Figma vs Sketch Comparison 2026
Both cover design & graphics. Here is what separates them on price, billing, what you can take with you, and coverage.
At a glance
- Sketch starts cheaper, at $12.
- Only Figma has a free tier.
Side by side
Figma | Sketch | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price (they differ) | From $16 | From $12 |
| Pricing model (they differ) | Free plan, paid tiers | Free trial, then paid |
| Free tier (they differ) | Yes | No |
| Billing | Not stated | Not stated |
| Free trial | Not stated | 30 days |
| API | Not stated | Not stated |
| Data export | Not stated | Not stated |
| Their cut | None | None |
| Runs on (they differ) |
Shaded rows are where the two answers disagree and both listings have answered. A row where one side has not stated a fact is left plain, because silence is not a difference.
Figma
Interface design and prototyping in a browser
Figma is where most interface design happens now, and creators arrive at it for brand kits, thumbnails and anything a developer has to build from later. Files live in the browser and several people can be inside one at the same time without anybody emailing a version. The free Starter plan carries unlimited drafts, which covers solo work. Seats are priced by what you actually do in the file.
Our note
The free tier is genuinely enough for one person maintaining their own brand assets, and the seat split is what makes bringing in an editor or a developer affordable. Penpot is the answer if self-hosting or open formats matter to you.
Sketch
Interface design with a one-time licence
Sketch draws interfaces in a Mac application and puts the reviewing half in a browser, so somebody signing off a screen needs no licence to open it. Editors are counted and viewers are not, which keeps a project's cost tied to the people actually moving pixels. Two ways to pay sit side by side: a subscription per editor, or a single payment that keeps working after the year of updates it includes runs out. Anybody designing on Windows is ruled out, because the editor itself is Mac only.
Our note
Ratings are the average of reviews readers left. The facts are stated by each tool’s own listing and are not verified by CloutStack. How we make money.