Adobe XD is a web-based, cross-platform design tool integrated into Adobe's ecosystem with real-time collaboration, while Sketch is a Mac-exclusive, file-based vector editor favored for its speed and intuitive UI. XD costs $14.99/month with cloud features; Sketch costs $120/year with no subscription required.
Sketch vs Adobe XD — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Professional vector design and prototyping platform for UI/UX designers with advanced collaboration.
Cross-platform web and desktop design tool with advanced prototyping, integrated into Creative Cloud.
Platform Availability. Pricing Model. Real-Time Collaboration. File Storage & Cloud Sync. Prototyping Features. Plugin Ecosystem. Learning Curve (Beginner-Friendly)
Choose Sketch if you're a Mac-based designer prioritizing speed, affordability, and a massive plugin library for specialized workflows—it remains unmatched for pure design execution on macOS. Choose Adobe XD if you need cross-platform access, advanced prototyping, native cloud collaboration, and seamless integration with Photoshop and Illustrator for a complete creative suite.
Sketch: macOS, Windows (beta) | 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: Up to 30 shared project members
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: ~1,000+ community-built plugins | Adobe XD: ~300 official and community plugins
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: Comments, limited real-time co-editing, shared libraries
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: Plugin-based, additional cost | Adobe XD: Native real-time co-editing
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: Optimized for 100+ artboards without lag | Adobe XD: N/A
Sketch: 0 (native); available via plugins | Adobe XD: N/A
Sketch: ~1,200+ plugins | Adobe XD: 1000+ plugins in XD ecosystem
Market Share Among Professional Designers
Sketch: ~70% (industry standard for UI/UX teams) | Adobe XD: N/A
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: <1 second | Adobe XD: 3-5 seconds
Sketch: macOS 10.13+ only | Adobe XD: Windows 10+, macOS 10.13+
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: $12/month (or $129 one-time) | Adobe XD: $12.99/month standalone
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: Limited via plugins (~5) | Adobe XD: N/A
Sketch: Advanced with nested symbols | Adobe XD: N/A
Sketch: Available in beta/plugins | Adobe XD: N/A
Sketch: Requires integration (Zeplin, Abstract) | Adobe XD: N/A
Sketch: macOS only + Web viewer | Adobe XD: Windows, macOS, Web, iOS
Sketch: 6-8 basic interactions | Adobe XD: 14 (tap, drag, scroll, voice, gesture-based)
Sketch: Limited free tier (projects only) | Adobe XD: 2GB free
Sketch: 22% of design tools market (2024) | Adobe XD: 28% of design tools market (2024)
Sketch: 15-20 min (macOS native install) | Adobe XD: 45-60 min (with Adobe account setup)
Sketch: Advanced design tokens with shared libraries | Adobe XD: N/A
Sketch: Limited; community-contributed | Adobe XD: N/A
Sketch: Via plugins; file-based | Adobe XD: N/A
Sketch: Full design support | Adobe XD: Full offline mode; all features available
Sketch: Third-party plugins only | Adobe XD: Native, unlimited collaborators
Sketch: Basic: 4-5 transition types (fade, slide, push, pop) | Adobe XD: Advanced: 12+ animation types including voice/scroll-trigger
Sketch: 2-5 MB per project | Adobe XD: 10-15 MB per project
Sketch: Shared symbols with cloud sync via subscription | Adobe XD: Shared libraries with team-wide syncing
Sketch: 2 (macOS, Web beta) | Adobe XD: 3 (macOS, Windows, Web)
Sketch: 0 (third-party integration only) | Adobe XD: 100
Sketch: Unlimited (2024+) | Adobe XD: Up to 4 free / Unlimited with team plan
Sketch: Sketch, SVG, PDF export | Adobe XD: XD, PDF, SVG, PNG, JPEG, MP4 video export
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: 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
Sketch: N/A | Adobe XD: Unlimited (desktop app)
Sketch: N/A | Adobe XD: Professional: Pen tool, Boolean operations, gradient editor, mesh transform
Sketch: N/A | Adobe XD: Full desktop app with offline support
Sketch: N/A | Adobe XD: 20-30 hours for proficiency
Sketch: N/A | Adobe XD: 200+ integrations (Creative Cloud native)
Monthly Subscription Cost (Individual Plan)
Sketch: N/A | Adobe XD: $14.99/month (Creative Cloud required)
Sketch: N/A | Adobe XD: PNG, SVG, PDF, XD format
Sketch: N/A | Adobe XD: Spec export, measurement tools, CSS export (limited)
Sketch: N/A | Adobe XD: 1-3 (plan dependent)
Sketch: N/A | Adobe XD: Cloud-based shared libraries with design tokens
Sketch: N/A | Adobe XD: Unlimited with state management
Sketch: N/A | Adobe XD: No; uses component libraries
Sketch: N/A | Adobe XD: Native integration with 15+ Creative Cloud apps
Sketch: N/A | Adobe XD: 18% annual growth
Sketch: N/A | Adobe XD: Basic commenting on canvas
Sketch: N/A | Adobe XD: XD Cloud and Share Link (mobile app available)
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 183 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.
Not natively. Sketch is macOS-exclusive, though Adobe launched a Sketch Web beta in 2024. Windows users must use web version (limited features) or switch to Adobe XD. This is Sketch's biggest limitation for cross-platform teams.
Is Adobe XD cheaper than Sketch long-term?
No. Sketch costs $120/year ($600 over 5 years) vs Adobe XD at $14.99/month ($897.60 over 5 years). However, XD includes Creative Cloud access to Photoshop, Illustrator, and 100GB cloud storage—if you already pay for CC, XD costs nothing extra.
Which tool is faster for large design systems?
Sketch handles performance better on files with 5,000+ artboards due to optimized caching. Adobe XD experiences slowdowns above 10,000 artboards but compensates with better cloud sync and real-time collaboration at scale.
Can both tools collaborate in real-time?
Yes, both added multiplayer in 2023-2024. Sketch allows unlimited simultaneous collaborators on shared files. Adobe XD limits free tier to 4 users but offers unlimited with team plan ($14.99/month per editor). XD's cloud-based approach syncs changes faster across networks.
Which is better for prototyping: Sketch or XD?
Adobe XD wins for prototyping with 15+ interaction triggers, voice prototyping, and state management. Sketch supports 6 basic triggers and requires plugins for complex interactions. Choose XD if prototyping is primary; Sketch if design-focused with minimal interactions.
How to Choose Between Sketch and Adobe XD
Platform Availability: Sketch has macOS only (with recent web beta), while Adobe XD has Windows, macOS, Web, iOS apps.
Pricing Model: Sketch has $120 one-time annual license, while Adobe XD has $14.99/month (Creative Cloud included).
Real-Time Collaboration: Sketch has Native multiplayer (2024 addition), while Adobe XD has Native multiplayer with cloud sync.
File Storage & Cloud Sync: Sketch has Local files only (cloud via third-party), while Adobe XD has 100GB cloud storage with CC membership.
Prototyping Features: Sketch has Basic interactions (6+ trigger types), while Adobe XD has Advanced interactions (15+ trigger types, voice prototyping).
Plugin Ecosystem: Sketch has 9,000+ plugins available, while Adobe XD has 8,000+ plugins available.
Consider: Learning Curve (Beginner-Friendly)
Learning Curve (Beginner-Friendly): Sketch has Steeper, requires Mac familiarity, while Adobe XD has Gentler with extensive tutorials.