InVision
This isn't a pricing or feature review — it's a status update. InVision shut down its design and prototyping products entirely at the end of 2024, after reaching a near-$2 billion valuation and serving Airbnb, Netflix, Nike, and Uber. In 2026, it's simply not usable.
What happened to InVision?
InVision, founded in 2011, began as an easy-to-use prototyping tool and grew into a genuinely significant player in UX/UI design collaboration, reaching a valuation of nearly $2 billion at its height and counting Airbnb, Amazon, HBO, Netflix, Nike, Slack, Starbucks, and Uber among its customers over roughly 12 years of operation. That story ended in early 2024, when CEO Michael Shenkman announced InVision would discontinue its design collaboration services entirely by the end of that year — the core prototyping tool, the Design System Manager, and InVision Studio (its vector design product) were all wound down together. Freehand, InVision's whiteboard tool, was the one piece spared: Miro acquired it in late 2023, before the broader shutdown was even announced, and folded its features into Miro's own platform with major enhancements completed by summer 2024. Self-serve customers were told they could continue using the core product until the end of 2024, after which user accounts were expected to be deleted; enterprise customers received dedicated support from InVision's sales team to help manage the transition.
It's genuinely worth understanding why this happened, since it's a real, instructive story about product strategy: one detailed, first-hand account from a former enterprise customer puts the core cause plainly — "what really brought down the company is pricing... InVision charged 20x more than Figma for what was an inferior, endlessly buggy product." The genuinely decisive difference was Figma's pricing model specifically: Figma charged only for Creator (Designer) licenses, while Viewer, Reader, Commenter, Developer, Product Manager, and Executive roles could access and comment on designs for free via a simple, secure link — a real, structural advantage that made Figma's adoption effortless compared to InVision's more expensive, seat-heavy licensing. Combined with reliability problems across features like the Design System Manager, search, and prototype management that reportedly got worse rather than better in InVision's final years, the company simply couldn't compete once Figma's simpler, cheaper, and more reliable product caught on. Adobe had tried to acquire InVision's rival Figma for $20 billion in 2022 — a deal that collapsed under regulatory scrutiny in 2023 — but that collapse came too late to change InVision's trajectory; by then, Figma had already won the majority of the market.
The shutdown timeline, CEO announcement, and Freehand acquisition details are drawn directly from FastCompany's and Silicon Republic's contemporaneous January 2024 reporting. The blunt "20x more than Figma" pricing critique is drawn directly from a first-hand account by a former enterprise Head of UX (UX for AI). The current 2026 "not a viable option" status is drawn from an independent, dated comparison (Hedrick.io).
What InVision offered (historical)
Clickable prototypes
Turned static design files into interactive, testable click-through experiences.
Design System Manager
Managed shared components and design tokens across large design teams.
Stakeholder feedback tools
Let non-designers comment directly on prototypes for review cycles.
InVision Studio
A standalone vector design tool, discontinued alongside the core platform.
Freehand (now part of Miro)
Digital whiteboarding, the one product that survived the shutdown.
Sketch import
Historically integrated closely with Sketch files for prototyping workflows.
Pricing (no longer applicable)
If your organization still has an active InVision App contract, treat it as a legacy arrangement to migrate away from, not a current purchasing option — Figma, Sketch, and Penpot are the standard paths forward.
Available models
Integrations & platforms
Pros, cons & best for
Pros (historical)
- Genuinely pioneered clickable prototyping for the entire design industry
- Trusted for over a decade by major global brands before its decline
- Freehand, its whiteboard product, genuinely lives on inside Miro today
Cons
- Design and prototyping products are completely discontinued as of end of 2024
- Reportedly priced 20x higher than Figma while product quality actually declined
- No path forward exists for new users; even legacy customers face forced migration
Best for
- No one starting fresh — this is not a viable option in 2026
- Large enterprises with legacy contracts, purely as a bridge until migration completes
- Not the pick for any team evaluating design tools today — look at Figma or Sketch instead
Take a look inside (archival)
Alternatives (the real path forward)
For teams migrating away from InVision, these are the standard current choices:
Our verdict
InVision's story is genuinely worth understanding as a cautionary tale rather than evaluating as a current product option: a company that reached nearly $2 billion in valuation and was trusted by some of the world's biggest brands ultimately shut down its core design and prototyping services entirely at the end of 2024, undone in large part by a pricing model reportedly 20 times more expensive than Figma's, paired with a product that grew buggier rather than better in its final years. Freehand, the one InVision product genuinely worth remembering, survives today inside Miro following a 2023 acquisition — everything else is gone. If you're evaluating design tools in 2026, InVision simply isn't part of that conversation anymore; Figma, Sketch, and Penpot, all covered elsewhere in this directory, represent the real, current landscape. If your organization still runs on a legacy InVision contract, treat it purely as a bridge to migrate away from rather than a long-term foundation.
FAQ
Is InVision still available in 2026?
No — InVision shut down its design and prototyping products entirely at the end of 2024, and it's not a viable option for any team starting fresh or evaluating design tools today.
What happened to InVision Freehand?
It survived — Miro acquired Freehand in late 2023, before the broader InVision shutdown was even announced, and folded its features into Miro's own whiteboarding platform.
Why did InVision shut down?
A combination of factors, but pricing was reportedly decisive — one detailed first-hand account states InVision charged roughly 20 times more than Figma for a product that was actually buggier, while Figma's simpler, cheaper, per-Creator-only pricing model made adoption effortless for teams.
Can I still access my old InVision files?
User accounts were expected to be deleted shortly after the service discontinued at the end of 2024 — if you have not already exported your work as PNG, PDF, or prototyping documentation, it's likely no longer accessible.
Did Adobe ever acquire InVision?
No — Adobe instead tried to acquire InVision's rival Figma for $20 billion in 2022, a deal that collapsed under regulatory scrutiny in 2023, but that collapse came too late to change InVision's declining trajectory.
What should I use instead of InVision?
Figma is the default answer for most teams today, with Sketch and Penpot, both covered elsewhere in this directory, as strong alternatives depending on your platform and budget needs.