Figma vs Adobe XD in 2026: Which Should You Use?

For most designers in 2026, the answer to Figma vs Adobe XD is Figma. Adobe XD is in maintenance mode: Adobe says it is not shipping new features, the app is not listed on Adobe's current plans page, and Figma has kept growing on its own after the planned Adobe deal fell through in December 2023. This guide compares the two tools side by side, gives current prices, explains what Adobe XD users should do now, and shows how often real studios name each one in job posts.

Prices and status below were checked in November 2026 on Figma's and Adobe's own pages, with every source listed at the end. The job numbers come from ArtBlast's own tracking of 126 distinct UI, UX and game UI job posts from 111 employers between March and August 2026.

Figma vs Adobe XD at a Glance

Figma prices are US dollars from figma.com/pricing. Adobe XD status is from Adobe's XD page and FAQ. Sources for every figure are listed at the end of this guide.

What Happened to Adobe XD?

Adobe XD launched as Adobe's answer to Sketch and Figma. In September 2022 Adobe agreed to buy Figma, and the deal was expected to fold the two products together. On December 18, 2023, Adobe and Figma announced that they had mutually agreed to end the merger because there was no clear path to regulatory approval in the European Union and the United Kingdom. Adobe paid Figma a US$1 billion termination fee.

Adobe XD never recovered its momentum. Adobe's own XD page now reads "Adobe XD is currently in maintenance mode", and Adobe's XD FAQ spells it out: Adobe is "not investing in ongoing development or shipping new features", and will keep fixing bugs and handling security and privacy needs for existing customers. Adobe adds that it will work with customers to pick the right time to end support, with a significant notice period. No end date has been announced, so XD still opens and works for people who have it. It just is not going anywhere new.

What that means: a tool in maintenance mode will not gain new features, will not get new plugins from Adobe and is a risk to build a career on. Designers who start a project today should start it in Figma.

What Studios Ask For: ArtBlast Job Data

Reviews rank design tools by features. Hiring managers rank them by what goes into a job post. ArtBlast tracked 126 distinct UI, UX, interface artist and HUD job posts from 2026 that included a full description (111 different employers, March 13 to August 12, 2026), and counted how many name each tool. Each post is counted once, whether it lists one tool or five.

The takeaway: Figma is named about six times as often as Adobe XD. All 11 posts that name Adobe XD also name Figma, so no post in the sample asked for XD instead of Figma, and 59 posts asked for Figma alone. Limiting the sample to game-related UI roles (game UI, HUD and UI artist titles, or descriptions that mention a game engine or video game) gives 90 posts: Figma in 45 (50%), Adobe XD in 8 (9%). Figma was named by 61 different employers and Adobe XD by 8. A mention means the studio lists the tool as a skill or part of the pipeline, not that every candidate must own it.

If you are building a portfolio to get hired as a UI or UX artist, learn Figma first. Browse live openings on ArtBlast to see what your target studios list: UI artist jobs and remote UI/UX designer jobs are updated daily, and the UI/UX artist salary guide shows what the roles pay.

Figma: The Pick for 2026

Best for: UI and UX design, design systems, team collaboration and developer handoff.

Figma runs in the browser and as a desktop app for macOS and Windows, so a file opens from a link on any computer. Everyone on a team edits the same file in real time, leaves comments on the canvas and works from the same shared component library. Figma's own plan comparison lists auto layout, components, libraries for components, styles and variables, prototypes with video and conditional logic, and Dev Mode for developer handoff. A huge plugin and community-file library covers the rest.

Price: the Starter plan is free. On Figma's pricing page (checked November 2026) a Professional full seat is listed at $16 per month, a Dev seat at $12 and a Collab seat at $3. Organization is $55 per full seat per month and Enterprise is $90, both billed annually. Starter keeps version history for 30 days and limits you to a single team with one folder and 3 files, while paid plans include unlimited version history and unlimited files. Figma's pricing page also shows monthly and annual billing options, so confirm your own total at checkout.

Platforms: any modern browser, plus desktop apps for macOS and Windows.

• Pros: actively developed, real-time collaboration, a free plan, strong auto layout and component system, variables for theming, a large plugin library, the tool studios name most.
• Cons: the free plan caps files and history, working offline is limited, the many panels take time to learn, and per-seat prices add up for teams.

Try Figma (free Starter plan).

Adobe XD: Legacy Tool, Still Works

Best for: finishing existing XD projects, or teams that already have access and no reason to move yet.

Adobe XD is a light, fast desktop app for Windows and macOS with a clean interface. Repeat Grid makes lists and card layouts quick, Auto-Animate builds motion between artboards, and it opens Photoshop and Illustrator files without conversion, which was its real edge for designers living in Creative Cloud.

Price and availability: Adobe's current Creative Cloud plans page, checked in November 2026, does not list XD under single-app plans or the Pro and Standard bundles, and the XD page on adobe.com says only that XD is in maintenance mode. The old US$9.99 per month XD single-app plan that older reviews quote is not listed. Adobe's FAQ describes XD showing up in the Creative Cloud desktop app for users who have access.

• Pros: fast and light, simple interface, Repeat Grid and Auto-Animate, direct Photoshop and Illustrator file support.
• Cons: no new features, a smaller plugin ecosystem than Figma, no clear way for a new user to get it, no browser editing, and Adobe has not published an end-of-support date.

Head-to-Head: Where the Gap Shows

Collaboration. Figma was built around the shared file. Several designers, a developer and a product manager can sit in one document and see each other's cursors. XD's shared documents and review links work, but they are slower and do not match live co-editing. This is the biggest practical difference, and it is why teams moved.

Components and design systems. Figma has components, variants, team libraries, styles and variables, with variable modes up to 10 per collection on Professional. XD has components and states, but its asset sharing is more basic by comparison.

Prototyping. Both tools build clickable prototypes. XD's Auto-Animate is genuinely good for simple transitions. Figma now supports video in prototypes, variables, expressions and conditional logic, which makes it the better choice for flows that need real logic.

Developer handoff. Figma's Dev Mode and Code Connect sit inside the same file as the design. XD shares specs through a link, which works but gives developers fewer options.

Plugins and community. Figma's community library of plugins, widgets and files is where new tooling appears. Adobe XD's plugin catalog is frozen at what exists.

Adobe integration. This is where XD still wins on paper. If your whole workflow is Photoshop and Illustrator, XD opens their files directly. Figma works with them through exports, but for UI work the difference matters less than it used to.

Other Options Worth Knowing

If neither tool fits, Sketch is a mature macOS-only design tool, and Penpot is an open-source design and prototyping tool you can use in a browser. Both are far smaller in studio demand than Figma. For a wider comparison of UI tools, read the best UI design software ranked and reviewed. For painting and illustration tools instead, see the best digital art software.

Adobe XD User? How to Move to Figma

You do not need to switch overnight, because XD still opens. Plan the move on your schedule, and start now.

1. Back up first. Keep a local copy of every XD file and export final artboards as PNG or SVG. Adobe's XD help includes a page on backing up and transferring XD assets.
2. Create a free Figma account and spend an hour on a small project, so the interface stops being new.
3. Clean the XD files. Name layers, delete unused artboards and make sure the fonts you used are installed on your computer. Messy files import messily.
4. Import the files. Figma has no built-in importer for .xd files. The most common route is a third-party Figma plugin such as Convertify, which takes a dropped XD file and builds a new page in your Figma file. Turn on color styles, text styles and prototype links if you want them carried over. The alternative is to export artboards as SVG and rebuild the live components in Figma.
5. Check the result. Compare each screen to the original, fix text that moved, and use auto layout on the rebuilt components.
6. Rebuild prototype links and shared libraries in Figma. Treat the first migrated project as the template for the rest.
7. Keep XD installed for reference until your last active project is done, then archive the originals.

Third-party plugins are not made by Figma, so test one on a copy of a file first.

How to Choose

• Starting out, building a portfolio or applying for UI and UX jobs: Figma. It is free, and it is the tool most job posts name.
• Working in a team or with developers: Figma, for real-time editing and shared libraries.
• Finishing existing XD projects: keep using XD, but plan the move to Figma.
• Mac-only and comfortable with a smaller tool: Sketch.
• Want open source: Penpot.

The same logic applies to games: UI artists at game studios list Figma alongside Photoshop, After Effects and engine skills. The UI artist career path and what a UI artist does explain the role, and graphic designer jobs are worth a look if you also do branding and layout work.

Figma vs Adobe XD FAQ

Is Adobe XD being phased out?

Not officially shut down, but effectively frozen. Adobe's own FAQ says XD continues to be in maintenance mode: Adobe is not investing in ongoing development or shipping new features, and only addresses bugs plus security and privacy needs. Adobe has not published an end date and says it will give a significant notice period before ending support.

Why was Adobe XD discontinued?

Adobe tried to buy Figma in 2022. The two companies mutually terminated the deal on December 18, 2023 after regulators in the EU and UK signalled there was no clear path to approval, and Adobe paid Figma a US$1 billion termination fee. XD had already been put into maintenance mode, and Adobe has not announced new development since.

Which is better, Figma or Adobe XD?

Figma, for almost everyone in 2026. It is actively developed, runs in a browser and as a desktop app, has real-time collaboration and a free plan, and is the tool UI and UX job posts name most often: 56% of the 126 UI, UX and game UI posts ArtBlast tracked name Figma, against 9% for Adobe XD. XD only makes sense for finishing legacy projects.

What is replacing Adobe XD?

Figma is the usual replacement, followed by Sketch (macOS only) and Penpot (open source). Adobe has not released a direct XD successor, and its current Creative Cloud plans page does not list XD.

Does anyone still use Adobe XD?

Some teams do, mostly to maintain older files. In ArtBlast's tracking of 126 UI, UX and game UI job posts from March to August 2026, 11 posts (9%) named Adobe XD, and every one of them also named Figma. No post named XD without Figma.

Does Adobe have a competitor to Figma?

Not at the moment. Adobe XD was that product, and it is in maintenance mode. Adobe's current plans page lists apps such as Photoshop, Illustrator and Premiere but not XD, so designers who want a Figma-style tool outside Adobe use Figma itself, Sketch or Penpot.

Is Adobe XD still free?

Adobe's current plans page lists no XD plan, free or paid, and the XD page on adobe.com only states that XD is in maintenance mode. Adobe's FAQ describes XD appearing in the Creative Cloud desktop app for users who already have access. Anyone without access should plan on moving to another tool.

What is Figma best at?

Real-time collaboration, shared component libraries, auto layout, prototyping and developer handoff in one place. Several people can work in the same file at once, and stakeholders can comment from a link. The free Starter plan is enough to learn the tool and build a portfolio.

Is Figma free?

Yes, there is a free Starter plan. Paid Professional seats are listed at US$16 per full seat per month on Figma's pricing page (checked November 2026), with Dev seats at US$12 and Collab seats at US$3. Organization is US$55 and Enterprise US$90 per full seat per month, billed annually.

Can I open Adobe XD files in Figma?

Not directly. Figma has no built-in importer for .xd files. The usual routes are a third-party plugin such as Convertify, which creates a new Figma page from an XD file, or exporting artboards and assets from XD and rebuilding components in Figma. Expect to check text, fonts and prototype links by hand.

Sources (checked November 2026): Figma pricing, figma.com/pricing; Figma plan comparison, help.figma.com; Adobe XD status, adobe.com/products/xd.html and the Adobe XD FAQ; Adobe Creative Cloud plans, adobe.com/creativecloud/plans.html; the Adobe and Figma merger termination, Adobe's announcement of December 18, 2023; XD file import with a plugin, Convertify's tutorial. Job data: ArtBlast job database, 126 distinct UI, UX and game UI posts with full descriptions, March 13 to August 12, 2026.