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Building on our open platform: Design in Figma, prototype with Framer | Figma Blog (opens in new tab)

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Figma argues that design tools should remain open, allowing users to move their data across products rather than becoming locked into one platform. Its new Framer Web integration lets teams design collaboratively in Figma and import files into Framer for more advanced, expressive prototypes. The announcement reinforces Figma’s broader strategy of building an ecosystem around APIs, plugins, and integrations.

An Open Platform for Flexible Workflows

  • Figma has prioritized data portability since its founding.
  • Its web-based platform and APIs allow developers to access and use Figma data in external tools.
  • Customers have used the API to build internal tooling, create plugins, and even use Figma as a content management system.
  • Figma also launched an API challenge to encourage a Sketch exporter, but withdrew it after community feedback that it resembled unpaid “spec work.”

Supporting Specialized Design Tools

  • Figma recognizes that although some teams use it for the entire design process, others prefer specialized tools.
  • Partners such as Zeplin provide alternative approaches to developer handoff.
  • Figma’s position is that no single product should try to serve every workflow; an ecosystem of complementary tools can fill specialized needs.

Importing Figma Designs into Framer

  • The new Framer Web integration allows users to import Figma files directly into Framer Web.
  • Teams can collaborate on design in Figma, then use Framer to build richer and more expressive prototypes.
  • Framer Web was in beta at the time, with access available through a waitlist and setup instructions provided in Figma’s documentation.

Broader Integrations

  • Figma planned to launch additional integrations throughout the year.
  • Prototyping and user testing: Flinto, Principle, ProtoPie, and Maze.
  • Developer handoff: Avocode, Storybook, ZeroHeight, and Zeplin.
  • Collaboration and project workflows: Coda, Dribbble, Dropbox, Jira, Notion, Slack, and Trello.

Figma’s recommendation is implicit: use Figma as a collaborative design foundation while choosing the best external tools for prototyping, testing, handoff, and project management.