Figma Alternatives: 8 Design Tools for Marketers and Small Teams

Figma is a powerful design tool used by product and brand teams. Marketers and small business owners often find it more than they need for social posts, or they want something with ready-made templates or a different price. Here are eight alternatives. Features and plans change, so verify details on each tool’s site.

The alternatives

1. Canva

Template-first and beginner friendly. Good for: social posts, carousels and presentations without a learning curve. See our Canva social media guide.

2. Penpot

An open-source design and prototyping tool. Good for: teams that want to self-host or avoid vendor lock-in.

3. Sketch

A long-standing design tool for Mac. Good for: designers who work on Apple hardware. Watch for: it is Mac-focused.

4. Affinity

A family of design apps for vector, photo and layout work. Good for: people who want professional tools without Adobe’s subscription model. Check current licensing and availability.

5. Adobe Illustrator

The industry standard for vector illustration and logos. Good for: brand identity and print work. Watch for: a steep learning curve.

6. Adobe Express

A lighter, template-based option from Adobe. See Adobe Express alternatives.

7. Framer

A design tool focused on building and publishing websites. Good for: landing pages rather than social graphics.

8. Visme

Presentations, infographics and data visuals. See Visme alternatives.

How to choose

• You make social posts weekly: a template tool like Canva is usually faster.
• You build design systems or UI: stay with Figma or try Penpot.
• You make logos and print work: Illustrator or Affinity.
• You build landing pages: Framer or your site builder.

If your goal is simply faster, better-looking social posts, templates solve more than a new app does. See Canva alternatives for template-based tools, and all comparisons in our tool alternatives guide.