Figma: Alternatives to Boost Your Web Design Strategy

If Figma's recent acquisition has left you searching for alternatives, it's time to reassess your design tool needs. As technology evolves, a range of new design platforms have emerged, catering to different preferences for user interface, features, and community support. Whether you're looking for something more intuitive, feature-rich, or aligned with your workflow, there are plenty of tools out there that offer similar—or even better—capabilities. In this blog post, we’ll explore 7 top Figma alternatives to enhance your web design strategy this year.

Invision

Invision is a cloud-based design tool that offers you a variety of features and functionalities to create wireframes, prototypes, and animations. The best thing about Invision is its collaboration features, which enable teams to work on projects in real time.

Features of Invision:

• Ability to create interactive prototypes that simulate user interaction.
• Allows you to test the usability and functionality of a design before it is fully developed, saving time and resources in the long run.
• Offers a comprehensive library of UI elements.
• Offers a range of plugins and integrations that allow you to work seamlessly with other tools such as Sketch and Adobe XD.
• Offers a mobile app that allows users to view and present designs on the go, making it a great tool for those who work remotely.

Unique Feature:

The platform has a host of integrations including Trello, Loom, Zoom, and Slack, to help teams communicate and provide meaningful context around programs being used.

Penpot

Penpot is a relatively new open-source design tool known for its powerful features and collaborative capabilities. Because Penpot is open-source, this means that it is free to use and its source code is available for anyone to access and modify.

• Similar to Figma, Penpot also offers a range of design tools and has a powerful collaboration tool.
• It can generate design specifications and style guides automatically. Therefore, it makes it easy for web developers to understand the design and implement it accurately in the final product.
• Penpot offers robust prototyping and testing features.

Unique Feature:

Penpot offers a unique feature called "Dynamic Components," which allows you to create components that can be easily customized and updated. This feature is particularly useful for interface designs that require multiple elements, such as tables or lists.

Affinity Designer

Affinity Designer is a powerful vector-based design tool known for its professional-grade features and affordability. It focuses on providing professional-grade features at an affordable price point. Similar to other tools, Affinity Designer also offers a range of design tools, allowing you to create high-quality designs quickly and efficiently, without starting from scratch.

• Supports a range of file formats, including PSD, AI, EPS, PDF, and SVG. This makes it easy for you to import and export your designs in a variety of formats.
• Helps you create complex vector illustrations easily using advanced vector tools.
• Offers a robust prototyping and testing feature similar to other tools.
• Offers a range of other useful features, including a powerful color picker tool, advanced typography tools, and the ability to create complex gradients and effects.

Unique Feature:

Affinity Designer has a feature called "Symbols," which allows you to create and reuse design elements quickly and easily. This feature is particularly useful for designing interfaces that require multiple similar elements, such as icons or buttons.

Sketch

Sketch is a popular vector graphics editor that has become the go-to tool for many, particularly those working in the field of user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) design. The best thing about Sketch is its simplicity and ease of use, making it an ideal tool for both beginner and experienced designers.

Features of Sketch:

• Allows you to quickly create high-quality designs, including wireframes, prototypes, and UI components.
• Offers powerful collaboration features, allowing teams to work together on a project in real time.
• Its vector-based design tools allow for precision and scalability, which makes it easy to create designs that are adaptable to different screen sizes and resolutions.
• Provides an extensive plugin ecosystem, which includes over 700 plugins that can be used to enhance its functionality. These plugins can help you automate repetitive tasks, integrate with other tools, and even create animations.

Unique Feature:

Sketch has the ability to create nested symbols and shared styles. This allows you to create reusable components that can be easily modified and updated across multiple designs. This feature not only saves time but also ensures consistency across a project.

Mockplus

Mockplus is a powerful prototyping tool that has gained popularity among designers for its ease of use and versatility. A great feature of Mockplus is its intuitive drag-and-drop interface, which makes it easy for you to create interactive prototypes without any coding.

Features of Mockplus:

• Offers a wide range of design elements and templates, including UI components, icons, and pre-designed widgets.
• Allows you to customize these design elements and create their own reusable components, which makes it easy to maintain consistency throughout a project.
• Its ability to create animations and interactions between different elements of a design. This allows you to create prototypes that accurately simulate the final product, making it easier to test the usability and functionality of a design.
• Offers powerful collaboration tools, allowing teams to work together on a project in real time.

Unique Feature:

Mockplus offers a unique feature called "Sketch Import," which allows you to import your Sketch designs directly into Mockplus. This makes it easy for you to seamlessly transition between the two tools and workflows.

Adobe XD

Adobe XD is a versatile and powerful design tool that has become a popular choice for designers in recent years. Adobe XD has the ability to create high-fidelity prototypes quickly and easily, making it an ideal tool for UI and UX design.

Features of Adobe XD:

• Offers a range of design tools and provides a powerful collaboration tool to improve team communication just like other alternative tools.
• Its integration with other Adobe products, such as Photoshop and Illustrator allows you to seamlessly transition between different tools and workflows.
• Offers robust prototyping and testing features. You can create interactive prototypes and test the usability and functionality of your designs. Hence, make it easy to refine and improve the design before finalizing it.

Unique Feature:

Adobe XD has a unique feature called "Repeat Grid," which allows you to create a grid of repeating elements that can be easily customized and updated. This feature is particularly useful for designing interfaces that require multiple similar elements, such as tables or lists.

UXPin

UXPin is known for its powerful collaboration features, making it a popular choice among design teams. One of the best things about UXPin is its ability to create high-fidelity, interactive prototypes that accurately simulate the final product. This makes it easier for you to test the usability and functionality of your designs.

Features of UXPin:

• It has an extensive library of design components, including UI elements, icons, and animations.
• Allows you to customize components and create your own reusable design elements, further streamlining the design process.
• Offers powerful collaboration tools that make it easy for teams to work together on a project.
• Ability to integrate with other tools, including Sketch, Photoshop, and Figma.

Unique Feature:

UXPin can help you generate code for designs, which can be exported to HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. This makes it easier to implement the design, as you have access to the code directly from the design tool.

FAQs

Q1. Is XD better than Figma?

Figma stands out for its top-tier collaboration options, and is better as a cloud-based platform for real-time feedback. However, Adobe XD offers robust prototyping capabilities and seamless integration with other Adobe Creative Cloud products.

Choosing between these two tools will depend on your individual design requirements, workflow, and personal preferences. Both Figma and Adobe XD have their unique strengths and benefits, so it's important to consider which tool is best suited for your specific needs when making a decision.

Q2. Is InVision better than Figma?

While Figma is known for its design capabilities, InVision is highly regarded for its prototyping features. Figma offers advanced photo editing tools that are not available in InVision, making it a better choice for designers who require more advanced editing capabilities.

Both Figma and InVision are popular design tools that offer a wide range of features and capabilities. In terms of collaboration for diverse teams, Figma has a more robust set of features that allow multiple users to work on designs in real time. Additionally, Figma has a wider selection of templates available to users. In the end, it all depends upon your needs.

Q3. Is there anything better than Figma?

There are several design tools available that offer comparable features and capabilities to Figma; some popular alternatives to Figma include Sketch, Adobe XD, InVision Studio, and Affinity Designer. Each of these tools has its own unique strengths and benefits.

For example, Sketch is a desktop-based tool that offers powerful vector editing capabilities, while InVision Studio is a versatile tool that allows for both design and animation. Ultimately, the choice of the right design tool will depend on your specific needs, preferences, and budget.