As a designer, few things are more frustrating than being constrained by your tools. Whether it’s limited capabilities for interactive prototyping or a lack of effective collaboration features, the wrong design software can derail your creative workflows.
Many have turned to Figma for its real-time editing and easy access across devices. However, as projects become more complex, Figma’s restrictions around animations, components, and file organization have sent designers on the hunt for alternatives optimized for their needs.
This guide will outline the top contenders to Figma in 2023 based on features, integrations, pricing, and more. With the right platform, you can focus on bringing your digital products from concept to polished design.
What is Figma?
Figma is a collaborative interface design tool that works in the browser while facilitating team workflow in real-time. Some of its capabilities include:
- Vector graphics design tools
- Prototyping interactive designs
- Building design systems and component libraries
- Cross-platform functionality on the web, Mac, Windows, iOS and Android
- Commenting and providing design feedback in the tool
- Developer handoff of assets and code
These features have made Figma a popular choice, especially for UI/UX design teams that need to work closely from concept to final product.
Why Consider Figma Alternatives?
While Figma is feature-rich, it may not be the ideal solution for every designer and project. Some limitations include:
- Animation capabilities are basic compared to dedicated motion design tools
- Component organization options are limited for complex projects
- File and asset management functionality could be improved
- Integrations are limited compared to other ecosystems
- Pricing may get costly for larger teams
For these reasons and more, many designers are expanding their toolkit with other solutions tailored to their specific needs.
Factors to Consider in Choosing Figma Alternatives
With so many tools to choose from, here are key factors to evaluate when considering a Figma alternative:
- Primary use cases – will you focus on interactive prototyping, animation, developing design systems, collaboration, or a blend of everything?
- Platforms needed – Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android, web, or native apps?
- Integration with existing tools like Sketch, Adobe Creative Cloud, etc.
- Pricing models relative to your team size and budget
- Available templates, UI kits, and assets
- Support for developer handoff and design specs
- Review and feedback capabilities
- Collaboration features like real-time editing, comments, version history
With your must-have features defined, you can zero in on the best solutions to bring your product visions to life. Let’s look at some top contenders.
13 Best Figma Alternatives in 2024
With an idea of what to look for in a Figma alternative, let’s explore some top options:
1. Marker.io
Marker.io is a visual feedback and bug-reporting tool optimized for design teams.
Marker lets you gather annotations, screenshots, and feedback directly on live sites or staging environments. Comments are tracked in your project management tools like Jira, Trello, ClickUp, and more.
Best Features
- Visual Feedback: Add arrows, shapes, blurring, emojis to screenshots to communicate issues quickly
- Bug Reports: Automatically capture environment details, console logs, and network requests to aid developers
- Session Replay: See users’ steps before they submit feedback
- 2-Way Sync: Issues are synced bi-directionally with your PM platform as they are created, updated, and resolved
Pros
- Simplifies feedback loops between designers, developers, QA, and stakeholders
- Integrates feedback fully into existing workflow tools
- Encourages more actionable feedback from non-technical users
- Provides critical context with session replays and device environment data
Cons
- Currently only has Chrome extension for capturing feedback (no mobile apps yet)
- Must have some technical expertise to install on sites
- Feedback may be less structured compared to in-tool solutions
Pricing
Marker.io starts at $39 per month. Volume discounts are available.
- Free 15-day trial
- Starter plan – $39/month
- Team plan – $99/month
Reviews
- 4.8 stars on Capterra
- 4.7 stars on G2
2. Adobe XD
Adobe XD is a vector-based UI/UX design tool for websites, mobile apps, voice interfaces, and more.
Part of Adobe’s Creative Cloud suite, Adobe XD provides advanced design, prototyping, and collaboration features, including:
- Vector design and illustration tools
- Tools for interactive prototyping and animation
- Building design systems with linked assets
- Real-time co-editing and commenting
Best Features
Some of the best features in Adobe XD:
- Responsive Resize: Preview designs across multiple screens and devices
- Repeat Grid: Create reusable, dynamic components like galleries or cards
- Interactive Prototypes: Link artboards together to simulate interactions and transitions
- Design Specs: Automatically generate design specs, assets, and measurements
- Integrations: Plug-ins to integrate with Slack, Jira, Google Drive and more
Pros
- Seamless integration with other Adobe Creative Cloud apps
- Advanced prototyping capabilities
- Feature-rich collaboration experience
- In-depth learning resources and a large community of users
Cons
- A steep learning curve, especially for new users
- Collaboration limited to two editors simultaneously in XD
- Complex pricing model across Creative Cloud plans
Pricing
Adobe XD is available standalone or bundled with other Creative Cloud apps.
- XD Single App plan – $9.99/month
- All Apps plan – $52.99/month
- Teams (for enterprise) – custom pricing
Student and annual pricing options are also available.
Reviews
- 4.6 stars on Capterra
- 4.3 stars on G2
3. Canva
Canva is a graphic design platform for creating social media graphics, presentations, posters and more.
With its drag-and-drop interface and extensive template library, Canva simplifies graphic design for non-designers.
Best Features
- Drag-and-drop: Easily customize layouts by dragging, dropping, and resizing elements
- Templates: Choose from many premade designs and templates
- Photo editor: Fix and adjust photos within Canva
- Branding: Create visual assets on-brand by saving brand styles and elements
- Collaboration: Work together in real-time on designs
Pros
- Extremely user-friendly, easy for non-designers
- Huge library of templates, fonts, and design elements
- Free version available with plenty of assets
- Available as web, iOS, and Android apps
Cons
- Limited design capabilities compared to advanced tools
- No native vector image support
- Designs can seem templated
Pricing
Canva offers a free forever plan along with paid options:
- Free – With limited features and assets
- Pro – $14.99 per month billed annually
- Enterprise – Custom pricing
Reviews
- 4.7 stars on Capterra
- 4.7 stars on G2
4. Webflow
Webflow is a no-code web design and development platform.
Webflow lets you design, build, and launch responsive websites visually without coding.
Best Features
- Visual design tools: Drag and drop elements to design and layout sites
- Interactive elements: Animate interactions without coding
- Responsive design: Build sites optimized for every device
- Hosting: Webflow hosts and deploys your sites
- CMS: Built-in content management functionality
Pros
- Design, prototype, and build websites on one platform
- Sites are fast and SEO-friendly
- Large library of templates and integrations
- Active community support
Cons
- Steeper learning curve than traditional website builders
- Limited capabilities compared to coding
- Webflow-hosted sites can have higher long-term costs
Pricing
Webflow offers 5 payment plans:
- Free – 2 pages, max 1GB bandwidth
- Basic – $14/month, 150 pages, max 5GB bandwidth
- CMS – $23/month, 150 pages, 200GB bandwidth
- Business – $36/month, 150 sites, 400GB bandwidth
- Enterprise – Custom pricing
Reviews
- 4.6 stars on Capterra
- 4.4 stars on G2
5. InVision
InVision is a prototyping and collaboration platform for designers.
InVision allows teams to create interactive prototypes, get feedback, and simulate real-world user flows.
Best Features
- Interactive prototypes: Link screens together to simulate products
- Comments: Annotate and discuss prototypes in-tool
- Boards: Collaborative team boards to manage projects
- Inspect: View and inspect designs in full-resolution
- Design automation: Create prototypes from design files automatically
Pros
- Streamlined review and approval cycles
- Design commenting helps build consensus
- Integrates with tools like Sketch, Photoshop, Slack
- Feature-rich free plan available
Cons
- Steep learning curve for some features
- Prototyping interactions may be limiting
- Only 2 editors per file simultaneously
Pricing
InVision offers 4 payment plans:
- Free – 1 active prototype
- Starter – $15/month
- Professional – $45/month
- Team – $99/month
Reviews
- 4.6 stars on Capterra
- 4.4 stars on G2
6. Sketch
Sketch is a design toolkit for macOS focused on interface and UI design.
Built as a native Mac app, Sketch offers an infinite canvas and streamlined interface tailored to UI designers.
Best Features
- Native macOS experience: Designed specifically for Apple devices and workflows
- Vector editing: Work with SVG, Boolean ops, advanced path editing, and more
- Prototyping: Link artboards together to test flows and micro-interactions
- Symbols: Create reusable components and sync changes across documents
- Libraries: Share elements, styles, and templates across files
Pros
- Tight integration with macOS and Apple ecosystem
- Lightweight and fast performance
- Feature-rich plugins expand functionality
- Library of UI kits and templates
- Great for mocking up mobile, web, and desktop interfaces
Cons
- Mac-only – no Windows or Linux versions
- Less collaborative features than web-based tools
- Limited preview and sharing options for stakeholders
Pricing
Sketch offers various subscription plans:
- Personal – $10/month
- Professional – $19.99/month or $199.99/year
- Mac-only license – $120 Per Seat
- Business – $20/month
Educational pricing is available. Free trial for 30 days.
Reviews
- 4.6 stars on Capterra
- 4.5 stars on G2
7. WordPress
WordPress is open-source CMS software for building websites and blogs.
WordPress is a flexible content management system suitable for everything from personal blogs to enterprise websites.
Best Features
- Themes: Thousands of design templates to customize sites
- Plugins: Extend functionality with marketing, SEO, analytics, and e-commerce plugins
- Customization: Modify themes and code for advanced customization
- Community: Large support community for help and themes/plugins
- SEO-ready: Built-in SEO best practices and analytics integration
Pros
- Free open-source platform with advanced capabilities
- Massive theme and plugin ecosystem
- Easy content editing for non-technical users
- Scales to support large, complex sites
- Developer-friendly for advanced customization
Cons
- Steep learning curve compared to website builders
- Security and performance vary across themes and plugins
- Limited design capabilities out of the box
Pricing
WordPress itself is free and open-source. Costs include web hosting, premium themes/plugins, and developer help.
- Starter – $4/month
- Explorer – $8/month
- Creator -$25/month
- Entrepreneur -$45/month
Reviews
- 4.6 stars on Capterra
- 4.4 stars on G2
8. Designmodo
Designmodo offers tools and resources for web designers and developers.
Designmodo provides UI kits, web design resources, HTML templates, and learning materials for building websites.
Best Features
- UI kits: High-quality individual and bundle UI kits
- Tools: Animation and interactive tools like Slides and Front
- Templates: Wide selection of HTML site templates
- Resources: Design tips, tutorials, icons, illustrations, and mocks
Pros
- Excellent suite of design resources and assets
- Modern design-focused tools for non-coders
- Site templates allow quick website building
- Helpful tutorials and courses for designers
Cons
- Not a complete design platform solution
- Heavier focus on resources vs collaboration
- Limited compared to all-in-one tools
Pricing
Designmodo has different pricing models depending on the product:
- Free trial – Lifetime
- Business – $17/month
- Agencies – $29/month
Reviews
- 3.4 stars on Capterra
- 4.5 stars on G2
9. GoProof
GoProof is an online proofing and collaboration platform.
GoProof helps streamline the design review and approval process with features tailored for creative teams.
Best Features
- Visual proofing – Review designs, annotate changes
- Version comparisons – Visually compare current and old versions
- Comments – Discuss feedback on designs
- Review reminders – Email notifications for approvals
- Integrations – Connect with design tools like Sketch and Photoshop
Pros
- Smoother design review workflows
- Improved team collaboration
- Tighter integration with project management tools
- Easy learning curve
Cons
- Mostly focused on proofing vs complete design features
- Steep pricing for basic functionality
- Reviewers need accounts for full access
Pricing
Free 14-day trial available.
Reviews
- 4.3 stars on Capterra
- 4.4 stars on G2
10. Marvel
Marvel is an end-to-end design platform focused on prototyping and collaboration.
Marvel brings ideas to life through interactive prototypes, feedback, user testing, and other collaboration features.
Best Features
- Interactive prototypes – Link screens and simulate interactions
- Design commenting – Annotate designs with teammates
- User testing – Get feedback from real users through recordings and analytics
- Integrations – Connect with tools like Sketch, InVision, Dropbox
- Design workflow – Kanban boards to manage design projects
Pros
- Streamlined design review and testing cycles
- Easy to gather visual feedback from team members
- Integrates with other major design tools
- Affordable pricing, even for individuals
Cons
- Advanced prototyping limitations compared to competitors
- Occasional bugs with complex prototypes
- Mostly focused on early-stage design vs developer handoff
Pricing
Marvel offers 4 payment plans:
- Pro – $12/month
- Team – $42/month
Free trial available.
Reviews
- 4.6 stars on Capterra
- 4.4 stars on G2
11. Venngage
Venngage is an infographic design platform for creating visual content.
Venngage makes it easy to design infographics, reports, charts, and other visual content through drag-and-drop templates.
Best Features
- Drag-and-drop editor – Easily customize templates
- Infographic templates – Premade designs for various categories
- Icons and images – Library of illustrations and graphic assets
- Charts – Various chart and data visualization options
- Branding – Use brand kit to customize colors, fonts, logos
Pros
- Intuitive enough for non-designers
- Large variety of professionally designed templates
- Affordable subscription pricing
- Available as web, iOS, and Android apps
Cons
- More limited for complex illustrations and designs
- Templated designs make outputs look similar
- Primarily focused on static visuals vs interactive
Pricing
Venngage has these pricing tiers:
- Free – Limited features and watermark
- Premium – $10/month
- Business – $24/month
- Enterprise – $499/month
Reviews
- 4.6 stars on Capterra
- 4.7 stars on G2
12. Adobe Express
Adobe Express offers graphic design and content creation for non-professionals.
Express provides an easy-to-use graphic design solution for non-designers to create visual content quickly.
Best Features
- Intuitive interface – Drag-and-drop design that’s easy to learn
- 10,000+ templates – Professionally designed templates for any need
- Photo editor – Crop, resize, and apply filters to images
- Animated videos – Create short animated videos
- Social graphics – Tailored templates for all major platforms
Pros
- Extremely user-friendly with a minimal learning curve
- Large library of stylish templates
- Helps non-designers create visual assets quickly
- Available as web, iOS, and Android apps
Cons
- Very limited design capabilities compared to advanced tools
- Templated designs can seem cookie-cutter
- Primarily focused on static graphics vs rich prototyping
Pricing
Adobe Express offers these pricing options:
- Free 14-day trial available
- Premium – $9.99 per month
Reviews
- 4.6 stars on Capterra
- 4.5 stars on G2
13. Siter.io
Siter.io is a no-code web design platform for building websites and web apps.
Siter enables designers to create responsive sites and web apps through an intuitive drag-and-drop editor and customization tools.
Best Features
- Drag-and-drop editor – Visually design and layout sites
- No-code interactions – Create micro-interactions without coding
- Collaboration – Real-time co-editing with teammates
- Responsive sites – Optimized designs for all device sizes
- Design assets – Icons, illustrations, graphics, and animations
Pros
- Quickly build responsive prototypes and sites
- Simple collaborative workflows
- Large library of templates and assets included
- Affordable subscription pricing
Cons
- More limited customization vs code-based platforms
- Learning curve is higher than for basic website builders
Pricing
Siter.io offers these plans:
- Solo – $7/month
- Plus – $12/month
- Pro – $24/month
Free trial available.
Reviews
- 4.6 stars on Capterra
- 4.8 stars on G2
Finding the Right Figma Alternative
With so many options, how do you determine the best Figma alternative for your specific needs?
A. Consider Main Factors
Before choosing a platform, think about:
- Company goals – Will you focus on interactive prototyping, animation, web design, etc?
- Target users – Will the tool be used by designers, developers, stakeholders?
- Team capabilities – Does your team have design expertise or need an easy learning curve?
- Budget – What budget is available, per user, and in total?
Outline your must-have features like collaboration, developer handoff, templates, integrations with existing tools. This will help narrow down the choices.
Focus on tools that align with your primary use cases rather than trying to find a platform that does everything.
B. Test Free Trials
Taking advantage of free trials is crucial when evaluating Figma alternatives. This lets you:
- Experience the platform – Get hands-on with the interface, tools, and workflows
- Test key features – Determine if core features meet your needs
- Validate collaborator experience – Have teammates test co-editing, commenting, and feedback
Set specific criteria and scenarios to test during the trial period.
Document what works well and the limitations you experience. This will allow you to make an informed decision about which platform is the best fit.
C. Follow Best Practices
Once you’ve chosen the right alternative, use these best practices:
- Standardize on components – Create reusable elements like buttons, cards, navigation bars
- Leverage templates – Use consistent templates for common design tasks
- Organize assets – Use clear naming conventions and groups for images, icons, illustrations
- Simplify revisions – Utilize built-in version control and document changes
Invest time upfront in setup to maximize efficiency over the long term. Take advantage of all the platform’s capabilities.
Regularly evaluate workflows and features used to optimize your team’s usage.
Final Thoughts
Finding the right design platform tailored to your team’s needs is crucial for reducing friction in your workflows. While Figma sets the standard in many ways, it may not be the ideal solution as your projects scale in complexity.
By outlining your must-have features and trials of leading alternatives like Adobe XD, InVision, Sketch, and Webflow, you can find a tool that empowers your team to deliver amazing digital experiences efficiently.
The key is choosing a solution that solves your biggest pain points – whether it’s better collaboration, developer handoff, interactive prototyping, or advanced asset management. With designers and product teams relying on these tools daily, an investment in the right platform pays dividends across your entire digital product lifecycle.
The options covered in this guide represent the top Figma alternatives available today based on capabilities, reviews, and usage by leading design teams. Focus on finding the right match for your use cases and workflows. With the perfect toolkit, you can continue pushing the boundaries of product innovation and connected user experiences.
