Figma is a browser-based interface and design application that can help you design and prototype and can be used to generate code for your application. It is likely the leading interface design tool on the market right now and has features that support teams throughout every step of the design process.

If you compare Figma to Adobe XD or Sketch, Figma has many advantages, for example, it works online and allows you to collaborate with others in real-time.

It also has great functionality, a sleek UI, and the relatively recent launch of Figma plugins.

There are currently numerous plugins for functions and processes on Figma, which can make project design and launch as seamless as plug-and-play. In this article, I’ll go over the 18 plugins I think you need to use as of today.

Unsplash:

Unsplash is a stock photography website that created a Figma plugin. It allows you to choose beautiful, royalty-free images submitted by the public community.

Palette:

This plugin gives you palette colors that complement whatever design cue your app has. It even has an AI function to generate random color schemes and fine-tune the look of your theme to your satisfaction.

Content Reel:

This plugin helps you pull content (text, icons, avatars) into your design. You can even use it to add randomized data to your design and avoid having to add dummy text anywhere.

Color Contrast Checker:

This is a quick and easy tool to scan all your app layers at once to immediately identify any that do not meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) guidelines. The plugin allows you to click an individual color swatch to see the layer and adjust the lightness of any text on it and the background to get a WCAG passing grade.

Iconify:

This plugin provides roughly 40,000 from which to choose. Third-party icon designers may soon find themselves obsolete because of this plugin!

Figmotion:

You generally cannot create in-app animations in Figma, but Figmotion allows you to overcome this shortcoming without having to use a third-party app.

Mockuuups Studio:

This plugin offers over 500 scenes to choose from and add to your design with just a few clicks. It can be used for social media, blogs, marketing campaigns, design mockups, and a lot more.

Coda for Figma:

This plugin allows you to fill layouts with data from external services such as Wikipedia, Gmail, Dropbox, Jira, Github, and more.

LilGrid:

This handy plugin will help you clean up your app’s interface. It takes all of the various elements on your dashboard or app and organizes them into a grid that you can then define yourself. It is great for organizing many buttons and/or icons that your design or system uses.

Movie Posters:

Great for anyone who wants to create applications or websites for movies and TV shows. What it does is that it randomly fills vector objects with images or posters from movies or TV shows.

GiffyCanvas:

This plugin allows you to create GIF images within Figma. Install the plugin, select the images that you want to create your GIF with, set the relevant parameters such as interval, width, and height, and download the ready GIF file.

BeatFlyer Lite:

This wonderful tool allows you to animate and add creative effects to your designs using only a few clicks.

Color Kit:

This handy plugin helps you generate shades of colors that meet your needs. It is especially useful for apps that want to have a tried and tested color grading scheme instead of something that looks like it looks good but does not meet established design aesthetics.

Wire Box:

Use this plugin to create UI mockups. It can also be used to convert HD mockups to low fidelity wireframes for whenever you want to concentrate on the user experience part of your project.

Vector Maps:

This plugin allows you to add vector maps of countries, regions, and cities to your Figma mockup.

LottieFiles:

This plugin will bring your designs to life by adding wonderful animations that are a pleasure to look at. You can add thousands of free Lottie animations (in GIF format or as SVG animation frame files).

Design Lint:

Use this plugin to ensure that your design files are all consistent. This plugin checks for discrepancies within your mockups, even small issues such as unmatching colors or fonts, different effects, and fills, strokes, or border-radii that do not match) and it corrects those inconsistencies.

Downloading Figma Plugins

Find all plugins here and explore projects and tools here. There are plugins for virtually every need, from icons and processes used in design systems, wireframes, and illustrations, to icons, typography, mobile design, web design, UI kits, and more.

How do I Install Figma Plugins?

To install a Figma plugin, you first need to find the plugin you want.

You can use the links above or, using your Figma account, navigate to the Community page. From there, you can explore popular Community resources, or you can navigate to the Feed tab to view resources published by creators you follow. You can also browse featured plugins. You can even browse plugins by name, developer, or keywords.

All plugins have their own resource pages. You can see details on the plugins that interest you using the plugin’s resource page. From there, you can simply click Install to add the plugin to your Figma account. Doing this will link the plugin to your Figma account and you will be able to see the plugin in files in your drafts and you can use it across any browser or device you use.

Advantages of Using Plugins

Plugins give you a simple yet powerful way to enhance your Figma capabilities.
They can help streamline and automate repetitive tasks, quickly create new features, and name and group layers, build advanced search and grouping, add special functions, add content to project mockups, and more. New plugins are added all the time, and they are developed by the vibrant Figma community. From cross-platform functionality to managing design handoff between teams and bringing feedback and automation to your design systems, Figma is an all-in-one solution that can enhance the efficiency and performance of your design teams.