Adobe Express is a free, cloud-based design tool optimized for quick social media graphics and web content, while Sketch is a professional-grade, subscription-based vector editor designed primarily for UI/UX designers with advanced prototyping capabilities. Adobe Express excels at accessibility and speed, while Sketch dominates in collaborative design workflows and design systems.
Adobe Express vs Sketch — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Cloud-based design tool for social media, marketing, and web graphics with AI-powered templates.
Professional vector design platform optimized for UI/UX design with extensive plugin support.
Primary Use Case. Pricing Model. Learning Curve. Collaborative Features. Design System Support. Template Library. Platform Availability
Choose Adobe Express if you need a free, intuitive tool for social media graphics, marketing materials, and quick web designs—it's ideal for beginners, small businesses, and content creators. Choose Sketch if you're a professional UI/UX designer requiring advanced prototyping, design systems, and team collaboration features on macOS.
Adobe Express: Pro: ~$120/year | Sketch: N/A
Adobe Express: $8.33/person | Sketch: N/A
Adobe Express: Varies by tier | Sketch: N/A
Adobe Express: Limited integration | Sketch: None (third-party workarounds)
Adobe Express: Yes (limited free tier) | Sketch: N/A
Adobe Express: $14.99/month (Express) or free (web) | Sketch: $12
Adobe Express: $180 (Express Premium + Cloud storage) | Sketch: $144 (Sketch Standard annual)
Adobe Express: Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, web browser | Sketch: 1 (Mac only)
Adobe Express: Slower performance beyond 50 artboards | Sketch: Optimized for 100+ artboards without lag
Adobe Express: 3 (Generative Fill, Text to Image, Style Transfer) | Sketch: 0 (native); available via plugins
Adobe Express: Integrated Creative Cloud; limited third-party plugins (50+) | Sketch: 15,000+ plugins and integrations
Adobe Express: Basic (transitions, tap/click, simple overlays) | Sketch: Basic (transitions, drag triggers)
Market Share Among Professional Designers
Adobe Express: ~15-20% (growing in small teams/freelancers) | Sketch: ~70% (industry standard for UI/UX teams)
Monthly Subscription Cost (Individual Plan)
Adobe Express: $9.99/month | Sketch: N/A
Adobe Express: 500+ free templates | Sketch: N/A
Adobe Express: 100,000+ Adobe Stock templates | Sketch: N/A
Adobe Express: 4K (3840×2160) + SVG/PSD | Sketch: N/A
Adobe Express: Generative Fill, Text-to-Image (Firefly) | Sketch: N/A
Adobe Express: 12 formats (PNG, PDF, SVG, MP4, GIF) | Sketch: N/A
Adobe Express: Not available | Sketch: N/A
Adobe Express: Adobe Firefly (Text-to-Image, Generative Fill, 550+ AI templates) | Sketch: N/A
Adobe Express: Basic transitions and effects | Sketch: N/A
Adobe Express: Native (Photoshop, Illustrator, Stock, Fonts) | Sketch: N/A
Adobe Express: 25+ (via Adobe Stock) | Sketch: Partner integrations (photos/icons sold separately)
Adobe Express: 20,000+ Adobe Stock assets | Sketch: N/A
Adobe Express: Premium only ($9.99/mo) | Sketch: N/A
Adobe Express: 200+ effects | Sketch: N/A
Adobe Express: $119.88/year | Sketch: N/A
Adobe Express: Full (Photoshop, Illustrator, Lightroom) | Sketch: N/A
Adobe Express: Minimal community focus | Sketch: N/A
Adobe Express: 3 (basic transitions) | Sketch: 5-6 basic interactions (tap, click, scroll)
Adobe Express: Basic (no variants or tokens) | Sketch: N/A
Adobe Express: Yes (web app) | Sketch: N/A
Adobe Express: 40+ million | Sketch: N/A
Adobe Express: Advanced (effects, color grading, keyframes) | Sketch: N/A
Adobe Express: Full (Photoshop, Illustrator, Lightroom sync) | Sketch: N/A
Adobe Express: Premium tier only | Sketch: N/A
Adobe Express: 2-3 hours | Sketch: 20+ hours
Adobe Express: Web, iOS, macOS, Windows | Sketch: macOS, Windows (beta)
Adobe Express: Basic component library | Sketch: Advanced design tokens with shared libraries
Adobe Express: 100+ design categories | Sketch: Limited; community-contributed
Adobe Express: Native; cloud-based sync | Sketch: Via plugins; file-based
Adobe Express: 2GB | Sketch: Limited free tier (projects only)
Adobe Express: Up to 10 simultaneous users | Sketch: N/A
Adobe Express: 100,000+ templates | Sketch: N/A
Estimated Time to First Design (Beginner)
Adobe Express: 5-15 minutes | Sketch: N/A
Adobe Express: Basic animations, transitions, simple interactions | Sketch: N/A
Adobe Express: Basic shared components, limited documentation | Sketch: N/A
Adobe Express: $0 (no credit card required) | Sketch: N/A
Adobe Express: Free tier included | Sketch: N/A
Adobe Express: Unlimited collaborators | Sketch: N/A
Adobe Express: N/A | Sketch: $120/year ($10/month)
Adobe Express: N/A | Sketch: 3 (Mac, Windows, Web)
Adobe Express: N/A | Sketch: Basic (plugin-dependent)
Adobe Express: N/A | Sketch: Limited (requires Cloud plugin, up to 5 free)
Adobe Express: N/A | Sketch: 1 (Email only)
Adobe Express: N/A | Sketch: Excellent - minimal lag
Adobe Express: N/A | Sketch: Native support with libraries
Adobe Express: N/A | Sketch: ~1,000+ community-built plugins
Adobe Express: N/A | Sketch: No (third-party workarounds)
Adobe Express: N/A | Sketch: Advanced Auto Layout (2021+)
Cloud Storage Included (Free Plan/Trial)
Adobe Express: N/A | Sketch: Paid plans only
Market Share Among UI/UX Designers (2024)
Adobe Express: N/A | Sketch: 8/10 (steep)
Adobe Express: N/A | Sketch: Full interactive prototyping with animations and states
Adobe Express: N/A | Sketch: Mac desktop, Web (limited features)
Adobe Express: N/A | Sketch: 14-day free trial only; no free plan
Monthly Subscription Cost (Professional Plan)
Adobe Express: N/A | Sketch: $8.25/user (yearly: $99)
Adobe Express: N/A | Sketch: Shared libraries, comments, version history (async)
Adobe Express: N/A | Sketch: 1,200+ plugins
Adobe Express: N/A | Sketch: Not included; requires third-party services
Adobe Express: N/A | Sketch: Requires third-party plugins (e.g., Figma-to-React)
Adobe Express: N/A | Sketch: Symbols, shared styles, nested components (established)
Adobe Express: N/A | Sketch: macOS, Windows, Web (recently improved)
Adobe Express: N/A | Sketch: 3,500+ plugins
Adobe Express: N/A | Sketch: Plugin-based, additional cost
Adobe Express: N/A | Sketch: Advanced (interactions, animations, states)
Adobe Express: N/A | Sketch: No (proprietary)
Adobe Express: N/A | Sketch: Basic (clickable prototypes only)
Adobe Express: N/A | Sketch: 4,000 x 4,000 pixels
Adobe Express: N/A | Sketch: Manual management (requires Sketch 90+)
Adobe Express: N/A | Sketch: Full support with readable output
Adobe Express: N/A | Sketch: macOS 10.13+ only
Adobe Express: N/A | Sketch: Not supported
Adobe Express: N/A | Sketch: Full support
Adobe Express: N/A | Sketch: 30 days (local)
Adobe Express: N/A | Sketch: No free tier
Adobe Express: N/A | Sketch: Requires workarounds
Adobe Express: N/A | Sketch: 800+ without degradation
Adobe Express: N/A | Sketch: Shared symbols with nesting
Adobe Express: N/A | Sketch: Advanced with animations
Adobe Express: N/A | Sketch: $12/month (or $129 one-time)
Adobe Express: N/A | Sketch: 15 concurrent users
Adobe Express: N/A | Sketch: 8+ years of resources
Adobe Express: N/A | Sketch: Proprietary/Closed
Adobe Express: N/A | Sketch: Advanced (Symbols, Shared Styles, Tokens)
Adobe Express: N/A | Sketch: Yes (Slack integration only)
Performance on Large Files (100+ Artboards)
Adobe Express: N/A | Sketch: Excellent (instant load)
Adobe Express: N/A | Sketch: No (30-day trial only)
Adobe Express: N/A | Sketch: Mac (Web beta)
Adobe Express: N/A | Sketch: Limited via plugins (~5)
Adobe Express: N/A | Sketch: Advanced with nested symbols
Adobe Express: N/A | Sketch: Available in beta/plugins
Adobe Express: N/A | Sketch: Requires integration (Zeplin, Abstract)
Adobe Express: N/A | Sketch: macOS only + Web viewer
Adobe Express: N/A | Sketch: 6-8 basic interactions
Adobe Express: N/A | Sketch: 22% of design tools market (2024)
Adobe Express: N/A | Sketch: 15-20 min (macOS native install)
Adobe Express: N/A | Sketch: Full design support
Adobe Express: N/A | Sketch: Third-party plugins only
Adobe Express: N/A | Sketch: Basic: 4-5 transition types (fade, slide, push, pop)
Adobe Express: N/A | Sketch: 2-5 MB per project
Adobe Express: N/A | Sketch: Shared symbols with cloud sync via subscription
Adobe Express: N/A | Sketch: 2 (macOS, Web beta)
Adobe Express: N/A | Sketch: 0 (third-party integration only)
Adobe Express: N/A | Sketch: Unlimited (2024+)
Adobe Express: N/A | Sketch: Sketch, SVG, PDF export
Adobe Express: N/A | Sketch: $14/month (annual billing) or $20/month (monthly)
Adobe Express: N/A | Sketch: Optimal up to 200+ artboards with <100ms interaction latency
Adobe Express: N/A | Sketch: Comments only; async collaboration
Adobe Express: N/A | Sketch: 62% of design professionals (2024)
Adobe Express: N/A | Sketch: Proprietary closed-source
Adobe Express: N/A | Sketch: macOS and Windows desktop apps
Adobe Express: N/A | Sketch: Via third-party plugins (Zeplin, Abstract)
How to choose between Adobe Express and Sketch
Adobe Express vs Sketch — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for Adobe Express vs Sketch. Contains 170 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
Adobe Express vs Sketch — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Adobe Express vs Sketch.
Can I use Adobe Express for professional UI/UX design projects?
Adobe Express is not designed for professional UI/UX work. It lacks prototyping, design systems, and collaboration features that UI/UX projects require. For professional design work, Sketch or Figma are industry standards. Adobe Express excels at marketing collateral, social media graphics, and web content.
Sketch is primarily a macOS application. Windows users can access Sketch for Teams through a web browser with limited functionality, but the full desktop experience requires macOS. If Windows compatibility is critical, Figma is a better alternative.
Is Adobe Express truly free, or are there hidden costs?
Adobe Express has a genuine free tier with no credit card required. The free plan includes all core design features but limits cloud storage to 2GB and removes some premium templates. Premium ($9.99/month) adds 100GB storage and removes watermarks on exports.
Which tool is better for team collaboration?
Sketch is significantly superior for team collaboration with real-time multiplayer editing, shared libraries, and version control built-in. Adobe Express has basic cloud sharing but no live collaborative editing. For teams, Sketch or Figma are purpose-built; Adobe Express suits individual creators.
Can I transition my designs from Adobe Express to Sketch?
Transferring designs is possible but requires manual work. Adobe Express exports to SVG/PDF, which Sketch can import, but layers, components, and formatting won't transfer automatically. Plan ahead if you anticipate moving to a professional design tool.
How to Choose Between Adobe Express and Sketch
Primary Use Case: Adobe Express has Social media, quick graphics, templates, while Sketch has UI/UX design, prototyping, design systems.
Pricing Model: Adobe Express has Free tier + Premium at $9.99/month, while Sketch has Subscription only at $144/year (individual).
Learning Curve: Adobe Express has Beginner-friendly (hours to proficiency), while Sketch has Moderate to steep (days to proficiency).
Collaborative Features: Adobe Express has Basic cloud sharing, limited real-time collaboration, while Sketch has Advanced: shared libraries, real-time multiplayer editing, version history.
Design System Support: Adobe Express has Limited component libraries, while Sketch has Robust: shared libraries, symbols, Sketch Libraries ecosystem.
Template Library: Adobe Express has 50,000+ templates (social, marketing, web), while Sketch has Limited built-in templates, reliant on community plugins.
Platform Availability: Adobe Express has Web-based (browser), iOS, Android, desktop, while Sketch has macOS primary, Windows/web options limited.