Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Zeplin VS Abstract

Compare Zeplin VS Abstract and see what are their differences

Zeplin logo Zeplin

Collaboration app for UI designers & frontend developers

Abstract logo Abstract

A secure, version-controlled hub for your design files
  • Zeplin Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-19
  • Abstract Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-04-11

Zeplin features and specs

  • Ease of Collaboration
    Zeplin facilitates seamless collaboration between designers and developers by providing a shared space where they can access design specifications, assets, and resources.
  • Design Consistency
    By offering detailed design specifications and exportable assets, Zeplin ensures consistency across different development platforms and helps maintain a unified design system.
  • Automated Asset Export
    Zeplin automatically generates assets in various formats and resolutions, which saves time and reduces the likelihood of errors during the handoff process.
  • Integration with Design Tools
    Zeplin integrates seamlessly with popular design tools like Sketch, Adobe XD, Figma, and Photoshop, making it easy for designers to upload and manage their projects.
  • Version Control
    The platform offers version control for design projects, enabling teams to track changes, revert to previous versions, and ensure they're always working with the most up-to-date designs.

Possible disadvantages of Zeplin

  • Pricing
    Zeplin's subscription model can be costly for smaller teams or individual freelancers, especially when compared to other design handoff tools available in the market.
  • Limited Prototyping Features
    Unlike some other design collaboration tools, Zeplin lacks advanced prototyping features, which might necessitate the use of additional tools for complete design validation.
  • Learning Curve
    New users may require some time to learn Zeplin’s interface and features, which could be a challenge for teams that need to quickly onboard and get up to speed.
  • Dependency on Design Tools
    Zeplin relies heavily on imported designs from other tools rather than allowing for direct design creation within its platform. This dependency could be a limitation for teams looking for an all-in-one solution.
  • Limited Free Tier
    The free version of Zeplin is quite limited in terms of the number of projects and collaborators, which might not be sufficient for larger teams or complex projects.

Abstract features and specs

  • Version Control
    Abstract allows designers to manage design files with version control, similar to how developers manage code. This makes it easy to track changes and revert to previous versions if needed.
  • Collaboration
    Abstract facilitates collaboration by enabling multiple team members to work on the same project simultaneously. Team members can leave comments, suggest changes, and review designs in real-time.
  • Integration
    Abstract integrates with popular design tools like Sketch and Adobe XD, allowing for a seamless workflow between design and version control.
  • Centralized Storage
    All design assets are stored in a centralized location, making it easy for team members to access files and reduce the risk of losing important design documents.
  • Branching and Merging
    Designers can create branches to work on new features or revisions without affecting the main project. Once changes are approved, they can be merged back into the main project.

Possible disadvantages of Abstract

  • Learning Curve
    New users may find Abstract’s feature set somewhat complex and may require time to get accustomed to the platform, especially if they are not familiar with version control concepts.
  • Cost
    Abstract is a subscription-based service, and the cost can be a deterrent for smaller teams or individual designers who may have a limited budget.
  • Performance Issues
    Some users have reported performance issues when dealing with larger projects, which can slow down the workflow and reduce productivity.
  • Limited Tool Support
    While Abstract supports popular tools like Sketch and Adobe XD, it may not support all design tools, thereby limiting its usefulness for designers using other software.
  • Dependency on Cloud
    Abstract relies on cloud storage for managing and sharing design files, which means that an internet connection is necessary to access and work on projects. This can be a limitation in environments with poor connectivity.

Zeplin videos

Zeplin Basics: Design Systems

More videos:

  • Demo - Zeplin Demo: What is Zeplin? (Video)

Abstract videos

Adventure Time Review: S9E10 - Abstract

More videos:

  • Review - Abstract Part 3 | Reviews, Collections, and Merging
  • Review - ABSTRACT REASONING TESTS Questions, Tips and Tricks!

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Zeplin and Abstract)
Design Tools
78 78%
22% 22
Prototyping
87 87%
13% 13
Design Collaboration
79 79%
21% 21
Mockups, Wireframing And Prototyping

User comments

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Reviews

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

Zeplin Reviews

Top 5 Zeplin Alternative
As aforementioned, Zeplin suffers some inherent drawbacks that may dent designers’ hopes for faster, easy, and reliable UI design. To avert such scenarios, you don’t have to get stuck with Zeplin as there are numerous other top-notch Zeplin alternatives. The following are some of the top 5 Zeplin alternatives.
Top 6 Figma Alternatives: Prototyping and UI/UX Tools
Zeplin is super affordable. It offers 2 plans: Team, which costs $8.00 per user per month, and Establishment, which costs $16.00 monthly. Zeplin also provides a feature-limited Free Plan and Enterprise Plan.
Source: fronty.com
9 Best InVision Alternatives to Switch to in 2024
Zeplin is a workspace collaboration tool to document what to build and how designs should behave in a central collaborative place for the entire dev team.
Source: designmodo.com
10 Best Adobe XD Alternatives (Free & Paid)
Zeplin is a smart Adobe XD alternative for code lovers. It is a code-based design app where you can source all your components from Storybook, Github, Bitbucket, SourceForge, and other repositories, so they are always code-ready. The app also integrates seamlessly with team collaboration and project management tools like Trello, Proofhub, Monday, Jira, and Slack, offering...
Top 10 Free Adobe XD Alternatives in 2021
One of the top alternatives to Adobe XD is Zeplin, a code-based design tool where your components can be sourced from GitHub, Storybook, and other repositories so they're always code-ready. You can view summaries of your components within your designs and easily see code snippets for how to initialize them. There are also extensive integrations with project management and...

Abstract Reviews

Top 10 Free Adobe XD Alternatives in 2021
Abstract focuses heavily on the collaborative aspects of the design process with features like always-updated links, on-the-go documentation, version control, artboard merging, and so on. It allows different designs to be compared and finalized, then merged into the master file, with a full virtual paper trail of who made what changes and when. The benefit is that it offers...

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Zeplin seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 21 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.

Zeplin mentions (21)

  • Storybook 8
    Additionally, thank you to all our community launch partners across the frontend ecosystem for helping us bring Storybook 8 to the world! Thanks to Chromatic, Figma, ViteConf, Omlet, DivRiots, story.to.design, StackBlitz, UXpin, Nx, Mock Service Worker, Anima, Zeplin, zeroheight, kickstartDS, and Kendo UI. - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago
  • Why is Figma better for developers?
    Designers would often use separate tools like Zeplin or Invision to handoff the designs to developers.🚮. - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago
  • A list of SaaS, PaaS and IaaS offerings that have free tiers of interest to devops and infradev
    Zeplin — Designer and developer collaboration platform. Show designs, assets, and style guides. Free for one project. - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago
  • What do you think about the new Figma developer mode?
    I'd suggest if you're going to use a tool to collaborate on finalized designs. One that doesn't rely on which design tool you use, why not use zeplin.io? There are free plans and paid plans, and it was purpose built for design delivery. Over 5 million users--over 3 million developers using it. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Working with engineers
    It seems to be you and your team could benefit from a tool like zeplin. Source: about 2 years ago
View more

Abstract mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Abstract yet. Tracking of Abstract recommendations started around Mar 2021.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Zeplin and Abstract, you can also consider the following products

Invision - Prototyping and collaboration for design teams

Mightytext - Send & Receive SMS Text Messages from your computer. Sync'd with your Android #

Figma - Team-based interface design, Figma lets you collaborate on designs in real time.

Pamela for Skype - A versatile and easy to use Skype audio and video recording software. Features

Adobe XD - Adobe XD is an all-in-one UX/UI solution for designing websites, mobile apps and more. 

ActiveWords - Auto correct on steroids