Comparison

Adobe Illustrator vs Figma

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Adobe Illustrator

Create logos, illustrations, and graphics on your iPad with intuitive Apple Pencil support. Design vector art, manipulate type, and create patterns on the go, even offline. Seamlessly sync your work across devices and other Adobe apps.

Highlights
  • Vector drawing with Apple Pencil
  • Advanced typography tools
  • Pattern creation
  • Image vectorization
  • Cross-device syncing
  • Gradient and color tools
Read full description

Create logos, illustrations, graphics and more. Illustrator on the iPad works intuitively with your Apple Pencil so you can design on the go from anywhere, even offline - it’s never been easier to take your creativity to new places. Design with precision, as naturally as you would with pen and paper. Create vector lines, shapes, type, gradients, and effects. Merge or cut graphics with quick, intuitive Pencil gestures to remove unwanted areas. Make your graphics pop with effects, and access over 18,000 fonts, 20+ color palettes, up-to-the-minute live streams from famous creatives, and guided tutorials. Work on a project across Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and Fresco. Plus, your Illustrator work is automatically synced to the cloud, so you and your team can always access the latest version from your desktop or iPad. This app is part of Adobe Creative Cloud. It’s free for Creative Cloud members who have a plan that includes Illustrator. INTUITIVE AND PRECISE DRAWING WITH APPLE PENCIL • Natural ways to draw — Make lines and curves using the Pen, Pencil, and Brush tools • Art and Calligraphic Brushes — Create and apply brush strokes to add artistic elements to your artwork. • Pinpoint editing — Create perfect graphics without quality loss with Smart Delete, Simplify Path, and more • Point precision — Edit graphics down to the point, radius, or angle level NEW WAYS TO MAKE STUNNING PATTERNS AND SHAPES • Vectorize — Convert raster images or paper sketches into vector images. • Radial, grid, and mirror repeat — Turn graphics into sophisticated patterns • Polygon shape creation — Make objects out of circles, triangles, squares, and stars • Transform as Shape — Transform paths and curves without manual manipulation of anchor points. • Blend Tool — Smoothly blend one shape into another across a specified number of steps. THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE TYPE TOOLKIT FOR IPAD • 18,000+ fonts — Use one of the thousands of high-quality fonts included in the Adobe Fonts library • Fonts of your own — Upload and design with any of your own licensed fonts and use them on both desktop and iPad • Type on a path — Bend and flow text onto the surface of lines and shapes • Outlined text — Turn text into an editable format that can be modified without limits • Variable fonts — They’re infinitely customizable • Color fonts — Explore gorgeous color variations and gradients that are built into the font BRILLIANT COLORS AND GRADIENTS • Point gradients — Drag and drop colors to create dynamic blends of diffused colors • 20+ color books — Use industry-standard color swatches or incorporate your own SEAMLESS MOVEMENT BETWEEN DEVICES AND APPS • File syncing between Illustrator on the desktop and on the iPad — Projects are automatically synced and accessible across devices • Photoshop import — Easily place a Photoshop image into your Illustrator design • Standard file format export — Create, save, and open Illustrator (AI) files with no loss of quality, and export in the most common formats, including SVG, PDF, PNG, and PSD. KEEPING TABS ON THE LATEST CREATIVE TRENDS • Livestreaming — Watch and learn from top design-industry creatives daily, right within the app • Trends to discover — Explore projects by other creatives Terms & Conditions: Your use of this application is governed by the Adobe General Terms of Use http://www.adobe.com/go/terms_linkfree_en and the Adobe Privacy Policy http://www.adobe.com/go/privacy_policy_linkfree_en Do Not Sell My Personal Information: www.adobe.com/go/ca-rights-linkfree

About

Figma

Access and review design files, prototypes, and presentations on your mobile device. Collaborate with teammates by adding and replying to comments, sharing files, and managing permissions. Mirror designs in real-time and explore prototypes with interactive features.

Highlights
  • Access design, FigJam, prototype, and slides files
  • Create and reply to comments
  • Share files with collaborators
  • Play and replay prototypes
  • Mirror designs in real-time
  • Manage file permissions
Read full description

Create, prototype, and collaborate on the go. View, share, mirror, and build in just a few taps with Figma’s official mobile app. REVIEW YOUR FILES * Access Figma Design, Make, Slides, and FigJam files. * Search for files by name or browse your recent files. * Move between pages and flows with ease. COMMENT AND REPLY * Add comments and mention teammates across Figma Design, Slides, and FigJam files. * Get notified for new comments and replies. * Resolve and reply to comments on the go. * See every comment thread in one place. SHARE FILES WITH YOUR TEAM * Invite collaborators and share links to your files. PLAY DESIGN PROTOTYPES * Play and replay prototypes in full screen. * Adjust prototype scaling. * Toggle hotspot hints. MIRROR DESIGNS IN REAL-TIME * Sync selected frames from desktop to your mobile device. * Watch live desktop edits reflected on your device. * Preview designs scaled to a device screen. PROTOTYPE AND REVIEW WITH MAKE * Test mobile prototypes and validate on-device interactions * Share Makes with collaborators for review and approval EXPLORE SLIDES EFFORTLESSLY * View and comment on decks in both landscape and portrait mode. MANAGE PERMISSIONS ON THE FLY * Update file permissions to control who can view or edit your work. BROWSE AND SWITCH WORKSPACES AND ACCOUNTS * Navigate between teams, plans, projects, and accounts. On iPad, you can also use FigJam to: * Sketch with the Apple Pencil to explore and iterate on ideas more fluidly. * Share and riff on early thinking with your team. * Annotate designs to share feedback. * Jot down ideas whenever inspiration strikes.

Screenshots

Figma4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Figma at none against Adobe Illustrator's 4. Figma also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months) and review sentiment (29% vs 13%). Adobe Illustrator's advantage is iOS requirement (14.0 vs 18.0). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Adobe Illustrator sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Figma asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for Adobe Illustrator against 4.6 for Figma. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 38K and 21K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 13% of Adobe Illustrator's written reviews are positive against 29% of Figma's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Adobe Illustrator ships an update every 2 months, Figma weekly. Both last shipped on October 25, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Adobe Illustrator versus Figma: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAdobe IllustratorFigma
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (38K ratings)4.6 (21K ratings) — better
Positive reviews13.3% of reviews29.4% of reviews — better
Number of ratings38K — better21K
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
Best chart rank—#79 — better
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS14.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size856 MB72 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAdobe Inc.Figma Inc.

Customer experience

Adobe Illustrator

All ratings36,153 ratings
Positive87.7%
Neutral3.9%
Negative8.4%
Written reviews547 reviews
Positive13.3%
Neutral14.4%
Negative72.2%

Figma

All ratings21,001 ratings
Positive90.0%
Neutral2.4%
Negative7.5%
Written reviews1,430 reviews
Positive29.4%
Neutral12.9%
Negative57.8%

User reviews

Adobe Illustrator

From 38K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Smooth and intuitive
  • 👍 Great for on-the-go vector work
  • 🚀 Seamless sync with desktop Illustrator
  • 👍 Useful for quick sketches and illustrations

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezes
  • 🔍 Missing key desktop features
  • 🔍 Buggy layer and selection handling
  • 🔍 Limited export options and quality
  • 🔍 Unintuitive interface in some areas

Figma

From 21K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Useful for previewing designs
  • 👍 Great for prototyping
  • 🚀 Convenient to mirror screen on a real device

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Buggy and unreliable mirroring
  • 🐛 Crashes and freezes often
  • 👎 Limited functionality compared to desktop
  • 👎 Lacks essential editing capabilities
  • 👎 Useless without editing features

Bugs and requests

Adobe Illustrator

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Layers disappearing or not updating properly
  • Eraser tool behaving inconsistently
  • Pasting content causing unexpected issues
  • Frequent crashes when working on complex files

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to rotate canvas
  • More brush and stroke customization options
  • Implement Gaussian blur and other effects
  • Add support for keyboard shortcuts
  • Improve file management and cloud sync

Figma

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Mirror feature doesn't work consistently
  • Prototype playback issues, like zooming in too much
  • App forgets scroll/zoom state when switching back
  • Crashes when trying to open large files
  • Login issues, constantly requiring re-login

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add editing capabilities, especially for iPad
  • Improve Apple Pencil support in FigJam
  • Allow moving the toolbox out of the way on the screen
  • Implement multi-account support
  • Add option to change sharing permissions

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Adobe Illustrator

Subscriptions4
  • Illustrator on iPad : Monthly1 Month trial$9.991 Month
  • Adobe Design Mobile: Monthly1 Month trial$14.991 Month
  • Illustrator on iPad : Yearly1 Month trial$79.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Adobe Design Mobile: Yearly1 Month trial$149.991 Year
None

Figma

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Adobe Illustrator free?
Adobe Illustrator is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Figma free?
Figma is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Adobe Illustrator or Figma?
Figma is rated higher. Adobe Illustrator averages 4.5 out of 5 from 38K ratings, while Figma averages 4.6 from 21K ratings.
Do Adobe Illustrator or Figma have ads?
Neither Adobe Illustrator nor Figma shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Adobe Illustrator or Figma?
Adobe Illustrator ships an update every 2 months, and Figma weekly. Most recently, Adobe Illustrator was updated on October 25, 2026 and Figma on October 25, 2026.

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