Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

SmartDocuments VS Zeplin

Compare SmartDocuments VS Zeplin and see what are their differences

Note: These products don't have any matching categories. If you think this is a mistake, please edit the details of one of the products and suggest appropriate categories.

SmartDocuments logo SmartDocuments

Document creation & automation solution

Zeplin logo Zeplin

Collaboration app for UI designers & frontend developers
  • SmartDocuments Homepage
    Homepage //
    2024-07-31
  • SmartDocuments Questionnaire screen document generation
    Questionnaire screen document generation //
    2024-07-31
  • SmartDocuments Smart Template Builder
    Smart Template Builder //
    2024-07-31

SmartControl gives you access to the created templates in one single management environment. In this environment, rights are granted to authorized employees and regulating who has access to which document is easy. With SmartControl, you create various integrations and stay in control of the creation and quality of all your outgoing documents.

In the SmartEditor, your template managers create the document templates. This environment also determines which data can be entered via the Q&A screen later. Think of an address, the (current) date, a salutation, or even whole paragraphs. You create the questions in the editor and drag and drop them into the document template, meaning no technical knowledge is required. The SmartEditor also applies your corporate identity, which can only be changed by assigned administrators.

  • Zeplin Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-19

SmartDocuments features and specs

  • High Volume
    Massive batch document creation in short time
  • Building blocks
    With a building block, you can easily reuse recurring information in other templates
  • Alternatives
    Option to place different pieces of text in different places in the document based on one choice.
  • Version management
    Remembers all template versions, including comments about the changes. Previous versions can easily be reinstated
  • Active Directory
    Synchronize accounts from your AD with SmartDocuments. Simplifying user administration by doing it from one location.
  • Rights
    Easily assign user rights to both users and administrators.
  • Languages
    The SmartWizard is available in the following languages: NL, DE, SE, EN, ES, FR, HU, and CZ.
  • Preview
    A real-time example of the document during drafting.
  • Email plugin
    Quickly send emails based on templates.
  • Co-authoring
    Does a document need to be checked or signed by colleagues? The co-authoring functionality can facilitate this.
  • Concept storage
    Did something come up during the creation of a document? Temporarily store it to continue later safely.
  • Accessible WCAG compliant documents
    Perceivable | Operable | Understandable | Robust
  • Redact
    Redact personal data in documents

Zeplin features and specs

  • Ease of Collaboration
    Zeplin facilitates seamless collaboration between designers and developers by providing a shared space where they can access design specifications, assets, and resources.
  • Design Consistency
    By offering detailed design specifications and exportable assets, Zeplin ensures consistency across different development platforms and helps maintain a unified design system.
  • Automated Asset Export
    Zeplin automatically generates assets in various formats and resolutions, which saves time and reduces the likelihood of errors during the handoff process.
  • Integration with Design Tools
    Zeplin integrates seamlessly with popular design tools like Sketch, Adobe XD, Figma, and Photoshop, making it easy for designers to upload and manage their projects.
  • Version Control
    The platform offers version control for design projects, enabling teams to track changes, revert to previous versions, and ensure they're always working with the most up-to-date designs.

Possible disadvantages of Zeplin

  • Pricing
    Zeplin's subscription model can be costly for smaller teams or individual freelancers, especially when compared to other design handoff tools available in the market.
  • Limited Prototyping Features
    Unlike some other design collaboration tools, Zeplin lacks advanced prototyping features, which might necessitate the use of additional tools for complete design validation.
  • Learning Curve
    New users may require some time to learn Zeplinโ€™s interface and features, which could be a challenge for teams that need to quickly onboard and get up to speed.
  • Dependency on Design Tools
    Zeplin relies heavily on imported designs from other tools rather than allowing for direct design creation within its platform. This dependency could be a limitation for teams looking for an all-in-one solution.
  • Limited Free Tier
    The free version of Zeplin is quite limited in terms of the number of projects and collaborators, which might not be sufficient for larger teams or complex projects.

Analysis of Zeplin

Overall verdict

  • Zeplin is generally considered a good tool, especially for teams seeking better collaboration between designers and developers. Its features are highly appreciated for accuracy and efficiency in implementing design visions. However, its usefulness might depend on specific team needs and workflows.

Why this product is good

  • Zeplin is a popular tool among designers and developers for its ability to bridge the gap between design and development processes. It excels in organizing design files, annotations, and specifications, making it easier for development teams to implement designs accurately. It integrates seamlessly with design tools like Figma, Sketch, and Adobe XD, and provides features like automated design specs, style guides, and assets that streamline the workflow. Its collaborative features allow for efficient communication and feedback loops between team members.

Recommended for

    Zeplin is best suited for designers and developers working in teams where clear design specifications and organized collaboration are critical. It's particularly beneficial for teams using Figma, Sketch, or Adobe XD who want to ensure precise design implementation and reduce misunderstandings between design and development departments.

SmartDocuments videos

SmartDocuments | Document Automation Software Solution

More videos:

  • Review - SmartDocuments introduction

Zeplin videos

Zeplin Basics: Design Systems

More videos:

  • Demo - Zeplin Demo: What is Zeplin? (Video)

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to SmartDocuments and Zeplin)
Document Automation
100 100%
0% 0
Design Tools
0 0%
100% 100
Document Management
100 100%
0% 0
Prototyping
0 0%
100% 100

Questions & Answers

As answered by people managing SmartDocuments and Zeplin.

What makes your product unique?

SmartDocuments's answer

30+ years helping large organizations have brought us a wealth of knowledge and expertise we bring towards every project we do. Our software has been updated with this knowledge, being able to handle complex document templates but also high volumes in short time. Stability of software is one core pillars as hundreds of thousand people rely on our software on a daily basis.

Why should a person choose your product over its competitors?

SmartDocuments's answer

We bring Experience how to efficiently create documents from large organsations from over the globe with high security standards and high demands. We have sharpened our tool and reimagined how to build documents more efficiently.

What's the story behind your product?

SmartDocuments's answer

โ€œWhy make things more difficult than they need to be?โ€ It was with this attitude that Marco Drost started SmartDocuments in 1994. Convinced that document automation results in greater efficiency, he worked hard to build smart software solutions. Our goal is to provide organizations with simple and flexible software that enables them to create documents and manage templates with minimal effort, using trusted programs, working smarter, faster, and completely compliant with their corporate identity.

Who are some of the biggest customers of your product?

SmartDocuments's answer

  • Wolters Kluwer
  • Philips

How would you describe the primary audience of your product?

SmartDocuments's answer

Working for large organizations that are document heavy users

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare SmartDocuments and Zeplin

SmartDocuments Reviews

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Zeplin Reviews

Top 5 Zeplin Alternative
As aforementioned, Zeplin suffers some inherent drawbacks that may dent designersโ€™ hopes for faster, easy, and reliable UI design. To avert such scenarios, you donโ€™t have to get stuck with Zeplin as there are numerous other top-notch Zeplin alternatives. The following are some of the top 5 Zeplin alternatives.
Top 6 Figma Alternatives: Prototyping and UI/UX Tools
Zeplin is super affordable. It offers 2 plans: Team, which costs $8.00 per user per month, and Establishment, which costs $16.00 monthly. Zeplin also provides a feature-limited Free Plan and Enterprise Plan.
Source: fronty.com
9 Best InVision Alternatives to Switch to in 2024
Zeplin is a workspace collaboration tool to document what to build and how designs should behave in a central collaborative place for the entire dev team.
Source: designmodo.com
10 Best Adobe XD Alternatives (Free & Paid)
Zeplin is a smart Adobe XD alternative for code lovers. It is a code-based design app where you can source all your components from Storybook, Github, Bitbucket, SourceForge, and other repositories, so they are always code-ready. The app also integrates seamlessly with team collaboration and project management tools like Trello, Proofhub, Monday, Jira, and Slack, offering...
Top 10 Free Adobe XD Alternatives in 2021
One of the top alternatives to Adobe XD is Zeplin, a code-based design tool where your components can be sourced from GitHub, Storybook, and other repositories so they're always code-ready. You can view summaries of your components within your designs and easily see code snippets for how to initialize them. There are also extensive integrations with project management and...

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Zeplin seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 23 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

SmartDocuments mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of SmartDocuments yet. Tracking of SmartDocuments recommendations started around Mar 2021.

Zeplin mentions (23)

View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing SmartDocuments and Zeplin, you can also consider the following products

Templafy - Document assembly & management software

Invision - Prototyping and collaboration for design teams

Documentero - Turn your documents into templates that can generate .docx or .pdf documents using shareable forms or API

Axure - The most powerful way to plan, prototype and hand off to developers, all without code. Download a free trial and see why professionals choose Axure RP 9.

Conga Document Generation - Every document has big potential to help push your business forward. Unleash that potential with Conga's engaging documents capabilities and see how easy it can be to build, manage, and work on documents anywhere business takes you.

Balsamiq - Balsamiq. Rapid, effective and fun wireframing software.