Figma vs Adobe XD vs Sketch (2026)
Figma's $16/editor/mo pricing (raised from $12 in March 2025) and Adobe XD's maintenance-mode status both re-confirmed unchanged. New context: Figma IPO'd on the NYSE (ticker FIG) in mid-2025 at a $56.3B valuation — not previously mentioned here. One correction: Sketch's Business tier does have published pricing (~$20-24/editor/mo), not "contact-sales only" as this page previously stated.
Find yourself first
Design teams choosing their primary UI/UX tool
Weighing cross-platform collaboration against Mac-native performance.
Anyone who read "$12/month Figma" and is now seeing $16
The March 2025 price rise is real and confirmed unchanged.
Adobe CC subscribers wondering if XD is still usable
Confirmed: maintenance mode, not available to new users.
Mac-only teams evaluating Sketch vs Figma
Sketch's Business tier is more accessible than previously stated here.
Engineering leads budgeting developer seat costs
Figma's Dev seats remain the cost-efficient choice for non-editing developers.
Product teams calculating Figma costs at 10-50 person scale
Now with added context on Figma's public-company status.
Sketch Business isn't contact-sales only
The 10-second answer
Figma
Free Starter · Professional $16/editor/mo · Dev seats $12/mo — all re-confirmed unchanged. Now a public company (NYSE: FIG, ~$56.3B valuation, new context). Best collaboration, largest community, works on any OS.
$16/editor/mo ProfessionalAdobe XD
In maintenance mode since 2024, confirmed unchanged. No new features. Not available to new CC users. Existing CC All Apps subscribers can still access it, but should plan migration.
Included in CC All Apps onlySketch
Standard $12/editor/mo ($10/mo annual) — re-confirmed unchanged. Business ~$20-24/editor/mo with SSO (corrected — has published pricing, not contact-sales only). Offline-first, fast performance.
$10-12/editor/mo StandardMatch your situation
| Your situation | Best fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| New design team picking a tool in 2026 | Figma | Industry standard, largest community, best collaboration, works everywhere. |
| Mac-only team wanting best performance + offline | Sketch | $10/mo effective annual, fastest Mac performance, full offline access. |
| Existing Adobe CC subscriber, just needs prototyping | Figma or Sketch | XD is in maintenance mode — plan your migration now, confirmed unchanged. |
| Hiring UI/UX designers | Figma | Virtually all designer job listings specify Figma as the required tool. |
| Team with Windows and Mac designers | Figma | Sketch is Mac-only — Figma runs in any browser on any OS. |
| Minimize cost for developers who inspect designs | Figma Dev seat | $12/mo (Professional) vs $16/mo full seat — devs get Dev Mode without edit access. |
| Teams needing SSO on a budget, 5-25 editors | Sketch Business (~$20-24) | Now confirmed to have published pricing — a real, accessible option vs Figma's $55/mo Organization. |
| You want AI design generation features | Figma (Make, Agent) | Figma Make and the new closed-beta Figma Agent — neither Sketch nor XD have equivalents. |
What will your team actually cost?
Figma's seat restructure lets you mix Full, Dev, and Collab seats to reduce costs. Drag to your editor count to see monthly totals across all three tools.
⚠️ Adobe XD is not a standalone purchase — the figure shown reflects Creative Cloud All Apps cost for existing subscribers only; XD is not available to new users at any price. Sketch Business figure uses the midpoint of the $20-24/editor/month range found across sources.
The numbers that matter
raised from $12 in March 2025, unchanged since
NYSE: FIG, went public mid-2025
has published pricing — not "contact-sales only"
maintenance mode, no new users, since 2024
162 verified purchases, reflects mostly small teams
especially on Organization/Enterprise multi-year deals
Three tools, three trajectories
Figma — The Collaborative Design Standard, Now a Public Company
$16/editor/mo ProfessionalFigma's core pricing (Professional $16/editor/month annual, raised from $12 in March 2025) was re-verified and confirmed unchanged, alongside Dev seats ($12/mo Professional) and Collab seats. Significant new context: Figma completed an IPO on the NYSE under ticker FIG in mid-2025, following the collapsed $20 billion Adobe acquisition, reaching a reported $56.3 billion valuation. New AI capabilities have also emerged: Figma Agent (an autonomous AI design agent, announced at Config 2026) is in closed beta, and paid seats now include a metered AI credit allowance running alongside the base seat price.
- Industry standard — most design jobs specify Figma, confirmed unchanged
- Best real-time collaboration — simultaneous cursor editing
- Works on any OS — browser-based, no install required
- Now a well-capitalized public company (NYSE: FIG) — signals long-term stability and continued investment
- SSO requires Organization plan at $55/mo — 267% jump from Professional, confirmed unchanged
- AI features now carry a separate metered credit cost on top of seat pricing (new detail)
- Performance can lag on very complex files vs Sketch on Mac
- Figma Agent remains closed-beta — not yet broadly available even to paying customers
Adobe XD — Effectively Discontinued for New Users, Confirmed Unchanged
Included in CC All Apps onlyAdobe XD's status was re-verified and confirmed unchanged: it remains in maintenance mode, receiving only bug fixes and security patches, with no new feature development since 2024. XD was removed as a standalone purchasable app on June 22, 2023, and many new Creative Cloud All Apps subscribers still cannot see it in their launcher at all. The situation traces back to Adobe's blocked $20 billion Figma acquisition attempt (announced 2022, terminated December 2023) — with that deal off the table, Adobe redirected XD's development resources elsewhere.
- Free for existing CC All Apps subscribers (no extra cost)
- Good integration with Photoshop, Illustrator assets
- Strong motion prototyping with After Effects, for those who already know the tool
- In maintenance mode — no new features being developed, confirmed unchanged
- Not available to new Creative Cloud subscribers
- Not a viable choice for new projects in 2026
- Adobe's design focus has shifted entirely to Adobe Express and Firefly
Sketch — Actively Developed, Mac-Native, and More Accessible Than Previously Stated
$10-24/editor/moSketch's Standard plan pricing ($12/editor/month monthly, $120/year — $10/month effective annual) was re-verified and confirmed unchanged. The correction this pass concerns Business: rather than being "contact-sales only" as previously stated, current sources show Sketch Business has published pricing around $20-24/editor/month, including SSO — making it a genuinely plannable option for small-to-mid teams rather than an opaque custom quote. Enterprise-level custom pricing does still exist above Business for the largest deployments (50+ editors).
- Fastest Mac performance on complex files, confirmed unchanged
- Offline-first — full local file storage and editing
- Business tier's published pricing (~$20-24/editor/mo) makes SSO budgeting straightforward (corrected)
- Unlimited free viewers on all plans
- Mac only — Windows/Linux designers cannot use the native editor
- Smaller community than Figma — fewer plugins and resources
- No free plan beyond 30-day trial
- Largest enterprise deployments (50+ editors) still require a custom quote above Business
Strengths at a glance
| Criteria | Figma | Adobe XD | Sketch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Real-time collaboration | Best — cursor tracking | Available (maintenance mode) | Available (Mac app only) |
| OS support | Any — browser-based | Mac + Windows via CC (existing users) | Mac only |
| Active development | Yes — frequent updates, AI features | Maintenance mode only, confirmed | Yes — actively developed |
| SSO accessibility | $55/mo Organization — 267% jump | Via Creative Cloud | Business ~$20-24/mo — published, accessible (corrected) |
| New user availability | Fully available, free tier | Not available to new CC subscribers | Fully available, 30-day trial |
| Corporate stability | Public company (NYSE: FIG), well-capitalized | Deprioritized within Adobe | Independent, profitable |
🟢 STRONG · 🟠 ACCEPTABLE WITH CAVEATS · 🔴 WEAK / WATCH OUT
Feature by feature
| Feature | Figma | Adobe XD | Sketch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Platform / OS | ✓ Any — browser-based (Mac, Win, Linux) | Mac + Windows (via CC, existing users only) | ✗ Mac only — no Windows or Linux |
| Free plan | ✓ Free Starter — 3 team files, unlimited viewers | ✗ Not available to new users | ✗ 30-day trial only |
| SSO access point | ✗ Requires Organization $55/mo — 267% jump | ⚡ Via Creative Cloud | ✓ Business ~$20-24/mo (corrected — published, accessible) |
| AI design generation | ✓ Figma Make + Figma Agent (closed beta, new) | ✗ None — dev resources moved to Firefly | ✗ Not available |
| Offline access | ✗ Web-based — limited offline | ⚡ Desktop app with some offline | ✓ Full offline — files saved locally |
| FigJam whiteboard | ✓ Bundled in all paid seats | ✗ No equivalent | ✗ No equivalent |
| Mac performance (complex files) | ⚡ Good — can lag on very large files | ⚡ Good | ✓ Best — native app, lightweight |
| Viewer seats | ✓ Free on all plans | ⚡ Limited to CC users | ✓ Free on all plans (unlimited) |
Every plan, verified
Figma and Adobe XD's core facts both held up as confirmed and unchanged. Sketch's Business tier needed a correction — it has published pricing, not a contact-sales-only structure.
| Plan tier | Figma | Adobe XD | Sketch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | Starter: 3 team files, unlimited viewers, AI credits | Not available to new users | 30-day trial only — no free tier |
| Individual / small team | Professional: $16/editor/mo annual · $20/mo monthly | Included in CC All Apps: $59.99/mo individual (existing users only) | Standard: $12/editor/mo monthly · $120/editor/yr ($10/mo) |
| Developer seats | Dev seat: $12/mo Professional · $25/mo Organization · $35/mo Enterprise | No separate dev seat | Viewers free — no dev-specific seat |
| Collab / stakeholder seats | Collab seat: ~$5/mo Professional — FigJam + Slides only | N/A | Viewers free |
| Mid-tier / SSO | Organization: $55/editor/mo (annual only) — SSO, shared fonts | CC Teams: $89.99/mo per seat (existing users) | Business: ~$20-24/editor/mo (corrected) — SSO included |
| Enterprise | Enterprise: $90/editor/mo (annual only) — SCIM, custom security | N/A — XD in maintenance mode | Custom quote — 50+ editors, dedicated manager |
| Watch out for | Professional → Organization jump is $16 → $55/seat (267%) for SSO. AI credits meter separately (new). | Maintenance mode only. Not available to new CC users. Not recommended for new projects. | Mac only — any Windows user makes Sketch impossible for the team. Business now has published pricing (corrected). |
Choose by fit
🟣 Choose Figma if…
- Your team includes designers on Mac and Windows
- You are hiring — virtually all job listings require Figma
- Real-time collaboration across roles is essential
- You want FigJam whiteboarding alongside design
- You need the largest plugin and template ecosystem
🔴 Do NOT choose Adobe XD if…
- You are starting a new project in 2026
- You are a new Creative Cloud subscriber — it may not be available
- You need new features or a development roadmap
- You want to build long-term design system infrastructure
🟡 Choose Sketch if…
- Your entire design team uses Mac exclusively
- Offline access and local file storage are priorities
- You want the fastest Mac performance on complex files
- You need SSO on a predictable budget — Business now has published pricing (corrected)
- Budget is a consideration — $10/mo annual Standard is the cheapest entry here
Match the tool to your need
New design team (2026)
FigmaIndustry standard, largest community, works everywhere.
Mac-only design team
Sketch ($10/mo annual)Best performance, offline access, cheapest per seat.
Developer inspecting designs
Figma Dev seat ($12/mo)Dev Mode + inspect without edit access — $4/mo cheaper than full seat.
Team needing SSO, <25 editors
Sketch Business (~$20-24)Published pricing (corrected) — often cheaper than Figma's $55/mo.
Existing XD user, CC subscriber
Migrate to FigmaXD in maintenance mode — export XD → Figma and start transition now.
Stakeholders / PMs (view only)
Figma or Sketch (free viewer)View seats are free on all plans for both tools.
Enterprise (SSO + SCIM)
Figma Enterprise$90/mo but includes SCIM provisioning, audit logs, custom workspaces.
AI-assisted design generation
Figma (Make, Agent)New closed-beta Figma Agent and Figma Make — no equivalent elsewhere.
What vendors won't lead with
💰 Sketch Business isn't a mystery quote — budget ~$20-24/editor/month
If you assumed Sketch's SSO tier required a sales call to even get a ballpark, that's now outdated. Published pricing in the $20-24/editor/month range is confirmed across current sources, making it a plannable line item rather than an opaque custom negotiation.
📈 Figma's SSO jump remains the sharpest cost cliff in this category
Professional ($16/mo) to Organization ($55/mo) is a 267% increase with no tier in between. For a 10-person team needing SSO, that's $550/month vs $160/month — a real reason to seriously evaluate Sketch Business as an alternative if your team is Mac-homogeneous.
🤖 Figma's AI features now carry a separate metered cost
Beyond the base seat price, paid Figma seats include an AI credit allowance for features like Figma Make, with additional credits metered on top if you exceed it. Factor this into budgets for AI-heavy design workflows, not just the headline seat price.
🚫 Adobe XD remains a dead end for new projects — confirmed unchanged
Maintenance mode since 2024, not visible in the launcher for many new Creative Cloud subscribers, and no roadmap for further development. Teams still using XD for existing projects should actively plan migration rather than assume continued viability.
💵 Figma's public list prices aren't what most enterprise buyers actually pay
The median actual Figma contract is roughly $484/year across verified purchases (reflecting mostly smaller teams), while larger enterprise deployments commonly negotiate 20-40% below list price — don't assume list pricing is the final number at volume.
🍎 Sketch's largest-scale Enterprise tier remains custom-quoted
While Business now has clear published pricing for small-to-mid teams, deployments of 50+ editors still move to a custom Enterprise quote with dedicated account management — similar to Figma and Adobe at comparable scale.
Quick answers
Figma's Starter plan remains free (3 team files, unlimited viewers). Professional is $16/editor/month annual ($20/month monthly), confirmed unchanged since the March 2025 price rise from $12. Organization is $55/editor/month (annual only), and Enterprise is $90/editor/month (annual only). Dev seats cost $12 (Professional), $25 (Organization), or $35 (Enterprise) per month.
No — this corrects a claim previously made on this page. Current sources confirm Sketch's Business tier has published pricing, approximately $20-24/editor/month, including SSO. Only the largest Enterprise-level deployments (typically 50+ editors) require a custom, contact-sales quote.
Adobe XD remains in maintenance mode, confirmed unchanged since the last check — receiving only bug fixes and security patches, with no new feature development since 2024. It was removed as a standalone purchasable app in June 2023 and is not visible to many new Creative Cloud All Apps subscribers. Teams should plan migration to Figma or Sketch for any active or new projects.
Yes — Figma completed an IPO on the NYSE under ticker FIG in mid-2025, following the collapse of Adobe's $20 billion acquisition attempt (terminated December 2023, with Adobe paying a $1 billion termination fee). Figma reached a reported valuation of approximately $56.3 billion following the IPO.
The jump from Professional ($16/editor/month) to Organization ($55/editor/month) — a 267% increase — remains the sharpest cost cliff, since Organization is the minimum plan required for SSO. There is no plan between $16 and $55. Sketch Business, now confirmed to have published pricing around $20-24/editor/month with SSO included, is a genuinely competitive alternative for Mac-only teams in the 5-25 editor range.
Ready to choose your UI/UX design tool?
Figma's free plan is the best starting point. Sketch offers a 30-day trial. Adobe XD is not recommended for new projects.