Back in 1988, user experience (UX) design expert Don Norman coined the term “user experience” and was the first person to have “UX” in his job title. Since then, UX design has become a rapidly growing field of creative professionals—each with their own preferred sense of design, aesthetics, and professional opinions.

And like any other professional, every designer has their tool of choice. Sure, you could jot down a wireframe sketch on a cocktail napkin or spend a few hours in Adobe Photoshop, but for the real pros, we’ll be walking through our top picks for UX/UI design tools of 2024.

We’ll compare Figma, Adobe XD, Sketch, and the new AI trailblazer Creatie. This should help you determine which platform best suits your design needs.

Figma vs. Adobe XD vs. Sketch vs. Creatie

If you’ve spent any amount of time in the UX field, it’s likely that you’re already using one of the tools on this list. Whether you’re looking to reconfigure your design tech stack or see what your other options are, we’ll give you a high-level overview of each of these tools and how they stack up against one another.

Figma

Figma is easily the most recognizable on this list as it’s almost synonymous with the UX field. Nearly every UX designer has spent time looking at a wireframe inside a Figma artboard. That being said, there are a few drawbacks to using the Figma platform.

For starters, Figma’s pricing is only getting higher, so don’t expect it to be the top-choice for budget-conscious design teams. With its new Dev Mode, and additional AI functionality, Figma users will be paying a premium for these added features in 2025.

Here’s a closer look at this industry-leading UX tool.

Collaboration features

Figma’s biggest standout feature—in our opinion—is its real-time collaboration capabilities. Just like Google Docs, it allows multiple team members to simultaneously co-edit a project. It’s also incredibly useful for remote teams who want to collaborate in real-time, track graphic design changes, and streamline their design workflows.

Accessible via any web browser

As a web-based app, Figma also eliminates the need for desktop software installation by being accessible directly through any browser of your team’s choice: Safari, Chrome, Arc. This further enables seamless cross-platform collaboration between Mac, Windows, and Linux users.

A vast plug-in ecosystem

Despite its breadth of features, the Figma platform may not give users access to all the additional features or modules they need for their specific use cases. That’s why Figma boasts a thriving plug-in ecosystem that expands its core functionality through automation, integrations, and unique features.

Two notable examples include Stark for accessibility testing, and Content Reel for design content management. This extreme customizability, through plug-ins, allows teams to tailor Figma precisely to their design process.

However, it’s worth noting that there is a downside to these plug-ins. Because the platform doesn't natively include these additional features, users can't expect regular updates or support. For example, if you want a UX design tool that’s been purposefully built with AI in mind, and doesn’t rely on third-party plug-ins, Figma probably shouldn’t be your first choice.

Adobe XD

Next up on our list is Adobe XD, a product in the Adobe family of tools. If you’re already a dedicated Adobe user (think Photoshop or Illustrator), you may feel naturally inclined to choose this platform for your UI/UX design needs.

Here’s what you should know about this tool before adding it to your UI design tech stack.

Maintenance mode status

Before you decide to jump into using or comparing Adobe XD vs Sketch, or another product design tool, it’s worth noting that Adobe XD continues to be in maintenance mode.

According to the Adobe team, this means that they’re not investing in ongoing development or pushing new features into the product. While Adobe continues to support existing customers by addressing bugs and updating any security or privacy needs, it isn’t actively investing in updating or upgrading the platform. As a result, some users are switching to new platforms.

Integrations with the Adobe Suite

Maintenance mode aside, a key advantage of Adobe XD is its tight integrations with other major Adobe applications like Photoshop, Illustrator, and After Effects. If you’re already an Adobe user, this means you’ll be able to seamlessly transfer assets and design elements between tools. These smooth workflows can allow you and your designers to import assets directly from Photoshop or conduct advanced vector work via Illustrator without leaving XD.

Advanced prototyping and animation capabilities

Adobe XD shines in micro animations and prototyping tools, bringing web designs to life through features like auto-animate, voice triggers, and interactive component states. These advanced tools make it easy for UI/UX designers to craft detailed interactive prototypes and test concepts with realistic micro-interactions.

Performance and reliability

Just like the other tools in the Adobe Creative Cloud family, Adobe XD is renowned as a high-performance application that is capable of handling complex, asset-heavy design files without reliability issues. This makes it appealing for teams working on intricate projects that push the boundaries of other design collaboration tools. So if you’re a part of a large team of designers, or if you’re working with huge design files, Adobe XD may be a good option for you.

Sketch

Next up, we have Sketch, a Mac-only web application launched back in 2010. It’s a complete design platform that’s a great choice for scrappy teams who want to start building their prototypes and wireframes quickly. Here’s what else you need to know about the Sketch platform:

Mac-only application

First, we need to address the elephant in the room.

As a Mac-exclusive application, Sketch can pose collaboration challenges for cross-platform teams. Non-MacOS users would need workarounds, like cloud-based prototypes or third-party tools, to interface with Sketch documents. If you’re a freelancer using a Mac device, or if you’re working with a team of designers that all use Mac devices, this shouldn’t be an issue. Otherwise, we recommend investing in a different UX tool.

Third-party integrations

Like the other platforms on this list, Sketch offers an extensive ecosystem of third-party integrations to enhance its native functionality. Some of the platform’s popular tools include Abstract for revision history, Zeplin for specifications, and InVision for interactive prototyping. These integrations enable you and your teams to craft a highly-customized workflow that’s fitted to the needs of your projects.

However, a key downside to Sketch's ecosystem of integrations is that core functionality like design handoff must happen via additional third-party tools instead of natively within the app.

For example, Sketch lacks built-in developer handoff features, forcing design teams to adopt alternatives, like Zeplin, for this critical workflow. In contrast, newer tools like Figma and Creatie bake these design handoff capabilities directly into the product via Dev Modes for simplified asset export and documentation.

Advanced vector editing tools

As a vector-first application, Sketch stands as an industry leader in its robust vector editing capabilities. Some of its key features include its versatile vector shape tools, non-destructive Boolean operations, and efficient symbols for reusing design elements.

Many users often note that Sketch’s vector tooling is more intuitive than those in Figma and Adobe XD. So if this is a priority for your UX design workflow, you should consider choosing Sketch.

Creatie

Last but not least on our list, we have our very own Creatie. The platform’s designers built Creatie with AI natively integrated into the platform, making it the best choice for UX designers who want to significantly streamline their design workflows. Here’s what else we think you should know about the Creatie platform:

AI-driven design automation

Unlike some of the other tools on this list, Creatie doesn’t rely on third-party applications for its AI capabilities. Instead, the platform is built on top of artificial intelligence technology, making it a core part of the application.

For example, Creatie Wizard allows users to swiftly generate wireframes, prototypes, and mockups by simply drawing frames and entering prompts.

Not only does this empower experienced designers to focus their creative efforts on higher-value additions instead of repetitive design tasks, but it also makes the platform uniquely accessible to beginners (such as early-stage founders, junior designers, and hobbyists).

Browser-based for seamless collaboration

Like Figma, the platform’s creators built Creatie with collaboration in mind. By eliminating device software dependencies, Creatie allows users on Windows, Mac, Linux, and even ChromeOS machines to co-edit design files in real-time.

For example, a product manager in Toronto can simultaneously refine an app’s user flows while visual designers in Berlin refine brand messaging and UX copywriters in Delhi develop interface microcopy. They can all contribute to a single deliverable without needing to deal with version-control headaches.

Creatie also mirrors Figma’s instant access model, enabling clients and collaborators to quickly inspect a work-in-progress, using a simple shared link, and start suggesting changes. There's no need to request editing permissions or maintain isolated draft branches.

Easy migration of existing design projects

Finally, with Creatie, you don’t have to worry about spending weeks importing old design files. With the help of its native AI technology, Creatie allows users to automatically import their unique design elements from existing UX design platforms, without spending hours rebuilding or reconfiguring them.

This makes Creatie an ideal tool for established UX designers and teams who want to quickly import their existing design projects and experiment with the Creatie platform.

For example, Creatie provides direct native import capabilities that make it easy to migrate your existing design assets from Adobe XD to the Creatie platform. Rather than trying your hand at manual exports or trusting an imperfect program to rebuild your connections, you can simply upload your master XD file directly into Creatie. Then the platform will analyze all your pages, artboards, symbols, components, and styles to provide a recommended reconstruction strategy.

Prioritizing using native AI tech vs. AI plug-ins

If you’re keen on integrating AI into your design workflow, you’re better off using a dedicated tool rather than a plug-in. That’s not to say that all plug-ins are necessarily bad, but they don’t offer the same benefits as a platform designed with AI in mind.

For example, a dedicated AI design platform like Creatie teaches itself to recognize design-naming patterns by analyzing tens of thousands of design system files. This focused domain data yields more accurate suggestions than third-party plug-ins that are dependent on more general datasets. That being said, one of the benefits of using plug-ins is their flexibility. With plug-ins, designers can handpick AI-enhanced features without relying on an official product roadmap.

Choosing the right design tool for your team

Now that you’ve pored over this list of tools, all that’s left to do is determine which one best meets your needs. At the end of the day, they can all get the job done, but here are a few factors to keep in mind when making your final decision:

Team needs and preferences

Selecting a design platform tailored to your workforce’s unique collaboration style, prototyping needs, and project types should be your number-one priority. After all, the tool you choose will dictate how your design team gets work done.

As a quick refresher, real-time co-editing design apps, like Figma, facilitate agile team workflows. Meanwhile, Adobe XD excels in animated interactions for quick and easy prototyping, Sketch is best for vector editing, and Creatie empowers designers to streamline their design workflows with the help of its native AI technology. Analyze how each of these solutions specifically aligns with your current and future objectives and then make your choice.

Learning curve and usability

You should also consider the learning curve of your design tool. For example, if you onboard a new designer, you may not want to spend weeks teaching them the ins and outs of Figma or Adobe XD. If time-to-value is important, then you should consider investing in a tool with strong documentation and community support to reduce this learning curve.

Cost and budget

Cost is also a major factor for lean design teams, especially when you factor in auxiliary services like cloud storage or plug-in subscriptions. Figma and Creatie offer freemium models so you can test their capabilities with minimal risk, while Adobe XD's pricing scales with usage and company size. You should compare the available plan tiers and core features against your current and projected design volume before making a purchase to determine which tool will be the most financially viable for your team.

Streamline your design workflow with Creatie

Still trying to find the best UX design platform for your team?

Creatie allows busy designers to quickly import their existing design projects and begin creating new wireframes and prototypes in a matter of minutes. With our platform’s native AI technology, you can streamline your design workflow even further and focus on the big picture to truly move the needle for your business.

Get started for free and see if Creatie is the right tool for you.