Figma vs Sketch for UI/UX design, prototyping, and design team collaboration.
Figma wins on collaboration and cross-platform access. Sketch is only better for solo Mac designers.
For almost every team in 2026 the answer is Figma, and the reason is not feature count — it is that design is collaborative and Figma is the collaboration platform. Choose Figma if more than one person touches your design files or you need cross-platform access, prototyping, and a plugin ecosystem. Choose Sketch only for a solo designer on a Mac who wants a faster native app, works offline, and has no need for real-time multi-player editing. Sketch is not dead; it is simply a narrower fit than it was before Figma became the industry default.
Figma: Figma is real-time and multi-player: several designers and developers can work one file at once, from any OS, in the browser or desktop app.
Sketch: Sketch is a Mac-native app built around a single designer; team collaboration relies on a separate cloud workspace product and is not real-time.
When this matters: The decisive factor for any team. For a strictly solo designer who never shares a live file, it barely matters.
Figma: Figma runs on macOS, Windows, Linux, and in the browser, and comments are accessible to stakeholders on any device.
Sketch: Sketch is macOS-only. Colleagues on Windows cannot even open a .sketch file without conversion.
When this matters: Decides it the moment your company has a single Windows user who needs to view or comment on designs.
Figma: Figma bundles prototyping and developer handoff (measure, inspect, export) in the same file, plus a large plugin ecosystem.
Sketch: Sketch has prototyping and a solid symbol system, but handoff and plugins are thinner and often require paid third-party tools.
When this matters: Matters for teams that move from design to development; developers working in Figma files need no extra handoff tooling.
Figma: Figma is browser-based, so very large files can feel slower and you need a connection for full multi-player work.
Sketch: Sketch is native on the Mac and can feel faster on huge local files, with full offline editing.
When this matters: The one real argument for Sketch: a solo Mac designer on huge local files who rarely collaborates.
| Spec | Figma | Sketch |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $12/mo | $10/mo |
| Platform | Web (all OS) | Mac only |
| Collaboration | Real-time | No |
| Performance | Good | Excellent (native) |
Design teams, product teams with developers in the loop, and anyone who needs cross-platform access, live collaboration, prototyping, and a rich plugin ecosystem.
If your entire design workflow must run offline on one Mac and never involves another person viewing a live file, Figma's browser-first model adds nothing for you.
Solo Mac-based designers who work on very large local files, want a fast native app, and do not need real-time collaboration or cross-platform sharing.
If you collaborate with other designers, hand off to developers, or have stakeholders on Windows, Sketch's Mac-only, single-designer model will create friction every single day.
This comparison was built from a structured review of official product documentation, published specifications, current pricing, and feature documentation — the same methodology ToolStep describes on the /how-we-test/ page. Because we did not run these products hands-on, we do not claim testing that did not happen.
Based on official product documentation and published pricing as of June 2026. Both products change pricing and licensing; verify current plans before purchase.
Yes, for Mac-only solo designers. But Figma has become the industry standard for teams.