Figma Sites: What We Know About Framer's Newest Competitor

If you work with Framer like I do, you've probably been hearing a lot of buzz about the Figma Sites announcement that just dropped at Config 2025.

As someone who makes their living selling Framer templates and services, this caught my attention, fast. Framer has been my bread and butter for years, and now Figma is making a move into our territory.

Here's what we know about Figma Sites, how it stacks up against Framer, and why I think Framer users should be excited for this change.

What Is Figma Sites?

The Figma community has been begging for this forever – the ability to turn their designs into actual working websites without the usual painful handoff process.

The new Figma Sites tool looks versatile enough for creating everything from personal portfolios to event sites and product landing pages.

This is a massive expansion for Figma – they're no longer just a design tool, they're now playing in the web development sandbox too.

Now that it's officially launched, let's break down what Figma Sites brings to the table:

No More Design-to-Code

This is the big one. You can now design and publish in one place, which means saying goodbye to that frustrating multi-step dance of designing, prototyping, exporting, coding, testing, and publishing.

Templates

They're offering templates to jumpstart your projects, pre-built responsive elements, and ready-made interactions. There's also a forthcoming "chat-to-code" feature, where you describe what you want, and it builds the interaction for you. If it works as advertised, that could be a game-changer.

Plays Nice With Your Design System

If you've invested time in building a design system, Figma Sites lets you link your published libraries directly into your site. If you haven't got a design system yet, they've got you covered with blocks for navigation, hero sections, and even full pages.

Responsive Design

Figma Sites includes built-in responsive features that adapt your layouts automatically. You can make changes across multiple screen sizes at once (multi-edit functionality), set different sizing for each breakpoint without messing with variables, and your site adjusts to any device while still giving you manual control.

Real-Time Previews

You’ll get interactive, live website previews for getting feedback, fully rendered. You can resize the window to see how your layout reflows and test different breakpoints on the fly.

Interactive Elements

Here's where it gets fun. Figma Sites comes loaded with pre-built interactions:

• Mouse parallax where objects move with your cursor

• Lightbox effects that highlight images with dimmed backgrounds

• Draggable elements you can move around freely

• Typewriter effects that reveal text character by character

• Text scrambling that randomizes and reveals text

• Scroll effects like parallax and transform

• Hover and pressed states without needing interactive components

And I do have to say, that's an impressive list of interactions right out of the gate.

Coming Soon to Figma Sites

They're not stopping at launch. Figma has some interesting stuff planned:

Content Management System (CMS)

A CMS is coming soon, which will let you manage and edit content inside Figma. As someone who's used Framer's CMS a whole lot, I'm really curious to see their take on this.

Code Layers

You'll be able to add interactive elements through AI chat, create reusable components from code layers, and integrate with design system libraries.

Framer Sites FAQ - What We Know

Will Figma Sites be better than Framer?

Maybe, but it’s unlikely.

Sure, Figma has the advantage of a massive user base, but creating a successful website builder involves so much more than extending a design tool. Framer spent years building specific technology for web publishing, CMS functionality, and responding to its users to optimize.

I've got to hand it to Figma – the feature set they've launched with is really impressive for a first release. But Framer still has some serious advantages:

1. Maturity: When Framer first launched its website builder, it wasn't nearly as powerful as it is today. New products take time to mature, and Figma will likely face the same growing pains despite their strong start.

2. Specialization: Framer has been laser-focused on web publishing for years. This is Figma's first rodeo in this arena.

3. CMS Capabilities: Framer's CMS is already robust and battle-tested. Figma's isn’t released yet.

That said, I can't ignore Figma's strengths:

1. Collaboration: Their industry-leading collaboration features now extend to Sites, which could be a massive advantage for teams.

2. Integration: The seamless flow from Figma design to web without switching tools is genuinely powerful.

3. Interactive Elements: I was honestly super impressed by the range of interactions they've included right from launch.

Should I Learn Framer or Figma Sites?

I know I’m biased, but I’d always suggest you learn Framer. It works, it's established, and it has a proven track record. The skills you develop in Framer (thinking about website structure, content management, responsive design) can always transfer to a different platform later on.

That said, if you're already deep into the Figma ecosystem and your website needs are simple, it might be worth checking Figma Sites out.

Will Figma Sites Be Better for Collaborating with Clients?

This is where Figma might have a real advantage. Their collaboration features are already industry-leading, and if they extend these to website building, it could be a much smoother handoff process.

What Figma Sites Means for Different Types of Designers

For Designers Who Sell Framer Templates (Like Me!)

If you're making money from Framer templates, don't panic. The template market won't disappear, nor will Framer. In fact, it’s probably a good thing.

I’d recommend:

• Keep building your Framer template business

• Start learning about Figma's component system to prepare

• Watch the initial launch carefully to spot new opportunities

Or, just stick with Framer! There’s no need to transfer over, but since we can expect the interfaces to be quite similar, we might eventually have two markets to sell to.

For Agencies and Freelancers

Having more options is generally good news. Different tools work better for different projects:

• Framer will likely remain the go-to for custom, interactive sites

• Figma Sites could become preferred for projects where the team is already in the Figma ecosystem

• A little healthy competition will probably drive both platforms to improve!

For Companies Managing Their Own Sites

The big win here could be simplified workflows. If your design team already uses Figma, having website building capabilities in the same tool might reduce handoff friction and make updates easier.

My Perspective as a Framer Template Creator

I've been selling Framer templates for years now, generating consistent five-figure monthly revenue. Here's my take:

Competition drives innovation. When Webflow pressured Framer, we got better CMS features. When WordPress builders pushed, we got better SEO tools. Figma entering this space will likely make Framer even better.

Framer vs. Figma Sites

What works in Framer's favor:

• Years of experience specifically building technology for websites

• A mature publishing platform with proven reliability

• Advanced features that took time to perfect

• A focused approach on design-to-website conversion

What works in Figma's favor:

• Massive existing user base

• Industry-leading collaboration features

• Potential for seamless design-to-web workflow

• Strong backing and development resources

Final Thoughts

Now that Figma Sites has officially launched, it's clear they've been cooking up something pretty serious. The integration with the existing Figma ecosystem makes it super appealing for teams already using Figma for design.

I do think that Framer's years of specialization still gives it an edge for certain use cases, though. Especially more complex websites or those needing advanced CMS capabilities.

I expect both tools will evolve rapidly from here, with each finding its own sweet spot.

I'll be watching Figma Sites closely over the coming months, especially as they roll out their CMS and code layer features. This competition is going to be great for all of us in the design community – we'll end up with better tools no matter which side ‘wins.’

In the meantime, I'd love to hear your thoughts. Have you tried Figma Sites yet? How does it compare to your Framer experience? Do you think it will change your workflow?

Find me over on Twitter here.

Post updated: 8th May 2025