The new hire uses Windows. The client uses Windows. The developer who needs to inspect the file uses Windows, and Sketch runs only on macOS. That is the moment most design teams start asking how to switch from Sketch to Figma, and it is a fair question.
Sketch is a native Mac editor that is fast, calm and precise, and it works offline with a 120 dollar Mac-only licence that never expires. Figma is a browser tool that runs anywhere, lets several people edit the same file at once, and charges per seat by what each person does. A team of Mac-only designers who love native speed should stay on Sketch. A team with Windows users, remote reviewers or developers who inspect files should move to Figma.
The switch is not about which tool is better in general. It is about which platform the team actually works on. Sketch charges 12 dollars per editor a month billed yearly on Standard, and viewers inspect for free. Figma charges 16 dollars per Full seat a month billed annually on Professional, with Dev seats at 12 dollars and Collab seats at 3 dollars. For a team that designs together in real time, the gap is real. For a team that works alone on a Mac, Figma can feel expensive, and this guide says so plainly.
This guide walks through how to switch from Sketch to Figma in seven steps, with a checklist, a cost comparison, and a clear account of what transfers, what does not, and what to test before cancelling Sketch. Follow the steps in order, run both tools side by side for two weeks, and the move will be boring in the best way. Skip the steps, cancel early, and symbols, libraries and shared styles can vanish without a trace.
The Price Gap That Starts the Conversation
Cost is the reason most teams switch, and the numbers explain why. Sketch Standard costs 12 dollars per editor a month billed yearly, or 14 dollars billed monthly, and covers cloud collaboration, shared libraries and free viewers. Sketch Professional costs 24 dollars per editor a month billed yearly, and adds single sign-on, project archiving and permission groups. Sketch Enterprise costs 44 dollars per editor a month billed yearly, and adds SCIM provisioning. A Mac-only licence costs 120 dollars per seat, one time, with one year of updates, after which the last version keeps working.
Figma Starter is free, with unlimited drafts and three shared design files, plus 150 AI credits a day. Professional costs 16 dollars per Full seat a month billed annually, or 20 dollars billed monthly, and one Full seat covers Figma Design, Dev Mode, FigJam, Slides, Make, Draw, Motion and Sites. Dev seats cost 12 dollars a month billed annually, or 15 dollars billed monthly. Collab seats cost 3 dollars a month billed annually, and View seats are free. Organisation costs 55 dollars per Full seat a month billed annually, and Enterprise costs 90 dollars.
A team of five editors on Sketch Standard pays about 60 dollars a month billed yearly. The same five on Figma Professional pay about 80 dollars a month, so Figma costs more, not less, at the editor tier. The saving appears when the team counts the developers and reviewers. Twelve developers who inspect Sketch files need nothing extra, because Sketch viewers are free, but a team that pays for separate handoff and prototyping tools can drop them, because Figma bundles Dev Mode, FigJam and Slides into the same seat.
The free plan tells the same story. Sketch has no permanent free plan, only a 30-day trial, though viewers are free. Figma Starter is free forever, with three shared files, so a team can test Figma with real work before paying anything. A team that wants to test Figma with a real project can do it free, which makes the trial cheap and the decision easy.
Sketch vs Figma at a Glance
| Feature | Sketch | Figma |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Per editor, Mac only | Per seat by role, browser based |
| Free plan | 30-day trial, free viewers | Starter free, 3 shared files |
| Entry paid price | Standard 12 dollars per editor a month yearly | Professional Full 16 dollars a seat a month annual |
| Dev or inspect seat | Free viewers | Dev 12 dollars, Collab 3 dollars, View free |
| Mid plan | Professional 24 dollars per editor a month yearly | Organisation 55 dollars per Full seat a month annual |
| Top plan | Enterprise 44 dollars per editor a month yearly | Enterprise 90 dollars per Full seat a month annual |
| One-time option | Mac-only licence 120 dollars per seat | None |
| Platform | macOS only | Browser, Mac, Windows, mobile |
| Real-time editing | No, files sync through the cloud | Yes, several people in one file |
| Libraries | Shared cloud libraries | Shared libraries, variables, modes |
| Prototyping | Built in, basic | Built in, with variables and conditions |
| Dev handoff | Web app for viewers, free | Dev Mode included in a Full seat |
| AI credits | None listed | 3,000 a month on a Full seat, 500 on Dev and Collab |
Figma bundles more into each seat, and that bundling is the point of the switch. Design, prototyping, developer handoff, whiteboarding and slides all live in the same browser tab, so a team stops paying for a separate handoff tool and a separate whiteboard. Sketch stays faster and calmer on a Mac, with native speed and real offline work that Figma cannot match, and that speed is worth real money to a team that designs alone. Check which side of that trade your team sits on before you move.
The Trade-Offs Nobody Mentions First
A switch guide that only lists the savings is not honest, so this section states the trade plainly. Sketch is a native Mac app. Figma is a browser app. A designer who opens Sketch, works offline on a train and saves a file locally will find Figma slower, with no real offline mode and a file that lives on a server. The first week in Figma feels connected, even when the canvas is busier, and a designer who hates browser tools will feel that friction daily.
A team that already pays for a handoff tool, a whiteboard and a prototyping app will not miss the native speed, because Figma replaces three subscriptions at once. The question is not which tool is better. The question is whether the team designs alone on Macs or together across platforms, and learning how to switch from Sketch to Figma starts with answering that question honestly.
The file format deserves a second look, because it decides what survives the move. Sketch files are local .sketch files, and Figma can import them, but symbols, overrides and shared styles need checking after the import. Count the libraries and the shared styles before deciding, and the math will make the choice. A team with a dozen shared libraries should budget a full day for the library rebuild alone.
The seat model also changes the bill. Sketch charges only for editors, and viewers inspect for free. Figma charges for Full, Dev and Collab seats separately, so a team with five designers and twelve developers pays for seventeen seats, not five. A team that adds Dev seats for every engineer should price them into the comparison before moving, because the developer seats are where the Figma bill grows.
How to Switch from Sketch to Figma in 7 Steps
This is the full process for how to switch from Sketch to Figma without losing the libraries that matter. Do the steps in order, and do not cancel Sketch until step 7.
Step 1. Audit the Sketch workspace before touching anything
Open Sketch and list every file, every library, every symbol, every shared style, every prototype link and every team member. Export each live file as a .sketch backup, and note the renewal date and the contract terms. Pay special attention to shared libraries, nested symbols and text styles, because the importer does not move those cleanly. This audit takes an afternoon and prevents the most common switch failure, which is discovering a library only after it was deleted.
Step 2. Set up Figma and map the file structure first
Create the Figma account, choose the plan that matches the team size, and decide the file structure before importing anything. Sketch files become Figma files inside projects, and Sketch libraries become Figma libraries, your choice during the import. Map libraries to Figma teams if your designers share components across projects. Do not import yet. A clean structure decided on paper saves a week of reorganising later.
Step 3. Import one library and one file first
Open Figma, choose Import, pick a single Sketch library file, and check the result. The importer brings across frames, layers, symbols and text styles, and asks you to confirm the mapping. Check the imported library carefully, count the components against the Sketch original, open a few components to confirm overrides and styles survived, and fix the mapping before the big import. A pilot import that takes an afternoon prevents a workspace-wide mess.
Step 4. Import the rest and rebuild what does not transfer
Once the pilot looks clean, import the remaining files in batches, checking each one as it lands. Then rebuild what the importer leaves behind. Nested symbols, some shared styles and prototype links do not transfer cleanly, and must be rebuilt in Figma. Smart layout and auto layout behave differently, so rebuild the responsive components by hand. This is the largest single task in the switch, so budget a full day for a normal workspace and do not promise a one hour migration.
Step 5. Move the team and set seats by role
Invite the team to Figma and set seats by role. Designers get Full seats, developers get Dev seats, and reviewers get Collab or View seats. Remember that Dev seats cost 12 dollars a month and Collab seats cost 3 dollars, so decide who needs which seat before inviting everyone as a Full seat. Run a short training session on auto layout, variables and Dev Mode, because those three features are where Figma saves the most time. A designer who cannot find their library will fall back to Sketch, and the switch will stall.
Step 6. Run both tools side by side for two weeks
Work from Figma for two weeks while Sketch stays open and the old files finish. Watch the component counts daily, check that shared styles and colours match, and confirm the prototypes the team rebuilt actually run. Compare a Figma handoff with the Sketch export from step 1 to spot any gap in the developer view. Fix the problems while Sketch is still available as a fallback, not after it is cancelled. Two quiet weeks of parallel running cost nothing and catch every problem early.
Step 7. Cancel Sketch and confirm the files are safe
Once two weeks of Figma work look clean, export the final .sketch files and any remaining assets, then cancel the subscription before the renewal date. Confirm the cancellation email arrives, and check that no auto renewal is set. Keep the .sketch backup files for six months, because the importer does not move everything and the old exports are the only record of nested symbols, shared styles and prototype links. The switch is done when Figma has run cleanly for two weeks and Sketch is cancelled without a surprise charge.
What Comes Across and What Stays Behind
The Figma Sketch importer moves the core work well. Frames become frames, with layers, text and shapes coming across. Symbols become components, and shared styles land as Figma styles. For a normal file, that covers most of what a team needs to keep designing on day one.
What does not transfer is specific, and the team should name it before starting. Nested symbols do not transfer cleanly, so list each one and rebuild it as a Figma component set. Some shared styles need remapping, and prototype links must be rebuilt by hand. Smart layout becomes auto layout only where the structure matches, so check the responsive components one by one. Plugins do not transfer, so note what each plugin did and find the Figma equivalent.
It is a one time copy, not a live sync. Sketch stays as it was, and later changes in either tool do not sync back. That is the full picture of how to switch from Sketch to Figma without losing the work that matters.
The Go-Live Checklist
Use this checklist before starting step 1, and do not skip a line.
- List every Sketch file, library, symbol, shared style and prototype. – Export each live file as a .sketch backup and save the files. – Note the Sketch renewal date and any contract term. – Flag shared libraries, nested symbols and text styles. – Choose the Figma plan by team size and seat mix. – Decide how Sketch libraries map to Figma libraries.
- List the Sketch plugins the team actually uses. – Count seats by role, because Dev and Collab seats cost extra. – Plan a replacement for any Sketch feature Figma lacks. – Set a switch date in a quiet week, not during a launch. – Tell the team the switch date and the new workflow before step 1.
What the Switch Saves in Real Money
The saving depends on team size and seat mix, because the two tools charge different rates for similar work. A team of five editors on Sketch Standard pays about 60 dollars a month billed yearly. The same five on Figma Professional pay about 80 dollars a month, so the editor tier costs more, not less. The saving appears when the team drops separate tools. A team that pays 20 dollars a month for a handoff tool and 15 dollars for a whiteboard saves 35 dollars a month by moving to Figma, which turns the 20 dollar gap into a 15 dollar saving.
A team of five designers and twelve developers on Sketch Standard pays about 60 dollars a month, because viewers are free. The same team on Figma Professional pays about 80 dollars for the designers plus about 144 dollars for the Dev seats, or about 224 dollars a month in total. That team should stay on Sketch unless the developers need Dev Mode badly enough to justify the extra 164 dollars a month.
The saving shrinks when the team adds seats carelessly. Every person invited as a Full seat costs 16 dollars a month, so a reviewer who only comments should get a Collab seat at 3 dollars or a free View seat. A team that runs free on Figma Starter, with three shared files, saves the whole Sketch bill while it tests. Count the seats by role, run the two totals, and the answer will be clear. For most teams with cross-platform reviewers, Figma is worth the extra editor cost once the dropped tools are counted.
One more line to check is the AI credit allowance. A Figma Full seat gets 3,000 AI credits a month, while Dev and Collab seats get 500 each, so a team that leans on AI features should count its credits before choosing the seat mix.
Run the same math for your own team before you commit to how to switch from Sketch to Figma, because the totals decide the plan.
Your First Two Weeks in Figma
The parallel run only helps if the team tests the right things, so set the tests before the first Figma file is assigned. Create one file of each type the team makes, including one with components, one with a prototype, and one with a developer handoff, and confirm each one shows the right styles and the right colours. Then compare the Figma component counts against the Sketch export from step 1, checking totals by library and by file. That test plan is the part of the switch that most teams skip, and it is the part that catches the problems while Sketch is still available as a fallback.
Test the auto layout and the handoff next, because those are the workflows that break quietly. Build one responsive component with auto layout and confirm it resizes correctly, open Dev Mode for the same file, and have a developer confirm they see the same specs. Also test a file that needs a shared library update, since library publishing must be done by hand and trips up teams that rely on it. A test that covers files, components, prototypes and handoff in the first week leaves the second week for fixing what failed, which is exactly how a quiet switch is supposed to work.
Five Mistakes That Stall the Move
The first mistake is cancelling Sketch before the Figma libraries are checked. A team that cancels on day one loses the nested symbols, the shared styles and the prototype links in one move, and the rebuild takes days instead of hours. Keep Sketch until step 7, and the switch stays boring. The second mistake is importing the whole workspace at once without a pilot. A mapping error on libraries repeats across every file, and fixing it after the fact costs more than the pilot ever did.
The third mistake is forgetting the seat math. A team that invites every reviewer as a Full seat pays 16 dollars a month for people who only comment, and a team with twelve developers pays 144 dollars a month for Dev seats it may not need. Count the seats by role before inviting anyone. The fourth mistake is skipping the two week parallel run. A team that switches overnight discovers the component gaps during a live sprint, when fixing them costs the most. Two quiet weeks of parallel running cost nothing and catch every problem early.
The fifth mistake is underestimating the library rebuild. Nested symbols, shared styles and auto layout do not transfer cleanly, and a team that budgets an hour for the rebuild will run out of time. Budget a full day, rebuild the top libraries first, and leave the long tail of old components behind. The switch is a good time to clean the library, not a reason to move every old symbol into the new tool.
Life After the Switch
The first month after the move is when the saving becomes real, and it is also when the new habits form. Set a weekly review in Figma, one hour where the team checks the library, clears the drafts and updates the shared styles, because a tool with more seats needs a steadier rhythm than Sketch did. Tune the rebuilt components after two weeks, not on day one, because the first fortnight shows which components get used and which never open at all. The work of learning how to switch from Sketch to Figma does not end on cancel day. It ends when the team stops opening the old tool out of habit, and that usually takes a full month.
Revisit the plan choice after 90 days. A team that started on Professional may find it needs Organisation for the shared libraries or the branch controls, and a team that started on Professional may find it can drop the Dev seats it never used. Count the seats again too, because Figma bills by role, and a contractor who finished their project should come off the plan. The switch saves money once. The habits save it every month after.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to switch from Sketch to Figma?
Most small teams finish the switch in one to two weeks. The setup takes an afternoon, the pilot import and the library rebuild take a full day, and the two week parallel run catches the problems while Sketch is still available. A team with many libraries or heavy prototyping should budget three weeks. Do not promise a one day switch, because the library rebuild and the parallel run are what make the move safe.
Will I lose my Sketch files when I switch from Sketch to Figma?
Frames, layers, symbols and text styles transfer through the native Sketch importer, so export each file first and run a pilot import on one library to confirm the mapping. Nested symbols, some shared styles and prototype links do not transfer cleanly, so flag them in the audit and rebuild them by hand. Keep Sketch running until the Figma libraries are checked, and no finished work will be lost.
Is Figma really cheaper than Sketch?
For most teams that design together across platforms, yes, once the dropped tools are counted. Figma Professional at 16 dollars a Full seat a month costs more than Sketch Standard at 12 dollars an editor, so a team of five editors pays about 20 dollars a month more. The saving appears when the team drops a separate handoff tool and a separate whiteboard, which Figma bundles into the same seat. A Mac-only team that designs alone should stay on Sketch, because it is cheaper and faster.
Does Figma have the same features as Sketch?
Figma has more collaboration features than Sketch, including real-time editing, Dev Mode, FigJam and Slides, but fewer native Mac features. Sketch offers native speed, offline work and a 120 dollar one-time licence, while Figma offers browser access, shared libraries and variables. A team that needs offline work should keep Sketch for that job and use Figma for everything else. Pick the tool by the platform, not by the brand.
Can I keep my Sketch plugins when I switch?
No, Sketch plugins do not transfer. Each plugin needs a Figma equivalent, and some Sketch plugins have no Figma match at all. List the plugins the team actually uses, find the Figma plugin for each one, and test the top three in the first week. A team that relies on a single Sketch plugin should check the Figma equivalent before committing to the move.
The Call
Switch to Figma if the team works across Mac and Windows, if the team is paying for Sketch plus a separate handoff tool and a separate whiteboard, or if the team wants real-time editing and developer handoff in the same login. A team of three to twenty designers will get collaboration that Sketch cannot offer, and lose nothing it actually uses, as long as the audit flags the libraries and the symbols first. For those teams, learning how to switch from Sketch to Figma is worth a day, and the saving repeats every month.
Stay on Sketch if the team designs alone on Macs, if the team is on Standard at 12 dollars an editor a month and does not need cross-platform review, or if the team is mid sprint and cannot afford a week of parallel running. A team that values native speed over browser collaboration will feel Figma as slow, and a team with many nested symbols can find the rebuild costs more than the saving. Stay also if the contract renewal is close and the team is mid launch. A switch during a launch costs more in chaos than it saves in subscription fees.
The decision rule is simple. Count the libraries, count the people by role, list the platforms the team actually works on every week, and run the two totals with Dev seats and dropped tools included. If Figma covers the weekly work and costs less, switch in a quiet week and follow the seven steps. If Sketch covers a weekly job that Figma cannot match, stay and renegotiate the Sketch plan instead. The right tool is the one that matches the work, not the one with the lower headline price.
