Best Design Software 2021

Figma Competitors & Alternatives

Are you considering purchasing Figma to manage your design needs? Before making the purchase, it’s best to learn about Figma’s top competitors. The four best alternatives are listed below, along with details on their features and pricing.

Figma is one of the most popular design solutions on the market today. That market, however, is competitive. Therefore, we recommend comparing Figma against its top competitors before purchasing.

There are many excellent competitors in the design space that are worth considering. Most of Figma’s top competitors offer similarly or less robust features at more affordable prices. Some, however, fall short in both of these categories.

Software CompanyAnalyst RatingFeaturesUsabilityPricingCustomer Support
Figma969.510108.5
Adobe Illustrator941098.510
Adobe Photoshop941098.510
Sketch939109.58.5
Adobe XD918.599.510
Canva93910108
Visme898.59.58.510
InVision87899.58.5
PicMonkey8689.58.59
Adobe Spark8579.5910

Throughout this article, we’ll provide an overview of the main Figma competitors and alternatives, which are:

In this guide, we examine Figma’s features and pricing, and compare these factors against competitors. To gain a better understanding of Figma as a solution, you can read our in-depth Figma review.

All of the information in this article is based upon research, discussions with small business owners, and dozens of hours spent hand-testing the leader human resource software platforms. To learn more about our research and reviews, read about our unbiased review process.

Table of Contents

Figma Features

Before we compare Figma against its competitors, it’s important to understand the features included in Figma. Figma offers features geared more towards interactive prototypes and wireframing.

The four most important features that Figma offers are described in the table below. Figma’ compliance support and unlimited payroll are its strongest features.

FeatureDescription
DesignsFigma is best for prototyping and wireframing. In this regard, it is very robust. However, we recommend alternatives like Canva or Visme if creating ready-made, well designed images and banners for your social media or small business is more important for you.
Tool KitFigma’s tool kit is built for prototypes and designers. You can customize your interface to include the exact tools and guides needed. In addition to its tools, Figma also allows you to create interactive demos of your prototypes.
CollaborationFigma’s collaboration is one of its best features. It is intuitive and easy to set up. Figma features real time editing that can be leveraged by anyone with a web browser. It is far more flexible than both Sketch and Adobe XD
Cloud StorageFigma is fully cloud-based unlike Sketch. This means that you do not need to save your own projects on your device. We recommend Figma if you and your team will be handling a vast amount of projects and files.

Figma Competitor Overview: Features

Below is a chart that compares each platform’s features and affordability. They differ primarily based on how affordable each platform is and how wide their breadth of features is.

For example, solutions like Adobe Illustrator are built more for scalable graphics creation rather than ready-made content. This presents a steep learning curve for businesses that might find solutions like Figma and Canva more suitable for their needs.

Design Competitors Feature Chart

Figma Competitor Overview: Pricing

Figma pricing starts at $12 per user per month. Monthly prices increase with more advanced features.

Here are the prices of Figma and its top competitors with additional pricing details:

Software VendorStarting Monthly Price per UserFree Trial
Adobe Illustrator$20.99Yes
Adobe Photoshop$20.99Yes
FigmaFreeYes
Sketch$9Yes
Adobe XD$9.99Yes
VismeFreeYes
InVisionFreeYes
PicMonkey$7.99Yes
Adobe Spark$9.99Yes

Top Figma Competitors

Below are one-to-one comparisons between Figma and the top alternatives. Figma is best for customers who want the most affordable all-in-one design solution built primarily for ready-made content creation. We’ve ranked Figma’s top four competitors based on their features, pricing, and usability.

#1: Sketch

Sketch is Figma’s direct competitor in regards to its target user-base and features. Although both solutions share a similar breadth of features, Sketch does not offer a free plan and is only available on Mac computers.

For more details, read our in-depth analysis of Figma vs. Sketch.

You'll prefer Figma if:

  • You want the best overall prototyping software
  • You do not need offline access
  • You do not need advanced photo editing features
You'll prefer Sketch if:

  • You are a Mac OS user
  • You are looking to collaborate strictly with other Sketch users
  • You want offline access


#2: Adobe XD

Adobe XD is another direct competitor to Figma. It is best for users who already have Adobe Creative Suite plans and want to leverage its integrations with Illustrator and Photoshop. However, we ultimately believe Figma is stronger in both its tool kit and more accessible for collaboration.

For more details, read our in-depth analysis of Figma vs. Adobe XD.

You'll prefer Figma if:

  • You want the best overall prototyping software
  • You do not need offline access
  • You do not need advanced photo editing features
You'll prefer Adobe XD if:

  • You are an Adobe Creative Cloud user
  • You are in need of affordable, paid design software
  • You want to leverage assets from Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop


#3: InVision

InVision is the weakest competitor to Figma in regards to features. Although InVision is effective and has many prototyping animations, its collaboration and workflow limitations as well as its lack of a free plan make Figma the better option.

For more details, read our in-depth analysis of Figma vs. InVision.

You'll prefer Figma if:

  • You primarily use design software for ready-made content
  • You need charts and infographics for your designs
  • You are a beginner to design software
You'll prefer Adobe Spark if:

  • You do not need collaboration features in prototyping software
  • You need access to many animations for your prototypes
  • You want interactive tutorials that help you learn prototyping software


Bottom Line

Figma is best for businesses with simple design needs that want to create and share content as easily as possible. This is especially true if you like leveraging data and infographics in your designs.

Before you make your purchase, we also suggest comparing Figma to other highly rated platforms:

  • Sketch is ideal for businesses interested in creating wireframes and prototypes with very little collaboration needs.
  • Adobe XD is ideal for businesses to create wireframes and prototypes and who already own Adobe Creative Cloud.
  • Canva is best for businesses not interested in prototyping and instead looking to create and schedule content to be posted on various social media platforms.
Yousef Fatehpour

Yousef Fatehpour is a Junior Research Analyst at SoftwarePundit. He graduated from University of California, San Diego, where he studied Human Centered Design and Communications. His work at UCSD's Design Lab emphasized UX research and product management.

Yousef's primary areas of interest are software design, user journeys, and how user experience is handled across software markets. Yousef also has experience in product design and multimedia content production. You can connect with Yousef on LinkedIn.

Yousef is an expert in several software categories including:

  • SMS marketing software
  • Document management software
  • Human resource software
  • Applicant tracking software
  • Design software

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