Sketch is the industry standard for High-fidelity UI/UX design, It is also my favorite tool for the past 4 years, I love the plugins, and the integration with other tools (InVision, Zepplin, etc). But as a UX designer, I also use Adobe products (for design related tasks), and Axure RP (for low-fidelity wireframes, UX architecture, and mockups).

But when it comes to Adobe Products, just like many designers out there, I’ve decided to ditch their Eco-System because of their Creative Cloud subscription model. And I have to admit, it won’t be easy to ditch Photoshop, particularly because I worked with this amazing tool ever since I was 12 Years old (I think from version 5 ;) ). In the recent years I have tried Affinity design, and so many Free and Open-Source alternatives to Commercial design tools, and I was really impressed! I have also found out on the web that I’m not alone, many freelance designers, small businesses, and Startups tried open source alternatives, not only because they needed cheap or free alternatives, but because they needed Cross-Platform solution, doesn’t matter if they are freelance designers, small design studios, or even Lean Startups with designer-developer workflows. But can a professional designer rely on Free and Open-Source software?

Well, I have talked with some of my friends and colleagues, and I was surprised by their answers… Most of them are UX and UI designers, so just like me, they are Sketch addicted. They also told me that they wish there was Sketch alternative for Windows, and even though I have suggested them to try Adobe XD for Windows (which I kinda like), they refused to do so because they don’t want to go back to Adobe, and some of them are still on Windows 7 & 8.1 (Adobe XD works only on Windows 10)… And then we talked about some free and Open-Source alternatives, but while there are plenty of alternatives to Adobe Products, unfortunately there aren’t many alternatives to Sketch, which is only for Mac. But there are some open source UI design tools coming up, not to mention professional online tools that are already available, and some of them are even for free.

After so many years as a Mac user, I want to switch from Mac to Linux (that’s a story for different day). In fact, Linux is my secondary OS on my Mac, and on my PC as well. Hence there are so many Linux Distros for designers (Yes! Linux for Designers!), my favorites are Ubuntu Studio, Ubuntu Mate (with Cupertino UI), and if you are coming from Mac, you’ll definitely love Elementary OS! The point is, when it comes to Free and Open-Source Software, it’s truly Cross-platform and you can use it on any platform, (Mac, Windows, and Linux), so in case you’ve tried Inkscape on a Mac, you’ll be able to use it also on Windows and Linux without any learning curves, and just because it’s FOSS there are no subscription models!

So, are there decent (and free) alternatives for Adobe CC, Sketch, and Axure for the Cross-Platform Eco-systems (Mac, Windows, and Even Linux)?