Figma vs Adobe XD

For most designers and merchants comparing the two today, Figma is the better choice. It offers real-time multiplayer editing, a much larger plugin and template marketplace, and continued active development, while Adobe pared back new feature investment in XD and shifted its design tooling focus elsewhere. XD still works and existing XD files can be opened, but new projects — including Shopify storefront design work like our own Figma theme collection — are overwhelmingly built and shared in Figma.

That said, "which tool is better" depends on what you are actually doing. A solo designer maintaining a legacy XD file has different needs than a team designing a new storefront from scratch. This comparison breaks down where each tool stands today, what actually changes in your day-to-day workflow, and what it means specifically if you are designing or customizing a Shopify store.

Quick Comparison at a Glance

• Collaboration: Figma supports real-time multiplayer editing with visible cursors; XD's co-editing features were more limited and saw little further investment.
• Platform: Figma runs in the browser (with optional desktop apps) and works the same on Windows, macOS, and Linux via the browser. XD is a native desktop app for Windows and macOS only.
• Pricing model: Figma offers a genuinely usable free tier plus paid team plans. Adobe historically bundled XD into Creative Cloud plans and also offered a free starter tier.
• Plugin and community ecosystem: Figma's plugin directory and Community file library are large and actively growing. XD had a plugin system too, but new plugin and template activity has slowed considerably.
• Ongoing development: Figma ships new features regularly (auto layout improvements, variables, dev mode updates). Adobe has publicly deprioritized new XD feature work.
• Prototyping depth: Both support clickable prototypes with transitions and overlays; Figma's prototyping has continued to expand, including more advanced interactions and variables-driven states.
• Handoff to developers: Figma's Dev Mode gives developers inspectable specs, code snippets, and asset export directly from a design file. XD offered similar handoff tooling but with a smaller surrounding ecosystem of integrations.

Where Figma Wins

Real-time collaboration that actually holds up

Figma's biggest structural advantage has always been that it was built browser-first, which made real-time multiplayer editing a natural fit rather than a bolted-on feature. Multiple designers, or a designer and a merchant reviewing changes together, can be in the same file at the same time, see each other's cursors, and leave comments pinned to specific elements. For a Shopify project where a store owner wants to review homepage sections or a product page layout alongside the designer, this removes a lot of the back-and-forth that used to happen over exported screenshots and email threads.

An active plugin and template marketplace

Figma's Community tab and plugin directory are large enough that most common design tasks — generating placeholder content, checking contrast ratios, exporting assets in bulk, or starting from a pre-built UI kit — have an existing plugin or template rather than requiring custom work. This matters directly for storefront design: a large share of publicly shared Shopify and e-commerce UI kits, wireframe templates, and icon sets are published as Figma files first, simply because that is where the audience and the tooling are.

It is where the design work already is

Beyond features, there is a practical network effect. If you hire a freelance designer, contract an agency, or buy a pre-built design file, the default deliverable format today is a Figma file. Reviewing, editing, or handing off work in XD increasingly means asking a collaborator to work outside their normal toolchain, which adds friction that was not there five years ago.

Where Adobe XD Still Has a Place

XD is not broken, and if your team already has a mature library of XD files, deep Creative Cloud integration, or workflows built around Adobe's ecosystem (linking design files to Photoshop or Illustrator assets, for instance), there is no urgent reason to rip everything out overnight. Existing XD projects can still be opened and edited, and for a designer already fluent in the tool, finishing a project already in flight in XD is often faster than a mid-project migration.

The honest caveat is direction of travel: Adobe has publicly stepped back from active new-feature development on XD, which means the gap between it and Figma's pace of improvement will keep widening rather than closing. For any new project — a new store design, a new theme customization, a new client engagement — starting in XD today means opting into a shrinking ecosystem with less community content to draw from.

What This Means If You Are Designing a Shopify Store

If you are choosing design tooling for a new Shopify project, Figma is the more practical default for a few concrete reasons specific to e-commerce work. Storefront design usually involves iterating on the same handful of templates — home, collection, product, cart — with a merchant or stakeholder reviewing changes along the way, which plays directly to Figma's collaborative strengths. It also means any pre-built theme design file, wireframe kit, or component library you buy or download is far more likely to arrive as a Figma file than an XD one.

This is exactly why our own Figma-based storefront designs — including the Wosa Figma theme for fashion stores and the Medical Figma theme for healthcare and medical retailers — are built and delivered in Figma rather than XD. Buyers can open the file, restyle colors and type in a shared library, drop in their own product photography, and hand a clean spec straight to a developer through Dev Mode, all without leaving the file or needing separate export steps. If you want to see the full range of what is available, browse our Figma themes directly, or the full theme catalog if you are still deciding between a Figma design file and a ready-to-install Shopify theme.

Making the Switch From XD to Figma

If you are migrating an existing XD project rather than starting fresh, a few practical notes make the switch smoother. Figma can import XD files directly through its built-in import tool, though complex prototypes and some interactions may need to be rebuilt manually rather than transferring cleanly. Component structures also do not always map one-to-one — XD's symbols and Figma's components behave similarly in concept but differently enough in practice that a straight import is a starting point, not a finished file.

• Import the XD file into Figma first and audit what carried over before deleting the original.
• Rebuild component libraries using Figma's auto layout rather than trying to force old fixed-size frames to behave the same way.
• Re-check prototype flows and interactions manually — transitions and overlays are common casualties of an automated import.
• Recreate shared color and text styles as Figma variables or styles so future edits stay consistent across the file.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Adobe XD being discontinued?

Adobe has not announced a formal shutdown, but has publicly scaled back new feature investment in XD. Existing files remain usable, but the tool's pace of development has slowed significantly compared to Figma's.

Can I open an Adobe XD file in Figma?

Yes. Figma includes a built-in import feature for XD files. Basic layouts and styles usually carry over well, but complex prototypes, interactions, and component structures often need manual cleanup after import.

Is Figma free to use?

Figma offers a free tier that covers a meaningful amount of solo and small-team work, with paid plans adding features like more version history, additional seats, and advanced collaboration controls. Check Figma's current pricing page for exact limits, since free-tier terms do change over time.

Why do most Shopify theme design files come as Figma files rather than XD?

Because that is where design communities, plugin ecosystems, and most freelance and agency workflows have concentrated. A Figma file is easier to hand off for real-time review, restyle using shared component libraries, and pass to a developer through Dev Mode, which is why our own theme design files, like the Wosa Figma theme, are built in Figma.