ProtoPie exists to answer a question Figma's prototyping can't: what does this interaction actually feel like when it reads from a sensor, responds to a variable, or sends data to another device? Most teams never need to ask that question. The ones that do, from automotive UI to smart hardware to complex mobile applications, reach for ProtoPie.
The tool operates on a different model than design-and-prototype tools like Figma or Framer. You bring your visuals from Figma (or Sketch, or XD) and build the interactive logic in ProtoPie. Triggers fire responses. Conditions branch. Variables persist. A touch can alter what happens three interactions later. This is closer to logic programming than visual design, which is both the source of its power and the reason the learning curve is real.
The sensor support is what sets it apart. ProtoPie can read the device gyroscope, accelerometer, microphone, and touch pressure, then route those inputs into prototype behavior. You can prototype a banking app that responds to how the phone is tilted, or a media player that pauses when the user speaks. ProtoPie Connect extends this further: two devices can communicate, so a phone prototype can control a smart TV prototype in the same room. This is the kind of fidelity that shows up in design validation sessions for physical products.
The criticism that surfaces consistently in the design community is about price and pace. The Pro plan runs around $79 per user per month. For individual designers, that's a hard sell unless the work clearly justifies it. Enterprise pricing is steeper still, and features like watch prototyping are locked behind enterprise tier. Meanwhile, the editor's interface has not changed much in recent years — the core interaction model is solid but some workflows require workarounds that a mature product shouldn't need.
Who it's for: senior interaction designers, design teams at companies building physical or IoT products, agencies doing usability testing at high fidelity. Who it's not for: teams whose prototyping needs stop at tap-to-navigate flows that Figma handles fine.
Free tier allows 2 prototypes. Pro is approximately $79/user/month or $67 billed annually. The price is real, but for the use case it covers, there isn't a direct alternative.
ProtoPie exists to answer a question Figma's prototyping can't: what does this interaction actually feel like when it reads from a sensor, responds to a variable, or sends data to another device? Most teams never need to ask that question. The ones that do, from automotive UI to smart hardware to complex mobile applications, reach for ProtoPie.
The tool operates on a different model than design-and-prototype tools like Figma or Framer. You bring your visuals from Figma (or Sketch, or XD) and build the interactive logic in ProtoPie. Triggers fire responses. Conditions branch. Variables persist. A touch can alter what happens three interactions later. This is closer to logic programming than visual design, which is both the source of its power and the reason the learning curve is real.
The sensor support is what sets it apart. ProtoPie can read the device gyroscope, accelerometer, microphone, and touch pressure, then route those inputs into prototype behavior. You can prototype a banking app that responds to how the phone is tilted, or a media player that pauses when the user speaks. ProtoPie Connect extends this further: two devices can communicate, so a phone prototype can control a smart TV prototype in the same room. This is the kind of fidelity that shows up in design validation sessions for physical products.
The criticism that surfaces consistently in the design community is about price and pace. The Pro plan runs around $79 per user per month. For individual designers, that's a hard sell unless the work clearly justifies it. Enterprise pricing is steeper still, and features like watch prototyping are locked behind enterprise tier. Meanwhile, the editor's interface has not changed much in recent years — the core interaction model is solid but some workflows require workarounds that a mature product shouldn't need.
Who it's for: senior interaction designers, design teams at companies building physical or IoT products, agencies doing usability testing at high fidelity. Who it's not for: teams whose prototyping needs stop at tap-to-navigate flows that Figma handles fine.
Free tier allows 2 prototypes. Pro is approximately $79/user/month or $67 billed annually. The price is real, but for the use case it covers, there isn't a direct alternative.