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Design · head to head

InVision vs Restate

InVision logo

InVision

Design

Digital product design platform

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Visit InVisionFull review
Restate logo

Restate

Developer Tools

Durable execution engine in Rust with a free tier and low-latency workflows

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Visit RestateFull review

The short version

  • InVision is a digital product design platform.
  • Free plans on both; paid from $25/mo and $300/mo.
  • Only InVision lists interactive prototypes; only Restate lists durable execution.
  • Where InVision falls short: service discontinued as of end of 2024; no longer available or supported.
  • Prices and features on this page were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which InVision and Restate actually diverge.

Attributes where InVision and Restate differ
AttributeInVisionRestate
PlatformsWeb, macOS, Windows, iOS, AndroidLinux, macOS, Web
CategoryDesignDeveloper Tools

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

Not yet recorded: pricing model for InVision, founded for Restate.

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 InVision

  • Interactive prototypes
  • Design collaboration
  • Freehand whiteboarding
  • Design system manager
  • Inspect mode
  • Comments & feedback
  • Version control
  • User testing

Only in Restate

  • Durable execution
  • Virtual objects
  • Single binary runtime
  • Multi-language SDKs
  • Workflows and sagas
  • Restate Cloud

What people use each for

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

InVision

  • Prototype creationnot Restate
  • Design feedbacknot Restate
  • Whiteboarding sessionsnot Restate
  • Design handoffnot Restate
  • User testingnot Restate

Restate

  • Payment or order flows where a crash between two external API calls must not double-charge or lose the ordernot InVision
  • AI agent loops that call tools over minutes or hours and must survive a deployment mid-runnot InVision
  • Replacing hand-rolled retry, idempotency key and outbox code across a set of microservicesnot InVision
  • A small team that wants durable workflows without operating a Temporal cluster and its databasenot InVision

Where each one falls short

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

InVision

  • Service discontinued as of end of 2024; no longer available or supported
  • Workflow required constant switching between design software (Sketch/Photoshop) and InVision for prototyping, creating inefficiency
  • Performance issues and glitches reported, especially with larger projects
  • Limited development capabilities; required additional hosting and developer support for deployment
  • Could not export working web or mobile applications without additional development

Restate

  • The runtime is under a Business Source Licence rather than an open source licence, so building a competing managed offering on it is prohibited and some procurement functions will reject it on licence grounds alone
  • Restate Cloud jumps from a free fifty thousand actions straight to 300 US dollars a month for twenty million, so a workload sitting at a few hundred thousand actions pays enterprise-shaped money for hobby-shaped volume
  • It is a young project against Temporal’s established base, so hiring engineers who already know it is unrealistic and the answer to most questions is in the docs rather than on Stack Overflow
  • The programming model requires structuring code around durable handlers and virtual objects, which is a genuine rewrite for existing services rather than a library you add
  • The single-binary simplicity that makes small deployments cheap also means fewer operational knobs at very large scale than a system designed as separable components

Pricing, plan by plan

InVision

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the InVision review.

Restate

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Fifty thousand durable actions per month
    • No credit card required
    • Community support
  • Starter$300/mo
    • Twenty million actions per month
    • Two hundred actions per second, bursting to one thousand
    • Twenty GB storage
  • Pro$1,000/mo
    • Fifty million actions per month
    • Five hundred actions per second, bursting to two thousand
    • Fifty GB storage
  • EnterpriseOn request
    • Negotiated volume
    • Twenty-four seven P0 support
    • 99.99 per cent SLA

Which should you pick?

Choose InVision if

  • You need interactive prototypes.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android.
  • You also want design collaboration.
InVision review

Choose Restate if

  • You need durable execution.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, macOS, Web.
  • You also want virtual objects.
Restate review

Questions people ask

Is InVision or Restate better?
Neither clearly leads. InVision starts at Free and Restate at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, InVision or Restate?
InVision starts at Free and Restate at Free.
Does InVision or Restate run on more platforms?
InVision runs on Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android. Restate runs on Linux, macOS, Web.
Can I use InVision for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is InVision best used for?
InVision is most often used for prototype creation, design feedback, whiteboarding sessions, design handoff. Of those, prototype creation and design feedback are not what Restate is typically brought in for.
What can InVision do that Restate cannot?
InVision covers Interactive prototypes, Design collaboration, Freehand whiteboarding, Design system manager. Restate covers Durable execution, Virtual objects, Single binary runtime, Multi-language SDKs.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

InVision: Is InVision still active and supported in 2026?

No. InVision announced discontinuation of all services by end of 2024. The platform is no longer available or supported.

Source
Restate: Is Restate open source?

The SDKs are MIT. The runtime is under a Business Source Licence, which permits self-hosting but not offering it as a competing service.

InVision: What were InVision's core features?

InVision allowed designers to transform designs into interactive prototypes and mockups for web and mobile. It supported Craft Player for Sketch, Craft Sync for Photoshop, and preview mode in Studio, enabling design-to-prototype workflows.

Source
Restate: How does it compare with Temporal?

Same problem, different shape: one Rust binary with embedded storage instead of a server plus database plus workers, and lower per-step latency.

InVision: What were InVision's pricing plans?

InVision offered Free ($0), Starter ($25/month), Professional ($99/month), and Team plans. Annual billing provided a 10% discount. Free plan included basic prototyping; paid plans added collaboration and file access.

Source
Restate: Is there a free tier?

Yes, fifty thousand durable actions a month on Restate Cloud with no card required.

InVision: Why did InVision fail in the market?

InVision's market position was disrupted by Figma, which unified design, prototyping, and collaboration in a single web-based platform. InVision required switching between design software and prototyping, creating friction and reducing competitiveness.

Source
Restate: Which languages are supported?

TypeScript, Java, Kotlin, Go, Python and Rust.

InVision: What integrations did InVision support?

InVision integrated with design tools like Sketch and Photoshop, and supported sharing and collaboration workflows. The platform did not support deployment or direct development integration.

Source
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