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Developer Tools · head to head

Hookdeck vs Proto.io

Hookdeck logo

Hookdeck

Developer Tools

Event gateway that receives, queues, retries and replays inbound webhooks

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Visit HookdeckFull review
Proto.io logo

Proto.io

Design

Hosted high-fidelity prototyping with device preview and no code

From
On request
Free plan
No
Visit Proto.ioFull review

The short version

  • Hookdeck starts at $39/mo; Proto.io prices on request.
  • Only Hookdeck lists ingest and persist; only Proto.io lists event and condition system.
  • Where Hookdeck falls short: pricing meters delivered events, so fan-out multiplies the bill: one inbound event routed to four services counts as four deliveries.
  • Prices and features on this page were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Hookdeck and Proto.io actually diverge.

Attributes where Hookdeck and Proto.io differ
AttributeHookdeckProto.io
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelPer month by delivered event countPer user per month
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Linux, macOS, WindowsWeb, iOS, Android
CategoryDeveloper ToolsDesign

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Hookdeck

  • Ingest and persist
  • Automatic retries
  • Filters and fan-out
  • Transformations
  • Local development CLI
  • Rate limiting

Only in Proto.io

  • Event and condition system
  • Timeline animation
  • Device preview
  • Component library
  • User testing integration
  • Design import

What people use each for

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

Hookdeck

  • A payments integration where losing a Stripe event during a deploy causes an order to go unfulfillednot Proto.io
  • Fanning one provider webhook out to several internal services without each subscribing separatelynot Proto.io
  • Debugging a partner integration by replaying the exact failing payload after shipping a fixnot Proto.io
  • Receiving production-shaped webhooks on a developer laptop without running a public tunnelnot Proto.io

Proto.io

  • Running usability tests where the prototype must respond to real input rather than replay a fixed click pathnot Hookdeck
  • Demonstrating a form-heavy or data-driven flow to stakeholders before any code existsnot Hookdeck
  • Testing a mobile interaction on the physical device it is designed for, with correct gesture behaviournot Hookdeck
  • Validating a concept for a client who needs to feel the product, not watch a video of itnot Hookdeck

Where each one falls short

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

Hookdeck

  • Pricing meters delivered events, so fan-out multiplies the bill: one inbound event routed to four services counts as four deliveries
  • Free-tier retention is three days, which is shorter than the time it typically takes to notice a failing integration, so the payloads needed for a replay are often already gone
  • It becomes a single point of failure in front of every third-party integration, and an outage there means every provider webhook queues or fails at once
  • The transformation layer runs JavaScript in a constrained environment, so anything that needs a database lookup or an external call has to happen downstream instead
  • For a team already running Kafka or SQS the value is mostly the console and the replay UI, which is a hard cost to justify against infrastructure they already operate

Proto.io

  • Prototypes live in the vendor cloud and offline export is a higher-tier feature, so the ability to archive completed client work is a plan-level decision rather than a given
  • Design is done elsewhere and interaction is rebuilt here, so every change to the visual design has to be reapplied by hand and the two artefacts drift apart
  • The event and condition model is layer based, so a genuinely complex flow becomes a large tree of triggers that nobody but its author can audit
  • Editor seats are priced individually and viewer access is limited on lower plans, so opening review to a wide stakeholder group pushes you up a tier for people who never edit anything
  • The market standardised on Figma, so hiring people who already know Proto.io is progressively harder and every new researcher is a training cost

Pricing, plan by plan

Hookdeck

Free
  • DeveloperFree
    • Up to ten thousand events per month
    • Three-day retention
    • One user
  • Team$39/mo
    • Ten thousand events included
    • Unlimited users
    • Pay as you go metering above the included events
  • Growth$499/mo
    • Ten thousand events included plus metered usage
    • Thirty-day retention
    • Uptime and latency SLAs
  • EnterpriseOn request
    • Negotiated event volume
    • Custom retention
    • Dedicated support

Proto.io

On request
  • FreelancerOn request
    • Single editor
    • Limited active projects
    • Standard sharing
  • StartupOn request
    • Multiple editors
    • More projects
    • Team library
  • AgencyOn request
    • Higher project and storage limits
    • Client sharing controls
  • CorporateOn request
    • Largest quotas
    • Offline export on higher tiers
    • Priority support

Which should you pick?

Choose Hookdeck if

  • You need ingest and persist.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Linux, macOS, Windows.
  • You also want automatic retries.
Hookdeck review

Choose Proto.io if

  • You need event and condition system.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want timeline animation.
Proto.io review

Questions people ask

Is Hookdeck or Proto.io better?
Neither clearly leads. Hookdeck starts at Free and Proto.io at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Hookdeck or Proto.io?
Hookdeck has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Hookdeck and On request for Proto.io.
Does Hookdeck or Proto.io run on more platforms?
Hookdeck runs on Web, Linux, macOS, Windows. Proto.io runs on Web, iOS, Android.
Can I use Hookdeck for free?
Yes. Hookdeck has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Proto.io starts at On request.
What is Hookdeck best used for?
Hookdeck is most often used for a payments integration where losing a stripe event during a deploy causes an order to go unfulfilled, fanning one provider webhook out to several internal services without each subscribing separately, debugging a partner integration by replaying the exact failing payload after shipping a fix, receiving production-shaped webhooks on a developer laptop without running a public tunnel. Of those, a payments integration where losing a stripe event during a deploy causes an order to go unfulfilled and fanning one provider webhook out to several internal services without each subscribing separately are not what Proto.io is typically brought in for.
What can Hookdeck do that Proto.io cannot?
Hookdeck covers Ingest and persist, Automatic retries, Filters and fan-out, Transformations. Proto.io covers Event and condition system, Timeline animation, Device preview, Component library.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Hookdeck: Is there a free plan?

Yes, ten thousand events a month with three-day retention and one user.

Proto.io: Can it replace Figma?

No. It has no design system or file-handoff role. It sits alongside Figma for the prototypes Figma cannot express.

Hookdeck: How is usage counted?

By delivered events, so a single inbound webhook fanned out to three destinations counts as three.

Proto.io: What happens to prototypes if we stop paying?

They stop being accessible unless you have exported them, and offline export is restricted to higher plans, so plan archiving before you cancel.

Hookdeck: Can I replay a failed webhook?

Yes, individually or in bulk from the console, with the original payload.

Proto.io: Is it worth learning now that InVision has gone?

If your work is usability research on conditional flows, yes. If you need click-through demos of static screens, Figma already does that at no extra cost.

Hookdeck: Does it work for outbound webhooks too?

Yes, the same queueing, retry and observability applies to webhooks you send.

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