When comparing Origami vs Adobe XD, the Slant community recommends Origami for most people. In the question“What are the best tools for prototyping mobile interactions/animations?” Origami is ranked 3rd while Adobe XD is ranked 4th. The most important reason people chose Origami is:
Origami is offered to the public completely free, no monthly plans, no upfront cost whatsoever.
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Pros
Pro Completely free
Origami is offered to the public completely free, no monthly plans, no upfront cost whatsoever.
Pro Powerful animations and interactions
Origami was actually built to help Facebook designers work on Paper, one of Facebook's latest apps. Every animation that is coded into Origami was first made for Paper. It uses powerful 3D effects and some of the most advanced features for scrolling, tapping and swiping to create a faithful and interactive prototype.
Pro Native testing
Developers can develop their prototypes with origami through their desktops, but the testing itself is done on the native devices.
Pro No code required
Origami is built by designers for designers. As such, it allows for quick prototyping without writing a single line of code.
Pro Open source
Origami is free and open source and it is hosted on GitHub.
Pro Like only-Mac-integration! Great app! Thank you.
Pro Easy to use interface
It's easy to be productive immediately with XD but it also includes a demo so that you can learn about some of the more powerful features.
Pro Cross platform
It's available on both macOS and Windows.
Pro Repeat grid is a timesaver
Creating a list of items is simple with "repeat grid." Just create one and use repeat grid to duplicate that item vertically or horizontally. Then drag and drop text or images to create unique entries for each repeated item.
Pro UI Kits are available for iOS, Material Design, and more
Includes:
- iOS
- Google Material Design
- Windows UWP
- Wireframes
Pro Share online and gather feedback
Allows mockups to be pushed to the web where collaborators can try the mockup and leave feedback.
Pro Interactive mockups
XD allows you to wire any object to any destination page so that clicking a button asset will take you to a page that you specify.
Mockups can also simulate a scrolling page or window.
Cons
Con Steep learning curve
Origami is a toolkit for Quartz Composer, and unfortunately the learning curve for it is quite steep. Especially for beginners.
Con Mac only
Since Origami is not an app in and on itself, but a plugin for Quartz Composer, which is built by Apple. Therefore, Origami is only available for Mac and for a developer to download and use it, they need to register as an Apple Developer.
Con Mouse driven interactions
There's no way to directly test the tactile interface.
Con No tools for animation
It is possible to create transitions, but this feature is very limited.
Con Only good for mockups
XD is not a multi-purpose tool like Sketch. It is not a good tool for logos, icons, or other design assets.