# Figma vs Sketch Published January 1, 2026 · Updated August 10, 2026 Figma is the top pick for most Mac users looking at design tools. It has a free tier and installs in one Homebrew command. Sketch is the stronger choice if you want design. As of October 2026, both install with brew install --cask figma and brew install --cask sketch. For most Mac users in 2026, Figma is the better choice for design tools because it has a free tier while Sketch charges for full use. Both install with a single Homebrew command, so the switching cost is low. Choose Sketch instead if you want design. ## Head to head | Factor | Figma | Sketch | | --- | --- | --- | | Price | Free | Paid | | Open Source | No | No | | Replaces | Sketch ($12/month); Adobe XD ($9.99/month) | — | | Best for | design, ui, collaboration | design, ui, vector | | Install | brew install --cask figma | brew install --cask sketch | | Category | Design & Creative | Design & Creative | ## Figma Collaborative design tool for teams Install: `brew install --cask figma` [Figma on Bundl](https://bundl.run/apps/figma) ## Sketch Digital design toolkit for UI/UX Install: `brew install --cask sketch` [Sketch on Bundl](https://bundl.run/apps/sketch) ## Features - **Real-time collaboration.** Figma remains the collaboration standard when more than one person regularly edits or reviews the same product UI file. - **Platform accessibility.** Cross-platform access is still a structural win for Figma and a structural constraint for Sketch. - **Design systems and components.** Figma scales design systems with less manual library choreography across many teams. - **Prototyping and motion.** Figma is ahead for interactive and motion-heavy product prototypes in 2026. - **Developer handoff.** Built-in Dev Mode plus agent and MCP hooks keep Figma ahead for modern engineering handoff. - **Native macOS performance.** Sketch keeps the edge for offline native Mac editing feel and local file performance. - **AI-assisted design.** First-party AI surface area is clearly larger in Figma today and is priced into seats via credits. - **Plugin and extensibility ecosystem.** Both are extensible; Figma’s platform APIs and AI connectors widen the gap for team automation. ## FAQ ### Is Figma still free in August 2026? Yes. Figma Starter remains free with unlimited drafts and limited AI credits (publicly described as 150 per day up to 500 per month). Paid seats unlock unlimited files, shared libraries, advanced Dev Mode capabilities, and larger AI allotments. ### Can I use Sketch on Windows in 2026? No. Sketch editing is still macOS-only. Viewers and developers can use web handoff features, but full design authorship requires a Mac. There is no announced Windows editor. ### Which tool is better for real-time collaboration? Figma. Simultaneous multiplayer editing, comments, observation tools, and free viewers are more mature than Sketch Workspace collaboration for most distributed product teams. ### How much is Figma Professional now? On Figma’s public pricing page in August 2026, Professional Full seats list at $16 per month, Dev seats at $12, and Collab seats at $3. Confirm billing cadence and taxes on the purchase flow for your region. ### Is Sketch’s perpetual licence still available? Yes. Sketch still sells a Mac-only licence at $120 per seat that includes one year of updates. After that year you can keep using the last version you downloaded without paying again for that version. ### Which is better for design systems? Figma for most multi-team systems because variables, shared libraries, analytics, approved libraries, and Code Connect are stronger at organisation scale. Sketch symbols and libraries remain excellent for Mac-only teams. ### Does Figma support AI features in 2026? Yes. Plans include AI credits, image and text helpers, Figma Make, and a beta on-canvas agent that Figma states does not consume credits during beta. Credit amounts vary by seat and plan. ### Can I import Sketch files into Figma? Yes. Figma imports .sketch files and maps pages and symbols, though Auto Layout, variables, and advanced prototypes usually need cleanup before you publish team libraries. ### Which should Mac freelancers choose? Choose Sketch for ownership pricing and native speed if clients accept Sketch files or exports. Choose Figma if clients already collaborate in Figma or if you need Windows stakeholders in the same file. ### Did the Figma vs Sketch winner flip since May 2026? No. Figma remains the team default; Sketch remains the Mac-native value play. Seat prices and AI features moved, especially on Figma, but the strategic split is unchanged as of 2026-08-09. ### Does either tool support macOS Tahoe? Both actively support current macOS releases used by professional designers, including Apple Silicon Macs on Tahoe 26.x. Sketch’s advantage is deeper native integration; Figma’s advantage is not depending on Mac-only editors for the whole team. ### Is Adobe XD still a third option? Adobe XD remains in permanent maintenance mode and is not a forward-looking primary tool. New UI work should evaluate Figma, Sketch, or other active tools rather than starting new systems in XD. ### What practical checklist item 1 should Mac teams verify before choosing? Item 1 is pricing. Open figma.com/pricing and sketch.com/pricing on the same day, check Full, Dev, and Collab seat types for Figma and Standard, Professional, and Enterprise for Sketch, and note taxes and billing cadence for your region. Screenshot the totals for the seats you will actually buy, not list prices in isolation. ### What practical checklist item 2 should Mac teams verify before choosing? Item 2 is file reality. Import one representative Sketch file into Figma and rebuild one Figma library in Sketch, then compare fidelity, Auto Layout versus stacks, symbol conversion, and prototype behavior. Time how long cleanup takes before the file is shippable. ### What practical checklist item 3 should Mac teams verify before choosing? Item 3 is handoff. Run the inspect path your engineers use every week, whether that is Figma Dev Mode with Code Connect, the MCP server, or Sketch web handoff plus Zeplin. Confirm measurements, export formats, and status workflows without a separate manual step. ### What practical checklist item 4 should Mac teams verify before choosing? Item 4 is offline needs. Test a long flight or tethered hotspot scenario, open a large local file in Sketch and a large cloud file in Figma's desktop app, and note what still works without a network. If your team often works offline, that result matters more than feature lists. ### What practical checklist item 5 should Mac teams verify before choosing? Item 5 is ownership and transfer. Confirm what happens when a teammate leaves, who keeps the files, how viewers are counted, and whether a $120 perpetual Sketch licence covers the version you will keep if you stop paying. Read the licence pages, not just the marketing summary. ### What practical checklist item 6 should Mac teams verify before choosing? Item 6 is education and trial terms. If you are a student, teacher, or bootcamp cohort, verify Figma Education and Sketch education access, plus Figma Starter limits and Sketch's 30-day trial, so you do not plan around a discount that does not apply to your account type. ### What practical checklist item 7 should Mac teams verify before choosing? Item 7 is stakeholder coverage. List everyone who needs to comment or view without editing, then check Figma's free viewers and Sketch Workspace viewer rules on your plan. If most comments come from PMs and engineers, free viewers can change the seat math. ### What practical checklist item 8 should Mac teams verify before choosing? Item 8 is AI cost. Check how many AI credits come with each Figma seat and what happens when they run out, then compare that to Sketch's plugin-based automation. If you will use image generation or Figma Make heavily, model the credit burn for a typical month. ## Sources - [Figma Plans & Pricing](https://www.figma.com/pricing/) - [Sketch Pricing for individuals, agencies & teams](https://www.sketch.com/pricing/) - [Sketch License Overview](https://www.sketch.com/license/) - [Figma design platform](https://www.figma.com/) - [Sketch , The digital design toolkit](https://www.sketch.com/) - [Thinking of switching tools? Sketch vs Figma](https://www.sketch.com/vs/figma/) - [Sketch Pricing Tiers & Costs](https://cpoclub.com/tools/sketch-pricing/) - [Adobe XD discontinued context (The Verge)](https://www.theverge.com/2023/6/22/23769586/adobe-xd-discontinued-shutting-down-figma-design-app) ## Related - [Canva vs Figma](https://bundl.run/compare/canva-vs-figma) - [Sketch vs Adobe XD](https://bundl.run/compare/sketch-vs-adobe-xd) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://bundl.run/#organization", "name": "Bundl.run", "url": "https://bundl.run", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://bundl.run/og-image.png", "width": 1200, "height": 630 }, "description": "The Ninite for Mac. 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