Not everyone needs a $50/month design tool. Sometimes you just want to see what your app idea looks like before committing time or money.
We tested 7 AI prototype generators that offer genuinely usable free tiers. No "free trial for 7 days" gimmicks — these tools let you create real prototypes without entering a credit card.
Disclosure: GenDesigns is our product. We've evaluated all tools using the same criteria, including honest limitations for each.
Quick Comparison Table
| Tool | Free Tier Limit | Best For | Mobile Focus | Code Export |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GenDesigns | 3 projects | Mobile app mockups | ★★★★★ | Yes (HTML/Tailwind) |
| V0 by Vercel | 200 credits/mo | React components | ★★☆☆☆ | Yes (React) |
| Uizard | 2 projects | Wireframing | ★★★★☆ | No |
| Visily | 3 projects | Team collaboration | ★★★★☆ | No |
| Magic Patterns | Limited gens | Quick patterns | ★★★☆☆ | Yes (React) |
| Canva | Generous | Presentations | ★★☆☆☆ | No |
| Google Stitch | Beta access | Figma integration | ★★★☆☆ | Yes (HTML) |
How We Tested
We ran the same prompt through each tool's free tier:
"Create a habit tracking app with a dashboard showing daily streaks, habit creation flow, and progress charts. Clean, modern design with a calming color palette."
Evaluation criteria:
- Output quality on free tier (30%)
- What you can actually do for free (25%)
- Ease of getting started (20%)
- Export options on free tier (15%)
- Mobile app focus (10%)
We also tested the realistic limits — what happens when you hit the free ceiling? Can you still do useful work?
Detailed Reviews
1. GenDesigns — Best Free Mobile App Prototyper
gendesigns.ai | Free: 3 projects
GenDesigns focuses exclusively on mobile app design. The free tier gives you 3 full projects — enough to prototype your main idea and a couple of alternatives.
What's actually free:
- 3 complete projects with multiple screens each
- Theme generation (consistent colors, fonts, spacing)
- HTML + Tailwind CSS export
- Text-to-app and conversational refinement
What you can't do for free:
- More than 3 projects (need Starter at $10/mo)
- Priority generation (free tier queues behind paid)
Our test results: The habit tracker came out looking polished — dashboard with streak rings, clean habit creation form, and progress charts. All screens shared a consistent visual theme without manual work.
Honest limitations: Mobile-only focus. If you need a web dashboard or marketing site, look elsewhere. The free tier's 3 projects force you to be intentional about what you prototype.
Best for: Founders and non-designers who need mobile app mockups for validation or investor pitches. If your idea is a mobile app, this is the strongest free option.
Try it yourself: Generate your first mobile app design for free — no design skills needed.
2. V0 by Vercel — Best Free React Component Generator
v0.dev | Free: 200 credits/month
V0 doesn't generate app mockups — it generates working React components. If you think in code, this is your tool.
What's actually free:
- 200 credits/month (roughly 20-30 generations)
- shadcn/ui + Tailwind CSS components
- Copy-paste-ready React code
- Image-to-code conversion
What you can't do for free:
- Heavy usage (credits run out fast with iteration)
- Private generations
- Team features
Our test results: V0 produced a beautiful dashboard component with streak cards and a progress chart. The code quality was excellent — clean React, proper TypeScript, accessible by default.
Honest limitations: V0 generates individual components, not complete app flows. You need React knowledge to assemble the pieces. And 200 credits sounds generous until you start iterating — each refinement costs credits.
Best for: Developers building React apps who want AI to handle the UI so they can focus on logic.
3. Uizard — Best Free Wireframing Tool
uizard.io | Free: 2 projects
Uizard has been in the AI design space longer than most. It's particularly good at the wireframing stage — getting ideas into visual form quickly.
What's actually free:
- 2 projects with multiple screens
- Prompt-to-wireframe generation
- Sketch-to-digital conversion
- AI attention heatmaps
What you can't do for free:
- More than 2 projects
- High-fidelity mockups (free leans wireframe)
- Team collaboration
Our test results: Clean wireframes that captured the habit tracker structure well. The AI attention heatmap feature — which predicts where users will look — is genuinely useful even on free tier.
Honest limitations: Free tier outputs lean toward wireframe fidelity, not polished mockups. If you need something that looks like a real app for a pitch deck, you'll hit the free tier's limits quickly.
Best for: Product teams who want to digitize whiteboard sessions and validate information architecture before committing to high-fidelity design.
4. Visily — Best Free Collaborative Design Tool
visily.ai | Free: 3 projects
Visily positions itself as a collaborative AI design tool. The free tier is surprisingly capable for team use.
What's actually free:
- 3 projects
- AI wireframe and mockup generation
- Screenshot-to-design conversion
- Real-time collaboration (limited)
- Figma export
What you can't do for free:
- Unlimited projects
- Full team features
- Priority generation
Our test results: Solid mobile mockups with good component variety. The screenshot-to-design feature worked well — we fed it a competitor's app screenshot and got an editable starting point.
Honest limitations: AI generation quality sits slightly behind GenDesigns and Google Stitch. The free tier's 3-project limit means you need to be selective. Figma export on free tier is basic.
Best for: Small teams who need to collaborate on designs without paying for individual seats.
5. Magic Patterns — Best for Quick UI Exploration
magicpatterns.com | Free: Limited generations
Magic Patterns generates UI patterns and components quickly. It's less about complete apps and more about exploring design directions.
What's actually free:
- Limited generations (enough to test the tool)
- Component pattern library
- React/Tailwind output
- Figma plugin
What you can't do for free:
- Heavy generation usage
- Full project creation
- Team features
Our test results: Good individual components — the dashboard card and habit form both looked professional. But generating a complete app flow required multiple separate generations that didn't share a consistent style.
Honest limitations: The free tier is more of a generous trial than a sustainable free plan. You'll get a feel for the tool, but ongoing use requires the $19/mo Pro plan.
Best for: Designers and developers who want quick UI pattern inspiration, not complete app prototypes.
6. Canva — Best Free Tool for Design Presentations
canva.com | Free: Generous
Canva isn't an app prototype generator — it's a general design tool. But its free tier is so generous and its templates so numerous that many people use it for app mockups.
What's actually free:
- Massive template library including app mockup templates
- AI image generation (limited)
- Device mockup frames
- Presentation export
- Generous storage
What you can't do for free:
- Access all templates (some are Pro-only)
- Full AI features (Magic Design limits)
- Brand kit management
Our test results: We found several mobile app mockup templates and customized one for our habit tracker. The result looked presentable in a pitch deck but wouldn't fool anyone into thinking it was a real app design.
Honest limitations: Canva is a presentation tool, not a design tool. The mockups look good from a distance but lack the detail and consistency of purpose-built prototyping tools. No code export, no real UI components.
Best for: Non-designers who need app mockup slides for presentations and don't need pixel-level fidelity.
7. Google Stitch — Best Free High-Fidelity Generator
labs.google.com/stitch | Free: Beta access
Google Stitch (formerly Galileo AI) generates some of the highest-quality AI designs available. It's free while in Google Labs beta, but that won't last forever.
What's actually free:
- All features (beta)
- High-fidelity UI generation
- Figma export as editable layers
- Multi-screen flow generation
- HTML + Tailwind code export
What you can't do for free:
- Use it without a Google account
- Guaranteed long-term access (beta may end)
- Remove watermarks
Our test results: Exceptional quality. The habit tracker looked polished and professional — comparable to what a human designer would produce. The Figma export as editable layers is genuinely game-changing.
Honest limitations: It's a beta. Google could change pricing, limit access, or shut it down. Building your workflow around a beta tool is risky. Also, mobile designs aren't its strength — it excels more at web UI.
Best for: Anyone who wants the highest quality AI design output while the beta lasts. Just have a backup plan.
Feature Comparison: What's Actually Free?
| Feature | GenDesigns | V0 | Uizard | Visily | Magic Patterns | Canva | Stitch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full app flows | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Code export | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | Yes |
| Mobile-first | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
| Collaboration | No | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | No |
| Figma export | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| No credit card | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Which Free Tool Should You Use?
You're a startup founder prototyping a mobile app: Use GenDesigns. The mobile-first focus and free 3-project limit is enough to validate your core idea. You'll get polished screens and code export.
You're a developer building a React app: Use V0 by Vercel. The 200 free credits give you enough to generate key components. The code quality is production-ready.
You want the highest quality output possible: Use Google Stitch while the beta lasts. The design quality is exceptional. Just don't build your entire workflow around it until pricing is announced.
You need to collaborate with a team: Use Visily. The free tier supports real-time collaboration, which other free tools don't.
You need mockups for a presentation: Use Canva. It's not a real prototyping tool, but the templates and export options make pitch deck mockups easy.
You want to explore UI patterns quickly: Use Magic Patterns for component-level exploration, or Uizard for wireframe-level exploration.
Can You Build a Real Product With Free Tools?
Honestly? Partially.
Free tiers are designed for validation, not production. Here's what a realistic free-tool workflow looks like:
- Concept validation: GenDesigns (3 free projects) to see if your idea looks viable
- Component building: V0 (200 free credits) to generate key React components
- Presentation: Canva (free) to put mockups in a pitch deck
That gets you from idea to investor-ready presentation without spending anything. But when you need to iterate beyond the free limits, expect to pay $10-20/month for the tool that fits your workflow best.
For a deeper comparison including paid tools, see our complete guide to AI app design tools.
FAQ
Are these tools really free or just free trials?
All 7 tools listed offer genuinely free tiers, not time-limited trials. You can use them indefinitely within the stated limits. Google Stitch is the exception — it's free as a beta, but pricing will eventually be announced.
Can I use free AI prototypes for commercial projects?
Yes. All tools listed grant commercial rights to designs generated on free tiers. Check individual terms of service, but this is standard practice.
Which free tool produces the best mobile app designs?
GenDesigns. It's the only tool on this list that specializes exclusively in mobile app design. The mobile-first focus means better iOS and Android patterns, better navigation structures, and better screen sizing.
What happens when I hit the free tier limit?
It depends on the tool. GenDesigns blocks new project creation but lets you keep accessing existing projects. V0 stops generating until credits refresh monthly. Uizard and Visily block new projects. None delete your existing work.
Should I pay for a tool instead of using free tiers?
If you're validating an idea, start free. If you're iterating regularly on designs (multiple projects per week), paid tiers are worth it. The time saved pays for itself quickly. See our cost comparison guide for the full breakdown.
Related reading:
- 15 Best AI App Design Tools in 2026 - Full comparison including paid tools
- AI Prototype Generator Guide - How to create mockups in minutes
- Rapid App Prototyping with AI - Speed-focused prototyping approach