Need advice about which tool to choose?Ask the StackShare community!
Frontify vs Zeplin: What are the differences?
Introduction
Frontify and Zeplin are both popular tools used in the design and development process. However, there are key differences between the two worth noting.
1. Integration Capabilities: Frontify offers integration with various design tools, project management systems, and workflows, allowing for seamless collaboration and communication between different teams. On the other hand, Zeplin's main focus is on the design to development handoff, providing features that cater specifically to this stage of the process.
2. Style Guide and Brand Management: Frontify's emphasis lies in creating a centralized style guide and brand management platform, enabling users to maintain consistency across all projects. Zeplin, while allowing for the creation of style guides, does not provide the same level of robust brand management features.
3. Feedback and Annotation Tools: Zeplin offers a wide range of feedback and annotation tools that are tailored towards providing precise and detailed comments for developers. In contrast, Frontify's feedback and annotation capabilities are more general and may not be as suited for technical implementation.
4. Design Version Control: Frontify offers a comprehensive version control system for designs, allowing users to track changes and revert to previous versions if needed. Zeplin, on the other hand, does not have a built-in version control feature and relies more on external design file management solutions.
5. Developer Handoff: Zeplin excels in providing developers with all the necessary assets, measurements, and specifications for seamless handoff from design to development. Frontify, while offering similar functionalities, may not have the same level of detailed information required for a smooth handover process.
6. Design Collaboration: Frontify places a strong emphasis on collaboration features, allowing designers and teams to work together in real-time on projects. Although Zeplin supports some collaboration capabilities, it is not as central to its core functionality as it is in Frontify.
In Summary, Frontify and Zeplin have distinct differences in terms of integration, style guide management, feedback tools, version control, developer handoff, and design collaboration.
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 Frontify
Pros of Zeplin
- Avoid the insanity of extract this info from Photoshop7
- Free7
- CSS2
- Works with lots of devices2
- HTML2
- SVG2
Sign up to add or upvote prosMake informed product decisions
Cons of Frontify
Cons of Zeplin
- SVG8
