Compare
Caret vs Figma
Figma is a cloud-based UI design tool with separate design files, not code-first and not stored in git.
Which to pick
Pick Caret if you want…
- Design-as-code in Git
- A free, open-source tool
- Integrations with React, Remix or Vue (on Caret's list, not Figma's)
Pick Figma if you want…
- Collaborative UI/UX design and prototyping
- Collaborative UI design in the cloud
- Integrations with VS Code or Supabase (on Figma's list, not Caret's)
Side by side
- What it is
- Caret:Caret is an open-source AI-powered design tool that stores React designs as code inside a .caret folder in your repo.
- Figma:Figma is a collaborative interface design platform that lets teams design, prototype, and hand off UI in one workspace.
- Best for
- Caret:Design-as-code in Git
- Figma:Collaborative UI/UX design and prototyping
- Who it’s for
- Caret:Frontend developers who want design and code in the same repository.
- Figma:Designers, product teams, and developers who need shared design and handoff tools.
- Pricing
- Caret:Free
- Figma:Freemium
- Plans
- Caret:—
- Figma:Starter Free · Professional – Full seat $16/mo per month · Professional – Dev seat $12/mo per month · Professional – Collab seat $3/mo per month · Organization – Full seat $55/mo per month (billed annually)
- Open source
- Caret:Yes, 36 GitHub stars
- Figma:—
- Works with
- Caret:React, Remix, Vue, Svelte, Rails, Node.js
- Figma:VS Code, Supabase
Caret features
- Live editable React canvas. Edit UI directly on a live canvas; changes are written as .tsx files in .caret/.
- AI-assisted edits. Paint over elements and describe changes; the AI agent updates the exact code.
- Versioned design files. Design files live in git, are reviewable via pull requests and never drift.
- Sync control. Choose when to sync design changes into your app, with automatic diff detection.
- Asset generation. Generate logos, images, textures as code-based assets that respect your design tokens.
- Multi-variant playground. Create and compare multiple design variations side-by-side live.
Figma features
- Real-time multiplayer editing. Multiple editors can work in the same file simultaneously with live cursor chat.
- AI design assistance. AI tools for layer renaming, image editing, background removal, and generative design.
- Dev Mode handoff. Inspect design specs, CSS, JSON or React code directly from the canvas.
- Design systems & variables. Create reusable components, styles, and theming with variables and shared libraries.
- Prototyping & animation. Build interactive prototypes with transitions, smart animate, and motion timelines.
- Extensive plugins & integrations. Use community plugins, VS Code extension, and connect external tools via Make connectors.
Caret vs Figma FAQ
Is Caret or Figma free?+
Caret is free. Figma has a free plan (Starter); paid plans start at $3/month (Professional – Collab seat).
Which is cheaper, Caret or Figma?+
Caret is free, so it costs less. Figma starts at $3/month (Professional – Collab seat).
Is Caret or Figma open source?+
Caret is open source (precious112/caret-desktop on GitHub, Apache-2.0 license). DevHunt has no public source repository on record for Figma.
Do Caret and Figma integrate with the same tools?+
Their integration lists don't overlap: Caret lists React, Remix, Vue, Svelte and 2 more; Figma lists VS Code and Supabase.
On DevHunt
Based on each tool's website and DevHunt data. Details may change; check the official sites.