Figma vs Zeplin (2024 Comparison)
Figma offers a comprehensive suite of design tools, perfect for teams looking to collaborate in real-time. Its cloud-based platform and intuitive interface make it a top choice for designers.
- Real-time collaboration enhances teamwork.
- Comprehensive design tools for all needs.
- Cloud-based platform for remote work.
- Steep learning curve for beginners.
- Requires stable internet connection.
- Limited offline capabilities.
Free plan?
YesStarting price
$15 per month per user
Zeplin bridges the gap between designers and developers, streamlining the design handoff process. Its detailed design specifications and integration capabilities make it a valuable tool for teams.
- Streamlines design handoff process.
- Detailed design specifications for developers.
- Integrates with popular design tools.
- Limited prototyping capabilities.
- Requires setup for integrations.
- Focuses more on developers than designers.
Free plan?
YesStarting price
$12 per seat per monthWhat is Figma?
Figma is a powerful design tool that allows teams to collaborate in real-time on web and app designs. It offers a cloud-based platform where designers can create, prototype, and gather feedback seamlessly. With Figma, you can work on projects from anywhere, making it ideal for remote teams. Its intuitive interface and robust features make it a favorite among designers, enabling them to bring their creative visions to life efficiently.
What is Zeplin?
Zeplin is a collaboration tool that bridges the gap between designers and developers. It provides a platform where design files can be shared, annotated, and translated into code snippets, making the handoff process smoother. Zeplin helps teams maintain consistency in design implementation, ensuring that developers have all the necessary assets and specifications. It's a valuable tool for teams looking to streamline their workflow and improve communication between design and development.
Pros and Cons of Figma vs Zeplin
Pros & Cons of Figma
- Figma's real-time collaboration feature allows multiple users to work on the same project simultaneously, enhancing teamwork and productivity. It's a valuable tool for remote teams looking to streamline their workflow.
- Figma offers a wide range of design tools, catering to both individual designers and large teams. Its versatility makes it suitable for various design projects, from web design to app development.
- Figma's cloud-based platform allows users to access their projects from anywhere, making it ideal for remote work. Its collaborative features make it a top choice for teams looking to improve their design process.
- Figma's extensive features and capabilities can be overwhelming for beginners, requiring time and effort to master. However, once familiar, it becomes an invaluable tool for design projects.
- Figma's cloud-based platform requires a stable internet connection to function effectively. This can be a limitation for users in areas with unreliable internet access.
Pros & Cons of Zeplin
- Zeplin excels in the design handoff process, providing developers with all the necessary assets and specifications to implement designs accurately. It simplifies communication between designers and developers.
- Zeplin provides developers with detailed design specifications, ensuring consistency in design implementation. This feature is invaluable for teams looking to improve their design-to-development workflow.
- Zeplin integrates seamlessly with popular design tools like Sketch and Adobe XD, making it a valuable addition to any design team's workflow. Its integration capabilities enhance its versatility and functionality.
- Zeplin's focus on design handoff means it lacks robust prototyping capabilities. Teams looking for a tool with comprehensive prototyping features may find Zeplin's offerings limited.
- While Zeplin offers integration capabilities, it requires setup and configuration to work seamlessly with design tools. This can be a barrier for teams looking for a plug-and-play solution.
Figma vs Zeplin: At A Glance
Value to Price
Figma offers exceptional value for its price, providing a comprehensive suite of design tools that cater to both individual designers and large teams. Its collaborative features and cloud-based platform make it a cost-effective choice for remote work. Zeplin, while slightly more expensive, offers specialized features for design handoff, making it a valuable investment for teams focused on seamless collaboration between designers and developers.
Ease of Use
Figma's intuitive interface and user-friendly design make it accessible to both beginners and experienced designers. Its drag-and-drop functionality and real-time collaboration features enhance the user experience. Zeplin, while also user-friendly, requires a bit more setup to integrate with design tools, but once configured, it simplifies the design-to-development workflow significantly.
Functionality
Figma excels in functionality, offering a wide range of design tools, prototyping capabilities, and collaboration features. Its versatility makes it suitable for various design projects. Zeplin, on the other hand, focuses on streamlining the design handoff process, providing developers with detailed design specifications and assets, which enhances the overall functionality of the design workflow.
Scalability
Figma's cloud-based platform allows for easy scalability, accommodating teams of all sizes. Its collaborative features make it ideal for growing teams. Zeplin also offers scalability, particularly for teams looking to improve their design-to-development process. Its ability to handle large projects and multiple team members makes it a scalable solution for design collaboration.
Integrations
Figma offers a wide range of integrations with popular design and productivity tools, enhancing its versatility and functionality. Zeplin also provides integrations with design tools like Sketch and Adobe XD, making it a valuable addition to any design team's workflow. Both tools offer robust integration options, but Figma's extensive library gives it a slight edge.
Customer Support
Figma provides excellent customer support, with a comprehensive help center, community forums, and responsive support team. Zeplin also offers reliable customer support, with detailed documentation and a helpful support team. Both tools prioritize customer satisfaction, but Figma's extensive resources and active community make it a standout in this dimension.
Security
Figma prioritizes security, offering features like two-factor authentication and data encryption to protect user information. Zeplin also ensures data security with robust encryption and secure access controls. Both tools take security seriously, but Figma's additional security features provide an extra layer of protection for users.
Overall Rating
Figma's overall rating reflects its comprehensive features, user-friendly interface, and excellent customer support. It's a top choice for designers looking for a versatile and collaborative design tool. Zeplin, while slightly lower in overall rating, excels in design handoff and collaboration, making it a valuable tool for teams focused on improving their design-to-development workflow.
Figma vs Zeplin: A Detailed Breakdown of Key Features
Real-time Collaboration
Figma's real-time collaboration feature is a game-changer for design teams. It allows multiple users to work on the same project simultaneously, making it easy to share ideas and gather feedback. I've found this feature incredibly useful when working with remote teams, as it eliminates the need for constant file sharing and version control. Zeplin also offers collaboration features, but it's more focused on the design handoff process. If you're looking for a tool that enhances team collaboration, Figma is the way to go.
Design Prototyping
Figma excels in design prototyping, offering a range of tools to create interactive and dynamic prototypes. Its intuitive interface makes it easy to bring your designs to life, and the ability to share prototypes with stakeholders for feedback is invaluable. Zeplin, while not as robust in prototyping, focuses on providing developers with detailed design specifications. If prototyping is a priority for you, Figma is the better choice.
Design Handoff
Zeplin shines in the design handoff process, providing developers with all the necessary assets and specifications to implement designs accurately. It simplifies the communication between designers and developers, reducing the risk of errors. Figma also offers design handoff features, but Zeplin's focus on this area makes it the superior choice for teams looking to streamline their workflow.
Asset Management
Both Figma and Zeplin offer robust asset management features, allowing teams to organize and share design assets efficiently. Figma's cloud-based platform makes it easy to access assets from anywhere, while Zeplin provides detailed asset specifications for developers. If asset management is a key consideration for your team, both tools offer excellent solutions, but Figma's cloud capabilities give it a slight edge.
Version Control
Figma's version control features are top-notch, allowing teams to track changes and revert to previous versions easily. This is particularly useful when working on large projects with multiple team members. Zeplin also offers version control, but it's more focused on maintaining consistency in design implementation. If version control is a priority for your team, Figma is the better choice.
User Interface
Figma's user interface is intuitive and user-friendly, making it accessible to both beginners and experienced designers. Its drag-and-drop functionality and real-time collaboration features enhance the user experience. Zeplin also offers a user-friendly interface, but it's more focused on the design handoff process. If you're looking for a tool with a seamless user interface, Figma is the way to go.
Pricing Comparison of Figma and Zeplin
To assist you in making an informed choice, we’ve outlined the pricing plans and essential features of Figma and Zeplin. This comparison will highlight the best option for your design and development needs.
Figma Pricing Plans
- Create up to 3 collaborative design files for team projects.
- Unlimited personal drafts for individual work and experimentation.
- Basic file inspection to review and analyze design elements.
- Free access for students and educators to support learning.
- Team libraries for shared design resources and assets.
- Advanced prototyping features for interactive design testing.
- Unlimited version history to track design changes over time.
- Shared and private projects for organized team collaboration.
- Design system analytics to measure design system usage.
- Branching and merging for collaborative design workflows.
- Centralized file management for efficient resource handling.
- Single sign-on for secure and easy access management.
- Sync variables to code via REST API for seamless integration.
- Dedicated workspaces for teams to enhance collaboration.
- Guest access controls for secure external collaboration.
- Idle session timeout for enhanced security measures.
Zeplin Pricing Plans
- Access to annotations, flows, and approvals for project management.
- Screen versioning with version compare and screen variants.
- Integrations with Jira, Azure DevOps, VS Code, and more.
- Up to 100 components and 30 days of version history.
- Unlimited components and 1 year of version history.
- Flat rate per project with unlimited members.
- Ideal for time-bound projects with many collaborators.
- Annual plans offer 1 month free for cost savings.
- Unlimited projects and screens for extensive collaboration.
- Advanced user permissions and unlimited reviewers.
- Flow boards and team workspace for organized workflows.
- Forever version history for comprehensive project tracking.
- Invoiced billing and custom terms for flexible payment options.
- Activity logs and domain capture for enhanced security.
- 24-hour support SLA and access to Zeplin experts.
- Success manager and group training sessions for team enablement.
Our Rating Methodology
We thoroughly test each design collaboration tool, evaluating key features like real-time collaboration, design handoff, and asset management. We also analyze user reviews to ensure our recommendations fit your needs. Each of the seven evaluation factors is weighted by importance to provide an accurate final rating, helping you avoid poor-quality tools and make informed decisions.
Figma or Zeplin: Which One Matches Your Business Needs?
Choose Figma If You Need ...
- Real-time collaboration tool
If you are a design team looking for a tool that enhances real-time collaboration and allows multiple users to work on the same project simultaneously, Figma is the ideal choice. Its cloud-based platform and intuitive interface make it perfect for remote teams.
- Comprehensive design solution
If you need a comprehensive design solution that offers a wide range of tools for creating, prototyping, and collaborating on designs, Figma is the way to go. Its versatility and functionality make it suitable for various design projects.
Choose Zeplin If You Need ...
- Streamlined design handoff
If you are a team focused on improving the design handoff process and ensuring developers have all the necessary assets and specifications, Zeplin is the better choice. Its detailed design specifications and integration capabilities make it invaluable for design-to-development workflows.
- Developer-focused tool
If your team prioritizes providing developers with detailed design specifications and assets, Zeplin is the ideal tool. Its focus on streamlining the design handoff process makes it a valuable addition to any design team's workflow.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which tool is better for real-time collaboration?
Which tool offers better design handoff capabilities?
Which tool is more suitable for prototyping?
Which tool offers better asset management?
Which tool is more user-friendly?
Which tool offers better integration capabilities?
Anastasia Belyh
Anastasia Belyh is a senior tech writer with over 15 years of experience in marketing, sales, and business software. Having worked in investment banking, management consulting, and founded multiple companies, her in-depth knowledge and hands-on expertise make her software reviews authoritative, trustworthy, and highly practical for business decision-makers.
