What is the difference between InVision and Rive?

InVision is best for Teams needing design feedback workflows, while Rive is best for Designers building interactive animations for apps and web. InVision starts at $7.95/mo and Rive starts at Free.

Is InVision or Rive cheaper?

InVision starts at $7.95/mo with a free tier. Rive starts at Free with a free tier.

Is there a free alternative to Rive?

Both InVision and Rive offer free tiers.

InVision vs Rive

InVision is digital product design platform for prototyping, collaboration, and design system management, while Rive is interactive animation tool for creating state-based animations that run in real-time. The biggest difference up front: Rive is free, while InVision starts at $7.95/mo. InVision is built for teams needing design feedback workflows, whereas Rive targets designers building interactive animations for apps and web.

At a glance

	InVision	Rive
Best for	Teams needing design feedback workflows	Designers building interactive animations for apps and web
Starting price	$7.95/mo	Free
Free tier	✓	✓
Open source	—	—
Free tier available	✓	✓
Open source	—	—
Design Systems	✓	—
Freehand	✓	—
Inspect	✓	—
Interactive	—	✓
Prototyping	✓	—
Runtime	—	✓
State Machine	—	✓
Web/Mobile	—	✓

InVision

Strengths

Interactive prototyping with transitions so stakeholders can click through realistic mockups
Includes Design Systems as a core feature, purpose-built for design workflows
Free for 1 prototype — generous enough for most small teams to get real work done
Established product with 15+ years on the market and a mature ecosystem

Weaknesses

Free plan exists but key features are locked behind the paid upgrade
Fewer built-in features means you may need additional tools to cover gaps
Output quality depends on your design skills — templates only go so far
Mobile experience lags behind the desktop version in features and polish

Try InVision → Full review

Rive

Strengths

State machine visualization catches edge cases in complex UI flows
Includes Runtime as a core feature, purpose-built for design workflows
Free for 3 files — generous enough for most small teams to get real work done
Includes interactive alongside the core feature set — fewer separate tools needed

Weaknesses

Free plan exists but key features are locked behind the paid upgrade
Fewer built-in features means you may need additional tools to cover gaps
Output quality depends on your design skills — templates only go so far
Limited team/admin features if your organization eventually scales up

Try Rive → Full review

The bottom line

Pricing: Rive is completely free (Free for 3 files), which makes it the obvious pick if budget is the top concern. InVision starts at $7.95/mo, but Free for 1 prototype. That cost buys you a more polished or feature-rich experience, so it comes down to whether the extras justify the spend.

Feature gaps: InVision offers Design Systems, Freehand and Inspect that Rive lacks. Rive brings Interactive, Runtime and State Machine that InVision does not have.

Team fit: InVision is geared toward mid-size teams teams, while Rive is aimed at small teams teams. Pick the one that matches where your team is today and where it is headed — migrating tools later is always painful.

Where each tool shines: InVision's biggest strengths are: interactive prototyping with transitions so stakeholders can click through realistic mockups. includes design systems as a core feature, purpose-built for design workflows. Rive's biggest strengths are: state machine visualization catches edge cases in complex ui flows. includes runtime as a core feature, purpose-built for design workflows.

Watch out for: With InVision, users commonly note that free plan exists but key features are locked behind the paid upgrade. With Rive, the main complaint is that free plan exists but key features are locked behind the paid upgrade.

Choose InVision if...

Your profile matches its sweet spot: teams needing design feedback workflows
You specifically need Design Systems and Freehand
You care about includes design systems as a core feature, purpose-built for design workflows
Your team size fits the mid-size teams profile InVision is designed for
The free tier works for you: free for 1 prototype

Choose Rive if...

You need a tool built for designers building interactive animations for apps and web
Budget is a hard constraint — Rive is free, InVision is not
You specifically need Interactive and Runtime
You care about includes runtime as a core feature, purpose-built for design workflows
Your team size fits the small teams profile Rive is designed for