Figma is eating design (and it deserves to).
Sketch ruled UI design for five years. In the last twelve months we've watched Figma quietly become the default in every client project. Here's what changed, why it's working, and the practical migration playbook for studios still on Sketch.
Twelve months ago every client we worked with sent us Sketch files. Most still do — but the new ones, especially the in-house design teams, are arriving with Figma URLs instead. Something is changing fast. Twelve months from now, we expect Figma to be the default and Sketch to be the legacy answer. Some honest field notes.
What Figma got right
- 01Multiplayer. Two designers can be in the same file at the same time without anyone saying 'check the symlinked Dropbox folder'.
- 02Browser-first. The designer is on macOS, the engineer is on Windows, the client is on a Chromebook. Everyone sees the same thing.
- 03Versioning. Real history, real branches, real recovery. Sketch's was always patchy.
- 04Components and constraints that feel close enough to flexbox to be useful in handoff.
- 05Comments inline on the design. Stakeholder feedback stops happening in email and starts happening in context.
- 06Plugins on a real API. The Sketch plugin scene was good; the Figma plugin scene grew twice as fast in half the time.
- 07Pricing that suits modern teams — free for individuals, per-editor for teams, no per-seat-viewer tax.
The numbers behind the shift
| Metric | Sketch (early 2018) | Figma (early 2018) |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | macOS only | Browser + macOS + Windows |
| Real-time multiplayer | No | Yes, default |
| Native handoff to engineering | Plugins only (Zeplin) | Built-in inspect panel |
| Version history | Manual saves | Continuous, named versions |
| Component library reuse | Local library + manual sync | Team library, instant sync |
| Pricing for a 5-person team | $99/user/year × 5 = $495/year | $144/editor/year × 5 = $720/year |
Where Sketch still wins
- 01Plugin maturity for specific use cases — print-bound work, advanced layer effects, certain typography flows.
- 02Long-time muscle memory. Designers who have been on Sketch since 2014 are genuinely faster in it.
- 03Working offline. Sketch is a native app; Figma's offline story is much weaker.
- 04Some integrations with Mac-only tooling that the Figma version hasn't caught up with.
Sketch was the tool that made high-quality UI design accessible at scale. Figma is the tool that makes high-quality UI design collaborative. The difference is the difference between a desktop revolution and an operating-system one.
What it means for studios like ours
- 01Faster client review cycles. Comments live on the design, not in email threads.
- 02The 'designer hands off to engineer' moment is softer — the engineer can be in the file all along.
- 03Cross-platform team hiring just got easier. We're not constrained to Mac-only designers anymore.
- 04Onboarding clients to review is a URL, not an installer. Stakeholder cycle time drops measurably.
- 05Component libraries become real shared infrastructure across projects.
The migration playbook
- 01Don't migrate old projects. Leave them in Sketch as a frozen reference; start new work in Figma.
- 02Move the design system first. The library is the gravity well — once it's in Figma, new projects naturally land there.
- 03Train the team on components and auto-layout. These are where Figma earns the speed advantage.
- 04Set up a single team workspace. Don't let projects accumulate in personal accounts.
- 05Invite engineers as viewers from day one. Inspect is free for them; handoff stops being an event.
We're not back-porting old work, but for every new project the answer is going to be Figma. Twelve months ago the question was 'why move?'; today it's 'why haven't you?'.