Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Balsamiq VS Contexts

Compare Balsamiq VS Contexts and see what are their differences

Balsamiq logo Balsamiq

Balsamiq. Rapid, effective and fun wireframing software.

Contexts logo Contexts

Switch between application windows effortlessly — with Fast Search, a better Command-Tab, a Sidebar or even a quick gesture. Free trial available.
  • Balsamiq Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-10-02
  • Contexts Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-10-21

Balsamiq videos

UX Review: Balsamiq.com - Watch a Usability Expert Review Our Site!

More videos:

  • Tutorial - Balsamiq Mockups: Beginner Tutorial
  • Review - Balsamiq Wireframes for Desktop Overview (Windows)

Contexts videos

The Art of Discovering Bounded Contexts by Nick Tune

More videos:

  • Review - A Fresh Take on Contexts
  • Review - Contexts and Methods: Literature Review - Intro and Assessment Criteria

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Balsamiq and Contexts)
Prototyping
100 100%
0% 0
Mac
0 0%
100% 100
Design Tools
100 100%
0% 0
Window Manager
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Balsamiq and Contexts

Balsamiq Reviews

Figma Alternatives: 12 Prototyping and Design Tools in 2024
Balsamiq is a design tool that has been available since 2008. It’s easy to use and even boasts active customer service if you need help. The software is beginner-friendly, so there is no learning curve if you’re a newbie.

Contexts Reviews

We have no reviews of Contexts yet.
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Contexts should be more popular than Balsamiq. It has been mentiond 61 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Balsamiq mentions (30)

  • Tell HN: My Favorite Tools
    A few apps that are a joy to use: https://ia.net/writer for writing. https://usecontrast.com/ for checking contrast. https://sipapp.io/ for picking colors. https://nova.app/ for editing code. https://cleanshot.com/ for screenshots. https://getpixelsnap.com/ for measuring elements on screen. https://netnewswire.com/ for reading things via RSS. https://panic.com/transmit/ for file transfers. https://usefathom.com/... - Source: Hacker News / 6 months ago
  • Ask HN: Best UI design courses for hackers?
    I think the best practical approach for designing UIs is to download (and buy) Balsamic[0] and use that to design UIs. Cut through the nonsense of colours and pixels in the first instance and just lay things out logically and simply. [0] https://balsamiq.com. - Source: Hacker News / 7 months ago
  • Build Products that don’t SUCK
    Create a low-fidelity mockup or wireframe of your MVP using tools like Balsamiq, Sketch, or Figma. Or use an easier-to-use tool like Uizard, which also has text-to-design capabilities. Source: 11 months ago
  • Starting Design Work in a Spreadsheet
    Just for drawing mock app screens, I have found Balsamiq[0] to be pretty good (you can do a bunch of stuff with the trial version itself). Not affiliated with them in any way. [0]: https://balsamiq.com/. - Source: Hacker News / 12 months ago
  • Is there software for building out copywriting for a website?
    Balsamiq has been pretty good for me so far. It's super bare-bones so it's better for copy mockups than actual UX design. It's also a lot easier than Figma. Note that you don't have to use the default comic sans, but I do because it's funny. Source: over 1 year ago
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Contexts mentions (61)

  • Loop: Open-Source macOS Window Manager
    There's at least Witch and Contexts. https://manytricks.com/witch/ https://contexts.co/. - Source: Hacker News / 16 days ago
  • New MacBook Setup
    A fellow HN member recommended this https://contexts.co/. It is amazing feature-wise, but it has some annoying bugs and it seems abandonware. - Source: Hacker News / about 1 month ago
  • Show HN: I3wm Alt+Tab Workspace Switcher
    I like using Contexts on the Mac as replacement: https://contexts.co. - Source: Hacker News / 4 months ago
  • My MacBook setup (the 2024 version)
    I use the Contexts [1] app, couldn't live without it (not affiliated...) It shows me all open Windows and in which Desktop, in its Sidebar (I've disabled the macOS dock.) Also the Cmd-Tab functionalities are nice, and I can use "Fn + [a single key] " shortcut to focus an app. Would recommend. [1] https://contexts.co/. - Source: Hacker News / 5 months ago
  • Arc 1.0 – a freeware web browser developed by The Browser Company
    Thanks for your feedback, I'll have to give TST in the Firefox sidebar another try... > "I make use of ctrl-uparrow to switch between browser and VSCode" I use the Contexts app (Fast Search) for that - https://contexts.co/. - Source: Hacker News / 11 months ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Balsamiq and Contexts, you can also consider the following products

Invision - Prototyping and collaboration for design teams

Witch - Welcome to the world of W. i. t. c. h.

Moqups - The most stunning HTML5 app for creating resolution-independent SVG mockups, wireframes & interactive prototypes for your next project

Compiz - Project information. Maintainer: PS Project Management Team. Driver: Compiz Maintainers. Licence: GNU GPL v2, GNU LGPL v2. 1, MIT / X / Expat Licence.

Zeplin - Collaboration app for UI designers & frontend developers

rcmd - rcmd makes app switching instantaneous!When you have a lot of apps open, finding and switching to them might feel too slow using Command-Tab or the Dock.Hold down the right side |⌘ command| and press the first letter of the app name to focus it.