Google acquires mobile design tool Pixate

Pixate, the program that allows mobile developers to quickly set up a prototype of an application, has been acquired by Google. In addition, the desktop application, Pixate Studio, is immediately available for free.

Pixate announced the news in a blog post on its website. Pixate allows users to create working prototypes of applications that run directly on iOS and Android devices without actually writing code. Pixate also announced that the use of the Pixate Studio for Windows and OS X has become free immediately, and that a Pixate Cloud subscription will cost EUR 4.50 per developer per month or EUR 45 per developer per year.

Pixate received investments from y Combinator, Accel Partners and Kickstarter in 2012 and 2013. Despite the acquisition by Google, Pixate continues to exist as a stand-alone product. Google also announced at the same time that Form, a similar program with which iOS prototypes can be designed, has received an update that incorporates the latest Material Design elements. Google thus seems to want to make it easier for developers to give their apps the Material Design appearance.