Figma vs Sketch has been the subject of continuous debate in recent years. The conversation about Figma vs. Sketch is as relevant as ever, even in 2022, with each platform introducing new features catching up with its competition. The question remains. When working as a UX designer, should you use Figma or Sketch?
The development of web design has given us many tools to help us design websites and mobile applications more efficiently, saving us time and encouraging creativity. However, designers need more functions to create more refined and complex designs. Finding the right tool, therefore, is essential.
Today, there are a lot of design tools available on the market, such as Figma and Sketch. Which one of them is the best? This article compares the two most popular design tools: Figma vs Sketch.
Table of Contents
TLDR
- Figma and Sketch are two of the most popular UX/UI design tool.
- With Figma, you use the browser, while Sketch requires installing the desktop application on your computer.
- Figma allows collaboration in real-time, and Sketch features seamless integration with InVision via Craft.
- Both tools offer pretty similar design capabilities. However, Sketch provides a considerably larger variety of plugins than Figma.
- Figma can be pretty expensive, particularly for larger teams.
- When developing your product and its design, contact PolyUno if you need an experienced team that is experienced with both of these tools.
What is Figma Used For?
The Figma platform helps teams develop better designs, test them, and deliver them.
Using Figma is as simple as dragging and dropping elements in a browser. It does not require the user to download anything. Designers can use this vector design tool to design and prototype in real-time, enabling cloud-based collaboration and real-time collaboration between designers.
Figma offers free and paid plans for all types of work. The subscription option enables you to experience Figma's full potential, even if you use it for free.
There are versions of Figma for Windows, macOS, and Linux.
What is Sketch Used For?
Web designers widely use this software tool to create components for UI/ X. This tool is intuitive and user-friendly, so beginners and experienced product designers alike will find it helpful. Sketch is a popular tool for developing user experiences and designing user interfaces. Sketch has been a favorite app of designers since its introduction in 20 0. Today, designers are using it for various purposes, including illustrating and making graphic designs.
The Sketch community is also strong and has a wide following. So whether you're a beginner or an expert, the platform's resources and extensions will benefit your project.
Difference Between Figma and Sketch
Figma vs Sketch in terms of Operating System
Figma works on the browser platform, whereas Sketch has to be installed as a desktop application on your computer. This is the most significant difference between these two software solutions. Figma can also be used through a desktop computer, but you will need internet access to create a new file.
Different operating systems may be installed on your colleagues' computers if your team works remotely. This criterion may somewhat limit the ability to collaborate between team members. Sketch was made exclusively for macOS, so non-macOS users would need third-party tools to run it on Linux or Windows.
In contrast to its desktop competitors, Figma is the first browser-based app that offers numerous benefits:
- The only requirement for teams is Internet access. Neither hardware nor software is needed for them.
- As the work is saved in the cloud automatically, there is no need to keep every change manually.
- Using Dropbox to share your projects eliminates the need to export and import files constantly. In addition, Figma allows team members to share links.
- There is no need to reload. Its browser-based nature ensures that Figma's design is always up to date.
Sketch has only ever existed as a desktop application. However, because 24/7 access to the platform is a top priority today, the Sketch founders developed a browser-based version of Sketch in late 2019.
Figma vs Sketch in terms of Cost
The license fee for Sketch is $99. Those who pay the fee will have access to all updates from the app. However, as soon as the license expires, you can only use Sketch Free. To access any updates, you will need to rebuy the license.
Unlike Sketch, where you need to purchase a license to install the software, Figma is free for individual users. However, team projects require monthly payments of $12 per month.
Depending on your team, you can get a better price. With free Figma, users are allowed to edit a document a maximum of twice, but they can view it simultaneously. The free version is perfect if you have a small team. If you are part of a larger team, you will have to pay approximately $12/month per editor for the professional version and $45/month per editor for the organization version. You can find more information about the differences between versions on Figma's pricing page.
Anybody can open your file if you use Figma. They will also have the ability to comment and review the document. There is a free trial period with Figma and Sketch, so you can determine which one best fits your needs before committing to a subscription.
Figma vs Sketch in terms of Collaboration Features
In Figma, designers, clients, and other team members cooperate transparently and with understanding. There can be multiple users working on the same file simultaneously in the same project. Slack is integrated into Figma's user interface to enable team members to communicate across departments and review designs in real-time. The observation mode in Figma allows users to view a user's screen by clicking on their avatar. This feature assures clients of continuous design delivery from the beginning of the project.
The UI design and interactive prototyping tools in Figma are primarily used for user interface design and prototyping, But the tool also includes a developer handoff feature, which simplifies testing and implementation. By viewing design files in coding mode, developers can view CSS, Swift (iOS), and XM (Android) code. Considering the peculiarities of how a particular project should be performed, this code may serve as a guide for them.
The "Sketch for Teams" extension by Sketch has recently been released in beta, and it is similar to the collaboration capabilities of Figma. When using macOS, clients and developers require Sketch installed on their PCs to inspect the design Teams that use different platforms may take a little longer to complete a task. Before Sketch for Teams, developers could switch between additional tools like Avocode, Zeplin, or similar.
Figma vs Sketch in terms of Accessibility
Both Figma and Sketch have many keyboard shortcuts in common. You can see all assets in the right place, and the views are well laid out. The most effective way to speed up project completion with Figma is to use all of the shortcuts available and become familiar with the content positioning.
The browser-based nature of Figma means that it cannot customize system commands and shortcuts. For example, the default keyboard shortcuts are not configurable as Sketch, and you cannot change them to a more convenient one. Even though some of these native features in Figma Desktop can be replaced, specific capabilities cannot be assigned to keyboards due to a lack of menu bar commands.
In Sketch, you can accomplish almost anything by simply pressing a key Its functionality is much higher than Figma since it is a desktop application. The system preferences in Sketch allow users to modify the default shortcuts and customize them to be more comfortable.
The asset arrangements in Sketch are incredible. The tools you need are right at your fingertips. Having an almost identical layout and item positions to Figma, Sketch is relatively easy for Figma users to learn.
Plugins extend Sketch's functionality even further the Sketch plugins offer several useful functions, such as renaming multiple layers simultaneously, creating dynamic buttons, saving and loading color palettes, inserting images from Unsplash, enabling Git, and generating animations directly from within Sketch.
Figma vs Sketch in terms of Application Performance
Figma's browser-based design and collaboration tools allow users to work together on their projects without installing any software. The application is web-based, but it still operates very fast and can also be accessed offline. After its initial release, the app runs much smoother and feels more stable than before.
Sketch's performance has been dramatically improved since recent updates and patches. In general, however, the performance of some parts of the app is poor because of excessive optimization. One such instance is the inability to zoom smoothly. Similarly, when file sizes increase, crashing and lag occur more frequently.
Figma vs Sketch in terms of Interactive Prototyping
It is possible to prototype software products using both design toolkits, enabling you to test how users will interact with the product. The static design can be configured to be clickable and interactive within a few hours. Figma introduced prototyping earlier than Sketch here, making it superior to its competitor. For prototyping, Sketch previously used the Craft plugin by InVision. A prototyping feature was integrated into the platform in 2018.
As a result, Figma is an excellent alternative to Sketch because it allows designers to add sophisticated transitions and animations to their designs. In addition, by using a Figma prototype, clients can visualize how their product will function clearly and more vividly.
Figma vs Sketch in terms of Design System and Editing
Using Figma, you can build and maintain a design system more efficiently. Figma's implementation of these functions is easier and more flexible than Sketch's. Figma allows you to create a style guide or system that includes text styles, shared styles, layout grids, and other capabilities.
With Figma, you can access and manage components more quickly. The features in Figma differ from the ones in Sketch because they are listed in separate panels and are grouped by pages and groups. It is also possible to customize how component instances appear in Figma.
Figma vs Sketch in terms of Third-Party Plugins
Third-party extensions provide the opportunity to add specific functions to your product, which helps the design team increase quality. With Sketch, users can find countless integrations and plugins for different purposes, from styling and text editing to more efficient version control. Compared to Sketch, Figma's native toolset offers plenty of features without depending on third parties such as Zeplin, Angle, or InVision. In addition, recent updates to Figma now let designers use specific third-party tools.
You can use Sketch to animate, prototype, supply data, and integrate third-party applications. However, as of very recently, Figma hadn't supported plugins. There are plugins available for Figma, but not as many options as Sketch. The Figma team hopes to inspire developers to create more plugins by holding events and showcasing content on their release page.
Figma vs Sketch in terms of Reviewing
Live viewing of files gives teams the ability to edit them. The Figma review process is simple. This is because Figma enables multiple individuals to work on the same file, make edits, and view views. Team members can view files from the perspective of someone's avatar by clicking on the avatar. This makes Figma a great tool for remote collaboration.
Sketch uses files, so sharing Sketch reviews online is impossible. To transfer files, team members would have to use another tool such as Dropbox. They can also provide presentations.
Presentations can also be created with Figma. Just click on the presentation button on the toolbar to start. Artboards will be used for navigation throughout the presentation.
Figma vs Sketch in terms of Compatibility
Sketch is only available for Mac OS as far as compatibility is concerned. A Windows application exists that is capable of interpreting Sketch files; however, to work with and edit design files, a Mac device is inherently required.
Figma can be accessed via any web browser running on macOS, Windows, or Linux. The availability of Figma is greater than Sketch, but it may not satisfy designers who also need to work offline. Although Figma can be used without an internet connection, some functionality is not available. Additionally, designers must remember to save their files continuously since the system will not automatically save them like when the user is online.
Figma vs Sketch in terms of Styles
The styles in Figma are organized in a cascade. As a result, the user can create and save different styles for elements such as text, colors, and effects, which can be used with different sets of elements. In addition, styles on elements are independent so that the same style can have a different text block or color. Compared to Sketch, Figma is more flexible due to its other text blocks or colors.
In Sketch, the elements are determined for each style. Two types of styles are available for the app: text or layer. With text styles, you can modify color, font, effects, etc. While layer styles incorporate layer elements such as borders, effects, and fills, they are separate from layers themselves. However, it is already possible to edit symbols within styles in Sketch's latest versions.
Wrapping Up
The two powerful design tools, Figma and Sketch are an integral part of any mobile app development project, no matter what operating system you are using. How you choose the right tool will depend on your business need. Teams with remote designers or computers running Windows may prefer Figma, while in-house companies using Mac computers prefer Sketch. Their simplicity makes them easy to use and improves your team's workflow, resulting in a leaner pipeline. This can result in unique digital products.
Although Figma is the winner due to its capabilities to run on multiple platforms, lower cost, and teamwork features, Sketch provides frequent updates and upgrades that boost its capabilities. All in all, Sketch and Figma are potent tools that can be used to create any
If you need the help of a creative team with experience using both of these instruments when developing your product and its design, contact Figmafy. Figmafy offers you the best conversion solution and can drastically improve the effectiveness of your designs no matter what you decide.
As a development firm, our main goal is to assist companies in delegating their web development tasks, regardless of the design software they use. Our expertise involves taking designs from Figma or any other design tool, extracting the necessary elements, and transforming them into flawless, error-free code. We are capable of coding from the most fundamental HTML5 to a comprehensive website or software solution.
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