There are numerous mobile app prototyping tools. But when you’re building a mobile app, you have to count several factors before settling on one tool. It’s because mobile app prototyping requires:

Mobile-first design elements and components
Native-responsive interactions
Multi-platform and mobile device previews
User flows and conditions for mobile devices

In this guide, we’ll look at the best mobile-first app prototyping tools for builders in 2026.

Best App Prototype Tools: a Guide

There are many prototypes tools that can help you design different types of prototypes. Before you pick a tool for your project, you need to define the prototype you’re aiming to build.

Overall, there are two types of prototypes: Low-fidelity prototypes and high-fidelity prototypes.

Low-fidelity prototypes are low-effort, simple frameworks that include the structure of an app.
High-fidelity prototypes are functional designs that allow you to test features and ideas in real-time.

In this list, we’ve included both types of prototyping tools for every stage of your app building.

1. Natively

Natively is an all-in-one tool that does more than simple prototype building. With most tools, you will need to redesign your app’s final version to add functionality. However, Natively’s no-code AI app builder allows you to create functional prototypes and iterate as you go.

The platform works by prompting. Whether you want to create an app’s first look or add a new feature, prompting is the way. You don’t need to code at all. Once your app is ready, you can also deploy and launch it via Natively.

Pricing:

Micro: $5 per month (for individuals who want to test app ideas)
Agent: Adjustable pricing based on $25 per 50 prompts per month
Consulting: $4,000 per month or custom pricing with advanced features

2. Figma

Figma is one of the best choices to create design-first prototypes. It’s an intuitive platform with advanced UI and UX design capabilities. So when you’re planning the look and feel of your app, Figma could be your go-to tool.

While you can’t build functional prototypes, you can create more than a simple wireframe. It’s possible to create user flows, animations, and other interactions. For a more realistic feel of the product, Figma also supports variables and conditional logic.

Pricing:

Figma offers four plans:

Free: For individuals who need basic prototyping tools
Professional: $20 per user per month (for small teams who need more advanced prototyping tools)
Organization: $55 per user per month (for unlimited teams and centralized assets)
Enterprise: $90 per user per month (for custom workspaces with advanced features and security)

3. Balsamiq

Unlike other prototyping tools that focus on advanced prototypes, Balsamiq helps you create low-fidelity prototypes. It’s best for creating rough sketches of your ideas before diving into the actual design process.

In addition, Balsamiq keeps your digital pen-and-paper designs collaborative. Teams can work together to sketch out basic user interfaces and app screens. It also has pre-built UI elements so that you can map out ideas fast.

Pricing:

Balsamiq offers project-based tiered pricing for both Business and Enterprise plans:

Up to 2 Projects: $12 (Business) and $18 (Enterprise) per month
Up to 5 Projects: $22 (Business) and $33 (Enterprise) per month
Up to 10 Projects: $34 (Business) and $51 (Enterprise) per month

You can find project-based pricing for up to 400 projects based on your chosen plan.

4. Justinmind

Justinmind lets you create advanced mobile app prototypes with core features, components, and functionality. The platform has an extensive library of gestures, effects, and templates. So, you can create prototypes in no time.

Advanced emulators, conditions, and sequences allow you to add real functionality to the prototype. If you don’t want something as advanced, Justinmind also supports wireframing with drag-and-drop, pre-built UI elements.

Pricing:

Justinmind offers four plans for editors:

Free: For individuals who need UI design and wireframing only
Standard: $19 per editor per month (for teams who need advanced interactive design tools)
Professional: $29 per editor per month (advanced features such as data simulation)

Enterprise: $59 per editor per month (collaboration on internal servers with full control)

5. Mockplus

If you don’t want to design a prototype from scratch, Mockplus could be your go-to tool. It has an extensive template library that you can use to build your prototype faster.

You can customize these templates with thousands of pre-built assets, icons, components, and widgets. In addition, advanced animations, interactions, and flowcharts can help you build functional prototypes. It really takes minimal efforts to build with Mockplus.

Pricing:

Mockplus offers three plans:

Free: For up to 10 users and three prototypes
Ultimate: $29.50 per user per month
Enterprise: Custom pricing for advanced features

6. ProtoPie

ProtoPie is an advanced prototyping tool to create the best high-fidelity prototypes, especially for mobile apps. It is an excellent choice for teams who want to test their prototype with real users.

The platform supports all kinds of advanced interactions to create realistic prototypes. These include dynamic interactions, logic and variables, conditionals, mobile gestures, sensors, and more.

Once your prototype is ready, you can get in-depth user feedback with a custom link. The only downside of ProtoPie is that you can’t scale your prototypes to a real app. Thus, you have to build it twice.

Pricing:

ProtoPie offers three plans:

Free: For up to two prototypes with two scenes each
Basic: $29 per month for individuals (with up to 20 prototypes)
Pro: $59 per editor per month (with unlimited prototypes and team libraries)
Enterprise: Custom pricing for advanced features

What Should You Look For in a Prototyping Tool?

The best prototyping tool depends on your goal with a prototype. You can clarify with a few questions:

Are you aiming to map out your ideas?
Do you want to do early testing to validate your idea?
Are you hoping to create detailed designs and user journeys before diving into real design process?

Once you’ve understood your goals, you can choose the prototyping that best suits them. As you go through the tools, consider these essential factors as well:

Dedicated platform previews: The tool should allow you to preview your app prototype on different mobile device systems so that debugging and user testing goes smoothly.
Interactive elements: You should be able to add interactive elements to understand how your product will look, feel, and be used on mobile. Functional prototypes are important for user testing and feedback.
Quick iteration: The tool should allow you to collaborate and make rapid changes based on your testing. If not, do you need to switch to a new platform and rebuild your app?
Minimal coding: Prototypes should be quick-to-build so that the real app can take its time. Choose no-code prototyping tools to integrate functionality with minimal effort.
User testing tools: Consider tools that make user testing and taking feedback on mobile devices easy for your team.
Timeline: Prototypes are meant to be built and tested fast. Choose tools that help you build, gather feedback, and iterate in a short span of time.

Bottom Line

Building a prototype may sound easy, but it’s not. After creating a prototype, rebuilding a real app can take extra effort and time. Thus, try to choose a prototyping tool that lets you scale your prototype into a real app.

Natively’s no-code AI app builder lets you build functional prototypes to help you gather feedback and iterate — all within one platform. With Natively, you can focus less on building and more on scaling.

It takes just a few weeks to ship an app with Natively. Start building yours today.