Adobe Illustrator vs Figma
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Vector drawing with Apple Pencil
- Advanced typography tools
- Pattern creation
- Image vectorization
- Cross-device syncing
- Gradient and color tools
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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
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.
- 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
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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
Verdict
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
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.
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.
Adobe Illustrator ships an update every 2 months, Figma weekly. Both last shipped on October 25, 2026.
| Parameter | Adobe Illustrator | Figma |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (38K ratings) | 4.6 (21K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 13.3% of reviews | 29.4% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 38K — better | 21K |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Best chart rank | — | #79 — better |
| Devices | iPad | iPhone, iPad — better |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 856 MB | 72 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Adobe Inc. | Figma Inc. |
Customer experience
Adobe Illustrator
Figma
User reviews
Adobe Illustrator
From 38K App Store ratingsWhat 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 ratingsWhat 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
Adobe Illustrator
- 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
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- Adobe Design Mobile: Yearly1 Month trial$149.991 Year
Figma
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Adobe Illustrator free?
Is Figma free?
Which has better reviews, Adobe Illustrator or Figma?
Do Adobe Illustrator or Figma have ads?
Which is updated more often, Adobe Illustrator or Figma?
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