Figma is a cloud-native collaborative design platform with real-time multiplayer editing and superior accessibility for distributed teams, while Adobe XD is a desktop-first tool with deeper Adobe Creative Suite integration and offline-first capabilities. Figma has captured 71% of the design tool market as of 2025, while XD maintains stronger adoption among enterprises already invested in Adobe's ecosystem.
Adobe XD vs Figma — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Desktop design and prototyping tool with advanced animation features and Creative Cloud integration.
Cloud-based UI/UX design platform with real-time collaboration and advanced prototyping.
Collaboration Architecture. Monthly Pricing (Starter Plan). Offline Functionality. Adobe Ecosystem Integration. Market Share (2025). Simultaneous Editors Per File. Learning Curve (User Reports)
Choose Adobe XD if you're already invested in Adobe Creative Cloud, need offline-first capabilities, and work primarily solo or in small teams with occasional collaboration. Choose Figma if you prioritize real-time team collaboration, work with distributed teams across multiple time zones, value accessibility for stakeholders without design expertise, or need a tool that integrates well with modern SaaS development workflows.
Adobe XD: $9.99/month | Figma: $12/month
Adobe XD: Up to 5 concurrent editors | Figma: Unlimited with live cursors
Adobe XD: Desktop primary (Windows, Mac) | Figma: Web browser + Desktop (Windows, Mac, Linux)
Adobe XD: Design tokens with Creative Cloud sync | Figma: Master Variables with full version control
Adobe XD: AI-assisted design with enhanced prototyping | Figma: Voice-to-text, Make features, automation
Adobe XD: Optimized desktop performance for large files | Figma: Browser-dependent, can slow with 1000+ frames
Adobe XD: Full co-editing support | Figma: N/A
Adobe XD: Native AI capabilities included | Figma: N/A
Adobe XD: Automatic responsive resizing | Figma: N/A
Adobe XD: Native design systems included | Figma: N/A
Adobe XD: General prototyping | Figma: N/A
Monthly Subscription Cost (Single Editor)
Adobe XD: $9.99 standalone | Figma: $12.00
Adobe XD: Windows, macOS, iPad | Figma: Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android
Adobe XD: ~700 plugins | Figma: ~2500+ plugins
Adobe XD: Performance issues above 500MB | Figma: Performance issues above 2GB
Adobe XD: Full offline support | Figma: Limited offline, primarily cloud-based
Adobe XD: CSS/SVG export, design specs | Figma: Advanced design specs, Dev Mode, code generation
Adobe XD: Windows and macOS | Figma: N/A
Adobe XD: Yes (cloud-native) | Figma: N/A
Adobe XD: Repeat Grid with constraints | Figma: N/A
Adobe XD: 12+ (including voice, drag, animation) | Figma: Interactions, conditional logic, component states, animations, flows
Cloud Storage Included (Free Plan/Trial)
Adobe XD: 2 GB with free Creative Cloud account | Figma: N/A
Market Share Among UI/UX Designers (2024)
Adobe XD: 400+ plugins | Figma: 350+ plugins available
Adobe XD: Advanced (35+ triggers, animations, voice) | Figma: N/A
Adobe XD: 32,000 x 32,000 pixels | Figma: N/A
Adobe XD: Native with library sync | Figma: N/A
Adobe XD: Full support with clean code | Figma: N/A
Adobe XD: $119.88/year standalone | Figma: N/A
Adobe XD: 500+ | Figma: 1,200+ community plugins
Adobe XD: Limited (comments only, not full co-editing) | Figma: N/A
Adobe XD: Yes (Windows/Mac application) | Figma: N/A
Adobe XD: Native with Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects | Figma: N/A
Total Monthly Cost (with Required Services)
Adobe XD: $54.49 (Creative Cloud) | Figma: N/A
Adobe XD: Native timeline animations with easing, delays, triggers | Figma: Good prototyping animations; not production-ready
Adobe XD: 5+ simultaneous users | Figma: N/A
Adobe XD: Native Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects integration | Figma: Limited (separate ecosystem)
Adobe XD: CSS measurements and specs panel | Figma: N/A
Adobe XD: Shared symbols, component variants, design libraries | Figma: Advanced with tokens, variables, and nested components
Adobe XD: 2-3 concurrent editors before slowdown | Figma: 15+ concurrent editors (unlimited)
Adobe XD: No free tier; 7-day free trial only | Figma: Yes (full collaborative design)
Adobe XD: Limited variant support (main + 1-2 states) | Figma: Advanced variables system with 20+ variant combinations per component
Adobe XD: 19% among design teams | Figma: 71% among design teams
Adobe XD: Full offline mode; all features available | Figma: Read-only after 30 days; requires internet for editing
Adobe XD: Basic transitions and timing; 8 interaction types | Figma: Advanced auto-animate, conditional logic, 35+ interaction types
Adobe XD: Not applicable (no free tier) | Figma: 30 days of version history
Adobe XD: Windows 10+, macOS 10.13+ | Figma: Mac, Windows, Linux, Web
Adobe XD: Yes, limited to 1 shared prototype | Figma: Yes, full features for 1 file
Adobe XD: Limited to Creative Cloud team | Figma: Unlimited
Adobe XD: macOS, Windows, Web | Figma: Web + macOS + Windows + iPad
Adobe XD: 8,000+ | Figma: ~2,000 plugins
Adobe XD: 400-500 before slowdown | Figma: 300-400 before lag
Adobe XD: Shared components with variants | Figma: Shared libraries with variants
Adobe XD: Advanced with voice/gesture | Figma: Advanced with variables
Adobe XD: $12.99/month standalone | Figma: N/A
Adobe XD: $9.99 | Figma: $0 (Free) / $12 (Pro)
Adobe XD: Limited to shared link viewers | Figma: Unlimited simultaneous editors
Adobe XD: Native with Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects | Figma: Limited (API for third-party imports)
Adobe XD: 4-6 hours (steeper curve) | Figma: 1.5-2.5 hours (beginner-friendly)
Adobe XD: 100 documents | Figma: Unlimited (Team plan)
Adobe XD: Windows, macOS desktop only | Figma: Any browser (Windows, macOS, Linux, iPad, web)
Adobe XD: $9.99 (Single App) | Figma: $12 (Professional)
Adobe XD: $299.99 (5 × $9.99 × 2.5x for teams) | Figma: $60 (all share one license)
Adobe XD: Full frame-based timeline with easing curves | Figma: Basic interactions (tap, hover, drag)
Adobe XD: 2 (Mac, Windows only) | Figma: 4 (Web, Mac, Windows, iPad)
Adobe XD: 2+ million | Figma: 15 million
Adobe XD: Shareable links with basic feedback | Figma: Public/password-protected with comment threads
Adobe XD: $9.99 (standalone) or $54.99 (full Creative Cloud) | Figma: N/A
Adobe XD: Advanced (auto-animate, voice, speech recognition) | Figma: N/A
Adobe XD: Yes (built-in, voice/video chat) | Figma: N/A
Performance on Large Files (100+ Artboards)
Adobe XD: Good (occasional lag reported) | Figma: N/A
Adobe XD: Native (Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere) | Figma: N/A
Adobe XD: Yes (limited free tier) | Figma: N/A
Adobe XD: Windows, macOS, Web, iOS | Figma: N/A
Adobe XD: 1000+ plugins in XD ecosystem | Figma: 2,500+
Adobe XD: Native real-time co-editing | Figma: Unlimited, all editor tiers
Adobe XD: 2GB free | Figma: 0GB (Figma Projects only)
Adobe XD: 28% of design tools market (2024) | Figma: N/A
Adobe XD: 45-60 min (with Adobe account setup) | Figma: N/A
Adobe XD: Comments, limited real-time co-editing, shared libraries | Figma: N/A
Adobe XD: Unlimited (desktop app) | Figma: Unlimited (cloud-based)
Adobe XD: Professional: Pen tool, Boolean operations, gradient editor, mesh transform | Figma: N/A
Adobe XD: Full offline editing with cloud sync | Figma: Limited offline editing (browser cache)
Adobe XD: 20-30 hours for proficiency | Figma: N/A
Adobe XD: 200+ integrations (Creative Cloud native) | Figma: N/A
Monthly Subscription Cost (Individual Plan)
Adobe XD: $14.99/month (Creative Cloud required) | Figma: N/A
Adobe XD: PNG, SVG, PDF, XD format | Figma: N/A
Adobe XD: 14 (tap, drag, scroll, voice, gesture-based) | Figma: N/A
Adobe XD: Spec export, measurement tools, CSS export (limited) | Figma: Dev Mode with code snippets and specs
Adobe XD: 1-3 (plan dependent) | Figma: 500+ simultaneous users
Adobe XD: Cloud-based shared libraries with design tokens | Figma: N/A
Adobe XD: No (cloud-only) | Figma: Cloud-only, no self-hosting
Adobe XD: Native, unlimited collaborators | Figma: N/A
Adobe XD: Advanced: 12+ animation types including voice/scroll-trigger | Figma: N/A
Adobe XD: ~300 official and community plugins | Figma: 5,000+ plugins available
Adobe XD: 10-15 MB per project | Figma: N/A
Adobe XD: Shared libraries with team-wide syncing | Figma: N/A
Adobe XD: Unlimited with state management | Figma: N/A
Adobe XD: No; uses component libraries | Figma: N/A
Adobe XD: Native integration with 15+ Creative Cloud apps | Figma: N/A
Adobe XD: 18% annual growth | Figma: N/A
Adobe XD: Basic commenting on canvas | Figma: N/A
Adobe XD: XD Cloud and Share Link (mobile app available) | Figma: N/A
Adobe XD: 3 (macOS, Windows, Web) | Figma: N/A
Adobe XD: Up to 4 free / Unlimited with team plan | Figma: N/A
Adobe XD: XD, PDF, SVG, PNG, JPEG, MP4 video export | Figma: N/A
Adobe XD: $9.99 (add-on to Creative Cloud at $54.99/month) | Figma: $12 (Professional tier, free tier available)
Adobe XD: 500-1500ms (async-based) | Figma: 50-150ms (true real-time)
Professional Design Tool Market Share (2025)
Adobe XD: Native two-way sync with Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects | Figma: Third-party plugins only; no native Adobe integration
Average Time to Proficiency for New Users
Adobe XD: 1 editor at a time per file (cloud sync only) | Figma: Unlimited concurrent editors per file
Adobe XD: 0 (subscription required) | Figma: 3 editable files (unlimited view-only)
Adobe XD: 30+ official integrations | Figma: 130+ community plugins available
Adobe XD: Advanced auto-animate with easing, delays, and frame-by-frame control | Figma: Basic transitions and interactions
Adobe XD: Symbols with basic override capabilities | Figma: Full variants support with auto-layout and smart selection
Adobe XD: 2-3 million monthly active users (estimated) | Figma: 12+ million monthly active users
Adobe XD: N/A | Figma: $1.36-1.37 billion
Adobe XD: N/A | Figma: $10.53-13.8 billion (public)
Adobe XD: N/A | Figma: 9x-35x (varies by metric)
Adobe XD: N/A | Figma: Public (NASDAQ: FIG)
Adobe XD: N/A | Figma: 14-15% (non-GAAP)
Adobe XD: N/A | Figma: Enterprise Design Teams
Adobe XD: N/A | Figma: Advanced multiplayer editing
Adobe XD: N/A | Figma: Built-in real-time collaboration
Adobe XD: N/A | Figma: Sites CMS beta (200 items)
Adobe XD: N/A | Figma: Variables, components, tokens
Adobe XD: N/A | Figma: Requires external hosting
Adobe XD: N/A | Figma: Dev Mode with inspection
Adobe XD: N/A | Figma: Unlimited (per plan)
Adobe XD: N/A | Figma: Voice-to-text, Make controls, question cards, design suggestions
Adobe XD: N/A | Figma: Intermediate (basic flows, transitions)
Adobe XD: N/A | Figma: 500+ (performance degrades)
Adobe XD: N/A | Figma: Generous (3 projects, 2GB)
Adobe XD: N/A | Figma: Unlimited simultaneous editors
Starter Plan Monthly Cost (Annual Billing)
Adobe XD: N/A | Figma: Variable by seats
Adobe XD: N/A | Figma: Four-tier with seat types (Full, Dev, Collab)
Adobe XD: N/A | Figma: Industry-leading precision tools
Adobe XD: N/A | Figma: Excellent for design workflows
Adobe XD: N/A | Figma: Basic design assistance
Adobe XD: N/A | Figma: Good team controls
Adobe XD: N/A | Figma: Unlimited (draft-based)
Adobe XD: N/A | Figma: Community plugins only
Adobe XD: N/A | Figma: Enterprise-grade (variants, tokens, documentation)
Adobe XD: N/A | Figma: Yes (100% browser-native)
Adobe XD: N/A | Figma: Yes; built-in with live cursors, comments, and activity tracking
Adobe XD: N/A | Figma: Limited (browser-dependent)
Adobe XD: N/A | Figma: Basic preset animations without timeline
Adobe XD: N/A | Figma: Unlimited on paid plans
Adobe XD: N/A | Figma: Component versioning in main product
Adobe XD: N/A | Figma: $12 per editor/month
Adobe XD: N/A | Figma: Unlimited on any plan
Adobe XD: N/A | Figma: 15+ (conditions, variables, triggers, overlays)
Adobe XD: N/A | Figma: Optimal up to 5,000 artboards
Adobe XD: N/A | Figma: 61% of design professionals
Adobe XD: N/A | Figma: 70% of professional design teams
Adobe XD: N/A | Figma: No built-in hosting
Adobe XD: N/A | Figma: 2000+ official plugins and integrations
Monthly Subscription Cost (Professional Plan)
Adobe XD: N/A | Figma: $12/month (billed annually)
Adobe XD: N/A | Figma: 40-60% (design to code via plugins)
Adobe XD: N/A | Figma: Basic interactions, limited keyframe animation
Adobe XD: N/A | Figma: Variables, tokens, component library, extensive version control
Adobe XD: N/A | Figma: Basic interactions (6/10)
Adobe XD: N/A | Figma: Good with plugins (7/10)
Adobe XD: N/A | Figma: Full Variables system with token export
Adobe XD: N/A | Figma: 3 files maximum, unlimited pages per file, basic prototyping, browser-based
Adobe XD: N/A | Figma: 50,000+ community templates
Adobe XD: N/A | Figma: 10+ simultaneous editors with live cursors
Adobe XD: N/A | Figma: 0 (third-party integrations available)
Adobe XD: N/A | Figma: Components, variables, tokens, auto-layout, design tokens management
Adobe XD: N/A | Figma: Limited AI—mostly design optimization and naming suggestions
Adobe XD: N/A | Figma: N/A (proprietary)
Adobe XD: N/A | Figma: 500+ (community + official)
Adobe XD: N/A | Figma: Professional (boolean ops, advanced paths)
Adobe XD: N/A | Figma: None (external sources required)
Adobe XD: N/A | Figma: 3 (Windows, Mac, Linux)
Adobe XD: N/A | Figma: Unlimited viewers + 1 editor
Adobe XD: N/A | Figma: 1,000+ plugins via Figma API
Adobe XD: N/A | Figma: No (design tool only)
Adobe XD: N/A | Figma: $12/month (Editor)
Adobe XD: N/A | Figma: 50+ simultaneous users
Estimated Time to First Design (Beginner)
Adobe XD: N/A | Figma: 120-480 minutes (2-8 hours)
Adobe XD: N/A | Figma: Advanced: conditional flows, variables, component variants, design tokens
Adobe XD: N/A | Figma: Enterprise-grade: design tokens, branching, versioning, token management
Adobe XD: N/A | Figma: Unlimited simultaneous editors per team
Adobe XD: N/A | Figma: Figma native format, exports to PNG, SVG, PDF, CSS, JSON
Adobe XD: N/A | Figma: 2-3 seconds (cloud-based, depends on internet)
Adobe XD: N/A | Figma: 3/10 - basic selection and fill tools; not optimized for photo work
Adobe XD: N/A | Figma: 9/10 - native component systems, design tokens, auto-layout, prototyping
Team Collaboration - Simultaneous Editors
Adobe XD: N/A | Figma: 50+ simultaneous editors
Adobe XD: N/A | Figma: No - requires external services
Adobe XD: N/A | Figma: Limited to Dev Mode specs; no automated code generation
Adobe XD: N/A | Figma: $12/month (Starter, 1 editor)
Adobe XD: N/A | Figma: $80/editor (Professional)
Adobe XD: N/A | Figma: Yes - nested variants with multiple properties
Adobe XD: N/A | Figma: 100 simultaneous editors
Adobe XD: N/A | Figma: 500+ templates (UI/design focused)
Adobe XD: N/A | Figma: Advanced - interactions, animations, logic, variables
Adobe XD: N/A | Figma: Unlimited (edit + view)
Adobe XD: N/A | Figma: Full component library with variants and design tokens
Adobe XD: N/A | Figma: 300 requests/minute
How to choose between Adobe XD and Figma
Adobe XD vs Figma — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for Adobe XD vs Figma. Contains 272 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
Adobe XD vs Figma — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Adobe XD vs Figma.
Figma requires an internet connection for full functionality. You can work offline in the desktop app, but files won't sync to the cloud until reconnected. Adobe XD offers complete offline mode where you can work indefinitely without internet and sync when ready. For teams needing reliable offline access, XD is the better choice.
Which tool has better Adobe integration?
Adobe XD has native, two-way integration with Photoshop, Illustrator, and After Effects, allowing you to copy designs directly between apps without export/import steps. Figma requires third-party plugins (Figma for Adobe XD, etc.) or manual exports. If you're already using Adobe Creative Cloud, XD's integration saves significant workflow time.
How many people can edit a Figma file simultaneously?
Figma supports unlimited concurrent editors on a single file with real-time updates visible to all users. Adobe XD limits this to 2 concurrent editors maximum. For distributed design teams or design systems work involving 5+ designers, Figma's unlimited collaboration is a major advantage.
Adobe XD starter is $9.99/month vs Figma at $12/month—a $2/month difference. However, Figma's team collaboration requires paid seats for each team member ($12-45/month), while XD requires purchasing the full Creative Cloud ($54.99/month) for most features. For solo work, XD is cheaper; for teams, costs depend on team size.
Can non-designers view and comment on designs in both tools?
Figma excels here: stakeholders can access shared links, leave comments, and view live updates without accounts. Adobe XD requires Creative Cloud access for full viewing and commenting. Figma's public sharing and low-friction feedback make it significantly better for including non-designers in design review cycles.
How to Choose Between Adobe XD and Figma
Collaboration Architecture: Adobe XD has Desktop-primary with limited cloud sync, while Figma has Cloud-native with real-time live multiplayer.
Consider: Monthly Pricing (Starter Plan)
Monthly Pricing (Starter Plan): Adobe XD has $9.99 USD, while Figma has $12 USD.
Offline Functionality: Adobe XD has Full offline mode supported, while Figma has Limited offline; requires cloud sync.
Adobe Ecosystem Integration: Adobe XD has Native integration with Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects, while Figma has Third-party plugins required.
Market Share (2025): Adobe XD has 17% of professional design tool market, while Figma has 71% of professional design tool market.
Simultaneous Editors Per File: Adobe XD has Up to 2 concurrent editors, while Figma has Unlimited concurrent editors.
Learning Curve (User Reports): Adobe XD has Moderate - 40-50 hours to proficiency, while Figma has Gentle - 25-30 hours to proficiency.