Zeplin

Overview

Zeplin functions as a centralized workspace for design handoff and collaboration, facilitating communication between design, development, and product teams. It addresses the challenge of translating visual designs into technical specifications by providing a platform where designers can publish their work and developers can consume it efficiently. Once designs are exported from tools such as Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD, or Photoshop, Zeplin processes them into an organized, interactive format.

For designers, Zeplin streamlines the process of preparing design specifications. It automates the generation of measurements, colors, typography, and other design tokens, reducing manual documentation effort. Designers can annotate designs, add notes, and link related artboards, ensuring that all necessary context is available to developers. This includes the ability to export various asset formats and manage version control for design iterations.

Developers utilize Zeplin to inspect design elements directly. The platform provides CSS, Swift, Android, and React Native code snippets for selected layers, which can accelerate the implementation phase. Developers can also download production-ready assets, such as images and icons, at various resolutions and formats. The primary benefit for developers is the ability to access precise design specifications and visual assets without needing to install or learn complex design software, thereby improving workflow efficiency and design fidelity in the final product.

Beyond individual design inspection, Zeplin supports the creation and management of Styleguides. These centralized repositories house reusable design components, color palettes, text styles, and spacing rules, which are critical for maintaining consistency across products and teams. This feature is particularly valuable for organizations implementing design systems, as it helps enforce brand guidelines and accelerate development by providing a single source of truth for UI elements. Zeplin also offers a well-documented API, allowing teams to integrate design data into custom workflows, build plugins, or automate aspects of their development process.

Key features

• Design Handoff: Automates the generation of design specs, including measurements, colors, typography, and assets, from source design files.
• Code Snippets: Generates platform-specific code snippets (CSS, Swift, Android, React Native) for design elements, aiding developer implementation.
• Asset Export: Allows developers to download production-ready assets (e.g., images, icons) in various formats and resolutions.
• Styleguides: Centralized repositories for design system components, color palettes, text styles, and spacing rules to ensure consistency.
• Connectors: Direct integrations with design tools like Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD, and Photoshop for seamless design export.
• Version Control: Tracks design iterations and changes, enabling teams to review previous versions and maintain a history of design evolution.
• Comments & Annotations: Facilitates communication by allowing designers and developers to add contextual comments and annotations directly on designs.
• Developer API: Provides an API for integrating Zeplin data into custom tools and workflows, extending its functionality.

Pricing

Zeplin offers a tiered pricing structure, including a free plan for individual use and paid plans scaled for team and enterprise needs. As of May 2026, pricing is structured as follows:

For the most current pricing details and feature breakdowns, refer to the official Zeplin pricing page.

Common integrations

• Figma: Direct export of designs and prototypes to Zeplin, maintaining layers and structure.
• Sketch: Plugin for exporting artboards and assets from Sketch to Zeplin for handoff.
• Adobe XD: Integration to publish designs from Adobe XD, including design specs and assets.
• Adobe Photoshop: Extension allowing designers to export Photoshop layers and artboards to Zeplin.
• Slack: Notifications for design updates, comments, and project activity directly in Slack channels.
• Microsoft Teams: Similar to Slack, provides notifications and updates within Microsoft Teams.
• Jira: Links Zeplin projects and screens to Jira issues for streamlined task management and issue tracking.
• Trello: Attach Zeplin screens to Trello cards for visual context in project management workflows.

Alternatives

• Figma Dev Mode: Provides developer-focused inspection tools and code generation directly within the Figma environment.
• Storybook: An open-source tool for developing UI components in isolation, facilitating component library management and testing.
• Supernova: A platform for building, documenting, and scaling design systems, offering code generation and design token management.

Getting started

While Zeplin is primarily a web application for developers, designers use plugins to export their work. Here's an example of how a designer might export a frame from Figma to Zeplin:

// This is a conceptual representation of a Figma plugin action.
// In practice, designers would use the Zeplin plugin directly within Figma.

// 1. Select the frame or artboard in Figma
// 2. Open the Zeplin plugin from the Plugins menu in Figma
// 3. Configure export settings (e.g., scale, asset formats)
// 4. Click the "Export to Zeplin" button

// Example of a hypothetical API call if one were to automate via Figma's API
// (Note: Zeplin's Figma integration is typically a plugin, not direct API calls from user code)

async function exportFrameToZeplin(figmaFrameId, zeplinProjectId) {
  console.log(`Preparing to export Figma frame ${figmaFrameId} to Zeplin project ${zeplinProjectId}...`);

  // In a real scenario, the Zeplin Figma plugin handles the export process.
  // It would bundle the design data, assets, and metadata.

  // For illustration, imagine a function call to a Zeplin Connector service:
  // const response = await zeplinConnectorService.uploadDesign({
  //   frameId: figmaFrameId,
  //   projectId: zeplinProjectId,
  //   designData: getFigmaFrameData(figmaFrameId) // Hypothetical function
  // });

  // if (response.success) {
  //   console.log(`Successfully exported frame to Zeplin: ${response.zeplinScreenUrl}`);
  // } else {
  //   console.error(`Failed to export frame: ${response.error}`);
  // }
  console.log("Export initiated via Zeplin's Figma plugin. Check your Zeplin project.");
}

// To use (conceptual):
// exportFrameToZeplin("your_figma_frame_id", "your_zeplin_project_id");

Developers then access these designs via the Zeplin web interface or desktop application to inspect elements and extract code. To get started as a developer, you would:

1. Receive an invitation to a Zeplin project from a designer.
2. Sign up for a Zeplin account or log in.
3. Navigate to the shared project to view the designs.
4. Select any element on a screen to inspect its properties (measurements, colors, fonts) and copy relevant code snippets (e.g., CSS, Swift).
5. Download assets directly from the interface as needed.