Figma
Figma is a collaborative interface design tool that allows teams to create, test, and ship designs together in real-time through a browser-based platform for modern product teams.
Sketch
Sketch is a comprehensive design platform for macOS that gives you professional vector editing tools, interactive prototyping capabilities, and shared libraries to create and collaborate on digital products.
Quick Comparison
| Feature | Figma | Sketch |
|---|---|---|
| Website | figma.com | sketch.com |
| Pricing Model | Freemium | Subscription |
| Starting Price | Free | $12/month |
| FREE Trial | ✘ No free trial | ✓ 30 days free trial |
| Free Plan | ✓ Has free plan | ✘ No free plan |
| Product Demo | ✓ Request demo here | ✘ No product demo |
| Deployment | ||
| Integrations | ||
| Target Users | ||
| Target Industries | ||
| Customer Count | 0 | 0 |
| Founded Year | 2012 | 2008 |
| Headquarters | San Francisco, USA | The Hague, Netherlands |
Overview
Figma
Figma is a collaborative design platform where you can build interfaces, prototypes, and design systems in a single, shared workspace. Unlike traditional desktop tools, it runs in your browser, meaning you and your teammates can work on the same file simultaneously without worrying about version control or file syncing. You can move from initial brainstorming in FigJam to high-fidelity UI design and interactive prototyping without ever switching applications.
It solves the friction between design and engineering by providing a single source of truth for your entire product team. You can share live links with stakeholders for instant feedback and use Dev Mode to give developers everything they need to translate designs into code. Whether you are a solo freelancer or part of a global enterprise, it scales to meet your needs with a robust free plan and advanced organization features.
Sketch
Sketch provides you with a powerful, native macOS environment to design everything from simple icons to complex design systems. You can create precise vector graphics, build interactive prototypes with logic-based transitions, and manage reusable components through a robust Symbols system. The platform is built specifically for the Mac, ensuring a smooth, high-performance experience while you work on high-fidelity user interfaces.
Beyond individual design, you can collaborate with your entire team through a web-based workspace. This allows you to share documents, gather feedback via comments, and hand off production-ready assets to developers directly in a browser. Whether you are a solo freelancer or part of a large design department, you can maintain a single source of truth for your projects and scale your design language across multiple platforms.
Overview
Figma Features
- Real-time Collaboration Work together on the same design file simultaneously with your team and see changes happen instantly in your browser.
- Advanced Auto Layout Create responsive designs that automatically resize as you add content or change screen sizes, saving you hours of manual adjustments.
- Interactive Prototyping Turn your static designs into clickable prototypes with realistic transitions and animations to test user flows before writing code.
- Shared Design Systems Build and manage a library of reusable components and styles to ensure visual consistency across all your company projects.
- Dev Mode Give your developers a dedicated space to inspect designs, grab CSS snippets, and export assets without changing the original file.
- FigJam Whiteboarding Brainstorm ideas, map out user journeys, and run retrospective meetings with your team using an online whiteboard built for collaboration.
Sketch Features
- Vector Editing. Create and edit resolution-independent graphics with intuitive Boolean operations and flexible point-based paths for pixel-perfect designs.
- Smart Layout. Design components that automatically resize to fit their content, saving you hours of manual adjustment when changing text or button labels.
- Prototyping with Logic. Transform static designs into interactive previews with overlays and scrolling areas to test your user experience before writing code.
- Shared Libraries. Sync your symbols, text styles, and color variables across your entire team to ensure brand consistency in every document.
- Developer Handoff. Give your developers access to inspect designs, measure distances, and export assets directly from their web browser for free.
- Offline Mac App. Work wherever you are with a native desktop application that lets you design offline and sync changes once you're back online.
Pricing Comparison
Figma Pricing
- 3 Figma and 3 FigJam files
- Unlimited personal files
- Unlimited collaborators
- Mobile app for viewing
- Basic prototyping
- Everything in Starter, plus:
- Unlimited Figma files
- Unlimited version history
- Shared team libraries
- Private projects
- Advanced prototyping
Sketch Pricing
- Unlimited documents and projects
- Native macOS editor
- Web app for feedback and handoff
- Shared Libraries for teams
- Version history and recovery
- Free unlimited viewers
- Everything in Standard, plus:
- Single Sign-On (SSO)
- Unlimited cloud storage
- Priority support
- Dedicated customer success manager
- Custom security reviews
Pros & Cons
Figma
Pros
- Seamless real-time collaboration for remote teams
- Browser-based access works on any operating system
- Powerful auto-layout features for responsive design
- Excellent community marketplace for plugins and templates
Cons
- Requires a stable internet connection to work
- Performance can lag with very large files
- Learning curve for advanced prototyping features
Sketch
Pros
- Native macOS performance feels incredibly fast and smooth
- Industry-standard vector tools offer unmatched precision for UI
- One-time purchase option available for individual Mac users
- Clean, focused interface minimizes distractions while you work
- Robust ecosystem of third-party plugins extends functionality
Cons
- Exclusively available for macOS users only
- Real-time co-editing requires a stable internet connection
- Limited built-in animation capabilities compared to competitors