# Adobe XD vs Figma (2026)

By Noah — last updated & pricing verified September 14, 2026.

> **Verdict:** Choose Adobe XD if you're an existing Creative Cloud subscriber with active XD projects and specifically need Auto-Animate transitions, since Adobe confirmed in 2024 it has stopped investing in new XD features. Choose Figma if you want an actively developed, browser-based design tool that's free to start, with real-time multiplayer editing used by roughly 95% of the Fortune 500. The deciding factor is that Adobe retired XD as a standalone purchase in June 2023: today it only ships inside Creative Cloud bundles starting at $54.99/month, while Figma remains free to start and buyable on its own.

**Choose Adobe XD if:** You're an existing Creative Cloud subscriber with XD projects you don't want to migrate away from immediately; You specifically rely on Auto-Animate's artboard-to-artboard transitions and don't need an actively developed tool; You need direct, native access to Photoshop and Illustrator libraries, fonts, and assets inside the same Creative Cloud bundle; You want prototype preview via companion apps on both iOS and Android, not just iOS

**Choose Figma if:** You want a tool receiving active feature investment rather than one Adobe has confirmed is in maintenance mode; You want a free tier to start with before paying anything, since Adobe XD has none; You need true real-time multiplayer editing with many simultaneous collaborators; You want built-in whiteboarding (FigJam) and presentations (Figma Slides) alongside interface design; You want to buy design software as a standalone product instead of being forced into a 20+ app Creative Cloud bundle

## At a glance

|  | Adobe XD | Figma |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pricing | From $54.99/mo | Free tier · paid from $16/mo |
| License | Paid | Freemium |
| Best for | existing Creative Cloud subscribers who already have XD projects and want to keep using them without migrating to a new tool immediately | design and product teams that need real-time multiplayer editing and a shared design-to-development handoff, from solo freelancers on the free tier up to large enterprises managing design systems across many teams |
| Ratings | Capterra 4.5/5 (1,087 reviews) | Capterra 4.7/5 (874 reviews) |

## Feature comparison

| Feature | Adobe XD | Figma |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Starting price | Yes (from $54.99/mo (Creative Cloud Standard bundle)) | Yes (free (Starter); Professional from $16/mo per full seat) |
| Free tier | No (no free or standalone plan for new customers) | Yes (Starter tier, unlimited drafts, up to 3 collaborative files) |
| Standalone purchase available | No (retired as a single-app plan on June 22, 2023) | Yes (buyable on its own, not bundled) |
| Active feature development | No (Adobe confirmed no further feature investment; maintenance mode only) | Yes (actively developed, including recent AI features (Figma Make, Figma Weave)) |
| Platforms | Yes (web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android) | Yes (web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS) |
| Real-time multiplayer editing | Partial (real-time co-editing exists but lags behind Figma's, per Adobe's own product data) | Yes (reliable real-time multiplayer, even with many simultaneous editors) |
| Prototyping transitions | Yes (Auto-Animate turns artboard differences into animated transitions on all plans) | Yes (advanced prototyping tools included from Professional and up) |
| Developer handoff / inspection | Yes (inspectable specs for developer handoff) | Yes (Dev Mode, with advanced inspection on Professional and up ($12/mo dev seat)) |
| Whiteboarding & presentations | No (not offered) | Yes (FigJam (whiteboard) and Figma Slides (presentations) included) |
| Print-ready export (CMYK, 300dpi) | Unknown (not specified in our listing data) | No (lacks native CMYK color profiles and 300dpi export) |
| External rating | Yes (4.5/5 from 1,087 reviews (Capterra)) | Yes (4.7/5 from 874 reviews (Capterra)) |
| Fortune 500 adoption | Unknown (not specified in our listing data) | Yes (approximately 95% of the Fortune 500, per Figma) |
| Mobile companion apps | Yes (iOS and Android apps for prototype preview) | Partial (iOS app only, no native Android app) |

## Is Adobe XD still being developed?

No — Adobe confirmed in early 2024 that it has stopped investing in new Adobe XD features, and the product now receives only bug fixes and security updates.

Adobe retired XD's standalone single-app purchase option on June 22, 2023, following its blocked attempt to acquire Figma. XD is not listed on Adobe's current Creative Cloud plans page as an individually purchasable app; the only ways to get it now are the multi-app Creative Cloud Standard ($54.99/month) or Pro ($69.99/month) bundles, both of which include 20+ other apps alongside it.

## Can I still buy Adobe XD on its own?

No — Adobe stopped selling XD as a standalone single-app plan in June 2023, so it's only available bundled inside Creative Cloud Standard or Pro.

## Which is cheaper, Adobe XD or Figma?

Figma is cheaper at every entry point: it has a free Starter tier and a $16/month Professional plan, versus Adobe XD's cheapest access point at $54.99/month for the full Creative Cloud Standard bundle.

Figma's Professional tier costs $16/month per full seat (dev seats $12/month, collab seats $3/month), with a free Starter plan offering unlimited drafts and 3 collaborative files. Adobe XD carries no standalone or free price at all — the only way to access it is a Creative Cloud Standard ($54.99/month) or Pro ($69.99/month) subscription that bundles in 20+ other apps beyond XD.

## Which has better real-time collaboration, Adobe XD or Figma?

Figma, which Adobe's own product data describes as ahead of Adobe XD's real-time multiplayer co-editing and plugin ecosystem.

## Strengths and weaknesses

### Adobe XD

- Pro: Auto-Animate makes building interactive, animated prototypes faster than manual transition setup in some competitors.
- Pro: Shares Creative Cloud libraries, fonts, and assets directly with Photoshop and Illustrator for teams already in the Adobe ecosystem.
- Pro: Companion iOS and Android apps let stakeholders preview and test prototypes on an actual device.
- Pro: Existing files and projects remain usable for current Creative Cloud subscribers without forced migration.
- Con: No longer sold as a standalone app; only available bundled inside Creative Cloud Standard ($54.99/mo) or Pro ($69.99/mo) plans.
- Con: Adobe has confirmed no further feature development, so it will fall further behind actively developed competitors over time.
- Con: Real-time multiplayer co-editing and plugin ecosystem lag behind Figma, XD's primary competitor.
- Con: Capterra reviewers report bugs and crashes that interrupt workflow and cause lost progress.

### Figma

- Pro: Real-time multiplayer collaboration works reliably even with many simultaneous editors in one file.
- Pro: Free Starter tier is genuinely usable for solo designers with unlimited drafts and basic AI credits.
- Pro: Dev Mode gives engineers direct, inspectable access to design specs, reducing handoff friction.
- Pro: Broad plugin and integration ecosystem plus FigJam and Slides extend it beyond pure UI design.
- Con: Requires an internet connection for full editing; offline work is limited.
- Con: No native CMYK color profile or 300dpi export, so print design work needs a separate tool.
- Con: Per-seat, per-role pricing (full/dev/collab) can be confusing and adds up quickly for larger teams.
- Con: Organization and Enterprise tiers are annual-billing only, reducing flexibility for smaller teams.

## Which fits your use case?

| Use case | Pick | Why |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Design team choosing a tool to standardize on today | Figma | Figma receives active development and starts free; Adobe confirmed XD gets no further feature investment. |
| Existing Creative Cloud subscriber with legacy XD project files | Adobe XD | Current files remain usable without forced migration, and Auto-Animate is already familiar. |
| Freelancer who wants to try a design tool without paying anything | Figma | Figma Starter is a genuine free tier; XD has no free plan at all. |
| Team needing whiteboarding and presentations alongside UI design | Figma | Figma bundles FigJam and Figma Slides; XD offers neither. |
| Team that wants prototypes previewable on both iOS and Android devices | Adobe XD | XD ships companion apps for both iOS and Android; Figma's mobile app is iOS only per available data. |

## Migration FAQ

### Should I use Adobe XD or Figma?

Use Figma for any new project — it's actively developed, free to start, and used by about 95% of the Fortune 500; use Adobe XD only if you already have Creative Cloud and existing XD files, since Adobe has stopped adding new features.

### Is Adobe XD dead?

Adobe confirmed in 2024 it has stopped developing new Adobe XD features and retired the standalone purchase option in June 2023, so it's now maintenance-only inside Creative Cloud bundles.

### Can Figma replace Adobe XD?

Yes — Figma covers wireframing, prototyping, and developer handoff, plus whiteboarding (FigJam) and presentations (Figma Slides) that XD doesn't offer, and it's actively developed.

### Is Figma free?

Yes — Figma's Starter tier is free with unlimited drafts and up to 3 collaborative files; Adobe XD has no free tier and starts at $54.99/month bundled in Creative Cloud Standard.

### Why did Adobe stop selling XD standalone?

Adobe retired XD's standalone single-app plan on June 22, 2023, after its attempted acquisition of Figma was blocked by regulators, and confirmed it would not add further features to XD going forward.

## Neither a match?

- 5 alternatives to Adobe XD: https://findalternative.to/adobe-xd
- 6 alternatives to Figma: https://findalternative.to/figma

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