VolaVolaAdobe XD has effectively lost this battle. That is the short answer. The longer answer explains why, and what it means for designers and companies still deciding on tooling.
Adobe paused active development of XD in 2023 to focus on its acquisition of Figma, which was blocked by regulators. Since then, Adobe has restarted XD development, but the momentum gap compared to Figma has only grown. Figma's collaboration features, plugin ecosystem, developer handoff tools, and community resources have become the industry standard.
| Figma | Adobe XD | |
|---|---|---|
| Collaboration | Real-time, class-leading | Functional but behind |
| Plugin ecosystem | Thousands of plugins | Significantly fewer |
| Developer handoff | Excellent (Figma Dev Mode) | Good with CC integration |
| Pricing (free tier) | Generous free plan | Requires Creative Cloud |
| Community resources | Vast (UI kits, templates, courses) | Smaller community |
| Component system | Advanced (variables, modes) | Basic components |
| Industry adoption | Dominant | Declining |
Figma's browser-based, real-time multiplayer approach changed how design teams work. Multiple designers can work in the same file simultaneously, clients can leave comments directly in the design, and developers can inspect designs without needing a license. None of this existed meaningfully in XD.
Figma Dev Mode gives developers direct access to design specs, CSS values, assets, and measurements without the designer needing to prepare anything separately. This reduces back-and-forth and speeds up implementation. It is one of the biggest efficiency gains for any team that was previously working with static spec documents.
The Figma Community has become the largest repository of free UI kits, templates, icon sets, and design systems in the world. Everything from Material Design to iOS UI kits, custom illustration libraries to SaaS dashboard templates is available. This accelerates every project.
If your team has a Creative Cloud subscription and uses Illustrator and Photoshop extensively, XD's integration with those tools can be convenient. But this is a thin argument. Most professional design teams in India have fully moved to Figma, and job postings asking for Figma knowledge outnumber those asking for XD by more than 10 to 1.
Figma's free tier is more accessible. The ability to share files via a link rather than requiring all collaborators to have software installed is especially useful when working with clients across cities. Figma also runs in the browser, which removes installation and licensing complexity for studios working with multiple client stakeholders.
Bottom line: If you are starting a new design project or team today, use Figma. There is no credible argument for starting in XD in 2026.
Our design team works in Figma. Every client gets direct access to inspect and comment on their designs.
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