Sketch dominates macOS design workflows with superior performance and a mature plugin ecosystem, while Adobe XD offers cross-platform access (Windows/Mac), better prototyping tools, and integration with the Adobe Creative Suite for teams already invested in that ecosystem.
Sketch vs Adobe XD — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
macOS-native vector design tool built for rapid UI/UX prototyping with extensive plugin support.
Cross-platform design and prototyping software with advanced interactive animations and Creative Cloud integration.
Platform Availability. Monthly Subscription Cost. Plugin Ecosystem. Prototyping Capabilities. Creative Cloud Integration. Real-time Collaboration. Performance on Large Files (100+ artboards)
Choose Sketch if you're a Mac-exclusive design team that values performance, extensive plugins, and cost savings with a mature feature set. Choose Adobe XD if you need cross-platform access, advanced prototyping with auto-animate, seamless Creative Cloud integration, or are building a design system across Windows and Mac teams.
Sketch: macOS only | Adobe XD: macOS, Windows, Web
Sketch: $120/year ($10/month) | Adobe XD: N/A
Sketch: 3 (Mac, Windows, Web) | Adobe XD: N/A
Sketch: Basic (plugin-dependent) | Adobe XD: N/A
Sketch: Limited (requires Cloud plugin, up to 5 free) | Adobe XD: Unlimited native support
Sketch: Excellent - minimal lag | Adobe XD: N/A
Sketch: Native support with libraries | Adobe XD: Shared symbols, component variants, design libraries
Sketch: macOS only | Adobe XD: Windows and macOS
Sketch: No (third-party workarounds) | Adobe XD: Yes (cloud-native)
Sketch: Advanced Auto Layout (2021+) | Adobe XD: Repeat Grid with constraints
Sketch: 5-6 basic interactions (tap, click, scroll) | Adobe XD: 12+ (including voice, drag, animation)
Cloud Storage Included (Free Plan/Trial)
Sketch: Paid plans only | Adobe XD: 2 GB with free Creative Cloud account
Market Share Among UI/UX Designers (2024)
Sketch: Full interactive prototyping with animations and states | Adobe XD: N/A
Sketch: Mac desktop, Web (limited features) | Adobe XD: Desktop primary (Windows, Mac)
Sketch: 14-day free trial only; no free plan | Adobe XD: N/A
Sketch: Partner integrations (photos/icons sold separately) | Adobe XD: N/A
Monthly Subscription Cost (Professional Plan)
Sketch: $8.25/user (yearly: $99) | Adobe XD: N/A
Sketch: Shared libraries, comments, version history (async) | Adobe XD: N/A
Sketch: 1,200+ plugins | Adobe XD: 400+ plugins
Sketch: Not included; requires third-party services | Adobe XD: N/A
Sketch: Requires third-party plugins (e.g., Figma-to-React) | Adobe XD: N/A
Sketch: Symbols, shared styles, nested components (established) | Adobe XD: N/A
Sketch: macOS, Windows, Web (recently improved) | Adobe XD: N/A
Sketch: No (third-party workarounds) | Adobe XD: N/A
Sketch: Advanced (interactions, animations, states) | Adobe XD: N/A
Sketch: No (proprietary) | Adobe XD: N/A
Sketch: $144 (Sketch Standard annual) | Adobe XD: N/A
Sketch: macOS only (with web viewing limitations) | Adobe XD: N/A
Sketch: Optimized for 100+ artboards without lag | Adobe XD: N/A
Sketch: None (requires third-party plugin integrations) | Adobe XD: N/A
Sketch: Extensive plugin ecosystem with 500+ integrations | Adobe XD: N/A
Market Share Among Professional Designers
Sketch: ~70% (industry standard for UI/UX teams) | Adobe XD: N/A
Sketch: $12-14/month | Adobe XD: $14.99/month (Creative Cloud single app)
Sketch: Basic (clickable prototypes only) | Adobe XD: Advanced (35+ triggers, animations, voice)
Sketch: 4,000 x 4,000 pixels | Adobe XD: 32,000 x 32,000 pixels
Sketch: Manual management (requires Sketch 90+) | Adobe XD: Native with library sync
Sketch: Full support with readable output | Adobe XD: Full support with clean code
Sketch: $12 | Adobe XD: $9.99 standalone or $54.99 (Creative Cloud)
Sketch: $144 (subscription) or $99 (one-time) | Adobe XD: N/A
Sketch: No free tier | Adobe XD: Yes, limited to 1 shared prototype
Sketch: Requires workarounds | Adobe XD: Limited to Creative Cloud team
Sketch: 800+ without degradation | Adobe XD: 400-500 before slowdown
Sketch: Shared symbols with nesting | Adobe XD: Shared components with variants
Sketch: Advanced with animations | Adobe XD: Advanced with voice/gesture
Sketch: 15 concurrent users | Adobe XD: N/A
Sketch: 8+ years of resources | Adobe XD: N/A
Sketch: Proprietary/Closed | Adobe XD: N/A
Sketch: Advanced (Symbols, Shared Styles, Tokens) | Adobe XD: N/A
Sketch: $12 | Adobe XD: $9.99 (standalone) or $54.99 (full Creative Cloud)
Sketch: Basic (transitions, drag triggers) | Adobe XD: Advanced (auto-animate, voice, speech recognition)
Sketch: Yes (Slack integration only) | Adobe XD: Yes (built-in, voice/video chat)
Performance on Large Files (100+ Artboards)
Sketch: Excellent (instant load) | Adobe XD: Good (occasional lag reported)
Sketch: None (third-party workarounds) | Adobe XD: Native (Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere)
Sketch: No (30-day trial only) | Adobe XD: Yes (limited free tier)
Sketch: N/A | Adobe XD: Up to 5 concurrent editors
Sketch: N/A | Adobe XD: Design tokens with Creative Cloud sync
Sketch: N/A | Adobe XD: AI-assisted design with enhanced prototyping
Sketch: N/A | Adobe XD: Optimized desktop performance for large files
Sketch: N/A | Adobe XD: 12,957 customers
Sketch: N/A | Adobe XD: Full co-editing support
Sketch: N/A | Adobe XD: Native AI capabilities included
Sketch: N/A | Adobe XD: Automatic responsive resizing
Sketch: N/A | Adobe XD: Native design systems included
Sketch: N/A | Adobe XD: General prototyping
Monthly Subscription Cost (Single Editor)
Sketch: N/A | Adobe XD: $9.99 standalone
Sketch: N/A | Adobe XD: Windows, macOS, iPad
Sketch: N/A | Adobe XD: Performance issues above 500MB
Sketch: N/A | Adobe XD: Full offline support
Sketch: N/A | Adobe XD: CSS/SVG export, design specs
Sketch: N/A | Adobe XD: $119.88/year standalone
Sketch: N/A | Adobe XD: Limited (comments only, not full co-editing)
Sketch: N/A | Adobe XD: Yes (Windows/Mac application)
Sketch: N/A | Adobe XD: Native with Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects
Total Monthly Cost (with Required Services)
Sketch: N/A | Adobe XD: $54.49 (Creative Cloud)
Sketch: N/A | Adobe XD: Native timeline animations with easing, delays, triggers
Sketch: N/A | Adobe XD: 5+ simultaneous users
Sketch: N/A | Adobe XD: Native Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects integration
Sketch: N/A | Adobe XD: CSS measurements and specs panel
Sketch: N/A | Adobe XD: 2-3 concurrent editors before slowdown
Sketch: N/A | Adobe XD: No free tier; 7-day free trial only
Sketch: N/A | Adobe XD: Limited variant support (main + 1-2 states)
Sketch: N/A | Adobe XD: 19% among design teams
Sketch: N/A | Adobe XD: Full offline mode; all features available
Sketch: N/A | Adobe XD: Basic transitions and timing; 8 interaction types
Sketch: N/A | Adobe XD: Not applicable (no free tier)
Sketch: N/A | Adobe XD: Limited to shared link viewers
Sketch: N/A | Adobe XD: 4-6 hours (steeper curve)
Sketch: N/A | Adobe XD: Windows, macOS desktop only
Sketch: N/A | Adobe XD: $9.99 (Single App)
Sketch: N/A | Adobe XD: $299.99 (5 × $9.99 × 2.5x for teams)
Sketch: N/A | Adobe XD: Limited to license holders
Sketch: N/A | Adobe XD: Full frame-based timeline with easing curves
Sketch: N/A | Adobe XD: 2 (Mac, Windows only)
Sketch: N/A | Adobe XD: Shareable links with basic feedback
How to choose between Sketch and Adobe XD
Sketch vs Adobe XD — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for Sketch vs Adobe XD. Contains 129 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
Sketch vs Adobe XD — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Sketch vs Adobe XD.
No, Sketch is exclusive to macOS. There is no native Windows version or web version. If you need cross-platform support, Adobe XD is the better choice as it runs on Windows, macOS, and web browsers.
Which tool has better prototyping capabilities?
Adobe XD has significantly more advanced prototyping features, including auto-animate (automatically transitions between states), voice triggers, and speech recognition. Sketch's prototyping is more basic, limited to simple transitions and drag triggers. For interactive prototypes, XD is superior.
Sketch is cheaper at $12/month (annual plan) or $20/month (monthly). Adobe XD standalone costs $9.99/month, but most users need Creative Cloud integration, which costs $54.99/month. If you're already paying for Creative Cloud, XD is effectively free to add.
Sketch has a significantly larger plugin ecosystem with 2,000+ plugins available through the Sketch Runner community marketplace. Adobe XD has around 500 plugins. If plugin extensibility is critical to your workflow, Sketch offers more options.
Does Adobe XD work well with Photoshop and Illustrator?
Yes, Adobe XD has native integration with the Creative Cloud suite. You can import Photoshop and Illustrator files directly, share libraries, and maintain design consistency across tools. Sketch has no native Creative Cloud integration, though third-party tools like Figma Bridge offer workarounds.
How to Choose Between Sketch and Adobe XD
Platform Availability: Sketch has macOS only, while Adobe XD has macOS + Windows + Web.
Monthly Subscription Cost: Sketch has $12/month (annual) or $20/month, while Adobe XD has $9.99/month (Creative Cloud) or free limited version.
Plugin Ecosystem: Sketch has 2,000+ plugins (Sketch Runner ecosystem), while Adobe XD has 500+ plugins.
Prototyping Capabilities: Sketch has Basic interactions & transitions, while Adobe XD has Advanced auto-animate, voice triggers, advanced transitions.
Creative Cloud Integration: Sketch has Limited (no native integration), while Adobe XD has Native integration with Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere.
Real-time Collaboration: Sketch has Yes (via Slack, limited features), while Adobe XD has Yes (full-featured, built-in, voice/video).
Consider: Performance on Large Files (100+ artboards)
Performance on Large Files (100+ artboards): Sketch has Excellent stability, while Adobe XD has Occasional lag reported.