Figma is a cloud-based collaborative design tool accessible via browser, while Sketch is a Mac-only desktop application focused on UI/UX design. Figma has 40% lower upfront costs and built-in real-time collaboration, making it the modern standard for remote teams.
Figma vs Sketch — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Cloud-based collaborative design platform for UI/UX design, prototyping, and design systems with real-time multiplayer editing.
Mac-native design tool specializing in UI/UX design with robust plugin support.
Platform Availability. Annual Subscription Cost (per editor). Real-Time Collaboration. Plugin Ecosystem Size. Learning Curve (hours to proficiency). Market Share (Design Tools, 2025). Offline Functionality
Choose Figma if you need a cross-platform solution, work with distributed teams, and prioritize real-time collaboration and cost efficiency. Choose Sketch if you're Mac-exclusive, value a mature plugin ecosystem, prefer desktop performance, and don't require seamless cloud collaboration.
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: Limited (read-only) | 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: Mac, Windows, Linux, Web | Sketch: macOS only
Figma: Native (built-in) | 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: Native, unlimited users | Sketch: Plugin-based, additional cost
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: 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: Interactive prototyping only, no native keyframe animation | 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: 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: Native support with libraries
Figma: N/A | Sketch: 1000+ third-party plugins
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: Advanced design tokens with shared libraries
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 219 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
Figma vs Sketch — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Figma vs Sketch.
Can Sketch users and Figma users collaborate on the same project?
No. Figma and Sketch are separate platforms without native interoperability. However, designs can be exported as SVG or PDF for sharing. Some teams use plugins like Sketch Cloud or third-party tools for limited integration, but true real-time collaboration requires both teams to use the same platform.
Is Figma free for personal projects or students?
Yes. Figma offers a free tier with unlimited projects, 3 editable files, basic prototyping, and 1 collaborative team member. Students and educators qualify for 50% off paid plans. Sketch does not offer a free tier but provides a 30-day free trial.
Why is Sketch faster than Figma for large design files?
Sketch runs natively on macOS, leveraging system resources directly, while Figma runs in a browser with web rendering limitations. Sketch can handle files up to 1GB+ without performance degradation, whereas Figma shows lag with files over 500MB due to browser memory constraints and cloud synchronization overhead.
Which tool is better for design systems?
Figma has a slight edge for design systems due to its built-in team collaboration, version control, and shared component libraries with real-time updates across teams. Sketch's plugin ecosystem (Abstract, Zeplin) provides excellent design system tools, but requires additional third-party subscriptions and setup, adding $15-30/month per team member.
No. Sketch is Mac-exclusive with no Windows version. Windows users must use Figma, Adobe XD, or Penpot. Some Sketch files can be imported into Figma for Windows access, but this requires conversion and may lose some design fidelity.
Platform Availability: Figma has Web-based (Windows, Mac, Linux), while Sketch has Mac desktop only.
Consider: Annual Subscription Cost (per editor)
Annual Subscription Cost (per editor): Figma has $180/year ($15/month), while Sketch has $299/year (~$25/month).
Real-Time Collaboration: Figma has Built-in, unlimited collaborators, while Sketch has Requires third-party plugins.
Plugin Ecosystem Size: Figma has 1,200+ community plugins, while Sketch has 3,500+ plugins available.
Consider: Learning Curve (hours to proficiency)
Learning Curve (hours to proficiency): Figma has 8-12 hours, while Sketch has 6-10 hours.
Consider: Market Share (Design Tools, 2025)
Market Share (Design Tools, 2025): Figma has 42% of professional designers, while Sketch has 18% of professional designers.
Offline Functionality: Figma has Limited (browser-dependent), while Sketch has Full offline support.