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Design · head to head

Balsamiq Wireframes vs Krea

Balsamiq Wireframes logo

Balsamiq Wireframes

Design

Low-fidelity wireframing that keeps focus on structure and content

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
K

Krea

Design

Generate, enhance, and edit images, videos, or 3D meshes with AI

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Balsamiq Wireframes has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Balsamiq Wireframes starter plan is capped at 10 projects and costs $16 per editor per month ($192/year); Krea usage is metered in compute units that vary by operation; the free tier grants only 100 units per day, and the $9 per month Basic tier steps up to 5,000 units, as of August 2026.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 29 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Balsamiq Wireframes and Krea actually diverge.

Attributes where Balsamiq Wireframes and Krea differ
AttributeBalsamiq WireframesKrea
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelsubscriptionusage-based
Free tierYesNo

Identical on both: platforms (Web), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Design).

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Balsamiq Wireframes

  • Creating wireframes for idea communicationnot Krea
  • Prototyping interfaces faster than design toolsnot Krea
  • Collaborating on wireframes with unlimited reviewersnot Krea
  • Exporting designs to PDF and imagesnot Krea

Krea

No use cases recorded yet. See the Krea review.

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Balsamiq Wireframes

  • Starter plan is capped at 10 projects and costs $16 per editor per month ($192/year)
  • Teams plan raises the cap to only 100 projects at $24 per editor per month; even Enterprise tops out at 400 projects
  • AI credits are metered per editor per month (500 on Starter, 1,000 on Teams, 2,500 on Enterprise), so AI features have a hard usage ceiling beyond the base seat price

Krea

  • Usage is metered in compute units that vary by operation; the free tier grants only 100 units per day, and the $9 per month Basic tier steps up to 5,000 units, as of August 2026.

Pricing, plan by plan

Balsamiq Wireframes

Free
  • Starter$16/month
    • Up to 10 projects
    • Unlimited reviewers
    • 500 monthly AI credits per editor
  • Teams$24/month
    • Up to 100 projects
    • Unlimited reviewers
    • 1000 monthly AI credits per editor
  • Enterprise$35/month
    • Up to 400 projects
    • 2500 monthly AI credits per editor
    • SSO with SAML

Krea

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Krea review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Balsamiq Wireframes if

  • You want to start without paying.
Balsamiq Wireframes review

Choose Krea if

Nothing in the data separates Krea from Balsamiq Wireframes on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

Krea review

Questions people ask

Is Balsamiq Wireframes or Krea better?
Neither clearly leads. Balsamiq Wireframes starts at Free and Krea at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Balsamiq Wireframes or Krea?
Balsamiq Wireframes has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Balsamiq Wireframes and On request for Krea.
Does Balsamiq Wireframes or Krea run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Balsamiq Wireframes for free?
Yes. Balsamiq Wireframes has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Krea starts at On request.
What is Balsamiq Wireframes best used for?
Balsamiq Wireframes is most often used for creating wireframes for idea communication, prototyping interfaces faster than design tools, collaborating on wireframes with unlimited reviewers, exporting designs to pdf and images. Of those, creating wireframes for idea communication and prototyping interfaces faster than design tools are not what Krea is typically brought in for.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Balsamiq Wireframes: How much does Balsamiq Wireframes cost per editor?

Balsamiq charges $16/month (Starter), $24/month (Teams), or $35/month (Enterprise) per editor when billed annually. Monthly billing costs $192/year, $288/year, or $420/year respectively. Only editors who actively make changes are counted, not viewers or stakeholders.

Source
Balsamiq Wireframes: What AI credit limits does Balsamiq provide by plan?

Starter includes 500 monthly AI credits per editor, Teams includes 1000 monthly credits per editor, and Enterprise includes 2500 monthly credits per editor. Additional on-demand credits can be purchased at $15 per 500 credits across all tiers.

Source
Balsamiq Wireframes: What are the project limits across Balsamiq plans?

Starter allows up to 10 projects, Teams allows up to 100 projects, and Enterprise allows up to 400 projects per workspace. All tiers support unlimited boards within each project.

Source
Balsamiq Wireframes: Is there a free trial for Balsamiq Wireframes?

Balsamiq offers a 14-day free trial with no credit card required for new users to evaluate the platform before committing to a paid plan.

Source
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