B 
Balsamiq
Deliberately ugly wireframes, in a world where beautiful ones are free.
KINDA
why this verdict
Downgrade — pay for the workflow, not the AI
Excalidraw and Whimsical cover the headline feature free, so the $9/mo is now paying for the workflow around it.
- A named launch, not a vibe named, unlinked
- Low-fidelity wireframes are the easiest thing to generate. OpenAI, May 13, 2024 — no announcement link recorded yet.
- How much of the job it covers headline only editorial call
- The headline feature, but not the workflow, data or integrations around it.
- Is there a free way to do it? yes
- 2 of 2 listed replacements have a usable free tier: Excalidraw and Whimsical.
- What the call is worth $108/yr
- $9/mo at the entry paid tier — $108 a year per seat.
Reason composed from the fields above missing: announcement linked recorded: free replacement listed recorded: two or more escape hatches
- Threatened by
- OpenAI
- Since
- May 13, 2024
- List price
- $9/mo
- Per year
- $108
The backstory
Balsamiq's sketchy aesthetic was a feature: it kept stakeholders arguing about structure instead of colour. Generative tools now produce either a wireframe or a finished screen on request, and the finished screen is what stakeholders want to see. Balsamiq holds a loyal following among people who understand why low fidelity helps, which is a shrinking group.
Escape hatches
switching could free up $108/yr E 
Excalidraw Free, sketchy, collaborative.
excalidraw.com open_in_new W 
Whimsical Free tier for wireframes.
whimsical.com open_in_new2 of 2 replacements have a usable free tier.