But still, Sketch is more mature, offers more odds and ends to make you more productive. Why: At the moment, they don’t differentiate enough. Nevertheless, at the pace Figma is improving, it may be just a matter of time before it’s on par with Sketch. If you knew Sketch already, you could have easily found your way around Figma when it was released at the beginning of 2016.įigma has improved on many aspects since then, and has even surpassed Sketch in parts, but some features are still missing, such as plugins, integration with third-party tools and the ability to use real data (with the help of the Craft plugin). It offers mostly the same features, the interface looks similar, and even the keyboard shortcuts are mostly taken from its competitor. Usability (Features And User Interface)īasically, Figma can be best described as an in-browser version of Sketch. While they give you better support for keyboard shortcuts, they don’t save you from having to be online all the time.
It’s as performant as Sketch (if not more), even with a multitude of elements on the canvas.Įven standalone desktop apps of Figma for Windows and Mac are available, but basically, they are no more than wrappers of the browser version. While I’ve been hesitant with browser-based tools before, Figma blew my doubts away in a single stroke. No installation whatsoever needed: Just open Chrome (or Firefox), set up an account and start designing. That’s probably one of the reasons why Figma took a different route right from the start: It can be used right in your web browser, on basically any device in the world. (Technically, you could get Sketch running on Windows, as Martijn Schoenmaker and Oscar Oto Mir describe, but it might not be worth the hassle for some.) That’s why, over time, a few paid services have emerged that enable you to provide teammates with specifications of Sketch files, but that’s still an unfortunate extra step. If you are on Windows or Linux, you’re out of luck. You need a Mac not only to design with it but also to open and inspect files. Figma stores all these assets on the cloud and can easily be accessed by the user.The greatest weakness of Sketch has always been its lock-in to the Apple ecosystem. The tool also enables teams to automate and augment their work by building plugins which speeds up the design process.
It requires minimum manual resizing, can automatically stretch the components in different directions, and also can translate the design directly into the code making developer onboarding hassle-free. The Auto Layout feature designs the layout responsively. OpenType is an advanced font feature that allows brands to express themselves fully. The Arc Tool makes it easy to design clocks, watch screens or pie charts, while the Vector Networks is a modern pen tool that enables designers to draw in any direction without merging or connecting to the path’s original point.
In addition to the basic features, it also has unique inventions like the Arc Tool and Vector Networks. It helps teams to create, test, and ship better end-to-end designs. If users need any other tool, they can create one easily.read moreįigma is a browser-based tool that allows users to edit vector graphics, collaborate, and create prototypes. They also get access to plugins, assistants and integrations that allow them to do more. Users get the benefit of testing out their ideas and getting feedback on their work. The app also includes shared libraries, reusable components and tools to keep everything organised and scale the designing process.
From Vector Editing to Templates and Boolean Operations to Colour Variables, Sketch provides every feature at any stage of the designing process. Whether it’s pixel-precise icons or it’s a concept of a whole new product, the app has all the fundamental tools that an artist needs to do amazing work. The platform is also equipped with flexible collaboration tools to design outstanding graphics. It comes with a variety of plugins and extensions to customise the workflow. Sketch is a powerful drawing app built for artists and designers.