TL;DR
Figma for product design and prototyping. Sketch for Mac-native design (declining). Canva for quick marketing graphics without design skills.
Quick Comparison
| Feature | Figma | Sketch | Canva |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free-$15/editor | $10/mo | Free-$13/mo |
| Best for | Product design | Mac UI design | Marketing graphics |
| Collaboration | Real-time | Limited | Real-time |
| Prototyping | Yes | Basic | No |
| Learning curve | Moderate | Moderate | Easy |
1. Figma
Industry standard for product design. Real-time collaboration, prototyping, dev handoff, and a free tier. Every startup designer uses Figma. Browser-based, works everywhere.
2. Sketch
Mac-native design tool that pioneered modern UI design. Losing market share to Figma but still used by some agencies. No real-time collaboration.
3. Canva
Non-designers create professional marketing graphics, social media posts, and presentations. Templates for everything. Not for product design but essential for founder marketing.
How We Chose These Tools
We evaluated design capabilities, collaboration features, pricing, learning curve, and fit for founder use cases (product vs marketing design).
Key Takeaways
- Product design: Figma.
- Marketing graphics (non-designer): Canva.
- Skip Sketch unless your team already uses it.