I’m really confused about something and hoping someone can explain it to me. There are tons of design tools out there that seem way more powerful than Figma. Tools like Axure RP, Protopie, and Facebook Origami have much better interactive features and prototyping capabilities.
But here’s what I don’t get - Figma seems to focus mostly on static designs. The prototyping feels really basic compared to other options. You can’t do advanced interactions or scroll-based animations easily. There’s no audio support either. Yet somehow every designer I know loves using Figma.
Can someone help me understand what I’m missing? What specific advantages does Figma have that make it so widely adopted in the design community? I feel like I’m overlooking something important here.
I’ve worked at agencies juggling tons of client projects, and Figma’s multiplayer editing was a game-changer. Before this, designers got locked out of files while someone else worked - huge bottlenecks when deadlines were tight. Now three people can work on different artboards while stakeholders review and comment live. Complete game-changer. Sure, Axure has better prototyping features, but who has time to learn all that? Most projects don’t allow for it. Figma nailed it by getting that design collaboration is messy and iterative - not solo work. Junior designers can jump in right away instead of spending weeks learning complex interaction stuff they’ll barely use.
Timing was everything. When Figma launched, designers were stuck with expensive desktop tools that needed constant updates. I switched from Sketch and loved accessing my work from anywhere without file corruption headaches. The real game changer? Non-designers could finally jump in without installing special software. Product managers and developers could leave feedback and inspect elements directly - no more workflow bottlenecks. Those other tools have better prototyping, but they’re overkill for everyday UI work with steep learning curves. Figma nailed the sweet spot between power and simplicity that teams actually needed.
I’ve used tons of design tools over the years, and Figma won because it solved the right problem at the right time. Sure, Axure and Protopie are way more powerful for complex prototyping, but most design work doesn’t need that level of complexity. Other tools killed me with constant version control nightmares and zero collaboration with devs and stakeholders. Figma fixed everything - no more emailing files around or dealing with sync headaches. Being browser-based means anyone can view and comment without installing anything. The component system and design tokens make it way easier to stay consistent across big projects compared to traditional tools. Sometimes the tool that nails one thing beats the tool that does everything okay.
figma just works - no hassle. i tried protopie once and wasted more time learning it than designing. figma isn’t perfect but handles 90% of what teams need without the bloat. the dev handoff is smooth too - they grab css values directly instead of me constantly exporting assets.