Question 1

What does Figma's free Starter plan include and what are the paid pricing options?

Accepted Answer

Figma's Starter plan is free forever and includes unlimited drafts with unlimited pages, plus 3 Figma Design files, 3 FigJam files, and 3 Slides files in your team project (limited to 3 pages per file in team space). As of December 2024, paid plans include Professional at $15/seat/month ($12 annual), Organization at $45/seat/month, and Enterprise at $75/seat/month. Note: Starting March 11, 2025, Professional increases to $20/seat/month with a new seat structure that bundles Figma Design, Dev Mode, Slides, and FigJam together. Viewers are free on all plans.

Question 2

How does Figma compare to Sketch and Adobe XD for design teams?

Accepted Answer

Figma leads in real-time collaboration with browser-based access on any operating system, while Sketch is macOS-only and Adobe XD entered maintenance mode in 2023 with no new features. As of December 2024, Figma's multiplayer editing allows unlimited simultaneous collaborators, whereas Sketch added collaboration features later with less polish. Sketch costs $99 for a perpetual license (Mac app only), Adobe XD is bundled with Creative Cloud but no longer sold standalone. Figma excels for remote teams needing real-time co-editing; Sketch remains popular for solo Mac designers preferring native performance and offline work.

Question 3

How does Figma's real-time collaboration and multiplayer editing work?

Accepted Answer

Figma's multiplayer technology enables unlimited team members to edit the same design file simultaneously with changes syncing in real-time. As of December 2024, 95% of edits save within 600ms. Key collaboration features include live cursors showing who's working where, in-file audio chat for discussions, threaded comments with @mentions, observation mode to follow a presenter, and emoji reactions. Unlike Google Docs' operational transforms, Figma built a custom conflict resolution system that picks the latest change when two users edit the same property. No local file syncing required—everything stays in the cloud with automatic versioning.

Question 4

What is Figma Dev Mode and how does it help with developer handoff?

Accepted Answer

Dev Mode is Figma's dedicated interface for developers to inspect designs and extract code without modifying design files. As of December 2024, Dev Mode includes auto-generated CSS, iOS, and Android code snippets, component property inspection, asset export in multiple formats, and design-to-code measurements. The 'Ready for dev' status lets designers mark completed work, and developers see highlighted changes since handoff. Code Connect (Organization/Enterprise) links your actual codebase to Figma components for production-ready snippets. Dev Mode requires a paid seat ($15/month) or is included with Full seats on paid plans.

Question 5

What is FigJam and how does it work for team brainstorming?

Accepted Answer

FigJam is Figma's collaborative whiteboard tool for brainstorming, diagramming, and planning. As of December 2024, the free Starter plan includes unlimited personal whiteboards plus 3 shared FigJam files. FigJam features include sticky notes, shapes, connectors, drawing tools, voting, timers, and AI-powered features like automatic sticky sorting and meeting template generation. It integrates with Jira, Asana, and GitHub for workflow continuity. FigJam includes 1,500+ diagram shapes from AWS, GCP, Azure, and Kubernetes. Starting March 2025, FigJam is bundled with all paid Figma seats at no extra cost.

Question 6

Does Figma offer discounts for startups, students, or educators?

Accepted Answer

Yes, Figma offers free Professional plans for verified students and educators through their Education program. As of December 2024, qualifying educational users get unlimited Figma Design files, FigJam boards, and full collaboration features at no cost. For startups, Figma doesn't have a dedicated startup credits program like some competitors, but the free Starter plan supports unlimited editors in team projects. Early-stage companies can use the free tier indefinitely until they exceed 3 shared design files. Nonprofit organizations should contact Figma sales for potential discounts on Organization plans.

Question 7

Does Figma work offline and what are the browser requirements?

Accepted Answer

Figma is primarily cloud-based and requires an internet connection for full functionality, though the desktop app caches recent files for limited offline viewing. As of December 2024, Figma works in Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge browsers, with Chrome offering the best performance. The desktop app (Mac and Windows) provides better performance for large files and offline access to recently opened work. Changes made offline sync automatically when reconnected. For teams requiring full offline capability, Sketch remains the better choice as it's entirely local-file based.

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