Is Figma really free?

Yes. The Starter plan is genuinely free and includes unlimited drafts, 3 Figma Design files, unlimited FigJam boards, access to all core design tools, and 150 AI credits per day (up to 500/month). You can produce professional work, export assets, and prototype without paying. The paid plans unlock unlimited files, team libraries, advanced prototyping, Dev Mode, and higher AI credit limits. Students and educators get the Professional plan for free through Figma's education program.

How does Figma compare to Canva?

Figma and Canva serve different audiences with some overlap. Figma is a professional UI/UX design tool built for creating digital products (websites, apps, dashboards) with pixel-perfect control, design systems, and developer handoff. Canva is a general-purpose graphic design tool built for creating marketing materials (social media posts, presentations, flyers, posters) quickly with templates and drag-and-drop simplicity. Figma is what designers use to build Canva; Canva is what marketers use to create content.

Can Figma replace Adobe Illustrator?

For UI and digital product design, yes — Figma replaces Illustrator. Figma's vector editing tools, pen tool, boolean operations, and component system are superior for interface design. For print design, complex illustrations, and typography-heavy layouts, Illustrator remains the better tool because Figma lacks CMYK color support, print export presets, advanced typography controls, and the ability to handle very complex vector artwork.

What happened to the Figma-Adobe acquisition?

In September 2022, Adobe announced a $20 billion acquisition of Figma — the largest private software acquisition ever proposed. The deal faced intense regulatory scrutiny from the European Commission and the UK's Competition and Markets Authority, who argued it would eliminate competition in the design software market. After 15 months of regulatory battles, Adobe and Figma mutually terminated the deal in December 2023. Adobe paid Figma a $1 billion termination fee. Figma continued independently and went public on the NYSE in 2025.

Does Figma work offline?

Limited offline support is available through the Figma desktop app. The app caches recently opened files for offline access, and you can make edits that sync when you reconnect. However, the offline experience is not seamless — not all files may be cached, and you cannot browse or search for files while offline. Figma is fundamentally a cloud-based tool, and a reliable internet connection is required for the full experience.

Is my data safe on Figma?

Figma maintains SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, ISO 27017, ISO 27018, and GDPR compliance certifications. All data is encrypted in transit (TLS 1.3) and at rest (AES-256). For US government and public sector teams, Figma offers FedRAMP-authorized deployment. Enterprise plans include SAML/SSO, SCIM provisioning, audit logs, and custom data retention policies. Figma does not use customer design files to train its AI models — AI training is done on public, licensed, and synthetic data.

Can I import Sketch files into Figma?

Yes. Figma has a built-in Sketch file importer (.sketch files). You can drag a .sketch file into Figma, and it will convert artboards to frames, symbols to components, and text styles to Figma text styles. The conversion is not 100% perfect — complex Sketch features like overrides, nested symbols with resizing, and certain blend modes may not translate perfectly. Expect to spend some time cleaning up imported files. Figma does NOT have a native Adobe XD importer.

How many people can collaborate in one Figma file simultaneously?

Figma handles 100+ simultaneous editors in a single file, though performance can degrade with very large files and many concurrent users. In practice, design teams rarely exceed 20-30 people editing simultaneously — more common is 3-5 designers working with 5-10 viewers/commenters. Figma's architecture handles this comfortably. The real-time sync operates on a 'last write wins' basis with conflict resolution for simultaneous edits, similar to Google Docs.

What are Figma's system requirements?

Figma runs in any modern browser: Chrome 89+, Firefox 98+, Safari 16.1+, Edge 89+. The desktop app is available for macOS 12+ (Intel and Apple Silicon) and Windows 10+ (64-bit). Recommended hardware: 8 GB RAM minimum (16 GB recommended), any processor from the last 5 years. Figma does not require a GPU — it is CPU and memory-bound. An internet connection of at least 5 Mbps is recommended for smooth collaboration.

Does Figma offer refunds?

Figma provides refunds for annual Professional plans within 30 days of purchase. For monthly Professional plans, you can cancel at any time and access continues until the end of the billing period — no refund for the current month. Organization and Enterprise plans have custom billing terms negotiated with the sales team. Always start with the free Starter plan to evaluate Figma before committing to a paid plan.

Can I use Figma for print design?

Figma is not designed for print and has significant limitations for print projects. It uses RGB color space (no CMYK support), does not support crop marks, bleed areas, or print-specific export settings, and cannot generate print-ready PDFs with proper color profiles. Professional print design — magazines, packaging, books, large-format printing — requires tools like Adobe InDesign, Illustrator, or Affinity Publisher. Figma's strength is digital product design.

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