Why Are People Choosing Figma Over Adobe?

Back in the day, if you wanted to design something, you needed expensive software like Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator.

You must have installed it on your computer, and if you wanted to work with someone, you had to send files back and forth over email.

It was slow, messy, and frustrating.

Then, Figma came along and changed everything.

It allowed people to design together on the web in real time.
And it didn't ask for installs, and people didn't have to send files over emails.

You could share a link, and anyone could jump in and collaborate with you.

And that’s how Figma beat Adobe.
Not by making a better tool but by making the design collaborative.

And they didn’t stop there.

The strategies they followed later turned the brand into a billion-dollar company.

The Big Idea:

How Figma Made Design Collaborative

Adobe was the king of design software.

If you were a designer, you had no choice but to buy their products.

But their tools were built for individual work. You worked on your design alone, saved your files, and shared them manually.

Figma saw an opportunity. The world was shifting online.

• Google Docs allows teams to edit documents together

• Slack replaced email for real-time communication

• Zoom made remote work easy.

However, design tools were still stuck in the past.

So, Figma asked a simple question:

What if the design worked like Google Docs?

• Instead of installing, you could open your browser and start designing.

• Instead of sending files, you could share a link and get instant feedback.

• Teams could work, make changes, and keep everything in one place.

And all this... together. Not limited to one. Just teamwork.

This wasn’t just a little improvement.

It was a complete change in how design worked.

And that’s why Figma took off. But making a great product wasn’t enough.

How they pulled it off?

Behind the Magic:

Figma’s Secret Growth Playbook

Figma didn’t just build a great product and hope people to use it.

They designed their entire business model to attract users, spread fast, and keep people locked in. Their success was more about wise distribution strategies.

1. Freemium Model:
Getting Millions of Users Hooked for Free

Adobe made people pay first, then try.

If you wanted Photoshop, Illustrator, or XD, you had to commit to a subscription before deciding if they were right for you.

Figma flipped the model. They said to try first and pay later.

They made it free to design, collaborate, and experiment.

Anyone, from students to freelancers and small teams, could use Figma instantly.

No downloads. No credit card required.

And that was a game-changer. But here’s the interesting part:

• Figma wasn’t just free but was sticky. Once a designer started using it, they didn’t want to go back to clunky, expensive tools.

• Free users became salespeople. Designers used Figma for personal projects and then introduced it at work. Eventually, entire companies started using it, leading to paid team plans.

• The upgrade path was natural. A solo designer could stay free forever, but as soon as teams needed more control, version history, or security, they had to pay.

This was a growth strategy.

By making the tool free for individuals, they got millions of people hooked. When those people needed more, Figma was already an essential part of their workflow.

Contrast this with Adobe, which kept its best tools locked behind paywalls.

Adobe’s pricing acted like a barrier to entry,
while Figma’s pricing acted like a gateway to adoption.

2. Viral Sharing Loops:
Letting Users Market the Product

Figma didn’t need a big ad budget or aggressive sales teams. Their users did the marketing for them. Here’s how the viral loop worked:

1. A designer created something in Figma.

2. They needed feedback, so they shared a link with a teammate or client.

3. That person clicked the link and instantly accessed the file without signing up or installing the software.

4. They left comments or made edits in real-time.

5. Now that person was using Figma too.

6. They shared it with someone else… and the cycle repeated.

Every single time someone shared a Figma file, they spread the product.

And because Figma’s real-time collaboration was so smooth, people kept inviting more teammates, clients, and stakeholders. Compare this to Adobe’s workflow:

• You had to export your file and email it to someone.

• Wait for their feedback.

• Make changes.

• Repeat the process.

It was slow, outdated, and frustrating. Figma made the old way feel painful.

This viral sharing loop fueled Figma’s insane growth. Unlike traditional marketing, which costs money and effort, Figma’s growth was built into the product.

The more people used it, the more they spread it. And the best part? Once someone started using Figma, they never wanted to return to emailing files.

3. Network Effects:
Making It Impossible to Leave

Figma didn’t just make it easy to try and share but made leaving it extremely difficult. The more people used Figma, the more valuable it became.

This is called a network effect where a product gets stronger as more people join. Here’s why this was a game-changer:

• Design teams needed to collaborate. If one person used Figma, their whole team had to follow. Over time, companies moved their entire design workflow into Figma.

• Files lived in the cloud. Unlike Adobe files that were stored locally, Figma projects were online. Switching back to Adobe meant losing all the benefits of cloud collaboration.

• The ecosystem kept expanding. Developers, project managers, and marketers who traditionally never used design tools started working inside Figma. Soon, it was for more than just designers.

Once a team fully adopted Figma, there was no turning back.

Even if Adobe later improved its tools, the switching cost was too high. And that was too late because people already depended on Figma.

Adobe tried to fight back. In 2022, they announced a $20 billion deal to acquire Figma. But that deal fell apart due to regulatory concerns.

By then, Figma had already won. This is the power of network effects.

Once a product reaches a certain level of adoption, competitors can’t just build a similar tool and expect people to switch.

The entire ecosystem is locked in.

The Bigger Lesson

Figma didn’t beat Adobe with slightly better features.

They fundamentally changed how design worked.

• Instead of selling software, they built a platform.

• Instead of one-time sales, they used viral loops.

• Instead of charging upfront, they let people try first.

This wasn’t just about product design. It was about distribution strategy.

If you are building something today, think about:

• How can you make your product easier to try? (Freemium)

• How can you make sharing natural? (Viral loops)

• How can you create a lock-in? (Network effects)

Figma won by making the old way obsolete. If you want to build something that lasts, don’t just focus on features.

Focus on how your product spreads, scales, and sticks.

That’s how you win.

Where It Fits:

A Ready-to-Use Viral Loop Strategy

If you want your product to grow like Figma, you need a built-in sharing mechanism that brings in new users without spending money on ads.

And this is how you do it:

Step 1:
Create an Instant Value Sharing Hook

Make sharing your product valuable. If they benefit immediately from sharing, they will naturally do it. Figma allowed users to share design files with just a link. The value? Instant feedback and collaboration with no sign-ups or downloads.

Identify the one feature in your product that people want to share.

• It could be a document (Google Docs), template (Notion, Canva), live collaboration space (Figma, Miro), or referral benefit (Dropbox’s free storage)

Step 2:
Make Sharing One-Click & Frictionless

The easier it is to share, the more people will do it. In Figma, clicking share instantly generated a link. The receiver could open it without creating an account.

Your action step could be:

• Remove any sign-up walls before new users experience value.

• Allow one-click sharing via links, emails, or embeds.

• Ensure shared content is instantly usable by people.

Step 3:
Design an "Invite Chain" That Spreads

Once a new user joins, make sure they invite others.

When a new user accessed a Figma file, they often invited teammates to collaborate. This created a chain reaction, pulling in more users. You must:

• Identify a point where a new user naturally invites others (e.g., collaboration, team access, shared content).

• Nudge them with a soft prompt:

  Invite your team to edit this file

  Share this with 2 friends to unlock [feature]

  Tag a teammate to collaborate in real time.

Step 4:
Close the Loop with Retention Triggers

If a new user joins through sharing, you want them to stay engaged. Figma sent email alerts like your teammate left a comment on your design.

And that brought users back to the platform. You could:

• Use email or push notifications to re-engage users:

  Your teammate just made an edit - jump back in.

  John left a comment on your project.

  Your shared file was opened 5 times today!

• Show users how much their content is being interacted with (e.g., views, comments, edits).

Final Loop:
How This Strategy Works in Action

1. User A starts using your product.

2. They need to collaborate, so they share a file/link.

3. User B joins instantly - no sign-up required.

4. User B finds it useful and invites more teammates.

5. Notifications keep pulling them back.

6. The loop repeats, bringing in new organic users daily.

This is how Figma grew without paid ads and you can do the same.

Implement this loop, track its impact, and tweak it for faster growth!

Resources For You

Templates: Struggling to create high-convertin g DTC ads? Get 60+ proven DTC ad templates used by top brands. Plug, tweak, and launch winning ads instantly.

Blogs

• Push notifications: A complete beginner's guide

• Paid advertising 101: A beginner's guide

• 10 ways to improve organic traffic to your SaaS site

• Network Effects: How Growing Your User Base Can Increase the Value of Your Product or Service

• The freemium model: examples & opportunities

YT Video: What makes the freemium model work?

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