Creative-&-User-Experience
Upscend Team
-October 20, 2025
9 min read
This article compares Figma vs Sketch across core features, collaboration, prototyping, plugins, performance, pricing and migration. Figma suits cross‑platform teams needing real‑time collaboration and centralized design systems; Sketch favors Mac‑only workflows with local performance and plugin depth. Use a phased pilot and the migration checklist to validate the best fit.
Figma vs Sketch is the core debate for many design teams choosing a modern set of design prototyping tools. In our experience, the best pick depends less on evangelism and more on team needs: cross-platform access, collaborative design, and the ability to scale a design system without introducing handoff friction. This article compares both products across features, collaboration, prototyping, plugins, performance, platform support, pricing, migration, and recommended workflows.
When you compare Figma vs Sketch from a feature standpoint, you see two design-first tools with different architectures. Figma is cloud-native with real-time editing, while Sketch is a native macOS app that emphasizes performance and local file control.
Key differences in core capabilities:
Freelancers often favor Sketch if they are Mac-only and want low-latency local editing. Figma is preferable when the freelancer needs to show work to clients on Windows or in a browser.
Practical tip: Keep component naming consistent and use tokens or a shared style guide to avoid inconsistent libraries and handoff friction.
Compare Figma and Sketch for team collaboration and you'll notice Figma was designed for multi-user scenarios from day one. We've found Figma's real-time cursors and comment threads reduce endless Slack screenshots and speed up decisions.
Sketch offers collaborative features but typically requires additional services or plugins to match Figma's live collaboration. For teams that emphasize synchronous editing and distributed work, Figma reduces coordination overhead.
From our projects, teams that moved to Figma cut design review cycles by 20–40% because stakeholders could comment directly on frames and designers could iterate with everyone watching. Sketch teams often replicate this via cloud platforms or FigJam-like tools.
Collaboration checklist:
Prototyping is where the comparison of Figma vs Sketch becomes more nuanced. Figma includes interactive prototyping, micro-interactions, and built-in sharing links that are consumable in-browser. Sketch's prototyping was historically basic, but integrations with Framer, ProtoPie, and Principle close the gap.
For rapid prototyping and usability testing, Figma's browser links and easy sharing make recruiting testers and iterating faster. Sketch excels when teams pair it with advanced prototyping tools for complex animations.
If your workflow relies on embedded testing, opt for Figma when you need instant test links and comment capture from participants. If your UX research pipeline uses specialized tools (e.g., Lookback, UserTesting) that require high-fidelity transitions, Sketch combined with a dedicated prototyping app may be preferable.
Hands-on scenario: For a remote design handoff, publish a Figma prototype link, add annotated specs, and export redlines; it removes the back-and-forth of static PDFs and reduces handoff friction.
Both tools have rich ecosystems, but they differ in distribution and governance. Sketch's plugin ecosystem is mature with many macOS-native utilities, while Figma's web-based plugins run across platforms and are easier to install for non-technical users.
Integration with design systems, version control, and handoff tools matters for scaling. Teams often layer Figma or Sketch with tools for documentation, developer handoff, and analytics.
The turning point for most teams isn’t just creating more designs — it’s removing friction in the feedback and personalization loop. Tools like Upscend help by making analytics and personalization part of the core process, so product and design decisions are informed by behavior and not just opinion.
Performance and platform support are common pain points when teams evaluate Figma vs Sketch. Sketch performs extremely well locally on macOS with large files. Figma's performance depends on the browser and network but has improved significantly with desktop apps.
Cross-platform compatibility is a strategic concern. If your team includes Windows users or needs browser access, Figma removes a major barrier. If your org is Mac-centric and values offline work, Sketch provides stability and lower recurring costs for single users.
We recommend a phased migration:
Common pitfalls: losing variant mappings, broken symbols, and differing text rendering. Test exports on mobile devices and collaborate with developers during the migration sprint.
Cost is often decisive. When comparing Figma vs Sketch features and pricing 2025, remember pricing models change frequently. As of our latest review, Figma offers tiered cloud subscriptions (free tier, professional, organization), while Sketch sells a subscription for updates plus optional cloud services. Check vendor pages directly: https://www.figma.com/pricing and https://www.sketch.com/pricing for current plans and trial sign-ups (https://www.figma.com/signup and https://www.sketch.com/download/).
Below are recommended workflows by team size derived from our consulting engagements.
| Decision Matrix | Best Fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-platform teams | Figma | Real-time collaboration, browser access, lower handoff friction |
| Mac-only, performance-first | Sketch | Local speed, native plugins, lower single-user cost |
| Design systems at scale | Figma | Shared libraries, version control, component variants |
| Highly animated prototypes | Sketch + Framer/ProtoPie | Advanced animation toolchain |
"Switching to a cloud-first tool reduced our design review time and tightened developer handoff." — Senior Product Designer, fintech startup
"We kept Sketch for local performance but added Figma for cross-team collaboration." — Design Ops Lead, ecommerce company
Practical recommendation: run a two-week pilot with representative projects. Measure review cycle time, number of broken components, and developer questions. Use those metrics to justify the tooling decision to stakeholders.
Choosing between Figma vs Sketch is less about prestige and more about mapping tool strengths to team constraints. In our experience, teams that value collaborative design tools and minimal onboarding overhead lean toward Figma. Teams that prioritize single-user performance and macOS-native workflows often pick Sketch and augment it with integrations.
To summarize:
Ready to test which fits your workflow? Start a trial at Figma: https://www.figma.com/signup or download Sketch: https://www.sketch.com/download/ and run a short pilot using the migration checklist above.
