Figma vs Sketch vs Adobe XD in 2026: Which UI Design Tool Should You Use?

Updated November 2026. Short answer: choose Figma if your team works across Windows and Mac, collaborates in real time or hands designs to developers every week. Choose Sketch if everyone who designs is on a Mac and you want a fast native app that keeps working offline. Skip Adobe XD for new projects. Adobe has kept it in maintenance mode since 2023, with bug and security fixes but no new features.

This guide was first published in 2021, when all three tools were serious contenders. A lot has changed since then. Below is where each one stands today, how they compare feature by feature, and how to move your files if you decide to switch.

Figma vs Sketch vs Adobe XD at a glance

Figma in 2026

Figma runs in the browser, and that single decision is why it overtook Sketch. Anyone with a link can open a file on Windows, Mac, Linux or a Chromebook. Designers, product managers and developers look at the same file at the same moment, and reviewers install nothing.

Since 2021 it has grown well beyond screen design:

• Dev Mode gives developers measurements, CSS and platform code snippets, and a comparison of what changed since the last handoff.
• Variables and modes store colors, spacing and even copy as tokens. One file can switch between light and dark themes, or between brands.
• Prototyping supports conditional logic and variables, which covers most click-through user tests without a separate tool.
• AI features, including an agent, draft first layouts, rename layers and automate repetitive edits. At Config 2026, Figma also added motion design and previewed code layers that run real code on the canvas.

The trade-offs are real, though. Figma needs a steady internet connection. Very large files get heavy in a browser tab. And the bill grows with every editor seat you add.

Sketch in 2026

Sketch is a native macOS app. That is still its biggest strength and its biggest limit. It is quick, it feels at home on a Mac, and local documents open and save with no connection at all. Nobody on Windows or Linux can edit a Sketch file, though.

Sketch has closed most of the gaps that pushed teams to Figma in 2020 and 2021:

• Real-time collaboration inside the Mac app, added in 2021.
• A web app where anyone, on any platform, can view designs, comment, inspect specs and export assets.
• Shared libraries, symbols and color variables for design systems.
• Regular releases. The two major 2026 updates added independent borders, corner smoothing, multi-paste, gradient improvements and faster symbols.

Sketch fits a design team that works entirely on Macs, values offline work or wants its files on its own machines. It fits a mixed-platform product team less well, because developers and stakeholders on Windows can only view and inspect.

Adobe XD: still installed, no longer developed

In 2021 Adobe XD was a credible third option, with quick prototyping and tight Creative Cloud integration. Then Adobe announced its plan to buy Figma, and XD moved into maintenance mode. Adobe's own help pages state that it is not investing in new features and will ship only bug fixes and security and privacy updates. The Figma acquisition was abandoned in December 2023. XD has not returned to active development since.

Existing XD files still open, and existing Creative Cloud customers can keep using the app. For new work, choose Figma or Sketch. Figma is usually the easier move for an XD team, since both run on Windows and Mac.

Head-to-head: where each tool wins

Platform and access: Figma

Figma works on any operating system with a modern browser. Sketch editing requires a Mac. If a single developer or client is on Windows, that settles most debates.

Collaboration: Figma, narrowly

Both now support several people editing one file at once. Figma's version is smoother for large groups because everyone, including non-designers, joins from a link. Sketch collaboration works well when every editor is already on a Mac.

Developer handoff: Figma

Dev Mode puts specs, code snippets, variables and change history in one place developers can open without a designer present. Sketch's web app covers inspection and asset export, which is enough for many teams but offers less around tracking changes.

Offline work and file control: Sketch

Sketch documents can live on your own drive and open on a plane, in a client's secure office or anywhere without Wi-Fi. Figma files live in Figma's cloud, which some regulated organizations find harder to approve.

Performance: Sketch on Apple silicon

A native app on a recent Mac handles large documents comfortably. Figma performs well for typical product files, but huge files with many pages and images can slow a browser tab down.

Which one should you choose?

• Mixed Windows and Mac team, or developers who inspect designs daily: Figma.
• Mac-only design team that wants a native app and offline files: Sketch.
• Freelancer or student on a budget: start with Figma's free plan. Sketch's free trial lets you compare before paying.
• Team still on Adobe XD: plan the move to Figma or Sketch now, before the archive of XD files grows any further.
• Need open source or self-hosting: look at Penpot, a browser-based open source design tool.

Switching tools without losing work

Figma imports .sketch files directly. Most layers, styles and symbols carry over, with symbols becoming components. Prototype links and anything a Sketch plugin generated usually need fixing by hand.

Figma has no official Adobe XD importer. Third-party plugins can convert XD files with mixed results, and many teams simply rebuild the screens they still use and keep the XD files as an archive. Either way, start with one active project: rebuild its shared components first, then move the remaining screens.

From design file to working product

The design tool matters less than what happens after a design is approved. A clean handoff, shared components and a front end built to match the design system save more time than any feature list. Angular Minds turns Figma and Sketch designs into production web and mobile apps, and the product engineering team can take a project from approved designs to launch. Get in touch to talk through your next build.