What it is
Figma is a browser-based design tool for interfaces: websites, applications, design systems and prototypes, built for real-time collaboration.
It replaced the previous generation of design software almost entirely, because multiple people can work in the same file and developers can inspect it without a handover process.
It is what I use for website design work, and the wrong tool for a social media graphic.
What it does
Vector design with proper constraints, auto-layout and components, so a design system stays consistent as it grows and changes propagate everywhere.
Prototyping links screens into a clickable flow, which is how you test a design with somebody before anything is built.
Developer handoff lets whoever builds it inspect spacing, colours and typography directly, removing the specification document entirely.
FigJam for whiteboarding and Dev Mode for engineering handoff sit alongside, and the plugin ecosystem covers almost any specialised need.
Who it's for
Features
Pros and cons
Pricing
| PLAN | WHAT YOU GET | WORTH IT FOR |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Three files, unlimited viewers and collaborators. | Individuals and small projects. |
| Professional | Unlimited files, version history, shared libraries. | Working designers. The usual tier. |
| Organisation | Design systems, analytics, branching. | Larger design teams. |
| Dev Mode seats | Separate cheaper seats for developers. | Engineering teams. |
Priced per editor rather than per viewer, so clients and developers can be given access without a licence each. The free tier covers a lot.
Free if you design occasionally, Professional if you design for a living. Add viewers freely, because they cost nothing.
Alternatives
My verdict
Figma is one of the few tools in this list where there is no serious argument about the leader. For interface and website design it is the standard, the collaboration works, and the free tier lets an individual do real work.
It is not a marketing tool. People occasionally try to produce social graphics in it and find it slower than Canva, because it is built for systems rather than for one-off assets.
If you are designing a website, whether yourself or with a designer, this is where that happens. The Dev Mode handoff alone has removed a category of miscommunication from my projects.
Try Figma →Who should use it
Who should avoid it
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Affiliate disclosure
I earn nothing from this recommendation. There is no affiliate link on this page and I pay for my own subscription where one is needed. When a review on this site does carry a commercial link, it says so in this same place on the page.