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Flinto for Mac (flinto.com)
almost 8 years ago from Juozas Zobernis, UI Designer
70 comments
Andrew McWatters, almost 8 years ago
Okay, I'm floored. And now confused, too. Principle or Flinto? Someone's bound to make a thread eventually.
Nathan Manousos, almost 8 years ago
Try them both, see what works for you!
Maciej Jurczak, almost 8 years ago
Principle have it's own limitation, like no changing time of auto transition. I'm going to try Flinto now and decide :)
spencer syfrig, almost 8 years ago Some differences I notice are that Flinto has a companion iOS app while Principle's app is coming soon as well as Flinto has Sketch import and Principle doesn't (yet).
Shawn Borsky, almost 8 years ago
Looks really cool but yet again with most prototyping tools : Android is left out in the cold. Its over 75% of the worldwide market!
Courtney ⭐️, almost 8 years ago
You can prototype for whichever platform you want. There's a handy built in previewer that allows you to interact with your prototypes on the Mac (aka you don't technically need the iOS counterpart).
That is not at all the same thing. It doesn't even have presets for Android phones like it does for iOS. I already have plenty of tools I can use to interact with prototypes on the Mac but that doesn't help me hand someone a prototype in a native environment.
So far, Pixate is the only tool I have seen that offers cursory cross-platform support. I really like Flinto but Android is a significant part of the market and I think any "mobile" prototyping tool should support both for serious usage.
Thibault Maekelbergh, almost 8 years ago
Framer has presets for Android I think. I've been using Atomic and it just works with artboards, so you could use that too if you know the resolution.
Jorn van Dijk, almost 8 years ago Yup, Framer offers a Nexus 5 template to work on locally, runs in Chrome and comes with a companion preview app (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.framerjs.android&hl=en).
Daniel Schutzsmith, almost 8 years ago
Same thing I've been thinking!
Weston Vierregger, almost 8 years ago (edited almost 8 years ago )
Unfortunately, you are too correct. Pixate is still the only tool that has even a semblance of Android support. Frustrating to say the least (although Pixate is a terrific tool itself).
I love seeing new tools like this come out, since prototyping interactions and motion/transition elements are incredibly key to my workflow.
Ix Techau, almost 8 years ago
Ask yourself why, and you'll get the answer.
Unfortunately, I think the answer is that much of the design community in North America believes they live in a world where everyone uses iPhones and Macbooks.
I think this tool and many like it are great advancements but its frustrating to me that if I think of the top 5 "mobile" prototyping tools: only 1 has minimal Android support. Android accounts for 50% of the market nationally and over 75% internationally, that is a large chunk of customers that are getting underserved.
I don't think they believe that, they're not stupid. I do, however, think they prefer designing for iOS. It's not as fragmented, and the quality of applications is generally higher. It's simply more fun to design for iOS.
I'm not saying the community is stupid. I think its more of a tunnel vision. We can get so caught up in making a beautiful, super high-quality iOS apps that we simple forget that there are a lot of people who can't afford Apple tech and don't use the app ecosystem like we do.
I agree that its more fun to design for iOS but doing this for living usually means that I can't make decisions based on how fun or easy it is to execute.
I think with all these apps coming out with only Sketch support and only iOS support is a symptom of the same tunnel vision.
"doing this for living usually means that I can't make decisions based on how fun or easy it is to execute"
That's the only way I would want to work or live. Why spend your life doing things you don't think is fun? You only have one shot at this, make it count.
Just because I make decisions based on the customers I design for doesn't mean that I don't have fun designing it. I enjoy making things that people can use and that often means that I need to put it on the platform they have which for a lot of people who deserve good experiences, not iOS.
Its more of a point for me because there are SO many tools that aim to improve iOS prototyping but almost none for Android.
Ben Bonney, over 7 years ago (edited over 7 years ago )
fragmentation dude… which startup can shows off with an android app ? As someone could come up with an average android device, with the app runnning slow, being laggy, giving a poor experience ?
you're at least pretty sure your prototype will be accurate when developing for iOS — e.g. you do your job, then let those android developers devaluate it. You take a risk telling people you animations will be that smooth on "android"
Lost my iPhone some weeks ago, bought an android to give it a try… not the best one, not a bad one. But globally, the UX feels so fragile.
It's like flash vs. the web before the mobile era. No agencies/designers would sell an html website, never, ever. You would be laught at by the 90% market share of IE8 users. But this 90% market share would still pay a lot for your glittering flash one
Bingo! I'm a big Apple nerd. I waited in line overnight to attend the original introduction of the iPhone. I waited in line overnight behind Steve Wozniak to get my first iPhone. We just really love iPhones, Macs, and iOS. We're building what's fun and useful for us. It's not meant as a disrespect to anyone else. We'll of course continue to consider what other platforms make sense for us. We're also a very small team so we need to be REALLY focused with what we build. You'd be amazed how much stuff we say no to during the design process.
Seriously, no disrespect. I was actually a Flinto web subscriber before and I really like what you have done so far. But for me to invest in paying for, learning and ultimately dedicating my team to use a product, it has to support 50% of our user-base among other things.
I figured, from a business perspective, that you would want to know why I am not going to be using your product. ( read: paying for) .
Much appreciated. And that kind of feedback will guide the decisions we make in the future :)
Jeff Couturier, almost 8 years ago
Seconding this (even after reading the rest of the replies below). Flinto is great, but I can't really use a tool that only applies to half (or less) of my user base.
Mariana Silva, almost 8 years ago
What confused me the most was this blog post, yet no Nexus presets on the actual tool?
That blog post refers to Flinto.com, our subscription web-based prototyping tool.
Pasquale D'Silva, almost 8 years ago
Wow, some pretty misguided comments here.
Stop assuming you need one magic tool to solve all your problems. We're going to constantly need new tools, to solve new problems. This is another great one for your toolbox.
Great job Nathan & co!
Jorn van Dijk, almost 8 years ago 100% agreed.
Kyle Case, almost 8 years ago
This. I understand some of the frustration, considering many just spent $99 on Principle last week. Both look like great apps. I hope they both are successful.
Thanks Pasquale!
Been beta testing Flinto for Mac for a few weeks now. It's incredibly power, but more importantly it's so accessible.
You basically just mush stuff around and it obeys you kindly. It's a huge breath of fresh air after learning more challenging tools.
Also, the Sketch plugin will make you poop your pants (in a good way).
Mariusz Ostrowski, almost 8 years ago
New week, new proto tool. Guys please add simple rect/circle tool for fast prototyping without importing assets.
Wil Nichols, almost 8 years ago
And text tool...
Lennart Schoors, almost 8 years ago (edited almost 8 years ago )
After using it at work today, I'm pretty much convinced this should be a part of Sketch. In general I would argue against requesting such features (scope creep!) but in this case it makes so much sense. The biggest reason is that the Sketch integration is done rather well (saw a couple of bugs with opacity, blending, layer bounds, ...) but it is only a one time import. I constantly want to go back and forth, but can't easily.
Imagine stripping everything that's already in Sketch from Flinto, and you're left with a rather thin interaction layer for links & transitions that could be implemented as a mode in Sketch.
Just thinking out loud here, but I've tried most prototyping tools so far and have yet to find one that manages to combine flexibility, speed and scale. Something like Flinto inside of Sketch could be it. Or maybe they're already on it. Exciting times!
Ben Lin, almost 8 years ago (edited almost 8 years ago )
It took me less than 5 mins to learn how to use it. Love the simplicity. Congrats on the launch Nathan!
I love hearing that :) thanks!
Kevin Chisaki, almost 8 years ago (edited almost 8 years ago )
This and Principle for Mac look so similar...
Jesse C., almost 8 years ago
Which both look so similar to Sketch.
Which both look similar to just native OS X UI elements.
Some Designer, almost 8 years ago
Which both used similar to windows, linux. They all have a mouse cursor.
Marc Edwards, almost 8 years ago (edited almost 8 years ago )
Both definitely developed independently. There is definitely some crossover, but they have some different approaches, too. Both have trials. Both cheap enough that you don’t really have to choose.
And, as others have pointed out, they both use a standard OS X toolbar (like many apps, including Safari, Xcode, Mail, Keynote, Pages and many third party apps), as well as many other standard OS X controls and normal OS X-y things. That’s not bad at all!
I’m very glad they both exist.
Eric H., almost 8 years ago
Damn, Nathan. Way to go! Looks exceptional. Will check it out.
Chris Aalid, almost 8 years ago Is this better than Framer? The same as Framer? Worse? Different? What's happening.
Quite a bit different. I encourage you to try it and judge for yourself! Check the tutorial videos for a closer look at how it works. https://www.flinto.com/mac/help
Pete Lada, almost 8 years ago
It seems to serve quite a different use case than Framer IMO. Framer is (for me) quickly creating and iterating on complex interactions. My brief time using Flinto for Mac has shown it to be more of a easy and quick way to construct quality workflow prototypes, with natural interactions (basically a step beyond what Flinto previously was).
In any case it seems like they could work powerfully together, though each serving a specific need. Nathan, correct me if I'm missing more of the power that FfM is offering.
Michael Aleo, almost 8 years ago
So... what have you shipped lately?
I just had to post this. Sorry.
Benny Chew, almost 8 years ago (edited almost 8 years ago ) I love this! Of all prototyping software Flinto for Mac is my favorite so far. I find it intuitive and powerful. Now the next step is the ability to animate a level lower (shadows, blur, etc). That could bring the prototypes to the next level imho. After this I'd also love to see some animation code export features to save time implementing animations in dev.
Robert Pohuba, almost 8 years ago
This application crashes like crazy, 3 time per hour :( Nevertheless it looks very good and promising, but I dont think it is worth the money , now....
We've published an update that fixes the most common crashes. We're fixing more and will continue to update.
Also, make sure you're using OS X 10.10.5, it's much more stable on there than older versions.
Josh Lee, almost 8 years ago
Does Flinto export the prototyping xcode like Principle does?
Flinto for Mac doesn't export code.
Nate Dunn, almost 8 years ago
I am still going to try it out, but is this likely in or out of the roadmap?
spencer syfrig, almost 8 years ago How do you export code from Principle? I can't find anything that references that.
It's the animation values I am talking about :) Sorry should have been more clear.
Maksim Petriv, almost 8 years ago
I tried both Flinto and Principle. Love Flinto for ability to export Sketch files in. Principle still wins for animation capabilities. Feels more natural to use.
Jake Kwaschnefski, almost 8 years ago
Loving all these new tools coming out. Trying out different workflows is exciting
Mike S., almost 8 years ago (edited almost 8 years ago ) Score one for Product Designers worldwide (wide wide wide).
I haven't tried Principle, but I have tried Pixate, Origami, etc., and I can say that Flinto rocks. It's so simple. It's super easy to use and has a great companion iOS app (where you can view changes live/save your prototypes). You can create custom transitions and use them (even in reverse) throughout. I've been iterating app prototypes live with my devices in hand. It's pretty great. This thing is fun, plus it's butter smooth when showing clients on device.
I see it like this: we'll code later — for now it's all bout making comps/ideas come to life in seconds with basically no effort at all. This speeds up the process to an absurd point.
Brooks Hassig, almost 8 years ago
Well done, Nathan!
Thanks Brooks! :)
Oh man, this is crazy to have this release right after Principle did. I don't know that there will be much room for 2 prototyping apps like this, one will end up killing the other and that makes me sad.
Jonathan Yap, almost 8 years ago
More like it's killing my wallet. I've blew my tools budget for this month before Principle even came out. In a way, I can wait till the dust settles before I really decide on which to dive in with.
Braden Hamm, almost 8 years ago
So if I buy the Mac app for $99, do I still pay $20 per month to use it?
If you buy it, you do not need a subscription.
However, current subscribers can use the app as part of their subscription without buying it.
Perfect! I was hoping you weren't trying to double dip. Much better value.
Tony Malone, 7 years ago
I'm really thinking about getting this application. A broad question is after a prototype is built and if it's successful. How can that prototype become an actual app. Thanks
Bady Qb, almost 8 years ago
Tried this yesterday and made this views transitions. http://cl.ly/cjWf Pretty solid. Some transitions are still lagging, especially when use reverse transitions. Thinking to buy it.
Cody Iddings, almost 8 years ago
Someone who hasn't used a native app prototyping tool, is this the same idea as pixate? Also, does it import Photoshop as well?
Cool sound. Who is it?
Also you look like changed a lot last time I've saw you Flinto. But you're still expensive.
Mattias Johansson, almost 8 years ago
Looks interesting, any major differences from Marvel?
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