Overview of Difference between Figma and Sketch
Figma | Sketch | |
Platforms | Windows PC, Mac, Chrome OS, and Linux | Mac only |
File Support | .fig | .sketch |
Multiplayer co-editing | Yes | No |
Free Plan | Yes | No (free 30-day trial) |
Plugins support | Yes [Updated] | Yes |
App performance and overall optimization
Figma allows its users to completely design and collaborate their works all in a browser without having to install any software. It is a web-based application but it’s still very fast and also allows an offline version Electron app. The app has come a long way since its initial release and now runs more smoothly and feels more stable.
Sketch is very well optimized and runs very smoothly after recent patches and updates. The app is extremely optimized and has great performance overall but some parts don’t feel smooth. For example, zooming is not as fluid as people would like. Also, as the file size gets larger, crashing and stuttering is a continuous issue.
Figma vs Sketch: General Interface
Talking about the interface I don’t think there are any complaints about any of the tools. Both of them have done an excellent job to make their UI clean and keep the tools in the right place. Both have their take on their UI and both are satisfying to use.
Figma vs Sketch: Collaboration and developer hand-off
Figma has done a great job in this aspect as it allows users to collaborate in real-time. You can watch your friend’s view and help him out as he works or get help from your teammates. This is a great feature and boosts work efficiency. It also contributes to less error and a better result for the work. Its native prototyping and code preview support make it easy for developer handoff without any more hassle. Also, Figma has cloud-saving.
With the excellent plugin support, Sketch integrates with InVision(using Craft) to seamlessly integrate with its cloud features. This allows for DSM, prototyping, code preview with inspection, and many more. However, a multiplayer co-editing feature is not present. However, we can integrate Sketch with Github(free version control tool) to collaborate with larger teams. In the end, this is a bit more complicated. If you are interested here is how you do it.
Plugin support
[Update] Figma now supports extensive plugin support in-built in its web application.
Sketch has very powerful and useful plugins like Craft, InVision, and abstract. In fact, Sketch has the most popular library of plugins. It shows how mature the platform is and how strong the community built around it is.
Some hassles with Sketch like having to mirror your designs to other devices also hav
Drawbacks
With Figma’s newly added plugin support, there aren’t many drawbacks here but since there have been many revisions on pricing and PRO features, I can’t confidently say what features might be cut off from the free version next.
Sketch has its own sets of drawbacks with the major one being it only supports Mac. While its plugins are great it seems pretty limited without them. It also only opens .sketch files. Sketch also does not have a free plan as it only provides a 30-day free trial and you have to pay for the full product after it’s over. It also prioritizes individual working which is not a bad thing but most of the other competitors offer features to collaborate easily.
Concluding: Is Figma really better than Sketch?
Sketch as popular as it is, Figma feels like the more modern tool designers have been looking for. Yes, with cutting-edge cloud features, Figma is better than Sketch.
Both software has their pros and cons but both have succeeded in providing their target audience with what the consumers want and proven that they are capable of providing high-level features in a justifiable price range. As mentioned previously, for organization and team designs Figma is highly recommended whereas for individual purpose sketch has a better base. Since sketch can only run in Mac though
With the rapid growth of the designing market, the competition between software has skyrocketed and has very little to no margin between them. This is a great thing for consumers and while these different choices make it hard to decide we help you with almost everything you require to choose a specific software. Things that have been left behind or need to be updated can be reported and will be highly appreciated. Thanks for staying with us until the end and supporting our work.
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