Spline
Zeplin
| Feature | Spline | Zeplin |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $9/mo | Free / from $12/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.3 / 5 | 4.2 / 5 |
| Best For | web-designers, product-designers, front-end-developers, creative-agencies | design-teams, developers, agencies, product-teams |
| Founded | 2020 | 2014 |
| 3d Modeling | ✓ | ✗ |
| Real Time Collaboration | ✓ | ✗ |
| Animations | ✓ | ✗ |
| Interactions | ✓ | ✗ |
| Web Export | ✓ | ✗ |
| Materials | ✓ | ✗ |
| Physics | ✓ | ✗ |
| Design Handoff | ✗ | ✓ |
| Style Guide | ✗ | ✓ |
| Components | ✗ | ✓ |
| Code Snippets | ✗ | ✓ |
| Measurements | ✗ | ✓ |
| Version History | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Spline Pros
- Browser-based with no installation required
- Easy to learn compared to traditional 3D tools
- Real-time collaboration like Figma for 3D
- Direct export to web (React, iframe, vanilla JS)
✗ Spline Cons
- Limited to simpler 3D scenes (not production rendering)
- Performance issues with complex models
- Fewer modeling tools than dedicated 3D software
✓ Zeplin Pros
- Great handoff tool
- Developer-friendly
- Design system support
- Multi-platform
✗ Zeplin Cons
- Figma reducing need
- Limited design editing
- Fewer updates
The Verdict
Spline is built for web designers and product designers, with a focus on 3d-modeling and real-time-collaboration. Zeplin targets design teams and developers and leads with design-handoff and style-guide.
Pricing is close: Spline starts at $9/mo versus $12/mo for Zeplin — not a deciding factor on its own.
Both offer free plans, so you can test each with your real workflow before committing to a subscription.
Feature-wise, Spline offers broader built-in capabilities (7 features vs 6), while Zeplin takes a more focused approach — which can mean a simpler, faster onboarding experience.
This is a genuinely close comparison. If you can, sign up for both free trials (where available) and run a one-week test with your actual team tasks before deciding.
