Figma and Sketch represent two of the most prominent prototyping and design tools in the industry, each catering to distinct user profiles and design workflows: Figma, with its collaborative cloud-based platform, is particularly favored by large, distributed teams
requiring real-time collaboration and seamless handoff to developers, while Sketch, a powerful and feature-rich desktop application, remains a popular choice among individual designers and smaller teams who prioritize performance and offline access.
#1
• All-in-One Workflow: Figma integrates design, prototyping, feedback, and developer handoff in a single tool, eliminating the need for multiple apps like InVision or Zeplin.
• Prototyping: It offers easy-to-use, no-code interactive prototyping tools that support high-fidelity prototypes and live updates without refreshing pages.
• Vector Manipulation: Figma uses vector networks, allowing more flexible and faster vector drawing compared to Sketch’s node-based paths.
• Plugins: Although newer to plugins (since 2019), Figma’s plugin ecosystem is growing and includes many popular tools for productivity and collaboration.
• Design Systems: Figma excels in creating and managing shared design systems with multi-discipline access, enhancing team collaboration on design components.
Figma
• Cloud-based and Collaborative: Figma is web-based, allowing real-time collaboration across platforms without software installation. Teams can work simultaneously on designs and prototypes, making it ideal for remote and cross-functional teams.• All-in-One Workflow: Figma integrates design, prototyping, feedback, and developer handoff in a single tool, eliminating the need for multiple apps like InVision or Zeplin.
• Prototyping: It offers easy-to-use, no-code interactive prototyping tools that support high-fidelity prototypes and live updates without refreshing pages.
• Vector Manipulation: Figma uses vector networks, allowing more flexible and faster vector drawing compared to Sketch’s node-based paths.
• Plugins: Although newer to plugins (since 2019), Figma’s plugin ecosystem is growing and includes many popular tools for productivity and collaboration.
• Design Systems: Figma excels in creating and managing shared design systems with multi-discipline access, enhancing team collaboration on design components.
#2
• Customizability: Sketch has a mature and extensive plugin ecosystem, offering plugins for animation, prototyping, developer handoff, and more, which can be a major advantage for designers who want tailored workflows.
• Prototyping: Supports simple prototyping with object-to-artboard linking and transitions. Plugins extend prototyping capabilities, but it’s generally less integrated than Figma’s cloud model.
• Developer Handoff: Sketch uses a web inspector and integrates with tools like Zeplin and InVision to facilitate developer handoff, even for non-Mac users.
• Best for Individual Mac Designers: Sketch is favored by Mac-based designers who prioritize customizability and plugin support, often working independently or in smaller teams.
Sketch
• Mac-Only: Sketch runs exclusively on macOS (Ventura or newer), tightly integrated with the Mac environment.• Customizability: Sketch has a mature and extensive plugin ecosystem, offering plugins for animation, prototyping, developer handoff, and more, which can be a major advantage for designers who want tailored workflows.
• Prototyping: Supports simple prototyping with object-to-artboard linking and transitions. Plugins extend prototyping capabilities, but it’s generally less integrated than Figma’s cloud model.
• Developer Handoff: Sketch uses a web inspector and integrates with tools like Zeplin and InVision to facilitate developer handoff, even for non-Mac users.
• Best for Individual Mac Designers: Sketch is favored by Mac-based designers who prioritize customizability and plugin support, often working independently or in smaller teams.
#3
In essence, Figma is best suited for teams needing seamless collaboration, cloud access, and an all-in-one design-to-prototype workflow, while Sketch is preferred by Mac users who want a highly customizable environment with a rich plugin ecosystem. Both tools support prototyping effectively, but Figma’s cloud-based model and collaboration features give it an edge for modern product teams.
Summary Comparison

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