Figma is a browser-based design tool that has largely replaced Sketch with real-time collaboration. Sketch is a Mac-only native app. Figma has 4M+ users and has become the industry standard for UI/UX design teams. Sketch is still loved by solo Mac designers.
Figma vs Sketch — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Cloud-based collaborative design and prototyping platform with real-time multiplayer editing.
Mac-native design tool specializing in UI/UX design with robust plugin support.
Platform. Real-time Collaboration. Market Share. Offline Use. Price
Figma has won the UI design market. Sketch remains viable for Mac-only designers but lacks Figma's collaboration and cross-platform access.
Figma: $10.53-13.8 billion (public) | Sketch: N/A
Figma: 9x-35x (varies by metric) | Sketch: N/A
Figma: Public (NASDAQ: FIG) | Sketch: N/A
Figma: Enterprise Design Teams | Sketch: N/A
Figma: Advanced multiplayer editing | Sketch: N/A
Figma: Built-in real-time collaboration | Sketch: N/A
Figma: Sites CMS beta (200 items) | Sketch: N/A
Figma: Variables, components, tokens | Sketch: N/A
Figma: Requires external hosting | Sketch: N/A
Figma: Dev Mode with inspection | Sketch: N/A
Figma: Unlimited (per plan) | Sketch: N/A
Figma: Cloud-only, no self-hosting | Sketch: No
Figma: Voice-to-text, Make controls, question cards, design suggestions | Sketch: N/A
Figma: Closed source | Sketch: No (proprietary)
Figma: 5,000+ plugins and integrations | Sketch: 1,200+ plugins
Figma: Unlimited with live cursors | Sketch: N/A
Figma: Web browser + Desktop (Windows, Mac, Linux) | Sketch: Mac desktop, Web (limited features)
Figma: Master Variables with full version control | Sketch: N/A
Figma: Limited (separate ecosystem) | Sketch: N/A
Figma: Voice-to-text, Make features, automation | Sketch: N/A
Figma: Browser-dependent, can slow with 1000+ frames | Sketch: N/A
Monthly Subscription Cost (Single Editor)
Figma: Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android | Sketch: N/A
Figma: Performance issues above 2GB | Sketch: N/A
Figma: Limited offline, primarily cloud-based | Sketch: N/A
Figma: Advanced design specs, Dev Mode, code generation | Sketch: N/A
Figma: Intermediate (basic flows, transitions) | Sketch: N/A
Figma: 500+ (performance degrades) | Sketch: N/A
Figma: Generous (3 projects, 2GB) | Sketch: N/A
Figma: Unlimited simultaneous editors | Sketch: N/A
Starter Plan Monthly Cost (Annual Billing)
Figma: Four-tier with seat types (Full, Dev, Collab) | Sketch: N/A
Figma: Industry-leading precision tools | Sketch: N/A
Figma: Excellent for design workflows | Sketch: N/A
Figma: Basic design assistance | Sketch: N/A
Figma: 15+ concurrent editors (unlimited) | Sketch: N/A
Figma: Yes (full collaborative design) | Sketch: N/A
Figma: Advanced variables system with 20+ variant combinations per component | Sketch: N/A
Figma: 71% among design teams | Sketch: N/A
Figma: Read-only after 30 days; requires internet for editing | Sketch: Full design support
Figma: Advanced auto-animate, conditional logic, 35+ interaction types | Sketch: N/A
Figma: 30 days of version history | Sketch: N/A
Figma: Unlimited (draft-based) | Sketch: N/A
Figma: Community plugins only | Sketch: N/A
Figma: Interactions, conditional logic, component states, animations, flows | Sketch: 5-6 basic interactions (tap, click, scroll)
Figma: Enterprise-grade (variants, tokens, documentation) | Sketch: N/A
Figma: Yes (100% browser-native) | Sketch: N/A
Figma: $12/month (Figma Starter) or $80/month (Professional) | Sketch: $12
Figma: Mac, Windows, Linux, Web | Sketch: macOS only
Figma: Yes; built-in with live cursors, comments, and activity tracking | Sketch: Not supported
Figma: Limited (browser-dependent) | Sketch: Full support
Figma: Unlimited | Sketch: 30 days (local)
Figma: Yes, full features for 1 file | Sketch: No free tier
Figma: Unlimited | Sketch: Requires workarounds
Figma: Web + macOS + Windows + iPad | Sketch: macOS, Windows (beta)
Figma: 300-400 before lag | Sketch: 800+ without degradation
Figma: Shared libraries with variants | Sketch: Shared symbols with nesting
Figma: Advanced with variables | Sketch: Advanced with animations
Figma: Basic preset animations without timeline | Sketch: N/A
Figma: Unlimited on paid plans | Sketch: N/A
Figma: Dev Mode with code snippets and specs | Sketch: N/A
Figma: Component versioning in main product | Sketch: N/A
Figma: $12 per editor/month | Sketch: N/A
Figma: Unlimited on any plan | Sketch: N/A
Figma: Full (interactions, animations, variants) | Sketch: N/A
Figma: Optimal up to 5,000 artboards | Sketch: N/A
Figma: 61% of design professionals | Sketch: N/A
Figma: 70% of professional design teams | Sketch: N/A
Figma: No built-in hosting | Sketch: N/A
Figma: 2000+ official plugins and integrations | Sketch: N/A
Monthly Subscription Cost (Professional Plan)
Figma: $12/month (billed annually) | Sketch: $8.25/user (yearly: $99)
Figma: 500+ simultaneous users | Sketch: N/A
Figma: 40-60% (design to code via plugins) | Sketch: N/A
Figma: Basic interactions, limited keyframe animation | Sketch: N/A
Figma: Variables, tokens, component library, extensive version control | Sketch: N/A
Figma: Unlimited, all editor tiers | Sketch: Plugin-based, additional cost
Figma: Basic interactions (6/10) | Sketch: N/A
Figma: Good with plugins (7/10) | Sketch: N/A
Figma: Full Variables system with token export | Sketch: Advanced design tokens with shared libraries
Figma: 3 files maximum, unlimited pages per file, basic prototyping, browser-based | Sketch: N/A
Figma: 50,000+ community templates | Sketch: N/A
Figma: 10+ simultaneous editors with live cursors | Sketch: N/A
Figma: 0 (third-party integrations available) | Sketch: N/A
Figma: Components, variables, tokens, auto-layout, design tokens management | Sketch: Advanced (Symbols, Shared Styles, Tokens)
Figma: Limited AI—mostly design optimization and naming suggestions | Sketch: N/A
Figma: $0 (Free) / $12 (Pro) | Sketch: N/A
Figma: Good prototyping animations; not production-ready | Sketch: N/A
Figma: 1.5-2.5 hours (beginner-friendly) | Sketch: N/A
Figma: Unlimited (Team plan) | Sketch: N/A
Figma: Any browser (Windows, macOS, Linux, iPad, web) | Sketch: N/A
Figma: $60 (all share one license) | Sketch: N/A
Figma: Basic interactions (tap, hover, drag) | Sketch: N/A
Figma: 4 (Web, Mac, Windows, iPad) | Sketch: N/A
Figma: Limited (API for third-party imports) | Sketch: N/A
Figma: Public/password-protected with comment threads | Sketch: N/A
Figma: Professional (boolean ops, advanced paths) | Sketch: N/A
Figma: None (external sources required) | Sketch: N/A
Figma: 3 (Windows, Mac, Linux) | Sketch: 1 (Mac only)
Figma: 1,200+ community plugins | Sketch: 3,500+ plugins
Figma: 500 MB (optimal) | Sketch: 1,000+ MB
Figma: Unlimited viewers + 1 editor | Sketch: N/A
Figma: 1,000+ plugins via Figma API | Sketch: N/A
Figma: No (design tool only) | Sketch: N/A
Figma: 0GB (Figma Projects only) | Sketch: Limited free tier (projects only)
Figma: 50+ simultaneous users | Sketch: N/A
Estimated Time to First Design (Beginner)
Figma: 120-480 minutes (2-8 hours) | Sketch: N/A
Figma: Advanced: conditional flows, variables, component variants, design tokens | Sketch: N/A
Figma: Enterprise-grade: design tokens, branching, versioning, token management | Sketch: N/A
Figma: Unlimited simultaneous editors per team | Sketch: N/A
Figma: Figma native format, exports to PNG, SVG, PDF, CSS, JSON | Sketch: N/A
Figma: 2-3 seconds (cloud-based, depends on internet) | Sketch: N/A
Figma: 3/10 - basic selection and fill tools; not optimized for photo work | Sketch: N/A
Figma: 9/10 - native component systems, design tokens, auto-layout, prototyping | Sketch: N/A
Team Collaboration - Simultaneous Editors
Figma: 50+ simultaneous editors | Sketch: N/A
Figma: No - requires external services | Sketch: N/A
Figma: Advanced with tokens, variables, and nested components | Sketch: Native support with libraries
Figma: Limited to Dev Mode specs; no automated code generation | Sketch: N/A
Figma: 5,000+ plugins available | Sketch: 1000+ third-party plugins
Figma: 30,000+ frames per file | Sketch: N/A
Figma: N/A | Sketch: $120/year ($10/month)
Figma: N/A | Sketch: 3 (Mac, Windows, Web)
Figma: N/A | Sketch: Basic (plugin-dependent)
Figma: N/A | Sketch: Limited (requires Cloud plugin, up to 5 free)
Figma: N/A | Sketch: Excellent - minimal lag
Figma: N/A | Sketch: No (third-party workarounds)
Figma: N/A | Sketch: Advanced Auto Layout (2021+)
Cloud Storage Included (Free Plan/Trial)
Market Share Among UI/UX Designers (2024)
Figma: N/A | Sketch: Full interactive prototyping with animations and states
Figma: N/A | Sketch: 14-day free trial only; no free plan
Figma: N/A | Sketch: Partner integrations (photos/icons sold separately)
Figma: N/A | Sketch: Shared libraries, comments, version history (async)
Figma: N/A | Sketch: Not included; requires third-party services
Figma: N/A | Sketch: Requires third-party plugins (e.g., Figma-to-React)
Figma: N/A | Sketch: Symbols, shared styles, nested components (established)
Figma: N/A | Sketch: macOS, Windows, Web (recently improved)
Figma: N/A | Sketch: Advanced (interactions, animations, states)
Figma: N/A | Sketch: $144 (Sketch Standard annual)
Figma: N/A | Sketch: Optimized for 100+ artboards without lag
Figma: N/A | Sketch: 0 (native); available via plugins
Market Share Among Professional Designers
Figma: N/A | Sketch: ~70% (industry standard for UI/UX teams)
Figma: N/A | Sketch: Basic (clickable prototypes only)
Figma: N/A | Sketch: 4,000 x 4,000 pixels
Figma: N/A | Sketch: Manual management (requires Sketch 90+)
Figma: N/A | Sketch: Full support with readable output
Figma: N/A | Sketch: 15 concurrent users
Figma: N/A | Sketch: 8+ years of resources
Figma: N/A | Sketch: Basic (transitions, drag triggers)
Figma: N/A | Sketch: Yes (Slack integration only)
Performance on Large Files (100+ Artboards)
Figma: N/A | Sketch: Excellent (instant load)
Figma: N/A | Sketch: None (third-party workarounds)
Figma: N/A | Sketch: No (30-day trial only)
Figma: N/A | Sketch: Limited via plugins (~5)
Figma: N/A | Sketch: Advanced with nested symbols
Figma: N/A | Sketch: Available in beta/plugins
Figma: N/A | Sketch: Requires integration (Zeplin, Abstract)
Figma: N/A | Sketch: macOS only + Web viewer
Figma: N/A | Sketch: 6-8 basic interactions
Figma: N/A | Sketch: 22% of design tools market (2024)
Figma: N/A | Sketch: 15-20 min (macOS native install)
Figma: N/A | Sketch: Limited; community-contributed
Figma: N/A | Sketch: Via plugins; file-based
Figma vs Sketch — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for Figma vs Sketch. Contains 234 attribute comparisons, 3 FAQ pairs.
Figma vs Sketch — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Figma vs Sketch.
Yes, largely. Figma has become the dominant UI design tool since ~2020, especially in teams. Sketch still has loyal solo Mac users but has lost significant market share.
Yes, Figma has a generous free tier that allows 3 projects and unlimited personal files. Teams need the $12+/user/month plan.
Can I use both Figma and Sketch together in the same project?
Yes, you can use Figma and Sketch together by exporting files from one tool and importing them into the other, though some formatting may be lost in translation. Many teams use both tools simultaneously—Sketch for detailed design work and Figma for collaborative prototyping and handoff—though this requires managing files across platforms. For seamless collaboration, most teams eventually standardize on one platform to avoid version control issues and conversion problems.
Platform: Figma has Any (browser), while Sketch has Mac only.
Real-time Collaboration: Figma has Excellent, while Sketch has Limited.
Market Share: Figma has ~80% of designers, while Sketch has ~15% of designers.
Offline Use: Figma has Limited, while Sketch has Full.
Price: Figma has Free / $12+/mo, while Sketch has $9/mo or $99/yr.