Tool profile
Balsamiq: cost, fit and limits
Balsamiq is a low-fidelity wireframing and prototyping tool made by Balsamiq Studios, LLC and Balsamiq S.r.l. It lets teams sketch rough screens, link them into interactive prototypes, and use Balsamiq AI to draft starting screens from a prompt or an uploaded screenshot.
What to know first
Balsamiq keeps wireframes deliberately plain so review conversations stay on structure. Pricing is per editor and the ladder is short: Starter at $16, Teams at $24 and Enterprise at $35 per month, billed annually. Each tier adds projects and monthly AI credits, from 500 to 2,500 per editor. There is no free plan, only a 14-day trial with no card. A published MCP server lets Claude and Cursor read, edit and build on projects.
Balsamiq at a glance
| Maker | Balsamiq Studios, LLC and Balsamiq S.r.l., Italy (Balsamiq S.r.l.); Balsamiq Studios, LLC is listed at a Sacramento, CA, USA address |
|---|---|
| Free plan | Free trial only |
| Entry price | $16 per editor per month, billed annually (Starter) |
| API access | No |
| Category | Best AI Wireframing and Prototyping Tools in 2026, rank 2 of 13 |
| Website | balsamiq.com |
Who Balsamiq is best for
Business analysts
Rough wireframes with pinned comments keep stakeholders reviewing flow and content instead of colors, and unlimited reviewers on Starter keeps the audience free.
Teams working in Claude or Cursor
The Balsamiq MCP server lets those clients read and edit projects, so an AI assistant can build on an existing wireframe rather than start from nothing.
European and regulated buyers
Enterprise lets a customer choose US or EU storage for saved project files and lists SSO with SAML, which answers common procurement questions.
Balsamiq plans and pricing
| Plan | Price | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | $16 per month per editor ($192 per year) | Up to 10 projects, unlimited reviewers, 500 monthly AI credits per editor, the Balsamiq MCP server, Slack integration, custom reusable UI components and export to PDF or image. |
| Teams | $24 per month per editor ($288 per year) | Up to 100 projects, 1,000 monthly AI credits per editor, a billing admin role with permissions, and priority support. |
| Enterprise | $35 per month per editor ($420 per year) | Up to 400 projects, 2,500 monthly AI credits per editor, SSO with SAML, project file storage in the US or EU, and premium support. |
Checked November 2026.
What Balsamiq does
- Prompt or screenshot to screen
- Balsamiq AI generates starting screens from a written prompt or an uploaded screenshot, which gives an editor a draft to reshape instead of an empty board.
- Wireframes to prototypes
- Wireframes can be turned into interactive prototypes, shown on the homepage with a financial dashboard that links to a budgets screen. Prototype links follow the wireframe order, so reviewers click through screens in sequence.
- Pinned review comments
- Comments attach to specific wireframes, and Starter and above allow unlimited reviewers, so feedback stays tied to the screen it concerns. Reviewers can leave notes without paying for an editor seat, which keeps stakeholder feedback cheap.
- Reusable UI components
- Custom reusable components arrive on Starter and above, helping teams standardize buttons, forms and navigation across projects. Components can be reused across projects, so one change to a shared button or header can carry through every wireframe that uses it.
- Exports and embeds
- Every plan exports to PDF or image. Boards can be embedded in team tools and exported to Notion, Jira, Slack, Claude and Linear. PDF and image export are on every plan, including Starter.
How Balsamiq handles your data
Balsamiq's privacy policy states in section 2.3 that it does not use Customer Data to train AI models. Customer Data is kept during an active subscription and deleted within 60 days after a Space is closed, with backups held up to 90 days, and AI inputs and outputs in the Atlassian apps are kept for 60 days. Data is stored on AWS, and Enterprise customers can choose US or EU storage for saved project files. Section 11.1 names SOC 2 Type II, and the policy states EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework self-certification.
Where Balsamiq falls short in practice
- . Starter allows 10 projects, Teams 100 and Enterprise 400, so a growing design group hits a limit and a higher price tier before it hits a seat limit.
- . The 500, 1,000 and 2,500 credit allowances reset monthly for each editor, and a heavy generator cannot borrow unused credits from a colleague. The pages checked do not say whether unused credits carry over.
- . SSO with SAML and the choice of US or EU storage are listed for Enterprise only, which costs $35 per editor per month. Teams below that tier have no regional choice listed.
- . The only free route is a 14-day trial, so a hobbyist or student cannot stay on the product at no cost. Starter is the entry point after the trial ends, with no card needed during it.
Works with
Alternatives to Balsamiq
Balsamiq: common questions
Does Balsamiq train AI models on my wireframes?
The privacy policy says in section 2.3, 'We do not use Customer Data to train AI models.' Customer Data is kept during the subscription and deleted within 60 days after a Space closes. Backups can persist up to 90 days, so deletion is not instant.
How many AI credits does each Balsamiq plan include?
Starter gives each editor 500 credits per month, Teams 1,000 and Enterprise 2,500. The credits are per editor and monthly. The pricing page does not list a per-credit overage price in the text checked, so ask sales before planning heavy generation.
Can I store Balsamiq project files in the EU?
Yes on Enterprise. The pricing page lists project file storage in the US or EU for that plan, and the privacy policy says data is stored on AWS. The lower plans do not list a regional choice, so assume no choice there.
Is there a free Balsamiq plan?
No. The pricing page offers a 14-day free trial with no credit card required, then paid plans starting at $16 per editor per month billed annually. The Monthly and Annually toggle on the page showed no monthly-billing prices when it was checked.
Which AI tools can work with Balsamiq projects?
The Balsamiq MCP server, included from Starter, lets Claude and Cursor read, edit and build on projects. The homepage also lists exports to Notion, Jira, Slack, Claude and Linear. Check the MCP documentation for what each client can change. Credits are counted per editor each month, not pooled across the workspace.