A Sketch user's perspective on switching to Figma | Figma Blog (opens in new tab)

After using Figma for a month, Marco Pacifico argues that Sketch teams—especially distributed product teams—could gain substantially by switching. Figma combines Sketch-like design capabilities with prototyping, collaboration, developer handoff, version control, and cloud storage in one web-based tool. Its central advantage is reducing the syncing, uploading, and coordination overhead that slows design iteration.

Web-Based Design and Real-Time Collaboration

• Figma runs in browsers, with native apps available for offline work.
• Work is automatically saved to a shared cloud space, eliminating manual file organization and updates.
• A single URL serves as the source of truth for designers, developers, and stakeholders.
• Teams no longer need to repeatedly upload screens, sync files, or distribute PNGs.
• The author reports that Figma feels at least as performant as Sketch, including with large files.

A Replacement for the Sketch Ecosystem

The article presents Figma as combining the capabilities of several tools traditionally used alongside Sketch:

• Sketch-like drawing tools and interface.
• Clickable prototyping comparable to Craft and InVision.
• Built-in comments, tagging, resolution tracking, and Slack integration.
• Developer handoff with dimensions, styles, and downloadable assets.
• Version history that allows users to restore or fork earlier designs.
• Multiplayer editing with visible cursors and real-time drawing.
• Live viewing of another collaborator’s screen and cursor.
• Flexible components, intuitive constraints, and shared team libraries.
• Dropbox Paper embedding.

Faster Design Iteration

• Designers can conduct reviews, make changes, and receive immediate feedback in the same file.
• Iteration can shrink from days to minutes because teams avoid:
  • Re-uploading screens to InVision.
  • Reordering prototype screens after synchronization.
  • Waiting for teammates in other time zones to commit or upload work.
  • Recovering from broken third-party plugins after software updates.
• Changes are visible immediately, so there is no separate synchronization step between the design file and prototype.

A More Inclusive Design Process

• The design file becomes a shared space where team members and stakeholders can discuss work directly.
• Anyone with the link can participate through comments and collaborative review.
• Real-time access makes design discussions more seamless and reduces barriers between distributed teammates.

Practical Recommendation

For teams currently assembling Sketch, Abstract, InVision, Craft, Zeplin, and collaboration tools into one workflow, the author recommends evaluating Figma as a unified alternative—particularly when rapid iteration and distributed collaboration are priorities.