It seems now that the inverse of that common phrase is happening between Figma and Adobe: if you can't join them, beat them. Some of us probably saw this coming, but now it's official. Figma is going public, and they announced a bunch of new features at Config. They’re filling in gaps and expanding into new product areas. And you know, we’re all sick of the stranglehold Adobe has on the design industry; aren’t we? Competition in the form of a more dominant Figma would be good here; wouldn’t it?
Yes, but… no. I mean, I don’t think we want to go down this road just to end up with more of the same. As an industry, we’re at a pivot point with Figma and the software we use for our jobs more broadly that shouldn’t go unnoticed. Right now, we’re on a path that I think we should avoid.
But, don’t get me wrong: I love Figma. Back in the day when Sketch was used everywhere and people first started discovering Figma, I didn’t get why people weren’t switching faster. I loved how it was in the browser, its implementation of plug-ins and libraries, and just how easy it was to use.
And over the years, it has worked so well for me in my projects and everywhere I’ve seen it used that I’ve had no reason to even look for something else. So, this is far from an article describing why Figma sucks. It doesn’t. I’ll even say that the new stuff they showed at config looks exciting. But, I see a problem with their direction overall. Essentially, I say that this big, ‘publicly-owned,’ Adobe-esque way of doing Figma is unsustainable.
I’ve seen posts saying something similar, but I don’t think most of us in the industry have a clear idea of why or what’s next. Some people think one of these more AI-forward design apps could take over. Others think an existing tool like Webflow or Canva might adapt faster and become standard. Ok, but do any of these alternatives represent a different path from the one Figma is on? And, what is it about Figma that’s unsustainable?
It’s pretty clear to me that one aspect is the price. Or perhaps more to the root, I think there is a problem Figma’s incentives. This most recent move of going public shows that they have to get more direct about making money. All of the hosting and development needed to take over the world of design software ain’t cheap. And, I imagine that the pressure to monetize will only increase going forward as the costs associated with running their services (AI features especially) run higher. And, of course, being on the public markets, Figma has no choice but to grow indefinitely, stamp out competitors, and win.. or die trying. As a result, we’ve seen new pricing, new rules for seat management, and new pay walls. Figma is getting more expensive and restrictive, and I think that’s one reason why many of us feel like there's a problem.
Zooming out, we’ve come to expect software in this space to only be around for so long. And, there is no reason to think that Figma will be any different. Sketch used to be it. Adobe XD used to be a thing. We can see Figma dying eventually, and it probably will. Unless, of course, something like what happened with Photoshop and Adobe happens here in the UX world. A major player with deep pockets could embed its software so tightly into everyone’s workflows and systems that it’s hard to imagine doing the job without the software. This company gets bigger and bigger; they may even go public. In other words, they monopolize. The app works, but when people want to switch to an alternative, they find it difficult to do so. Fees get higher, controls get tighter, and resentment grows. And, this is what I am alarmed about the most: that Figma is on this path.
And so, we’re at a crossroads. Figma could be around to stay but change in a way that will ultimately lead to worse outcomes for its users, or we can move to something different that is more suitable for the future. But, what would an alternative that is not subject to the same boom-bust cycle that these other apps have gone through even look like? Is that even possible? I think it is, but to see it, we have to take a look at some of the less buzzy, more fundamental parts of our industry.
At the foundation of our modern tech stack, there is a lesson to be learned. The lesson is that if you want something to last, build it open source. If you don’t know about open source, it essentially describes the process of releasing the code for a particular application or technology, so that it is completely open and visible to the world. It also means that the software can be built on by others, adapted, and used in a way that is consistent with whatever terms (given under a particular license) that are released with the project. One good example of this is the Android Open Source Project or AOSP. The Android software running on the majority of mobile phones today is all built on AOSP because AOSP is, as the name suggests, open source. In fact, much of the technology that powers operating systems and internet infrastructure today is open source. And, that makes sense. The bedrock of the internet and computing shouldn’t be some fad tech that changes every five or so years. Again, the stuff that’s built to last is built open source.
But, hey we’re just talking about visuals and design here, right? We don’t need to treat our designs like foundational artifacts for our software projects; do we? I’d say that depends. Speaking for myself as it pertains my projects, I have some really important stuff in Figma. I have notes and diagrams and research documentation and, yes, mock-ups and prototypes. But in general, I use this tool to record and define what a project will be and how the team I’m working with got to that place of understanding. If I couldn’t use Figma anymore, it would not be ok to lose what’s in there. I would have to migrate my work out of that software. So, yes, for me (and, I couldn’t imagine this being any less true for large companies), design artifacts are worth making in a tool that’s built to last.
A call to action
So, where does that leave us? Are we left to merely hope that Figma goes open source and that, subsequently, an ecosystem of software and services is developed around it resulting in more robustness, cooperation, and longevity in the world of UX software? I mean, we can hope for that, but no that’s not all we can do. One major thing we can do today is to learn and embrace an open-source alternative that’s up and running right now. And, it’s called Penpot.
Believe me, it’s worth looking into. Penpot is very well supported, well documented, and well developed. It’s maaaaybe a half-step behind Figma as far as features and stability. Ok, maybe a three-quarter step, but look: the whole reason I’m writing this is because Penpot needs more attention and resources. Imagine if designers, devs, companies, and everyone who has a stake in Figma started pouring their energies into the open source space around Penpot. We would have so much more support, education, and tooling. And, since it is open source, anyone can contribute to its feature set and improve it for everyone else.
So, please, if you’re a designer, try Penpot! Tell your friends about it. If you’re a dev, consider contributing! Orgs using Figma, consider switching and look at their options for self-hosting! You will very likely reduce your costs and, in my view, improve the stability of a key component of your software development pipeline. Teams can also make plugins and libraries for Penpot that could grow it into an even more interesting and versatile tool. Truly, Penpot is awesome; please take a look and see how you might use it or otherwise be involved. After all, it is completely free.
On the open-source design stack
As you might be able to tell, I’m pretty jazzed about moving more of my workflow to tech that is open source. For anyone who might be looking for alternatives to other parts of the design stack, please peruse these other great apps:
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Photoshop alternative: GIMP
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Illustrator alternative: Inkscape
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Canvas & diagramming (Miro alternative): Nextcloud draw (this will require some work as an individual or org to set up Nextcloud for general file hosting, but their draw app is great for this use-case)