Sketch vs Zeplin: What are the differences?

Introduction:

Sketch and Zeplin are two popular design tools used by designers and developers to collaborate and create user interfaces. While both tools have similar features, there are key differences that set them apart. In this article, we will explore the important distinctions between Sketch and Zeplin.

Key Differences between Sketch and Zeplin:

1. Design and Prototyping vs. Collaboration and Handoff: Sketch focuses primarily on design and prototyping capabilities, allowing designers to create and refine their visual designs and interactive prototypes. On the other hand, Zeplin is more focused on collaboration and providing developers with design handoff assets, such as specifications, style guides, and CSS snippets, making it easier for them to implement the design into code.

2. Platform Compatibility: Sketch is a macOS-only application, limiting its use to Mac users. In contrast, Zeplin is a cross-platform tool, with support for both macOS and Windows. This makes Zeplin a more suitable choice for teams where members use different operating systems.

3. Integration with Design Software: Sketch is a standalone design tool that offers an extensive range of plugins and integrations with other design software and services. This enables designers to extend its functionality and integrate it into their existing design workflow. Zeplin, on the other hand, is specifically designed for collaboration and handoff purposes, providing deep integration with popular design tools like Sketch, Adobe XD, Figma, and more.

4. CSS Export and Code Generation: Sketch provides limited CSS export capabilities, allowing designers to generate CSS code snippets for their designs. However, Zeplin excels in this area by offering advanced code generation features, enabling developers to extract CSS, Swift, Android XML, and other platform-specific code snippets directly from design files. This makes the developer handoff process more streamlined and efficient.

5. Design System and Style Guide Management: Zeplin has robust design system and style guide management features, allowing designers to create and maintain a centralized repository of design components, styles, and documentation. This helps designers and developers ensure consistency and uniformity across different design files and projects. While Sketch does not have this built-in capability, designers can achieve similar functionality by using external plugins or third-party services.

6. Pricing Model: Sketch offers a one-time payment model, where users pay a fixed price to purchase a license for the application. This provides unlimited access to all future updates, without any recurring subscription fees. In contrast, Zeplin offers a subscription-based pricing model, with different pricing tiers based on team size and requirements. This makes Sketch a more cost-effective option for individual designers or small teams, while Zeplin's subscription model is better suited for larger teams and organizations.

In Summary, Sketch focuses on design and prototyping, while Zeplin provides collaboration and handoff features with cross-platform support, deep integrations, advanced code generation, design system management, and a subscription-based pricing model.