In short
Figma is a collaborative, browser-based tool for designing interfaces: websites, apps and the components and design systems behind them. Several people can work in the same file at once, developers can inspect designs and copy values directly, and prototypes can be clicked through without any code. It became the industry standard for product and web design around 2020, displacing Sketch and Adobe XD, and Adobe's attempt to buy it was blocked in 2023. It is free for individuals and small teams and is not a tool for photo editing, print or illustration.
What it is
Figma is a design tool that runs in a web browser (with desktop apps that wrap the same thing) and is built for designing screens: web pages, mobile apps, dashboards, and the reusable components that make them up. A design lives in a file in Figma's cloud; anyone with a link can open it, and several people can edit it simultaneously, each seeing the others' cursors move.
It was released in 2016 and became the default tool for interface design over the following four years. In 2022 Adobe agreed to buy it for $20 billion; regulators in the UK and EU objected, and the deal was abandoned in 2023. Figma listed publicly in 2025.
What it does
Design. Vector drawing tools tuned for interfaces: frames, auto-layout that behaves like CSS flexbox, constraints that make designs respond to resizing, and text and colour styles. A designer builds screens at real sizes for phone, tablet and desktop.
Components and design systems. A button designed once becomes a component; every instance updates when the master changes. Variants handle states and sizes. Variables hold design tokens such as colours and spacing, including light and dark modes. Team libraries share all of this across files, which is how a design system lives in practice.
Prototyping. Screens are linked with interactions so a stakeholder or a test participant can tap through a flow on their phone without any code. Transitions, overlays and simple logic are supported; it is enough to test navigation and feel, not to simulate real data.
Collaboration. Comments pinned to the design, live multi-user editing, version history, and sharing by link with view or edit permissions. This is the feature that changed how design work happens: reviews take place in the file, not in exported PDFs.
Developer handoff. Dev Mode lets a developer select any element and read its dimensions, spacing, colours, typography and, where components are connected to code, the corresponding code snippet. Assets export in the formats needed. This is the mechanism behind a modern design-to-development handoff.
FigJam is the companion whiteboard for workshops, flows and diagrams; Figma Slides produces presentations; Figma Make and related features generate designs and prototypes from prompts.
Why it won
Before Figma, interface design happened in Sketch on Macs or in Photoshop, with files emailed or synced, versions diverging, and developers working from exported specifications. Figma put the file in the browser and let everyone into it. A developer on Windows could open the design; a client could comment on the actual screen; two designers could work on one file. Once teams experienced that, the alternatives could not compete on features alone, and Sketch and Adobe XD, both capable tools, lost the market within a few years.
Figma versus other tools
Photoshop and Illustrator are for images and illustration. They can draw a screen but are not built for components, responsive layout or handoff. Use them for photo editing and artwork; bring the results into Figma.
Canva is for non-designers making social graphics, presentations and simple marketing materials from templates. It is not an interface design tool and does not produce handoff-ready designs.
Sketch remains a good Mac-only tool with a smaller ecosystem. Penpot is an open-source alternative for teams that want self-hosting.
Framer and Webflow are design tools that also publish websites. They overlap with Figma for marketing sites and diverge for product design, which they do not target.
What it costs
A free plan covers individuals and small teams with limited files and features. Paid plans in 2026 run from roughly $15 to $75 per editor per month depending on tier, with Dev Mode seats priced separately and lower. Viewers and commenters are free, which is what makes it practical to give every client and developer access.
The limits
It is not a photo editor, an illustration tool or a print layout tool. Its prototypes cannot use real data or logic beyond simple conditions. Files with very large component libraries slow down. It is cloud-only in practice; offline work is limited. And, like every design tool, it produces pictures of interfaces rather than interfaces, so a design that looks finished in Figma still has every real-content, real-device and real-state question ahead of it.
Why a client or developer should know it
Because the design will arrive as a Figma link. A client can open it, click through the prototype, and leave comments in context. A developer can inspect every value without asking. A team that puts its design system in Figma has one source of truth for what things look like. If you are commissioning design work and have never used it, ten minutes with a shared file is enough to see why it became the standard; if you would like a walkthrough of how we use it on projects, book a call.
Common questions
Is Figma free?
There is a free plan for individuals and small teams with limits on the number of files and some features. Paid plans in 2026 cost roughly $15 to $75 per editor per month depending on tier, with Dev Mode seats priced lower. Viewing and commenting are free, so clients and developers can be given access at no cost.
What is Figma used for?
Designing interfaces: websites, mobile apps, dashboards and the reusable components and design systems behind them. Teams also use it for clickable prototypes to test flows, for design reviews through in-file comments, and for developer handoff, where engineers inspect dimensions, colours and typography directly. FigJam, its whiteboard, is used for workshops and diagrams.
Is Figma better than Adobe XD or Sketch?
It became the industry standard largely because it runs in the browser and allows several people to edit one file at once, with free viewer access for clients and developers. Sketch is Mac-only with a smaller ecosystem, and Adobe XD has been discontinued for new development. For interface design in 2026, Figma is the default choice.
Can Figma build a website?
Not directly. Figma produces designs and prototypes, not published sites. Tools such as Framer and Webflow can design and publish, and various plugins export Figma designs to code with mixed results. The normal path is Figma for design and a developer or a site builder for the build, with Dev Mode providing the specifications.
Do I need to learn Figma as a client or developer?
Only the basics. A client needs to open a shared link, click through a prototype and leave comments, which takes minutes to learn. A developer uses Dev Mode to inspect elements and copy values, which is straightforward for anyone who has used browser developer tools. Neither needs to design in it.
