In an interview with Bloomberg, Adobe Product Manager Scott Belsky reassured worried Figma users that acquiring the online collaborative design platform won’t change its pricing model and ease of use. If you recall, Adobe announced in mid-September that buy Figma with about $20 billion in cash and stock. Users can understand the merger concerns, as Adobe’s programs are quite expensive.
Belsky said in the interview that Figma will remain a “freemium” offer with a basic tier available for free. Figma co-founder Dylan Field added that Adobe has no plans to raise prices and that the platform will remain free for education. Of course, Adobe has changes planned for the platform, including the integration of features from its software portfolio, as well as its storied font and image library.
According to Belsky, though, any update Adobe rolls out will be unobtrusive and won’t make it difficult to navigate the platform’s interface. Perhaps most importantly for those using Figma to collaborate, it will continue to allow file sharing at no extra cost – users won’t have to sign up for Creative Cloud to work on the same document.
Adobe’s suite of programs will also undergo changes as a result of the acquisition. The company plans to adopt Figma’s collaborative features and possibly build a multi-user web platform for its programs. Adobe Express and Acrobat may also have their own versions of Figma’s whiteboard and presentation functionality. “We just want to amplify and continue to learn from what Figma has done to become a product that resonates within the business and around the world,” says Belsky.
There is one Adobe program that may not have survived the acquisition: Figma’s direct competitor, Adobe XD. The company has no immediate plans to kill the software, but it will “reassess where [it] would like[s] change [its] resources and focus” when Figma joins. Both parties expect the deal to close in 2023, provided it is approved by both regulators and shareholders.
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