Should Be Huge: Sketch vs Figma

Sketch had a five-year head start and defined modern design. Figma now has around 80% of product teams.

The gap was not the product. It was the distribution model.

- Figma ran in the browser, so any file opened with a link. - It was free for roughly two years, built for low-stakes side projects that became work defaults. - Multiplayer turned every designer into a recruiter for their team.

Sketch was a Mac app you bought as an individual. Figma spread through the whole org for free.

The business model was the distribution engine.

Sketch won the designer. Figma won the company.

What tool did your whole team adopt without anyone formally deciding to?

The move. A free, browser-based, collaborative model is itself a distribution engine that spreads through an org.

Sketch (2010) defined modern UI design and had a ~5-year head start. Figma won ~80% of product design teams by being browser-native (open any file with a link), free for ~2 years after launch (first marketing hire Claire Butler: let people use it for low-stakes side projects until it became the work default), and multiplayer (every designer recruits their team). Sketch sold to an individual, Figma spread through the org.

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One of the things Alex keeps saying about go-to-market distribution. See the rest →