TL;DR
Looking for free alternatives to Adobe XD? Here are the best open source and free options for Mac.
What is the best free alternative to Adobe XD?
The best free alternative to Adobe XD ($9.99/month) is Figma. Install it with: brew install --cask figma.
Free Alternative to Adobe XD
Save $9.99/month with these 2 free and open source alternatives that work great on macOS.
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Other Free Alternatives
Quick Comparison
Best Free Alternatives to Adobe XD for Mac (2026)
Adobe XD is no longer a product you can buy as a standalone subscription. Adobe staff stated publicly that XD is not available for purchase as a single application, that existing customers continue to get support, and that XD remains available only through Creative Cloud All Apps. The Verge reported the same shift in June 2023: the standalone listing disappeared from Creative Cloud, and Adobe PR confirmed support for people who already had access, not a restart of active feature development. In plain terms, XD is in maintenance mode. You might still open files if you already have All Apps or a legacy seat, but you should not plan new design systems there.
If you landed here because a comparison URL redirected, that is intentional. The figma-vs-adobe-xd route on this site points to free XD alternatives because the XD half of that comparison is a dead end for new work. Two problems show up for almost everyone in this spot. First, you still have .xd files and need a way to keep working without renting Creative Cloud forever. Second, you want a free or freemium UI and prototyping tool that matches what XD used to do: artboards, components, interactive prototypes, and handoff.
The free tools mapped for this page are Figma and Inkscape. Figma is the real successor for UI design and prototyping. Its Starter plan is free, with unlimited personal drafts, multiplayer editing on allowed files, and a small AI credit bucket (about 150 credits per day, up to 500 per month on Starter). Paid Professional Full seats are $16 per month when billed annually as of August 2026. Inkscape is free and open source and installs with Homebrew, but it is a vector illustration editor, not a product-design tool. It has no artboard-based UI kit workflow, no multiplayer canvas, and no interactive prototype share links. Treat it as the free Illustrator-class utility for icons and SVG cleanup, not as a like-for-like XD replacement.
One more option you should know about even though it is not a curated cask on this site: Penpot. It is an open-source, browser-based design and prototyping platform with self-hosting if you want the files on your own servers. There is no Homebrew cask for Penpot, so you use the hosted app or Docker self-host docs rather than inventing a brew install line. For most Mac freelancers leaving XD, Figma Starter is still the shortest path. Export everything you care about out of XD while you still have a working install, because .xd is proprietary and nothing else opens it natively.
Detailed Alternative Reviews
Figma
The free-tier UI and prototyping tool that actually replaced XD
brew install --cask figmaFigma is what most teams moved to when XD stopped shipping features. On Mac you can run the desktop app from Homebrew (`brew install --cask figma`) or work in the browser. The free Starter plan still covers solo UI work in August 2026: unlimited drafts, full design and prototype tools on those drafts, Community files, and view or comment access for stakeholders without buying them seats. Limits show up when you need unlimited shared team files and folders, long version history, org-wide libraries, or larger AI budgets. Professional Full seats are $16 per month on annual billing ($20 month-to-month), with Dev and Collab seats cheaper for people who mostly inspect or whiteboards.
What you get that XD used to promise is multiplayer editing, components with variants, auto layout, interactive prototypes, and developer inspect. What you lose is offline-first desktop files. Figma needs a network connection to open work, and large files can chew RAM because the desktop app is still a web stack under the hood. For migration, Figma does not treat .xd as a first-class native format the way it treats Sketch. Third-party Community plugins exist to pull XD content in, and you should budget cleanup time for auto-animate links, component states, and repeat grids. The safer workflow is still: open XD while you can, export artboards as PNG or SVG, rebuild interactions in Figma, and keep a PDF archive of final screens.
Key Features:
- Free Starter plan with unlimited personal drafts
- Real-time multiplayer editing and comments
- Components, variants, auto layout, and variables
- Interactive prototypes with transitions and overlays
- Developer inspect for CSS, iOS, and Android values
- Desktop Mac app plus browser access
- Community plugins and UI kits
- Share links for review without paid viewer seats
Limitations:
- • Needs internet to open files
- • Shared team file limits on free Starter
- • Native .xd import is not first-class; plugins or exports required
- • Memory use climbs on large design systems
Best for: UI/UX product design, interactive prototypes, remote handoff, and anyone leaving XD for a free tier that still looks like a real design tool
Inkscape
Free open-source vectors, not an XD clone
brew install --cask inkscapeInkscape 1.4.4 is the free open-source vector editor you install when you need SVG paths, icons, or print-adjacent illustration without Adobe. It is not a prototyping suite. There are no XD-style component libraries for app screens, no shareable click-through prototypes, and no multiplayer design file. If someone told you Inkscape replaces Adobe XD end to end, they mixed up illustration with product design.
Where Inkscape does help XD refugees is asset recovery. Export logos and icons from XD as SVG while you still have XD running, then clean nodes and boolean ops in Inkscape. The Mac cask is real (`brew install --cask inkscape`), Apple Silicon builds are available, and the price is zero forever under GPL. The interface is denser than Figma and takes practice. Text rendering and font handling on macOS can still surprise you. Use Inkscape beside Figma or Penpot for vector craft, not as the place you rebuild an entire product design system.
Key Features:
- Completely free and open source (GPL)
- Native SVG editing and strong path tools
- Boolean operations, live path effects, and node editing
- Bitmap trace for converting rasters to vectors
- Extensions ecosystem for specialized tasks
- Cross-platform Mac, Windows, and Linux builds
Limitations:
- • Not a UI design or prototyping tool
- • No real-time collaboration canvas
- • Cannot open .xd files
- • Steeper learning curve and older UI patterns
Best for: Icons, logos, SVG cleanup, and illustration assets that feed a separate UI tool
Which Alternative is Right for You?
Solo product designer with a folder of client .xd files and no Creative Cloud budget left
→ Keep XD installed only long enough to export. For each project, export artboards as PNG and SVG, export a PDF of final flows, and note interaction maps in a short text doc. Move new work to Figma Starter. Rebuild screens from exports rather than trusting a one-click .xd converter for complex prototypes. Archive the original .xd files on disk so you can reopen them later if a temporary All Apps seat is available.
Small startup that used XD for app UI and needs free multiplayer design with developer handoff
→ Use Figma. Put the product work in free drafts first, invite developers as viewers so they can inspect without paid seats, and upgrade only the seats that actually edit shared team libraries. Do not use Inkscape for this job. If the company refuses SaaS design tools, evaluate hosted or self-hosted Penpot in the browser instead of forcing a desktop vector app into a product workflow.
Design student who searched for free Adobe XD and found this page
→ Skip XD entirely. Create a free Figma account and learn components, auto layout, and basic prototypes there. Use Inkscape only if a class assignment needs pure vector illustration or SVG. Job postings and team projects already assume Figma more often than XD.
Agency with a large Creative Cloud All Apps seat that still opens legacy XD files for one client
→ Finish that client migration on a calendar, not on hope. While the All Apps seat still launches XD, export every production screen and shared library asset. Move active work to Figma (or Penpot if the client demands open source). Stop creating new components inside XD even if the app still launches, because maintenance mode means the feature gap only grows.
Illustrator-heavy freelancer who used XD only for simple mockups and icons
→ Split the stack. Keep Inkscape for vectors and icons. Use Figma free drafts for any screen mockups that need frames, text styles, and simple prototype links. You do not need to recreate every XD habit if most of your billable work is illustration.
Migration Tips
Export before you cancel anything
Treat .xd as a locked format
Rebuild components in the new tool
Map your prototype links on paper first
Keep a cold archive
Quick comparison
| Feature | Adobe XD | Figma | Inkscape | Penpot (not curated here) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price for new users | Not sold standalone | Free Starter; Pro Full $16/mo annual | Free (open source) | Free hosted tier; self-host free |
| UI design + artboards | Yes (legacy) | Yes | No (illustration canvas) | Yes |
| Interactive prototyping | Yes (legacy) | Yes | No | Yes |
| Real-time multiplayer | Limited legacy cloud docs | Yes | No | Yes |
| Opens .xd natively | Yes | No (plugins/exports) | No | No |
| Homebrew cask on Mac | No (Adobe installer) | brew install --cask figma | brew install --cask inkscape | None (web/Docker) |
| Active feature development | Maintenance mode | Active | Active | Active |
The verdict
Figma
Figma is the free-tier tool that covers the same job XD had: screens, components, prototypes, and handoff. Starter is enough for many solo designers; paid seats scale when teams share libraries.
Full reviewInkscape
Worth installing for free SVG and icon work, not as a pretend XD clone. Use it next to Figma when vectors need real path control.
Full reviewBottom line
Adobe XD is maintenance-only and no longer sold as a single app. Export your .xd work while you still can. Move UI and prototyping to Figma (or Penpot if you need open source and self-hosting). Keep Inkscape for illustration assets. Do not start new product design in XD.
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Technologies & Concepts
Sources & References
- 1Adobe community: XD no longer sold as single app
Accessed Aug 9, 2026
"Adobe staff: XD is no longer available for purchase as a single application; support continues for existing users; available via Creative Cloud All Apps."
- 2The Verge: Adobe XD on life support
Accessed Aug 9, 2026
"Standalone XD removed from sale; Adobe PR said existing customers continue to receive support; All Apps path noted for entitled users."
- 3Adobe XD Help
Accessed Aug 9, 2026
"Official XD help covering design, prototype, share, export assets, and transfer workflows for remaining users."
- 4Figma pricing
Accessed Aug 9, 2026
"Starter free with unlimited drafts and limited AI credits; Professional Full seat $16/mo annual."
- 5Inkscape
Accessed Aug 9, 2026
"Free open-source vector graphics editor; current stable line includes 1.4.4."
- 6Penpot
Accessed Aug 9, 2026
"Open-source design platform for teams with free signup and self-host options."
- 7Penpot blog: Adobe XD alternatives
Accessed Aug 9, 2026
"Discusses post-2023 XD lifecycle and open-source alternatives including Penpot and Figma."
- 8Export design assets in Adobe XD
Accessed Aug 9, 2026
"Adobe documentation for exporting design assets from XD before migration."
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About the Author
Creative Software Expert
Maya Rodriguez specializes in design and creative software, bringing 10 years of experience as a professional graphic designer and UI/UX specialist. Maya evaluates design tools, media applications, and creative workflows with an eye toward both artistic capability and technical performance.