Is Figma or Whimsical better?

Neither clearly leads. Figma starts at Free and Whimsical at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, Figma or Whimsical?

Figma starts at Free and Whimsical at Free.

Does Figma or Whimsical run on more platforms?

Figma runs on Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android. Whimsical runs on Web.

Can I use Figma for free?

Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.

What is Figma best used for?

Figma is most often used for ui/ux design, design systems, prototyping, design collaboration. Of those, design systems and prototyping are not what Whimsical is typically brought in for.

What can Figma do that Whimsical cannot?

Figma covers Vector networks, Auto-layout, Components & variants, Prototyping. Whimsical covers Flowcharts, Wireframes, Mind maps, Sticky notes. Both handle Real-time collaboration, Slack, Jira, GitHub.

Technology · head to head

Figma vs Whimsical

Figma

Technology

The collaborative interface design tool

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

Whimsical

Technology

Where great ideas take shape

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Each has a real cost: Figma no offline editing capability, can only view and create new files when disconnected; Whimsical the free plan is capped at 3 team boards, 3 teams and 10 guest seats
They diverge on capability: Figma covers Vector networks, Whimsical covers Flowcharts.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Figma and Whimsical actually diverge.

Attributes where Figma and Whimsical differ
Attribute	Figma	Whimsical
Pricing model	Unknown	subscription
Platforms	Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android	Web
Founded	2012	2017

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Technology).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Figma

Vector networks
Auto-layout
Components & variants
Prototyping
Design systems
Developer handoff
Version control
Microsoft Teams

Only in Whimsical

Flowcharts
Wireframes
Mind maps
Sticky notes
Docs
Templates
Keyboard shortcuts
Figma

Both cover

Real-time collaboration
Slack
Jira
GitHub
Notion
SOC2
2FA
GDPR

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Figma

UI/UX design
Design systemsnot Whimsical
Prototypingnot Whimsical
Design collaborationnot Whimsical
Developer handoffnot Whimsical

Whimsical

Product planningnot Figma
UI/UX design
Brainstormingnot Figma
Process documentationnot Figma
Project visualizationnot Figma

Both are used for ui/ux design, on those jobs the choice comes down to price and fit rather than capability.

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Figma

No offline editing capability, can only view and create new files when disconnected
Mobile apps are read-only, cannot edit designs on iOS or Android
No self-hosted option, requires cloud connectivity and internet access
Performance degradation with large files containing thousands of layers
Library components and unloaded pages not accessible offline

Whimsical

The free plan is capped at 3 team boards, 3 teams and 10 guest seats
File uploads are limited to 5MB per file and 1GB in total on the free plan
Version history on the free plan goes back 7 days
Voting, the timer, private teams, the GitHub integration, password-protected files and watermark removal all need Pro at $10 per editor per month
SSO and SAML are Business tier only at $20 per editor per month

Pricing, plan by plan

Figma

Free

StarterFree
- Unlimited drafts
- 3 Figma files
- 3 FigJam boards
Professional$12/month
- Unlimited files and folders
- Team libraries
- Advanced prototyping
Organization$55/month
- Unlimited teams
- Shared libraries
- Design system theming
Enterprise$90/month
- Custom workspaces
- API access
- SCIM seat management

Whimsical

Free

StarterFree
- Up to 4 boards
- Unlimited viewers
- 7-day version history
Pro$10/month
- Unlimited boards
- Unlimited version history
- Advanced permissions
Org$20/month
- Everything in Pro
- SSO
- User management

Which should you pick?

Choose Figma if

You need vector networks.
You want to start without paying.
You work on Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android.
You also want auto-layout.

Figma review

Choose Whimsical if

You need flowcharts.
You want to start without paying.
You also want wireframes.

Whimsical review

Questions people ask

Is Figma or Whimsical better?: Neither clearly leads. Figma starts at Free and Whimsical at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Figma or Whimsical?: Figma starts at Free and Whimsical at Free.
Does Figma or Whimsical run on more platforms?: Figma runs on Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android. Whimsical runs on Web.
Can I use Figma for free?: Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Figma best used for?: Figma is most often used for ui/ux design, design systems, prototyping, design collaboration. Of those, design systems and prototyping are not what Whimsical is typically brought in for.
What can Figma do that Whimsical cannot?: Figma covers Vector networks, Auto-layout, Components & variants, Prototyping. Whimsical covers Flowcharts, Wireframes, Mind maps, Sticky notes. Both handle Real-time collaboration, Slack, Jira, GitHub.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Figma: What's included in Figma's free tier?

Figma's Starter plan is free forever and includes unlimited drafts, up to 3 Figma files, 3 FigJam boards, core design features (vector editing, auto layout, components, prototyping), basic developer handoff (inspect), and 150 AI credits per day up to 500 per month. Maximum 2 editors per file.

Source

Figma: Does Figma work offline?

Figma has very limited offline support. You can create one new file and edit currently loaded pages, but cannot open previously created files, access new pages, search for library components, or see real-time collaboration. Changes are cached locally for up to 30 days and sync when you reconnect.

Source

Figma: Can you self-host Figma?

No. Figma is a closed, cloud-only platform with no option to self-host or run on your own servers.

Source

Figma: What export formats does Figma support?

Figma exports to PNG, JPEG, SVG (at 1x scale only), and PDF (at 1x scale only). Export settings allow customization of resolution, quality, and scale.

Source

Figma: What platforms does Figma support?

Figma is available as a web app (all platforms), desktop apps for macOS and Windows, and mobile apps for iOS and Android. Linux users can access Figma through the web browser only.

Source

Figma: What are Figma's integrations?

Figma integrates with Slack, Microsoft Teams, Jira, Asana, Linear, Notion, VS Code, Zapier, and hundreds of other tools. Integration categories include collaboration, project management, developer handoff, prototyping, and AI/code generation.

Source

Figma vs Whimsical

Figma

Whimsical

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in Figma

Only in Whimsical

Both cover

What people use each for

Figma

Whimsical

Where each one falls short

Figma

Whimsical

Pricing, plan by plan

Figma

Whimsical

Which should you pick?

Choose Figma if

Choose Whimsical if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on Figma

More on Whimsical

Keep looking

Other head to heads