Adobe offers a similar, scaled-back feature called the toolbox, located on the right-hand side of the software. The Toolbar, located at the top of the UI, is a useful feature in Sketch with customizable shortcuts to commonly used functions and tools, such as grouping objects.

One notable UI difference is the absence of a Toolbar in Adobe XD. Version Control and Real-Time Collaborationĭesigners who are familiar with tools like Photoshop shouldn’t have a problem learning Adobe XD or Sketch since they all share a similar UI.Īdobe XD and Sketch share a similar user interface with the exception of a few elements that differ between the two.

Let’s explore how Adobe XD compares to Sketch. Is it time for UX designers to switch from Sketch to Adobe XD? Adobe XD vs Sketch Now, two years later, Adobe XD has seen multiple revisions with a clear objective: Offer everything a UX designer needs natively, and with great performance. The Toptal Design Blog published an article about Sketch vs Adobe XD in 2017 when it was still in beta. The rivalry escalated over the next two years and Adobe XD grew from a nimble competitor to a highly regarded design tool that has won over many professional designers. At the time Sketch was six years old, had a wide user base, and an entire ecosystem of plugins, making it a powerful design tool. A serious contender to Sketch, they still had a lot of catching up to do. In 2016, Adobe introduced XD (Experience Design). They had Photoshop, Illustrator, and Fireworks, but designers had no appetite for using three tools to accomplish tasks that Sketch could provide in one application. While Sketch became the tool of choice for UX designers, Adobe, long known for their award-winning design software and deep ties to the design community, did not have a similar option. Sketch has become the de facto standard for a large majority of digital designers due to its simple interface, expansive number of plugins, complete toolkit functionality, and frequent updates. Two widely recognized design tools that UX designers rely on are Adobe XD and Sketch. User research, analysis, wireframing, mockups, iteration, usability testing, and UI prototyping are just a few of the artifacts and processes designers work with while communicating with developers, stakeholders, and other team members. The UX design process is complex and requires the use of specific tools, methodologies, and frameworks. After nearly three years of development, does Adobe XD offer enough of a challenge for designers to consider a change? In 2016, Adobe introduced XD as a formidable competitor. Sketch, a well-established design tool, has enjoyed phenomenal growth since its introduction in 2010.

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