Figma vs. Sketch in 2026: Is There Still a Reason to Choose?

The Figma versus Sketch debate can sound like a stale question to anyone building a new team from scratch. And yet plenty of studios still hand new hires Sketch files, and plenty of legacy libraries and plugin ecosystems remain tied to it. It’s worth working through, on practical grounds, which choice actually holds up right now.

1. Is This Still a Live Debate?

For a team starting today, the conclusion is barely a debate anymore. Figma runs entirely in the browser, so it carries no operating system baggage, and real-time co-editing, commenting, and version history are built into the file format by default. Sketch, on the other hand, is still a macOS-only application — real-time collaboration requires bolting on a separate cloud platform and a browser viewer. For anyone choosing tools with no prior investment, this structural gap alone tends to settle the decision.

2. The Core Difference in Platform and Collaboration

Sketch was built on the philosophy of local-file design. Save, upload to the cloud, have a colleague pull it down and check it — that flow was the default for years. Figma was designed from day one as something closer to a web document: access is granted through a single link, and even cursor movement is visible in real time.

Sketch

Local-file based. Save → upload → download is the default flow. A macOS-only app.

Figma

Built like a web document. Access granted by link, cursor movement shared live. Specs and code checked instantly in the Inspect panel.

3. Why Some Teams Still Hold On to Sketch

Even so, teams that keep Sketch around usually fall into one of roughly three camps. If none of these three conditions apply, there’s genuinely little reason left to keep it.

Sunk cost in libraries

Years of accumulated symbol libraries and plugin workflows are built entirely around Sketch.

Industry fit

Print-heavy graphic design studios still have teams comfortable with Sketch’s vector editing conventions.

Offline stability

Some keep it for the responsiveness and reliability of a local macOS app working offline.

4. What to Check Before You Migrate

Once a team decides to migrate, sequencing the work cuts down on trial and error. Start by listing whether Figma equivalents exist for every Sketch-only plugin currently in use. A Figma plugin recommendations roundup can help fill in a comparable workflow quickly.

Check whether symbol structures convert cleanly into components, and flag any items with complex overrides.

Compile a list of Figma equivalents for every Sketch-only plugin the team depends on.

Don’t try to migrate the design system library all at once — rebuild it to Figma standards starting with new projects. Referencing a design file organization guide alongside this makes it easier to narrow the scope of rebuilding.

If the team has members deeply accustomed to Sketch’s shortcuts and workflows, budget at least two weeks of adjustment time.

5. Why Sketch Got There First

Figma’s lead looks obvious by today’s standards, but Sketch was effectively the industry standard through the mid-2010s. Released as a macOS-native vector editing tool, it was light and fast, and it took the default seat on many designers’ toolbars. It wasn’t until Figma introduced browser-based real-time collaboration that the way teams worked together became the central criterion for choosing a tool at all.

Understanding that arc makes it hard to write off teams still using Sketch as simply behind the curve. If the assets and workflows built during the era when Sketch led the market are still working reliably, that stability alone can be a rational reason not to switch just yet.

6. A Common Misconception About Migrating

The most common misconception is treating migration as a single event. Exporting the files themselves might wrap up in a day, but it takes the whole team several weeks to get comfortable with new shortcuts and collaboration habits. Schedule only the file-transfer date into the migration plan without budgeting adjustment time, and productivity dips right after the switch catch everyone off guard.

Another misconception is assuming Figma’s market dominance is permanent. Just as Adobe’s attempt to acquire Figma was scrapped by regulators, the design tool market remains a space where consolidation and competitive dynamics keep shifting. When choosing a tool, it’s safer to stay open to the possibility that the team may need to move its assets to yet another tool down the line, rather than weighing only today’s leader.

Closing thoughts

For a team building itself from scratch, Figma is the clear front-runner across collaboration, onboarding, and the plugin ecosystem. But for a team already sitting on a substantial Sketch library, it’s safer to compare migration costs against what’s left to gain, then move in stages, rather than losing time to tool debates. The latest collaboration features can be checked directly on the official Figma site.