Overall, Axure RP is a reliable prototyping and wireframing tool that has been around for a while. Due to its longevity, it has a large number of features and a large base of help documentation. Contrary, Axure RP does not always feel as thought out as some of its competitors, …
Axure stacks up pretty nicely against other tools, in terms of available functionality and support for users. It’s probably the best tool I have used to create the most realistic and complex prototypes for sales purposes. However, its interface is outdated compared to other …
Sketch and Axure serve different levels of fidelity for our designs. Axure is able to provide rapid, lower-fidelity prototypes that will demonstrate workflows to customers, whereas Sketch is great for higher-fidelity designs that are non-functional, but exact down to the pixel …
Axure RP has its place among the competitors. Every product has its pros and cons. Axure works well for larger and less visual design projects or deliverables. In some cases we might use Axure along with another tool, such as Sketch or Photoshop, to create different …
We initially based our decision on Axure's reputation as the industry standard for prototyping. It is the best as what it does for now, but this is a highly competitive field. There seems to be a new UX/UI tool coming out monthly. I think Axure will continue to be the best for …
Since Axure RP is a desktop software that can work without a cloud connection, it is easy to have approved within a highly restricted corporate environment for a low cost with a small team. iRise is a solution that requires greater amounts of management, best service a group of …
In terms of comparing Sketch with some of it's competitors, I would say that Sketch falls behind Figma due to the fact that it doesn't not have the power of inline collaboration that Figma has developed. It's also not quite as powerful as Axure in terms of providing a usable …
At the time of purchase, Sketch was the industry standard. It's affordable and we liked it wasn't tied to a subscription model. We're on Macs so it being an OSX exclusive wasn't a deterrent. Sketch has set the bar high, but there is a massive amount of competition in this …
Sketch is designed for a specific need, in my opinion, creating screen designs with tools you can reuse and share across a project. There are no extra features to get in your way or slow you down. Other products I've used are good at creating the same type of work products, but …
Still the best IMHO for dynamic prototyping. Sometimes you need to wireframe novel on-page widgets, such as draggable search areas (in the context of map-based search), or interactive annotations on diagrams. And sometimes real data values are necessary for test participants to give good feedback. However, this is something of a niche scenario. The majority of uxers prefer xd or Figma and find that static prototypes (screen1->click->screen2) is sufficient.
Here’s the proofread version: Sketch is a simple and lightweight tool for vector graphics, ideal for individuals. I would recommend it to anyone working alone on design tasks such as UI or website design. I have started and completed many projects in Sketch, ranging from simple websites to complex automotive UIs with extensive libraries.
Adaptive views enable us to create truly responsive designs, even when they are very complex.
The platform’s many available templates and ability to create a library of reusable designs enables us to prototype faster and more efficiently than creating every single design from the ground up.
The company provides a lot of support options, from training videos to online forums. This is a pretty complex tool, so knowing that we can always look up or ask a question and get a quick answer has helped us immensely.
Axure’s comprehensive suite of tools to portray interactivity in prototypes has truly helped us show stakeholders and clients what an end product will look like, which has really helped us gain necessary internal and external buy-in.
Sketch is great for drawing and creating shapes, like buttons or icons. It lets you adjust every curve and line perfectly, so you can make your designs look exactly how you want. (All design tools can do that, though).
Sketch is built just for Apple computers, so it runs smoothly and uses all the special Mac features. If you’re already using Apple tools, Sketch feels like a natural fit. (The downside of this is that non-Apple users can't use it.)
If you make something, like a button, and need it in many places, Sketch lets you save it as a "Symbol." You can use it repeatedly, and if you change the Symbol, it updates everywhere automatically. (Figma can do this too.)
The software can be buggy right after a release. It appears that they do very little QA testing right after releasing a new version
The software can crash a lot. And when it does, I continuously have issues with it reloading my plugins.
Only available for Mac. If you have a cross platform team, it may not be the best.
Lack of features in the software, so you will have to use plugins for those additional features (Designs system management, accessibility, repository and live collaboration without paying a premium)
Sketch is a core tool for us and the cost to keep it going with our teams is low. It provides a good alternative to other screen design tools for our team members who prefer to use it.
Axure feels like a tool that started with a simple interface that wasn't redesigned over time. Simple tasks sometimes require clicking through multiple layers. Crucial pieces of functionality are hidden under text links, or just flatly aren't discoverable. Much of the quirks of the interface only come from having screwed up numerous times, and knowing that certain things are just difficult to accomplish.
At the end of the day, it's just simple. This goes a long way in design and goes even further when your talking productivity, intuitive design and turnover rate. It's not difficult to figure something out even if it's not something your directly familiar with, i.e. if you want to export in certain file formats or change the size of the canvas, you don't have to delay your end product trying to figure it out. Similar situations took me less than 30 seconds to solve without a Google search. That's Usability.
I've never used the support for Axure but they do have an online community that can be helpful when you're unsure how to accomplish a specific bit of interactivity. Overall the community for Axure is a great benefit for the software. There are also a lot of shared library assets which can help reduce the time you spend on projects.
The support is relatively decent, and they are quick to respond. However, their releases are not great. Sketch could use more robust testing of their software before releases. Over the last four years, I have had many days lost while waiting for Sketch to patch issues with their releases. It's actually a running joke in our office. So, support, good. Releases in the first place? Not great.
I think that the online training videos cover all product features and are a great resource to point people to. The newsletter is also frequent and passes on a range of tips and techniques for users that are eager to learn more, or just want to keep themselves up to date
Since Axure RP is a desktop software that can work without a cloud connection, it is easy to have approved within a highly restricted corporate environment for a low cost with a small team. iRise is a solution that requires greater amounts of management, best service a group of designers in a corporate environment. InVision is cloud-based and, although not impossible, would require a long-term agreement to be made between the corporate and InVision. These could take years. Origami is free and desktop based and has great control of the transitions and data - but is so granular that additional time commitments may have to be made to make a prototype of this fidelity
Sketch's approachable UI allowed those using outdated technologies to transition efficiently. Among its peers, Sketch performs comparably with most prototyping tools. It falls behind compared to those that can better handle movement, like InVision Studio, which combines animation and prototyping into a single platform. However, these types of programs have a steep learning curve, whereas Sketch is approachable immediately.
Axure allows for us to quickly get the entire sales team trained on a specific narrative and gives them a fool proof click path for them to use in the demo.
Axure is relatively inexpensive and allows for purchasing the software without having to pay a monthly subscription (although they do have that option).
The Sketch integration has allowed for a 10 fold increase in productivity by taking designs already created in another program and quickly adding them to Axure.
Saved time -- Intuitive interface saves us lots of time/money because it is reliable and easy to use. Other programs have caused serious confusion, leading to project delays.
More captivating wireframes -- Stakeholders have been finding it easier to visualize potential “final products” with vector-based Sketch designs. Because of this, we’ve been able to have more targeted, focused discussions that lead to improved final products (with fewer immediate post-launch revisions!).
Increased productivity -- Because Sketch is so easy to use, our designers have had more time to do more work. Rather than finagling difficult tools in previously used products, our designers feel no hesitation with Sketch, and are producing more often and more creatively.
