Design software includes features like design templates, photo editing, collaboration, and cloud storage. In today’s digital world, small businesses without a technology-enabled approach to graphic and social media design are falling behind.

This article will discuss the differences between two of the largest players in this space: Figma and Sketch. We’ll discuss the notable strengths and weaknesses of each tool, and provide recommendations for who each tool will suit best.

All of our recommendations are based on research, product demos with the software companies, and dozens of hours spent hand-testing design tools. More details regarding our research process can be found on our design category page.

Figma & Sketch Comparison Summary

We researched and extensively tested both Figma and Sketch. Figma received a SoftwarePundit Analyst Rating of 96 while Sketch received a rating of 93.

Here’s a breakdown of our review criteria and how Figma and Sketch performed in each category:

In terms of pricing, Figma begins at $12 per user per month, with a free plan as well. Sketch’s pricing starts at $9 per user per month.

Both solutions offer the standard features found across design tools. These include design types, tool kits, collaboration features, cloud storage, and exporting options. Both Figma and Sketch are similar in their breadth of features. Figma’s strong points are its collaboration features. Sketch’s strongest features are its user-friendly presentation and tool kit.

Overall, Figma is the best option for businesses looking to create high quality wireframes and interactive prototypes. Although Sketch is also effective, it is only available through paid plans on Mac computers, and therefore does not offer the flexible team collaboration that Figma does.

Here’s a quick breakdown of who will prefer each option:

Table of Contents

• Figma & Sketch Comparison Summary
• Figma & Sketch Price Comparison
  • Figma Pricing
  • Sketch Pricing
• Figma & Sketch Top Feature Comparison
  • Designs
  • Tool Kit
  • Collaboration
  • Cloud Storage
• Figma & Sketch Integrations
• Bottom Line

Figma & Sketch Price Comparison

Overall, Sketch is more affordable than Figma, but Figma offers a free plan. Both solutions offer more features and storage with their more expensive plans.

Figma Pricing Details

Figma pricing starts at $12 per user per month. Its starter plan comes with unlimited projects, as well as shareable team libraries.

Figma also provides a free plan with unlimited files and cloud storage.

Sketch Pricing Details

Sketch pricing starts at $9 per user per month. Its Standard plan comes with unlimited documents and projects, as well as its native Mac application.

Sketch also provides a Business plan with custom pricing for businesses with more advanced needs. Consider this option if you are in need of add-ons such as single sign-on and a dedicated customer success manager.

Figma & Sketch Feature Comparison

Overall, Figma and Sketch have a similar breadth of features.

For a full analysis of each solution’s features, read our Figma review and Sketch review.

Designs

Figma and Sketch are both built primarily for wireframing. This means that they are best for creating mockups and interactive demos. Contrast this with Canva and Visme, which are best suited for social media posts, business cards, and presentations.

Both solutions work with vector graphics. These are scalable graphics you can create and export as SVG files. Because of this, they can be used to design logos similarly to Adobe Illustrator. However, note that Illustrator is a print-friendly software that offers more features centered around this model.

Figma comes with far more templates to choose from than Sketch. In fact, Sketch comes with a very minimal amount of templates. Figma supports the following templates:

Figma not only offers an ample amount of dedicated templates on its own, but also supports community made templates that can be added in the software itself. This means that if you are new to wireframing and prototyping software, Figma’s templates will be easier and more insightful to use.

Tool Kit

Figma and Sketch’s tool kits are very similar. Both are robust solutions for prototypes and designers.

Figma’s user interface is sleek and customizable. An example of an uncustomized user interface is seen below.

Although Figma and Adobe Xd’s basic user interface is comprehensive, you can add a number of additional tweaks to modify your interface to your liking. These include:

Figma and Sketch’s fundamental tools are their Frames and Artboards.These are canvases that house your prototypes and designs. Here are some of the templates provided:

Both solutions also offer interactive prototyping capabilities. Sketch’s array of animations and connection types are similar to those of Figma.

You can also make very basic adjustments to your images in Sketch and Figma. This includes:

Although photo editing in these applications is not as robust as alternatives, we feel it does well in accommodating designers looking to make quick edits without disturbing their workflow.

Collaboration

Sketch’s collaboration is strong, but weaker than Figma's. Sketch’s real time collaboration can only be leveraged if all your team members have Mac devices. Commenting on documents is also counterintuitive.

Commenting in Figma is more flexible than Sketch. This is because you can comment in Figma’s application itself rather than in a browser like Sketch.

Cloud Storage

tch is not fully cloud-based like Figma. This means that you’ll often need to save your own projects before uploading them to the cloud, which takes up space on your harddrive. Ultimately, consider Figma if you feel you and your team will be handling a vast amount of projects and files for your business. Do note, though, that Sketch offers offline access.

Version control is strong in Sketch and Figma. In Sketch, however, you cannot add notes that specify which changes have been made. This makes restoring larger files harder in Sketch.

Integrations

Figma and Sketch both offer a number of popular integrations found in standard design software. Sketch integrates primarily with other Adobe products. Here are some of the most popular native integrations both solutions offer:

Bottom Line

Overall, Figma is the best option for businesses looking to create high quality wireframes and interactive prototypes. Although Sketch is also effective, it is only available through paid plans on Mac computers, and therefore does not offer the flexible team collaboration that Figma does.

If you’re interested, visit Figma or Sketch today to get started.