Marvel vs ProtoPie: Click-Through Prototyping vs Real Interactions

Marvel and ProtoPie both produce prototypes. They do not produce the same kind of prototype, and the difference matters more than any pricing or feature comparison.

What Marvel is

Marvel is a click-through prototyping tool. You upload screens — from Figma, Sketch, or as images — draw hotspots on them, and link them to other screens. Click here → go to this screen. That's the core interaction model.

This is genuinely useful. For stakeholder demos, for early usability tests where you want to validate navigation structure, or for non-designers who need to communicate a flow quickly, Marvel does the job. It's fast to set up, easy to share, and requires no understanding of interaction logic.

The ceiling is low. You can add basic transitions, but you can't create scroll behaviors, animate specific elements, respond to user input dynamically, or simulate real app behavior. What you get is a connected slideshow, not a realistic app experience.

What ProtoPie is

ProtoPie handles complex interactions. You can animate individual components, create conditional logic ("if the user has typed more than 5 characters, show the submit button"), respond to sensor inputs like device tilt or microphone, simulate multi-device interactions, and create scroll behaviors that mirror what developers will actually build.

The interaction model uses "triggers" and "responses" — you define what event happens (tap, scroll, drag, timer) and what the prototype does in response. Chaining these together lets you simulate app behavior that feels indistinguishable from a real app to test participants.

For designers doing user research on apps with complex interactions — gesture-based navigation, multi-step flows with data persistence, interfaces that respond differently based on context — ProtoPie is the only prototyping tool that can simulate what they're testing.

The use case split

Marvel is the right choice when:

• You need a prototype in under an hour for a stakeholder meeting tomorrow
• You're testing whether users understand basic navigation structure
• Your design file isn't final and you don't want to invest in detailed interactions
• You're handing a prototype to someone non-technical to review

ProtoPie is the right choice when:

• You're running usability tests on specific interactions, not just navigation
• Your prototype needs to behave like the real app for the test to be valid
• You're designing for mobile with gesture-based interactions
• You're testing microinteractions, form behaviors, or multi-state components

What ProtoPie does that nothing else matches

The sensor support is unique. ProtoPie prototypes can respond to device tilt, gyroscope, camera, and microphone. If you're designing an app that uses any of these inputs, ProtoPie is the only tool that lets you prototype that experience before building it.

The Figma import is seamless. Bring your Figma components into ProtoPie and add interactions on top without rebuilding screens. This workflow — design in Figma, prototype in ProtoPie — is what most interaction designers use.

Multi-device interactions let you prototype situations where two devices communicate. Useful for designing IoT experiences, remote control apps, or any scenario where the phone interacts with another screen.

Pricing

Marvel: Free plan with limited projects. Pro at $12/month for unlimited projects and collaboration.

ProtoPie: Free plan limited to 5 prototypes. Solo plan at $15/month. Team plans from $45/month.

Try Marvel Free Try ProtoPie Free

Who should use which

Use Marvel if:

• You need a fast, shareable click-through prototype
• You're presenting to stakeholders who need to see the flow, not test it
• You're a non-designer building your first prototype
• Speed matters more than interaction fidelity

Use ProtoPie if:

• You're running usability tests that require realistic app behavior
• Your design includes complex animations, gestures, or conditional interactions
• You're prototyping for mobile apps with sensor inputs
• You need prototype fidelity high enough to test with real users and get reliable results