PrinciplevsFigma

App

Saas

Score Comparison

Overall

Pricing

Usability

Performance

Support

Reliability

Onboarding

Mobile

Security

Integrations

PrincipleFigma

Signals Comparison

Usability

Principle

Mac-only platform excludes Windows users(9/10)
No built-in design tools - import-only workflow(7/10)
No real-time collaboration features(7/10)
Limited to animations - no logic or data for complex interactions(7/10)

Figma

UI redesign moved features and broke workflows(7/10)
Steep learning curve with frequent UI changes(6/10)
Responsive design is a major headache(6/10)

Integrations

Principle

Sketch and Figma imports flatten layers and lose properties(8/10)
No code export to CSS, Framer, Xcode, or React Native(8/10)
Documentation export requires active license(6/10)

Figma

Limited print design capabilities - no CMYK or 300dpi export(5/10)

Reliability

Principle

Slow update frequency and stagnant development(6/10)

Figma

Figma Make (AI) constantly hallucinating and breaking designs(7/10)
No true offline mode - internet always required(7/10)
Service outages impact productivity(7/10)

Onboarding

Principle

Steep learning curve with limited official documentation(6/10)

Figma

No signals

Mobile

Principle

Preview limited to iPhone - no Android device testing(6/10)

Figma

No signals

Support

Principle

Limited community and ecosystem compared to Figma(5/10)

Figma

Woeful customer service and billing disputes(7/10)

Pricing

Principle

License renewal required for new features after one year(5/10)

Figma

Dev Mode requires separate paid seats - previously free(8/10)
Unexpected seat charges and confusing billing(9/10)
Organization and Enterprise plans very expensive(6/10)

Performance

Principle

No signals

Figma

Large files cause severe performance issues and crashes(9/10)
Prototypes have extremely long load times(7/10)

Customization

Principle

No signals

Figma

Limited font support and local font issues(4/10)

Pricing Comparison

Principle

Individual License

Popular

$129/mo

Users: 1 computer

Storage: Unlimited local

Limits: Mac only. No Windows or Linux support. No real-time collaboration. No code export.

License renewal required for new features after 1 year. Each additional computer requires a separate $129 license.

Free Trial

Free

Users: 1 computer

Storage: Unlimited local

Limits: 14-day limit. Cannot export documentation after trial expires.

Full functionality but time-limited. No export after trial without purchase.

Figma

Free (Starter)

Free

Users: Unlimited viewers

Storage: 3 Figma files, 3 FigJam files

Limits: 3 file limit per project, No team libraries, Limited version history, No audio conversations, No private projects

Only 3 Figma and 3 FigJam files limit, Dev Mode access limited, No shared team libraries, No advanced prototyping

Professional

Popular

$15/mo

Users: Per editor/month

Storage: Unlimited files

Limits: No SSO/SAML, No centralized admin, No design system analytics, No dedicated support

Dev Mode seats cost extra ($12-15/month each), Collab seats for occasional editors ($5/month), Price shown is with annual billing ($20/month if monthly)

Organization

$45/yr

Users: Per full seat/month (annual only)

Storage: Unlimited

Limits: No dedicated CSM, No custom contracts, No enhanced security features

Annual billing only - no monthly option, Dev seats $25/month, Minimum seat requirements may apply, Implementation costs for SSO setup

Enterprise

$90/yr

Users: Per full seat/month (annual only)

Storage: Unlimited

Limits: Requires sales engagement, Complex procurement, Long implementation timeline

Dev seats at $35/month, Must negotiate with sales, Multi-year commitments may be required, Collab seats still $5/month

Feature Comparison

Feature	Principle	Figma
Animation
Timeline-based animation Core strength - intuitive keyframe animation
Collaboration
Real-time Collaboration Industry-leading, multiple cursors, live editing
Real-time collaboration No collaborative features
Branching & Merging Organization plan and above
Version History 30 days on free, unlimited on paid
FigJam (Whiteboard) Included in all plans
Design Systems
Component Libraries Shared team libraries on paid plans
Variables & Tokens Design tokens, modes, themes
Platform
Windows support Mac only
Design
Auto Layout Responsive components, padding, spacing
Prototyping Interactive prototypes, limited on free plan
Built-in design tools Import-only, no asset creation
Mobile
Android preview iPhone only via Principle Mirror
Development
Code export No CSS, Xcode, or React Native export
Developer
Dev Mode Requires separate paid seats
Integrations
Sketch import Some properties flatten to images
Figma import Some layer properties not preserved
Advanced
Variables and logic Animation only, no conditional logic
Export
Video export MP4 and GIF export supported
CMYK Export RGB only, not suitable for print
300dpi Export No high-res print export
Sharing
Share to web View shared prototypes in browser
Extensibility
Plugins Large ecosystem, community plugins
Platforms
Mobile App iOS and Android for viewing/commenting
Pricing
Free tier 14-day trial only
Reliability
Offline Mode No true offline - basic editing only on open files
Security
SSO/SAML Organization plan and above
Deployment
Self-Hosting Cloud-only, no on-premise option
AI
AI Features (Make) New feature, still unreliable

Signals Comparison

Usability

Principle

Mac-only platform excludes Windows users(9/10)
No built-in design tools - import-only workflow(7/10)
No real-time collaboration features(7/10)
Limited to animations - no logic or data for complex interactions(7/10)

Figma

UI redesign moved features and broke workflows(7/10)
Steep learning curve with frequent UI changes(6/10)
Responsive design is a major headache(6/10)

Integrations

Principle

Sketch and Figma imports flatten layers and lose properties(8/10)
No code export to CSS, Framer, Xcode, or React Native(8/10)
Documentation export requires active license(6/10)

Figma

Limited print design capabilities - no CMYK or 300dpi export(5/10)

Reliability

Principle

Slow update frequency and stagnant development(6/10)

Figma

Figma Make (AI) constantly hallucinating and breaking designs(7/10)
No true offline mode - internet always required(7/10)
Service outages impact productivity(7/10)

Onboarding

Principle

Steep learning curve with limited official documentation(6/10)

Figma

No signals

Mobile

Principle

Preview limited to iPhone - no Android device testing(6/10)

Figma

No signals

Support

Principle

Limited community and ecosystem compared to Figma(5/10)

Figma

Woeful customer service and billing disputes(7/10)

Pricing

Principle

License renewal required for new features after one year(5/10)

Figma

Dev Mode requires separate paid seats - previously free(8/10)
Unexpected seat charges and confusing billing(9/10)
Organization and Enterprise plans very expensive(6/10)

Performance

Principle

No signals

Figma

Large files cause severe performance issues and crashes(9/10)
Prototypes have extremely long load times(7/10)

Customization

Principle

No signals

Figma

Limited font support and local font issues(4/10)

Pricing Comparison

Principle

Individual License

Popular

$129/mo

Users: 1 computer

Storage: Unlimited local

Limits: Mac only. No Windows or Linux support. No real-time collaboration. No code export.

License renewal required for new features after 1 year. Each additional computer requires a separate $129 license.

Free Trial

Free

Users: 1 computer

Storage: Unlimited local

Limits: 14-day limit. Cannot export documentation after trial expires.

Full functionality but time-limited. No export after trial without purchase.

Figma

Free (Starter)

Free

Users: Unlimited viewers

Storage: 3 Figma files, 3 FigJam files

Limits: 3 file limit per project, No team libraries, Limited version history, No audio conversations, No private projects

Only 3 Figma and 3 FigJam files limit, Dev Mode access limited, No shared team libraries, No advanced prototyping

Professional

Popular

$15/mo

Users: Per editor/month

Storage: Unlimited files

Limits: No SSO/SAML, No centralized admin, No design system analytics, No dedicated support

Dev Mode seats cost extra ($12-15/month each), Collab seats for occasional editors ($5/month), Price shown is with annual billing ($20/month if monthly)

Organization

$45/yr

Users: Per full seat/month (annual only)

Storage: Unlimited

Limits: No dedicated CSM, No custom contracts, No enhanced security features

Annual billing only - no monthly option, Dev seats $25/month, Minimum seat requirements may apply, Implementation costs for SSO setup

Enterprise

$90/yr

Users: Per full seat/month (annual only)

Storage: Unlimited

Limits: Requires sales engagement, Complex procurement, Long implementation timeline

Dev seats at $35/month, Must negotiate with sales, Multi-year commitments may be required, Collab seats still $5/month

Feature Comparison

Feature	Principle	Figma
Animation
Timeline-based animation Core strength - intuitive keyframe animation
Collaboration
Real-time Collaboration Industry-leading, multiple cursors, live editing
Real-time collaboration No collaborative features
Branching & Merging Organization plan and above
Version History 30 days on free, unlimited on paid
FigJam (Whiteboard) Included in all plans
Design Systems
Component Libraries Shared team libraries on paid plans
Variables & Tokens Design tokens, modes, themes
Platform
Windows support Mac only
Design
Auto Layout Responsive components, padding, spacing
Prototyping Interactive prototypes, limited on free plan
Built-in design tools Import-only, no asset creation
Mobile
Android preview iPhone only via Principle Mirror
Development
Code export No CSS, Xcode, or React Native export
Developer
Dev Mode Requires separate paid seats
Integrations
Sketch import Some properties flatten to images
Figma import Some layer properties not preserved
Advanced
Variables and logic Animation only, no conditional logic
Export
Video export MP4 and GIF export supported
CMYK Export RGB only, not suitable for print
300dpi Export No high-res print export
Sharing
Share to web View shared prototypes in browser
Extensibility
Plugins Large ecosystem, community plugins
Platforms
Mobile App iOS and Android for viewing/commenting
Pricing
Free tier 14-day trial only
Reliability
Offline Mode No true offline - basic editing only on open files
Security
SSO/SAML Organization plan and above
Deployment
Self-Hosting Cloud-only, no on-premise option
AI
AI Features (Make) New feature, still unreliable