What alternative does Adobe have to XD.

[Majorie35071751l8gh]

I want to use XD in my classroom, but it won't be of any use if it's no longer there next year.

[Wim5F94]

I am a teacher myself at a digital design school. Up to a few years ago we used Sketch and Adobe XD in our classes. Then we switched to Figma simply because

A) the industry massively moved on from Sketch, XD, and similar tools and converted to Figma

B) students love Figma. A few of our teachers tried to hold on to XD and Sketch, but students preferred Figma. Students were asking why anyone would be teaching XD when everyone else is using Figma. Obviously no rational answer could be given. All instructors dropped Sketch and/or XD.

A quick reality check:

https://uxtools.co/survey/2023/basic-prototyping/#basic-prototyping-tools-graph

And on top of that Figma is second in highest rated (behind Protopie).

Surveys only tell part of the story, but still. Figma's position and hold is comparable to Photoshop.

You would do your students a disservice by continuing to teach XD in my opinion. Besides, XD is currently no longer developed and in maintainance mode: based on Adobe's past behaviour we all know where this is headed.

And even IF Adobe decided to pick up XD's development again, allow me to ask you a question:

We have to prepare students to work in the industry. Would you teach them GIMP instead of Photoshop? Would we as teachers feel that is a wise and responsible thing to do?

Simple answer is "No". XD is a dead tool. It has had its chance, and then Figma happened. Adobe as an inflexible and archaic behemoth of a company proved unable to keep up and predictably attempted a buy-out instead. That failed as well (luckily enough because Adobe would have run it aground for the same reasons XD failed to remain competitive).

Switch to Figma in your classes. Join the Empire. 😉

[Wim5F94]

Ps Adobe has no alternative to XD. Or Figma.

[mmiummiu]

Excellent answer from a few months later. I needed a prototyping tool on my new machine and once again searched for XD in apps only to realize it's not available in the Creative Cloud app. Simply put, Adobe doesn't really care about its customers - if they can't develop an app, they drop the idea and try to devour the competition. The quicker I learn how to use Figma, the happier I will be. 

[circlePulse]

Sad but true. I loved XD so much better than Figma, but know I have to learn it

[andyiweb87]

I have used XD since Beta and it's been my go to design tool ever since. I've realised i'll need to switch but my concern about switching to Figma is that they were trying to sell the company, Adobe wanted it until they looked into their numbers. So it doesn't feel like a safe alternative, it's feels like jumping from a sinking ship onto a dingy with a hole in it.

I'm going to miss how it easy it was to bring in elements from my other Adobe apps into XD but guess i need to learn figma now and pay for an extra subscription, looks like my adobe one will be getting downgraded. It doesn't make sense what adobe are doing buying up web businesses like Magento yet getting rid of their web design software, crazy!

[mmiummiu]

I am just finishing learning Figma, so here it is: first of all, regulators stepped in and the asquisition may not happen. Even if it does, FIgma is a superior tool to XD, even without the seemless integration with other apps and the easy preview. It's inevitable you will need it.

Note that copying vectors from Figma to Illustrator is easy, but not the other way around - once again thanks, Adobe!

Adobe is such a huge and filled with greed corporation at this point, that if you can ditch Illustrator altogether for your simple vector stuff, you will thank yourself. Especially if you do not make very complicated stuff with Illustrator.

Figma does operate differently with vectors, boolean operations can be non-destructive. You will need to learn how it works, but once you learn it, you'll be thankful to yourself you did. This program is basically what Illustrator was back in the days, in terms of innovation (even though I don't want to compare them directly, they are different tools for different purposes). 

[ellices63621269]

I also don't trust Figma since they may be sold to the next highest bidder. I am sticking with XD for now. It really is the best (but not perfect). Once XD is killed, I will use PenPot. I like the open-source aspect. The free tier is probably good enough for any freelancer.

[mmiummiu]

Eventually you'll have to learn Figma, since it's the best option and XD is being deprecated by Adobe. However, Figma's policy is definitely changing and it's getting both more advanced and forcing users to pay now. 

[park_3583]

Good Day, please do you have access to figma education app. If you do please help me out. This is my email dotsconnectmatrix@gmail.com

[2m]

I have to tell you, that in my (learned) opinion, you are doing your student a disservice by advocation Figma.

Their approach is — in the end — an incentive for dangerous laziness.

Designing and lay outing a website two-dimensional and promising to deliver ready-made CSS and HTML is making them bad web-designers.

Websites are structured Information and often need to incorporate UIs for increasingly complex Applications.

They have to run on so many devices and service users with different needs in countless languages.

It might have looked like a doable thing to design a layout for each conceivable case, but it isn't anymore, and probably never was.

The challenge is not to design so much as to develop highly sophisticated design systems, that can handle a virtually unlimited combination of states, environments and user-influence.

Sketching out building blocks, work-flows and structures in wireframes is a helpful step. Developing a visual-design language on exemplary elements also is. Selling the illusion that one can do both in one sexy tool and a website drops out of it is selling snake-oil.

Any tool that suggested that you can do CSS without knowing CSS died a well-deserved death sooner than later. And that was long before CSS became so much more powerful.
You cannot teach students to be professional cooks by teaching them how to warm up ready-made meals. 

And while a microwave might have a marginal place in some professional kitchens, it surely shouldn't be the most important tool there.

Figma is more or less Microsoft FrontPage resurrected.

I was coming here, looking for an alternative to XD as a wireframing-tool, just in case you're wondering, and being offered Figma is triggering me, so I'm sorry if I went a bit overboard here, but I stand by my word - nothing personal. 

[Spas K.]

@2m Not sure what your point is. Both Xd and Figma are design & prototyping tools, not tools for visual web development. I don't remember them making such promises either. Webflow, Framer or one of the other website builder packages are the ones focusing on that sort of functionality.

Sure, Figma and the like are attempting to bridge the gap and offer tools for developers to more easily inspect and implement design features, as well as aid in design system management and documentation. But they are never advertised as development tools and promising coherent HTML structure or perfectly written CSS. The fact they don't yet fully support relative units is enough to make the generated CSS largely unusable. Figma only implemented responsive preview a few months ago and it's still a struggle to make it work properly and accross use cases.

[Spas K.]

There's no alternative for now. The plan was to acquire Figma in place of developing Xd, which failed. It's unlikely they will reinvest into Xd, as it's so far behind at this point, and was plagued by bugs and bad decisions from the start.

[CyAyA]

Hello,

It would be nice to still have the choice beetween figma and other tools, Xd is much more 'fluid ' than figma whi is really We don't have choice : Figma at the end or alternative  could be   some open source prototype apps it depends of your budget and goal.

[Ares Hovhannesyan]

Adobe have Dreamwaver for web designers and code editors. I use it till now. Also Adobe Muse is still available to download.  

[andyiweb87]

Adobe Muse, I quite liked it for the short time it lasted, have you got a link for a download page on the adobe site as i cannot find it anywhere?

[MitchFX4]

Dreamweaver is in minimal maintenance mode

[creative explorer]

People still use Dreamweaver?

[MarkeMenschNatur]

I could imagine that Adobe has already made a deal with Invision in the background. The time frame would fit.

https://www.invisionapp.com/inside-design/invision-design-collaboration-services-shutdown/

Otherwise, we now go straight into implementation, e.g. with tools such as Webflow.

Best regards
Toby

[creative explorer]

The main reason why I still teach XD as well as Figma is many of the companies are still asking for XD in the job positions are:

Recently, this was yesterday between a former student and I

Or job postings for this week:

1. A web agency who predominately used Adobe products, with Xd

2. An Engineers and Geoscientists, using either Figma/or XD

3. A tool company using Xd

Or when former students asking me or me asking them:

The main reason why I still teach Xd is because if companies are still asking for this, and nobody can do the job, people like me who still dabbles in it can get freelance work...but, this is also an opportunity for students to get their foot in the door. The more applications and skills they know, the better opportunity they can get in sooner than later....

I once interviewed for a graphic designer at a company that we were hiring. I knew the applicant, and I knew he was a wizard with QuarkXPress, but not so much about InDesign. So, I asked him, of his skill level. He said he was 'Advanced Level!" I said great, because we have a test for you in InDesign. The truth came out, and he said, sorry, I really don't know InDesign, and declined the test. Goes to show you, two complete different applications aren't always the same. 

Many of my students prefer Xd while many prefer Figma. But, if schools can teach them both, at least they have a chance to work in Xd, and maybe even teach the company Figma and show how intuitive it is. 

[creative explorer · Accepted solution]

MarkeMenschNatur
For your information, InVision has decided to call it a day and end operations in December 2024. Many of their staff were laid off in August 2022. The writing was on the wall...as a network connection informed me who worked there to find other prototype tools for education (by already made the switch to Figma...teaching Xd, Figma and InVision), but decided on that fateful day, decided to not teach InVision for the September intake of 2022. I am quite surprised InVision carried on for two more years, but I sometimes wonder if it was InVision Studio that did them in (it always crashed on our computers!) who used that to compete with Xd, Sketch and Figma. 

With regards to Webflow, some have taken to a different route, and that's Framer, paste from Figma and bring your Figma designs to life. But, publish in Framer. Framer operates like Figma. You have the choice to download the app on Mac and PC. Unlike Webflow, which only runs in your browser without a standalone app option. I have never used either Framer or Webflow, but did attend a meet-up on Framer as a former student (who created a start-up) was hosting and that they use Framer for their client work and invited me to check it out. It was okay, nothing that I would get too excited about, but it was something to consider if I wanted to teach it...

[mu34343086pyxl · Accepted solution]

Figma or Creatie.ai or Penpot. If you have enough budget and don't mind increasing costs as your team or project scales up. Creatie.ai is a good choice as a XD or Figma alternative with extensive capabilities enhanced by its AI features. Penpot, if you consider open-source solution or you want to run the tool on-premise. Hope this helps. 

[davidp14169635]

Our design and development teams will be saying goodbye to all Adobe products.  Adobe does not bring the value it once did, and abandonment of this platform is just the last straw.

[ellices63621269]

What did you all decide to go with?

[creative explorer]

@davidp14169635 @ellices63621269 Adobe is still considered the go to design tool for Graphic designers, Journalists, Ad Agencies and so on... Sure there are some apps like Xd that may not bring 'their game' to the table to 'Figma' but the other apps are so much better than the alternatives I think...just my two cents worth!😁