Designers used to have to also be coders or programmers, but that isn't the case anymore. Over the past five years or so, it's become more common for developers to try and make it easier for people to bring their user interface (UI) or user experience (UX) ideas to life.
Framer is one of those newer tools, and it's slowly integrating cross-platform capabilities.
Help Test the New Framer Desktop App
Framer announced on Thursday that you can now download its desktop app (still in beta) for both Mac and Windows. All the features you know and love in Framer Web are also available on desktop:
- Access to all the design/prototyping tools
- Real-time collaboration
- Commenting
- Inviting collaborators
- Quick share links
The all new Framer desktop app for Windows and Mac is now available as a public beta. Experience Smart Components, real-time collaboration, and quick prototype sharing right from your desktop.
— Framer (@framer) March 4, 2021
Give it a try — https://t.co/9Xm43t0FdU pic.twitter.com/ejYYYSWzB6
Download: Framer Desktop (Free)
Framer Support admits that there are still a number of features that have yet to be integrated:
"We are working on an improved way to write and share code in Framer, which affects many (...) unsupported features. Over the next few weeks of this beta period we will continue to roll out new features to make this experience even better."
The team hopes to add image exporting soon, but the desktop app does not currently support offline editing, HTML exporting, NPM, nor Framer.fx files. You also cannot use the external code editor or publish packages.
If you want to use features that aren't supported by the beta just yet, Framer encourages you to use either Framer Web or the old Framer Desktop app (Mac only) instead.
What Is Framer?
Right on its website's front page, Framer calls itself an "all-in-one tool that helps teams design every part of the product experience." You can use it to create interactive prototypes—give yourself a visual on an idea you have for app or web design, for instance.
Since its launch in 2014, Framer has raised over 33 million dollars in revenue and built an online community of over 125,000 users.
Create Prototypes With Framer Desktop
Framer made quite the splash when it first arrived on the scene, but other apps have since tried to take control in the world of UI/UX design and prototyping.
The 2020 Design Tools Survey showed that while Framer was very highly rated by its users, it wasn't used by nearly as many designers as its competitors (e.g. Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD, etc.).
If you find some kinks in Framer's new beta, the developers would surely appreciate you reaching out to them on Twitter. Alternatively, you can join Framer's official Discord server.
