Figma is a cloud-native collaborative design platform with superior real-time teamwork capabilities and no software installation required, while Adobe XD is a desktop-first tool integrated into Creative Cloud with stronger animation features and lower entry cost for existing Adobe subscribers.
Figma vs Adobe XD — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Cloud-based UI/UX design platform with real-time collaboration and advanced prototyping.
Desktop design and prototyping tool with advanced animation features and Creative Cloud integration.
Collaboration Model. Pricing (Monthly Individual). Prototype Animation Features. Installation Required. Design System Management. Integration Ecosystem. Learning Curve for Teams
Choose Figma if your team prioritizes real-time collaboration, works remotely, or needs a platform-agnostic solution with modern design systems—it dominates in teamwork and scalability. Choose Adobe XD if you're already invested in Creative Cloud, need advanced animation prototyping with auto-animate, or prefer a professional desktop application with deep Adobe ecosystem integration.
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: Cloud-only, no self-hosting | Adobe XD: No (cloud-only)
Figma: Voice-to-text, Make controls, question cards, design suggestions | Adobe XD: N/A
Figma: 350+ plugins available | Adobe XD: 400+ plugins
Figma: $12/month | Adobe XD: $9.99/month
Figma: Unlimited with live cursors | Adobe XD: Up to 5 concurrent editors
Figma: Web browser + Desktop (Windows, Mac, Linux) | Adobe XD: Desktop primary (Windows, Mac)
Figma: Master Variables with full version control | Adobe XD: Design tokens with Creative Cloud sync
Figma: Limited (separate ecosystem) | Adobe XD: Native Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects integration
Figma: Voice-to-text, Make features, automation | Adobe XD: AI-assisted design with enhanced prototyping
Figma: Browser-dependent, can slow with 1000+ frames | Adobe XD: Optimized desktop performance for large files
Monthly Subscription Cost (Single Editor)
Figma: $12.00 | Adobe XD: $9.99 standalone
Figma: Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android | Adobe XD: Windows, macOS, iPad
Figma: ~2500+ plugins | Adobe XD: ~700 plugins
Figma: Performance issues above 2GB | Adobe XD: Performance issues above 500MB
Figma: Limited offline, primarily cloud-based | Adobe XD: Full offline support
Figma: Advanced design specs, Dev Mode, code generation | Adobe XD: CSS/SVG export, design specs
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 | Adobe XD: N/A
Starter Plan Monthly Cost (Annual Billing)
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: 15+ concurrent editors (unlimited) | Adobe XD: 2-3 concurrent editors before slowdown
Figma: Yes (full collaborative design) | Adobe XD: No free tier; 7-day free trial only
Figma: Advanced variables system with 20+ variant combinations per component | Adobe XD: Limited variant support (main + 1-2 states)
Figma: 71% among design teams | Adobe XD: 19% among design teams
Figma: Read-only after 30 days; requires internet for editing | Adobe XD: Full offline mode; all features available
Figma: Advanced auto-animate, conditional logic, 35+ interaction types | Adobe XD: Basic transitions and timing; 8 interaction types
Figma: 30 days of version history | Adobe XD: Not applicable (no free tier)
Figma: Unlimited (draft-based) | Adobe XD: N/A
Figma: Community plugins only | Adobe XD: N/A
Figma: Interactions, conditional logic, component states, animations, flows | Adobe XD: 12+ (including voice, drag, animation)
Figma: Enterprise-grade (variants, tokens, documentation) | Adobe XD: N/A
Figma: Yes (100% browser-native) | Adobe XD: N/A
Figma: $12 (Professional tier, free tier available) | Adobe XD: $9.99 (add-on to Creative Cloud at $54.99/month)
Figma: ~2,000 plugins | Adobe XD: 8,000+
Figma: Mac, Windows, Linux, Web | Adobe XD: Windows 10+, macOS 10.13+
Figma: Yes; built-in with live cursors, comments, and activity tracking | Adobe XD: N/A
Figma: Limited (browser-dependent) | Adobe XD: N/A
Figma: Yes, full features for 1 file | Adobe XD: Yes, limited to 1 shared prototype
Figma: Unlimited | Adobe XD: Limited to Creative Cloud team
Figma: Web + macOS + Windows + iPad | Adobe XD: macOS, Windows, Web
Figma: 300-400 before lag | Adobe XD: 400-500 before slowdown
Figma: Shared libraries with variants | Adobe XD: Shared components with variants
Figma: Advanced with variables | Adobe XD: Advanced with voice/gesture
Figma: Basic preset animations without timeline | Adobe XD: N/A
Figma: Unlimited on paid plans | Adobe XD: N/A
Figma: Dev Mode with code snippets and specs | Adobe XD: Spec export, measurement tools, CSS export (limited)
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: 2,500+ | Adobe XD: 1000+ plugins in XD ecosystem
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 | Adobe XD: N/A
Monthly Subscription Cost (Professional Plan)
Figma: $12/month (billed annually) | Adobe XD: N/A
Figma: 500+ simultaneous users | Adobe XD: 1-3 (plan dependent)
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: Unlimited, all editor tiers | Adobe XD: Native real-time co-editing
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: $0 (Free) / $12 (Pro) | Adobe XD: $9.99
Figma: Unlimited simultaneous editors | Adobe XD: Limited to shared link viewers
Figma: Good prototyping animations; not production-ready | Adobe XD: Native timeline animations with easing, delays, triggers
Figma: 1.5-2.5 hours (beginner-friendly) | Adobe XD: 4-6 hours (steeper curve)
Figma: Unlimited (Team plan) | Adobe XD: 100 documents
Figma: Any browser (Windows, macOS, Linux, iPad, web) | Adobe XD: Windows, macOS desktop only
Figma: $12 (Professional) | Adobe XD: $9.99 (Single App)
Figma: $60 (all share one license) | Adobe XD: $299.99 (5 × $9.99 × 2.5x for teams)
Figma: Basic interactions (tap, hover, drag) | Adobe XD: Full frame-based timeline with easing curves
Figma: 4 (Web, Mac, Windows, iPad) | Adobe XD: 2 (Mac, Windows only)
Figma: Limited (API for third-party imports) | Adobe XD: Native with Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects
Figma: 15 million | Adobe XD: 2+ million
Figma: Public/password-protected with comment threads | Adobe XD: Shareable links with basic feedback
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: 1,200+ community plugins | Adobe XD: 500+
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: 0GB (Figma Projects only) | Adobe XD: 2GB free
Figma: $12/month (Editor) | Adobe XD: N/A
Figma: 50+ simultaneous users | Adobe XD: N/A
Estimated Time to First Design (Beginner)
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 | Adobe XD: N/A
Team Collaboration - Simultaneous Editors
Figma: 50+ simultaneous editors | Adobe XD: N/A
Figma: No - requires external services | Adobe XD: N/A
Figma: Advanced with tokens, variables, and nested components | Adobe XD: Shared symbols, component variants, design libraries
Figma: Limited to Dev Mode specs; no automated code generation | Adobe XD: N/A
Figma: 5,000+ plugins available | Adobe XD: ~300 official and community plugins
Figma: Unlimited (cloud-based) | Adobe XD: Unlimited (desktop app)
Figma: 50-150ms (true real-time) | Adobe XD: 500-1500ms (async-based)
Figma: Limited offline editing (browser cache) | Adobe XD: Full offline editing with cloud sync
Professional Design Tool Market Share (2025)
Figma: Third-party plugins only; no native Adobe integration | Adobe XD: Native two-way sync with Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects
Average Time to Proficiency for New Users
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 concurrent editors per file | Adobe XD: 1 editor at a time per file (cloud sync only)
Figma: 3 editable files (unlimited view-only) | Adobe XD: 0 (subscription required)
Figma: 130+ community plugins available | Adobe XD: 30+ official integrations
Figma: Basic transitions and interactions | Adobe XD: Advanced auto-animate with easing, delays, and frame-by-frame control
Figma: Full variants support with auto-layout and smart selection | Adobe XD: Symbols with basic override capabilities
Figma: 12+ million monthly active users | Adobe XD: 2-3 million monthly active users (estimated)
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 | Adobe XD: N/A
Figma: N/A | 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 | Adobe XD: Windows and macOS
Figma: N/A | Adobe XD: Yes (cloud-native)
Figma: N/A | Adobe XD: Repeat Grid with constraints
Cloud Storage Included (Free Plan/Trial)
Figma: N/A | Adobe XD: 2 GB with free Creative Cloud account
Market Share Among UI/UX Designers (2024)
Figma: N/A | 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: 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
Total Monthly Cost (with Required Services)
Figma: N/A | Adobe XD: $54.49 (Creative Cloud)
Figma: N/A | Adobe XD: 5+ simultaneous users
Figma: N/A | Adobe XD: CSS measurements and specs panel
Figma: N/A | Adobe XD: $12.99/month standalone
Figma: N/A | 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)
Performance on Large Files (100+ Artboards)
Figma: N/A | 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: 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: Professional: Pen tool, Boolean operations, gradient editor, mesh transform
Figma: N/A | Adobe XD: 20-30 hours for proficiency
Figma: N/A | Adobe XD: 200+ integrations (Creative Cloud native)
Monthly Subscription Cost (Individual Plan)
Figma: N/A | 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: Cloud-based shared libraries with design tokens
Figma: N/A | Adobe XD: Native, unlimited collaborators
Figma: N/A | Adobe XD: Advanced: 12+ animation types including voice/scroll-trigger
Figma: N/A | 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
How to choose between Figma and Adobe XD
Figma vs Adobe XD — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for Figma vs Adobe XD. Contains 272 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
Figma vs Adobe XD — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Figma vs Adobe XD.
Can multiple people edit the same Figma file simultaneously?
Yes, Figma's core strength is real-time multiplayer collaboration. Unlimited team members can edit the same file at once, seeing live cursors, selections, and comments in real-time. Adobe XD does not support simultaneous editing; only one person can edit a file at a time, though you can share files via cloud for sequential work.
Is Adobe XD worth it if I'm not already on Creative Cloud?
No. At $64.98/month (XD + Creative Cloud), it's significantly more expensive than Figma Professional at $12/month. You'd only justify this cost if you need Photoshop/Illustrator integration or advanced animation features that XD uniquely offers. For teams, Figma is more cost-effective.
Which tool has better animation and prototyping capabilities?
Adobe XD has superior animation features with its auto-animate technology, allowing frame-by-frame animation with easing curves, timing controls, and timeline playback. Figma's animation is more basic (simple interactions and transitions). Choose XD if complex, high-fidelity prototypes are critical.
Figma has limited offline support through browser cache, but you cannot reliably edit offline without internet. Adobe XD offers full offline editing capability with automatic cloud sync when reconnected. If offline access is essential, XD is the better choice.
Which platform is better for design systems and component management?
Figma excels here with component variants, auto-layout, and intelligent library updates that automatically propagate across all files. Adobe XD uses symbols with manual overrides, making it harder to manage large-scale design systems. Figma is the clear winner for design system-heavy workflows.
How to Choose Between Figma and Adobe XD
Collaboration Model: Figma has Real-time multiplayer with live cursors, comments, and version history, while Adobe XD has Limited collaboration via cloud documents; requires manual file sharing.
Pricing (Monthly Individual): Figma has $12/month (Professional) or free tier available, while Adobe XD has $9.99/month (with Creative Cloud subscription at $54.99/month).
Prototype Animation Features: Figma has Basic interactions and transitions, while Adobe XD has Advanced auto-animate with easing curves and timeline controls.
Installation Required: Figma has Browser-based, no installation needed, while Adobe XD has Desktop application required for full functionality.
Design System Management: Figma has Component variants, auto-layout, and shared libraries with team sync, while Adobe XD has Asset libraries and symbols with manual updates.
Integration Ecosystem: Figma has 130+ third-party integrations via Figma plugins, while Adobe XD has 30+ integrations, tighter Adobe ecosystem integration.
Learning Curve for Teams: Figma has Faster adoption due to browser access and intuitive interface, while Adobe XD has Steeper for non-Adobe users; easier for Creative Cloud subscribers.