Clear choices beat tool fatigue when deadlines keep moving. In most teams, Figma vs Sketch comes down to collaboration, platform reach, and how design systems scale across files.
The short version stays practical: Figma centralizes real-time work across operating systems, while Sketch optimizes speed and control on macOS.
What Is Sketch
Sketch is a macOS design application focused on vector UI creation, launched in 2010 and widely adopted after an Apple Design Award in 2012.
Interface conventions feel familiar to designers, and symbol workflows remain efficient for large libraries. Native performance benefits complex vector editing on modern Macs. Teams that prefer local files and curated plugins tend to keep Sketch at the center of their workflow.
What Is Figma
Figma is a cloud-first interface design platform introduced in 2016 that runs in a browser or desktop app across macOS, Windows, and Linux. Real-time coediting mirrors the feel of collaborative documents, while share settings and comments streamline feedback loops.
Components, variants, and design libraries travel cleanly between files, which helps system owners police consistency across product surfaces.
Figma vs Sketch: Key Differences
Real decisions hinge on shared files, platform constraints, and how prototypes move to development. This section frames the comparison where teams spend most hours: collaboration, access, features, and performance.
Collaboration and Real-Time Work
Real-time collaboration remains Figma’s defining strength. Multiple editors can work in the same file, comment in context, and hand over for developer inspection without exporting intermediate files. Stakeholders can review safely as viewers, while owners keep edits restricted to named editors.
Sketch supports collaboration through Sketch for Teams and its Cloud workspace, which adds comments and shared libraries. Large organizations can achieve parity through additional tools, yet the setup typically relies on plugins and process rules to match Figma’s immediacy for coediting.
Platform Support and Access
Figma runs on macOS, Windows, and Linux via the browser or desktop app, simplifying mixed-device environments and contractor access. Offline work exists in the desktop apps for core actions, though full parity depends on network sync.
Sketch runs on macOS only.
Cross-platform teams can still review via Cloud, but full editing requires Macs. For Mac-exclusive studios, this limitation disappears, and native focus can be an advantage.
Features and Prototyping
Figma bundles interactive components, variants, auto layout, and built-in prototyping that handles overlays, device frames, and scrolling. This reduces dependency on external tools for click-throughs and motion basics.
Sketch ships strong vector editing and a robust symbol system. Advanced interactivity often comes through plugins or adjacent apps. Teams that prefer modular stacks can continue using specialized prototyping tools while keeping Sketch for core UI work.
Performance and File Handling
Large boards and dense component sets perform well in both tools when projects are structured deliberately. Figma remains responsive for most mid-sized files, though extremely heavy canvases can feel slower in older browsers or network-constrained environments.
Sketch leverages native performance on Apple silicon, which many designers report as smoother for complex vector edits, high-zoom precision, and large export batches.
Feature Snapshot In One Table
Choosing quickly sometimes needs a side-by-side view. The table below condenses the most discussed points for first-pass evaluation.
| Area | Figma | Sketch |
| Collaboration | Real-time coediting, comments, viewer/editor roles | Cloud workspace, comments, no native simultaneous editing |
| Platform | macOS, Windows, Linux via browser or desktop app | macOS only, Cloud for review |
| Prototyping | Built-in flows, overlays, device frames | Basic flows, deeper interactivity via plugins |
| Design Systems | Components, variants, libraries, token-friendly styles | Symbols, shared libraries, maturing style options |
| Performance | Strong in browser and desktop; network impacts sync | Very fast on modern Macs for complex vectors |
Plugins and Extensions
Most teams eventually extend core features. Figma’s marketplace integrates inside the app, which makes finding and installing tools a lightweight step. Popular categories include content generators, accessibility checks, localization helpers, and design token utilities.
Sketch has the deepest historical plugin ecosystem, including layout tools, asset management, and developer handoff integrations. Power users often curate a set of maintained plugins to stabilize upgrades.
Strong plugin hygiene matters in both tools, since abandoned extensions can introduce friction during version changes.
Design Systems and Reusability
Consistent UI comes from reusable building blocks and clear naming. Figma components support variants for states and sizes, while auto layout keeps responsive behavior predictable. Library publishing and permissions help system owners manage adoption across product teams.
Sketch symbols enable efficient reuse and still appeal to designers who like tightly controlled overrides.
Shared libraries support scale, and recent improvements make style editing more flexible than early releases. In both tools, disciplined naming, token alignment, and guidance documents drive more value than any single feature.
Prototyping and Developer Handoff
Clickable prototypes serve research, stakeholder buy-in, and dev alignment. Figma’s built-in prototyping covers common flows, transitions, and overlays inside the same file used for design, which shortens context switching.
Inspect mode exposes measurements, constraints, and CSS-like properties without exporting to a separate handoff app. Sketch provides basic prototyping and relies on Cloud or plugins for richer flows and handoff.
Many teams connect Sketch to platforms like Zeplin or Storybook pipelines, which works well when engineering already standardizes on those tools. The best path depends on how product, research, and engineering prefer to review and implement changes.
Pricing and Licensing
Budgets vary across freelancers, agencies, and enterprise teams. Figma offers a free tier for individuals and paid plans that unlock multi-editor collaboration, advanced permissions, and organization-grade administration.
Sketch sells a macOS app license and offers monthly per-editor pricing for Sketch for Teams, which adds Cloud collaboration. Solo designers often find Sketch’s license model appealing on a single Mac, while multi-platform teams value Figma’s account-based access.
Pricing changes periodically, so procurement should verify current rates and education discounts ahead of renewals.
Where Each Tool Wins In Practice
Selecting confidently means aligning the tool to workflow constraints that won’t change next quarter. Points below map the most decisive scenarios to the product that handles them best.
- Cross-Platform Teams: Mixed macOS and Windows environments benefit from Figma’s browser access and unified permissions.
- Large, Distributed Collaboration: Real-time coediting and comments tilt the decision toward Figma for fast iteration cycles.
- Mac-Only Speed And Precision: Native performance for complex vector edits keeps Sketch attractive on modern Macs.
- Plugin-Driven Customization: Deep reliance on specialized extensions and scripted workflows continues to favor Sketch.
- All-In-One Prototyping: Built-in interactive flows and inspect tooling reduce glue software when Figma anchors the stack.
FAQs On Figma Vs Sketch
Teams ask similar questions during migrations or tool audits. This short FAQ addresses the practical ones that surface repeatedly.
Can Figma Open Sketch Files?
Import support lets you bring Sketch files into Figma for continued editing. Pages, layers, and text typically map cleanly, while symbols convert to components. Complex overrides may need a pass after import to match naming and nesting.
Do The Tools Interoperate Day To Day?
Shared SVGs, PNGs, and PDF exports move freely both ways. Component and symbol paradigms differ, so direct round-tripping inside native formats isn’t the goal. Stable handoff usually relies on exported assets, documentation, and code components maintained in a design system repository.
Which Tool Handles Offline Work Better?
Local macOS workflows in Sketch operate fully offline. Figma’s desktop apps enable core edits without a connection, then sync when online. For frequent travel or restricted networks, clear offline protocols will reduce surprises.
What About Market Share and Adoption?
Surveys since 2020 have shown strong momentum for Figma in primary-tool usage across UI work, while Sketch maintains a large installed base on macOS in agencies and product teams. Local preferences, existing libraries, and hiring pipelines still shape adoption more than headlines.
Practical Setup Tips For Teams
Smooth rollouts come from aligning the process to the tool’s strengths. Keep libraries small and purposeful to limit component bloat. Define naming and variant rules early, then publish and version libraries on a predictable cadence.
Standardize export presets for engineering and marketing to reduce asset churn. Train reviewers on comment etiquette and approval steps, since cleaner feedback loops save more time than any micro-feature.
Conclusion
Clear outcomes beat feature checklists. Figma simplifies collaboration across operating systems and centralizes prototyping and handoff in one place, which removes friction in distributed teams.
Sketch rewards Mac-focused studios that want native speed, predictable local files, and a plugin-heavy stack.
Select the tool that matches team structure, device mix, and appetite for extensions, then lock in governance around libraries and reviews. A strong process will make either platform deliver better results next quarter.
