Overview

Zeplin Flows adds journey mapping to Zeplin’s design collaboration and handoff workspace. It is best suited to product, QA, and support teams that need to explain how screens connect; the main trade-offs are that Flow Boards require a higher-tier plan and the web app cannot upload designs.

Alongside Flows, Zeplin offers a developer inspect view, design tokens, asset handoff, code snippets, and version history. It supports multiple design file types and connects with tools including Figma, Sketch, Jira, Storybook, VS Code, Azure DevOps, Slack, and Microsoft Teams, as well as its API and webhooks.

Key features

Map the logic between screens

Dynamic connectors, labels, and shapes snap into place and move as screens are added or removed. Teams can map actions, decisions, and branches, giving product managers, QA, and support a shared way to identify missing steps and add use cases. This makes Flows more useful for clarifying journey logic than a screen collection without explicit relationships.

Group and share journeys

Flow Groups and Boards let teams cluster screens and flows, then share them through quick links. Boards are included only in Advanced and Enterprise, so Free and Basic users can work with Flows but cannot use that board-based organization.

Bring reviewers into the process

Advanced and Enterprise include unlimited free Reviewers. They can view and comment on designs and documentation such as flows, but cannot access developer specs. That distinction suits broad review without granting every participant access to handoff details.

Choose the right access route

Zeplin provides Mac and Windows desktop apps and a web app that works on Windows, macOS, and Linux. The web app does not support uploading designs, so teams that need to add designs must use a desktop app. Zeplin says connections are encrypted over HTTPS and customer data is hosted on AWS. Its SOC 2 Type II attestation was renewed for the period ending December 2023, with the next annual audit being prepared.

Pricing

Free

Free costs 0.00 USD per free and includes 1 project, 100 screens, unlimited members, 3 AI screen reviews and 3 AI Organize runs per week. It has no Flow Boards. This is a practical starting point for a small journey or a team evaluating the workflow, but the project and screen caps make it a poor fit for growing libraries.

Basic

Basic has custom pricing that varies by project pack. Packs cover 1, 3, 6, 9, or 12 projects, with 1,000 screens per project and unlimited members per project; annual plans get 1 month free. It lifts Free’s screen ceiling substantially, but still excludes Flow Boards, which matters to teams organizing several journeys together.

Advanced

Advanced costs 12.00 USD per month (billed Paid annually), or $12 per seat per month. It includes 50 projects, unlimited screens, Flow Boards, and unlimited reviewers. This is the clearest fit for teams that need board organization and broad review, though per-seat pricing can add up as the working team expands.

Enterprise

Enterprise has custom pricing and includes unlimited projects and screens, Flow Boards, SSO, MFA, SCIM, and priority support with a 24-hour SLA. It is aimed at larger organizations managing complex projects, users, processes, and documentation. Free, Basic, and Advanced list chat and email support instead.

Platforms

Zeplin offers desktop apps for macOS and Windows, plus browser access on Windows, macOS, and Linux. Because uploads are unsupported in the web app, Linux users can access Zeplin in a browser but cannot upload designs there.

Who it's for

Flows suit teams that need product, QA, and support to share a legible account of actions, decisions, and branches alongside design handoff. Advanced is the natural choice when Flow Boards and unlimited reviewers are essential. Free can suit a single small project; Basic fits teams needing more screen capacity without boards; Enterprise is for organizations needing scale, identity controls, and a defined support SLA.

It is less suitable for Linux-based design upload workflows or teams that need Flow Boards but want to stay on Free or Basic.

Pros and cons

Pros: Connectors and shapes adjust when screens change, reducing the work of keeping journey logic aligned.
Pros: Actions, decisions, and branches help teams surface gaps and communicate use cases across product, QA, and support.
Pros: Advanced and Enterprise allow unlimited reviewers to comment without granting developer-spec access.
Cons: Flow Boards are limited to Advanced and Enterprise, excluding Free and Basic users from the fullest organization option.
Cons: The web app cannot upload designs, which limits browser-only workflows, especially on Linux.
Cons: Advanced is priced per seat, while Basic and Enterprise require custom pricing, making cost planning less direct for many teams.

Alternatives

Consider Marvel if a freemium option with Android, iOS, API, and web support better matches your platform needs; its Free plan is limited to 1 user and 1 project, while Pro costs 12.00 USD per month billed yearly for 1 user and unlimited projects.

FlowSnap is a freemium Android, iOS, and macOS option whose Free plan allows up to 3 projects and PNG export with a watermark.

Rheo is a mobile freemium alternative with an Indie Free plan limited to 1 seat and 1 app, among other caps.

Figr is a web, API, and extension-based freemium option with a Free plan of 10 monthly-refreshing credits, 3 canvases, and 1 Context Pod.

BenchCanvas is a web and extension option with a Pro plan marked Coming soon, including unlimited projects and screens and 20 AI analyses per month.

Wireflow is worth considering if open-source, self-hosted software is the priority; it is MIT licensed and free, with no sign-up required.

Overflow is a paid alternative for macOS, web, and Windows, with a Pro plan at 19.95 EUR per month per user and a free trial.

Sketchflow.ai is a freemium option for Android, iOS, and web.

Browse User Flow Software, Web Design Software, or Developer Handoff Software for more options by category.

Verdict

Choose Zeplin Flows if your team needs journey logic tied closely to design documentation and handoff, especially when product, QA, and support all need to review it. Its strongest case is the combination of adaptable diagrams and structured sharing; look elsewhere if you need browser uploads or Flow Boards without stepping up to Advanced or Enterprise.

	Cairn	Zeplin Flows
Free plan	Yes	Yes
Free trial	Yes	No
Paid from	Free	$12/mo
Open source	No	No
Platforms	macOS	Linux, macOS, Web, Windows
Free plan	Yes	Yes
Real-time collaboration	No	—
Interactive prototypes	No	—
Supported platforms	macOS	—
Version history	—	Yes

Cairn vs Zeplin Flows

Cairn

Zeplin Flows