Softwr

Developer Tools · head to head

Hookdeck vs Zeplin

Hookdeck logo

Hookdeck

Developer Tools

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

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Visit HookdeckFull review
Zeplin logo

Zeplin

Design

Design handoff and developer collaboration

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Visit ZeplinFull review

The short version

  • Zeplin is a collaboration tool for designers and developers.
  • Free plans on both; paid from $39/mo and $19/mo.
  • Only Hookdeck lists ingest and persist; only Zeplin lists design specs.
  • 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.
  • Where Zeplin falls short: the free plan is limited to 1 project and 100 screens and works only in a personal workspace.
  • Prices and features on this page were last checked on 13 November 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Hookdeck and Zeplin actually diverge.

Attributes where Hookdeck and Zeplin differ
AttributeHookdeckZeplin
Pricing modelPer month by delivered event countSubscription
PlatformsWeb, Linux, macOS, WindowsWeb, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android
CategoryDeveloper ToolsDesign

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes).

Not yet recorded: founded for Hookdeck.

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 Zeplin

  • Design specs
  • Asset export
  • Code snippets
  • Design tokens
  • Comments
  • Version control
  • Handoff workflow
  • Accessibility checks

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 Zeplin
  • Fanning one provider webhook out to several internal services without each subscribing separatelynot Zeplin
  • Debugging a partner integration by replaying the exact failing payload after shipping a fixnot Zeplin
  • Receiving production-shaped webhooks on a developer laptop without running a public tunnelnot Zeplin

Zeplin

  • Handing off design specs from Figma or Sketch to developersnot Hookdeck
  • Sharing screens, assets and style guides with an engineering teamnot Hookdeck
  • Reviewing and commenting on design versionsnot 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

Zeplin

  • The free plan is limited to 1 project and 100 screens and works only in a personal workspace
  • Free plan AI reviews are capped at 3 per week
  • Role based permissions require the Advanced plan or higher
  • Single sign on, multi factor authentication, activity logs and invoiced billing are Enterprise only
  • Priority 24 hour support is Enterprise only
  • Basic plan caps screens at 1,000 per project and is priced per project rather than per seat
  • Enterprise pricing is by quote with no published rate

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

Zeplin

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 1 project
    • 1 workspace
    • Basic specs
  • Starter$19/mo
    • Unlimited projects
    • Multiple workspaces
    • Advanced specs
  • Professional$49/mo
    • Everything in Starter
    • Team collaboration
    • Admin controls

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 Zeplin if

  • You need design specs.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android.
  • You also want asset export.
Zeplin review

Questions people ask

Is Hookdeck or Zeplin better?
Neither clearly leads. Hookdeck starts at Free and Zeplin at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Hookdeck or Zeplin?
Hookdeck starts at Free and Zeplin at Free.
Does Hookdeck or Zeplin run on more platforms?
Hookdeck runs on Web, Linux, macOS, Windows. Zeplin runs on Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android.
Can I use Hookdeck for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
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 Zeplin is typically brought in for.
What can Hookdeck do that Zeplin cannot?
Hookdeck covers Ingest and persist, Automatic retries, Filters and fan-out, Transformations. Zeplin covers Design specs, Asset export, Code snippets, Design tokens.

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.

Zeplin: How much does Zeplin Advanced cost?

Advanced costs $12 per seat per month when paid annually, with annual subscriptions offering 2 months off versus monthly rates.

Source
Hookdeck: How is usage counted?

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

Zeplin: What's the difference between Free and Basic plans?

Free covers 1 project with 100 screens and 30-day version history. Basic offers 1-12 projects with practically unlimited screens per project and 1-year version history.

Source
Hookdeck: Can I replay a failed webhook?

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

Zeplin: Can I add unlimited team members?

Yes, Free and Basic plans allow unlimited team members. Advanced/Enterprise assign roles with Reviewers being free and unlimited.

Source
Hookdeck: Does it work for outbound webhooks too?

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

Zeplin: What can Reviewers do?

Reviewers can view designs and documentation and approve requests, but lack access to developer specs.

Source
Share

Related pages

More on Hookdeck

More on Zeplin

Keep looking

Other head to heads