Figma has 85% market share in UI design tools. Adobe tried to buy Figma for $20 billion but regulators blocked it. Adobe XD development has slowed significantly. Here is the current state.
Market Reality
Figma won the design tool war. The numbers:
- Figma: Used by 4 million+ designers
- Adobe XD: New feature development paused, existing user base declining
- Sketch: Mac-only, declining market share
- Penpot: Open-source alternative, growing
Adobe has shifted investment away from XD toward integrating AI features into its existing Creative Cloud applications. While XD still works, it is no longer receiving significant updates.
Why Figma Won
Browser-Based Collaboration
Figma runs in the browser. No installation. Open a link and start designing. Multiple designers edit simultaneously with real-time cursors. Developers view designs, inspect code, and export assets without a separate license.
Adobe XD requires a desktop application. Collaboration is slower, limited to shared links for viewing (not co-editing).
Component System
Figma's component system is best-in-class:
- Auto Layout: Responsive components that resize like CSS flexbox
- Variants: Multiple states of a component in one frame
- Component properties: Toggle features on/off without variants
- Instance swapping: Swap nested components easily
- Design tokens: Variables for colors, typography, spacing
Adobe XD has components but they are less powerful. No equivalent to Figma's Auto Layout or Variables.
Developer Handoff
Figma's Dev Mode gives developers:
- CSS, iOS, and Android code snippets
- Exact spacing measurements
- Color and typography values
- Asset export in any format
- Annotation tools for design specs
Developers access this in the browser with a free Figma account. No designer involvement needed.
Plugin Ecosystem
Figma has 3,000+ community plugins:
- Content population (dummy text, images, icons)
- Accessibility checkers
- Design system documentation generators
- Code generators (React, Swift, Flutter)
- Animation tools (Figma to Lottie)
Adobe XD's plugin ecosystem is smaller and no longer growing.
Community Resources
- Figma Community: Thousands of free templates, UI kits, design systems
- Auto Layout tutorials and patterns
- Open-source design systems (Material Design, Apple HIG)
- Active forums and learning resources
Figma Pricing
| Plan | Cost | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | Free | 3 files, basic features |
| Professional | $15/editor/month | Unlimited files, team libraries |
| Organization | $45/editor/month | Design systems, branching, admin |
| Enterprise | $75/editor/month | Advanced security, SSO, analytics |
Viewers (including developers) are free on all plans.
When Adobe XD Still Makes Sense
There are limited scenarios where XD remains relevant:
- Your team already has Adobe Creative Cloud licenses and wants to minimize tool sprawl
- You need tight integration with After Effects for animation (though Figma plugins now handle this)
- Legacy projects that were designed in XD and need maintenance
For new projects, there is no compelling reason to choose XD over Figma.
What This Means for Your Web Design Project
When hiring a web design agency or freelancer, ask what design tool they use. The answer tells you something:
- Figma: Modern workflow, good collaboration, easy developer handoff
- Adobe XD: May be using dated processes, limited collaboration
- Sketch: Mac-only workflow, limited real-time collaboration
- No design tool (straight to code): Missing the design validation step
We design in Figma. Clients review designs interactively in the browser before any code is written. Changes happen in real-time during review meetings.
Figma for Your Project
We design every website in Figma before development. You see and approve the design in your browser. Developers reference Figma directly during development for pixel-perfect implementation.
Contact us to start your web design project.