Figma vs. Adobe XD vs. Sketch: Which is better in 2024

Figma, XD, and Sketch are three of the most popular tools for designing user interfaces (UI) and user experiences (UX). Each of these tools offers a unique set of features and capabilities that make them suitable for different types of projects.

How do you pick the best one in 2024?

Figma is a cloud-based design tool that allows multiple designers to collaborate on the same project in real-time. This makes it a great choice for design teams. Great for a group of designers that need to work together on a project and want to be able to see each other’s changes as they happen. 

Figma also has a huge design community that offers a wide range of components, templates, and plugins.

XD, on the other hand, is a tool developed by Adobe and is part of the Creative Cloud suite of products. It is primarily focused on UX design, and it offers a range of tools and features specifically tailored toward creating wireframes, prototypes, and interactive designs. 

It also integrates seamlessly with other Adobe products, making it a good choice for designers who are already familiar with Adobe’s tools and want to be able to easily transfer their designs between different programs.

Sketch is another very popular vector graphics editor that is commonly used for UI design. It offers a range of powerful features for creating and editing vector graphics. It is particularly well-suited for creating high-resolution graphics and designs that need to be scaled up or down without losing quality. 

Sketch also has a large and active community of users who share resources and tips with each other, making it a great tool for designers who want to learn from others and stay up-to-date on the latest design trends.

Let us list some of the unique features of these 3 popular design tools which will help you pick one for you.

Figma Features and capabilities

Here are some of the best things about using Figma.

Figma is a popular design tool that has many benefits, including:

1. Collaboration: Figma makes it easy for multiple people to work on a project simultaneously, allowing for seamless collaboration and faster completion of design tasks.
2. Cloud-based: Figma is entirely cloud-based, meaning you can access your designs from anywhere with an internet connection. You don’t need to worry about losing your work, as it is automatically saved in the cloud.
3. Real-time feedback: With Figma, you can receive real-time feedback on your designs from team members or stakeholders, which helps you to make changes quickly and efficiently.
4. Prototyping: Figma allows you to create interactive prototypes that simulate the final product’s functionality, helping you to test and refine your designs before development.
5. Integrations: Figma integrates with other popular design tools, such as Sketch, Adobe XD, and InVision, as well as with project management tools like Trello and Asana.

Moreover, Figma is a powerful design tool that offers many benefits, including collaborative features, cloud-based access, real-time feedback, prototyping capabilities, and integrations with other popular design and project management tools.

You can download and start experimenting with these free Figma Website templates if you want to quickly learn to use Figma.

Adobe XD Features

Adobe XD is also as popular as Figma used by designers and teams worldwide. 

Here are some features of Adobe XD that differ from Figma:

1. Prototyping: Adobe XD has advanced prototyping capabilities with the ability to create micro-interactions, auto-animate transitions, and voice commands.
2. Creative Cloud integration: Adobe XD is part of the Creative Cloud ecosystem, making it easy to collaborate with other Creative Cloud apps like Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign. In addition to its Creative Cloud integration, Adobe XD offers a range of powerful tools, including a  photo editor, a user-friendly logo maker, QR code generator, all within the Adobe Express suite of applications.
3. Design specs: Adobe XD generates design specifications that are easy to read and understand, making it simpler for developers to implement your designs.
4. Live Co-editing: Adobe XD allows for live co-editing, which enables multiple designers to work on the same project simultaneously.
5. Plugins: Adobe XD has a wide range of plugins that can be installed to extend its functionality and streamline the design process.
6. Repeat Grid: Adobe XD’s Repeat Grid feature is a powerful tool that allows designers to create multiple instances of an element with a single drag and drop.

While both tools have many similar features, Adobe XD’s advanced prototyping capabilities, Creative Cloud integration, design specs, live co-editing, and Repeat Grid feature set it apart from Figma. However, Figma’s cloud-based collaboration and real-time feedback features are some of the advantages that it has over Adobe XD.

Sketch Features and capabilities

Now, let us list some features unique to Sketch that make it different from Figma and XD:

1. Vector Editing: Sketch is a vector-based design tool, which means that all elements created in Sketch are infinitely scalable without losing quality.
2. Plugin ecosystem: Sketch has a vast plugin ecosystem that provides designers with access to a wide range of additional features and integrations with other tools.
3. Export options: Sketch has a wide range of export options, including support for multiple file formats and image resolutions.
4. Artboards: Sketch’s artboards are very flexible, allowing designers to create multiple versions of the same design or create design variations within the same file.
5. Libraries: Sketch has a powerful library feature that allows designers to store and reuse design elements, styles, and symbols.
6. Pixel-perfect design: Sketch is well-known for its pixel-perfect design capabilities, which makes it a preferred choice for UI/UX designers.

While Figma and XD have many similarities to Sketch, Sketch’s vector editing, plugin ecosystem, export options, flexible artboards, libraries, and pixel-perfect design capabilities are some of the advantages that set it apart from Figma and XD. 

However, Figma’s cloud-based collaboration and real-time feedback features and Adobe XD’s advanced prototyping capabilities, and Creative Cloud integration are some of the advantages that they have over Sketch.

Hope you will find this article helpful. Keep exploring!