplementing your existing design workflow and enhancing the presentation and communication aspects of your designs. So, if you are already using a design tool like Figma or Sketch and want to improve your user flow presentations, Overflow.io is a great choice.
Pricing Model: Figma offers a subscription-based pricing model with different plans tailored to individual users, professional teams, and enterprise-level organizations. Overflow.io, on the other hand, offers a per-user per-month pricing model. This means that Figma's pricing is more flexible, allowing you to choose the plan that suits your needs and budget. On the other hand, Overflow.io's pricing may be more cost-effective if you have a small team or only need the tool for a specific project.
Animation and Interaction Capabilities: Figma supports the creation of complex animations and interactions directly within the design tool, providing a comprehensive solution for designing and prototyping. Overflow.io, on the other hand, focuses more on the presentation of user flows rather than individual interactions. While Overflow.io allows linking of screens to create an interactive user flow, it does not provide the same level of control and customization for animations and interactions as Figma. So, if you require advanced animation and interaction capabilities, Figma is the better choice.
In summary, Figma offers real-time collaboration, advanced prototyping, and comprehensive design handoff features, making it a great choice for teams that require extensive collaboration and design capabilities. Overflow.io focuses on presenting interactive user flows and integrates well with other design tools, making it ideal for enhancing the presentation and communication aspects of your designs. The choice between the two will depend on your specific needs and preferences.
Hello, I want to start an unlimited graphic design service. (yes, yet another one, but bear with me)
It’s the second week that I’m working on this project, my goal is to test the market as soon as possible.
One element that is missing is the solution to handle communication between the clients and the designers.
• Mandatory: it needs to communicate instructions, progress/status, and design files (exported from Adobe Illustrator or similar). • Optionally it would also display the design inside the app so the files don’t need to be opened. • Optionally it would let the client easily mark the design where he wants revision.
• Mandatory: it needs to have unlimited clients and unlimited projects (I’ll have hundreds of clients and each will have at least one project) • Optionally it would auto-assign a new project to the first available designer, or let the designers choose themselves which project they want to work on • Optionally it would have groups (corresponding to a subscription plan) with different clients and different designers in each • Optionally it would communicate with other apps so that client and designer management tasks (access, payment, etc) can be automated
I’m open to all suggestions, not just the selection above. Ultimately I guess I’ll have a custom app developed on a no-code platform, but to begin with I need something simple and ready.
Reminder: it is only for graphic design, between my designers and my clients
Zeplin is great for Developer handoff and setting as source of truth for Design and Developemt. InViosion is the standard for communicating/testing design ideas and prototypes with stakeholders. Both applications offer unlimited projects. I use them on a daily basis at big enterprises and for small weekend projects.
I have been using Basecamp since 2008 to handle my client communications. I have gone through all of its three iterations.
I'd recommend Basecamp above the others because:
- It is a communication tool through and through. Looking at your description, that seems to be what you need. Zeplin is a developer handoff tool. It isn't designed to cover a more broad use case as you describe. Invision has some features that you want, but it is primarily a tool for building quick low-fidelity prototypes from website mockups. Figma is a great design tool. For the last two, communication is a secondary feature.
- It was designed by a design agency (37 Signals) for their own needs, which were quite similar to yours. (They later closed the agency to focus on Basecamp as a product full-time)
- It has flat pricing that doesn't count the number of projects, clients or team members you have. You don't have to think twice about opening another project or inviting another user. You always pay the same price.
- It can separate team and client communications. The team can talk about something without the client ever seeing it, in the same context.
- It can keep todo lists, which I think you will need anyway.
- Access control is based on projects. Every team member or client will only see the projects they are invited to. They will not even know the existence of others. (Except admins. They can see and join all projects)
- It is easy to understand and use. The design is free of clutter and easy on the eyes. Your clients (especially the tech-averse ones) will appreciate it.
- It has mobile/desktop apps with the full functionality of the web app. You won't have to wait for someone to sit down to get a quick approval.
The only real downside for me was the lack of language support in the user interface. You will be fine if your users understand some very basic written English. Some of my clients did not, so I had to walk them through it.
Pros of Figma
- Web-based application18
- Intuitive interface and perfect collaboration10
- Free software8
- Works on both Mac and Windows7
- Highly Collaborative7
- Great plugins, easy to extend6
- Works on multiple OS's5
- Imports Sketch files5
- Large community, tutorials, documentation5
- Hands done the best design tool for collaboration!5
- Prototyping, design files and comments all in one place4
- Interactive, event-based prototypes4
- No more syncing between Sketch and InVision3
Pros of Overflow.io
- Sync from any design tool1
- Asynchronous communication with clients1
- Sync from many design tools1
- Works on both Mac and Windows1
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Cons of Figma
- Limited Export options6
