Model Context Protocol turned “connect Figma to my IDE” from a three-week integration project into a single-click plugin. The result is that the design-to-code handoff meeting, the one where a designer walked an engineer through a Figma file and answered questions about tokens, spacing, and states, is genuinely on its way out. What comes next isn’t magic, but the eight apps below do most of the coordinate-and-tokens work that used to eat afternoons.
We tested each on the same Figma file: a mid-complexity SaaS dashboard with a data table, a chart, a sidebar, and a form modal. Every pick either bridges Figma to a coding agent, exports responsive components, or bundles both into a single flow. Prices, framework support, and how well each app handles component naming vary a lot; the notes below name the tradeoffs.
What to look for in a design-to-code app
Six things matter more than the marketing pitch:
- Framework fidelity. React, Vue, Svelte, and plain HTML each need different serialisation. If you use Tailwind, check that the output uses your token scale, not raw hex.
- Component detection. The best tools spot repeated Figma components and turn them into reusable code components rather than pasting the same JSX seven times.
- Design token round-trip. Some tools read your Figma variables and produce matching CSS custom properties or theme files; the weaker ones flatten everything to inline styles.
- Responsive behaviour. Auto Layout in Figma should turn into Flexbox or Grid, not fixed pixel offsets.
- Local versus cloud. A few of these are local-first (Cursor with the Figma MCP server, Bolt with local build). Most are cloud-hosted, which matters when the design contains anything sensitive.
- IDE integration versus generator. Anima and Locofy export files; Cursor and Antigravity work inside the IDE and iterate with your prompts. Different jobs.
Quick comparison
| App | Best for | Platforms | Free plan | Starting price/mo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Figma Make | Native inside Figma, no import step | Web, Figma desktop | Included with Figma seat | Included in Full seat |
| Anima | React and Vue export with real components | Web, Figma plugin | 3 exports per month | Around $39 |
| Locofy | Auto-tagging Figma components into interactive code | Web, Figma plugin | Free tier with watermark | Around $20 |
| Builder.io | Design-to-code plus visual CMS editing | Web, Figma plugin, IDE | Generous free tier | Around $19 |
| v0 by Vercel | Text-to-UI with a design import path | Web | Free tier with generation cap | Around $20 |
| Bolt.new | Prompt-to-working-app in the browser | Web | Free tier with token cap | Around $20 |
| Google Antigravity | IDE agent that speaks Figma via MCP | Windows, macOS, Linux | Free preview | Pricing to be confirmed |
| Cursor with Figma MCP | Bring your own IDE, connect via MCP | Windows, macOS, Linux | Cursor free tier | Around $20 |
The apps
1. Figma Make, best for staying inside Figma
Figma Make is Figma’s own answer to the design-to-code question, generating working React and HTML directly from selected frames. Because it runs inside the file, it has native access to Auto Layout, variables, and component instances without an intermediate export step.
Where it falls short: the output is React-first, so Vue or Svelte teams get less. Component detection is good for well-structured files and mediocre for files that skipped Auto Layout.
Pricing:
- Free: available on Full seats
- Paid: included in the Full seat pricing (currently around $16-20 per editor per month)
Platforms: Web, Figma desktop client on Windows and macOS.
Download: Figma Make
Bottom line: Figma Make for teams already on Figma who want the shortest path from a frame to a working React snippet.
2. Anima, best for React and Vue export with real components
Anima turns Figma files into React, Vue, or HTML with actual component structure, not flattened markup. The plugin recognises variants, exports typography and colour tokens as usable variables, and produces code that a developer can pick up without an audit pass.
Where it falls short: the free tier caps at three exports per month, which is a taste rather than a workflow. Larger files hit generation limits that require a paid tier.
Pricing:
- Free: 3 exports per month
- Paid: around $39 per month for the Pro plan
Platforms: Web dashboard plus Figma plugin.
Download: Anima
Bottom line: Anima if your workflow is “hand off a whole flow at once” and you’re on React or Vue.
3. Locofy, best for auto-tagging Figma components into interactive code
Locofy’s Lightning autotagger identifies interactive elements (buttons, inputs, tabs) inside a Figma file and turns them into working React, Next.js, Gatsby, or React Native components. The Big Sur plugin flow is unusually smooth: select frames, hit Sync, then browse generated components in a web dashboard.
Where it falls short: the free tier watermarks previews. Very custom animations (Lottie, Rive) require manual hookup after the export.
Pricing:
- Free: preview with watermark
- Paid: around $20 per month for the Pro plan
Platforms: Web dashboard plus Figma plugin.
Download: Locofy
Bottom line: Locofy for the case where the design is already using variants heavily and you want the generated code to preserve them.
4. Builder.io, best for design-to-code plus visual CMS editing
Builder.io does design-to-code and doubles as a visual page editor for marketing pages. The Visual Copilot plugin ingests a Figma file, maps it to your existing component library (if you tell it which is which), and writes React, Vue, Svelte, Angular, Qwik, or plain HTML that references your components instead of duplicating them.
Where it falls short: the setup work up front (mapping Figma components to your codebase’s components) is real. Skip that step and the output is generic.
Pricing:
- Free: generous free tier, includes Visual Copilot with usage limits
- Paid: around $19 per month per seat
Platforms: Web dashboard, Figma plugin, IDE extensions.
Download: Builder.io
Bottom line: Builder.io for the team that has a component library and wants the generator to respect it.
5. v0 by Vercel, best for text-to-UI with a design import path
v0 by Vercel started as a text-to-React generator built on top of shadcn/ui and Tailwind. It now imports Figma frames and lets you iterate on the generated component in a chat window. Ship-quality React with Radix primitives falls out at the end.
Where it falls short: v0 has strong opinions about the stack. If you’re not on React, Tailwind, and shadcn/ui, the output is fighting your project.
Pricing:
- Free: with a monthly generation cap
- Paid: around $20 per month for the Pro plan
Platforms: Web only.
Download: v0 by Vercel
Bottom line: v0 if you already ship React with shadcn/ui and want a generator that speaks the same dialect.
6. Bolt.new, best for prompt-to-working-app in the browser
Bolt.new takes a design or a prompt and produces a running app inside a StackBlitz WebContainer, running Vite, Next.js, or SvelteKit right in the browser. The design-to-code path isn’t the marquee feature, but pasting a Figma link into Bolt gets you a working scaffold you can then iterate on with prompts.
Where it falls short: WebContainer is a browser sandbox, so anything requiring native modules or specific runtimes trips it up.
Pricing:
- Free: token-capped tier
- Paid: around $20 per month for Pro
Platforms: Web only.
Download: Bolt.new
Bottom line: Bolt for the “I want to see this design running end to end without leaving the tab” case.
7. Google Antigravity, best for an IDE agent that speaks Figma via MCP
Google Antigravity is the Gemini-powered IDE that ships with a Figma MCP server integration out of the box. Paste a Figma frame URL into the agent chat and Antigravity queries the Figma file through MCP, extracts the component tree, and writes the code inside your project. Iteration is a conversation rather than a re-export.
Where it falls short: Antigravity is new and the third-party MCP server surface is small compared with Cursor’s. Framework opinions are shaped by whatever the underlying Gemini model likes on a given day.
Pricing:
- Free: preview available
- Paid: pricing to be confirmed
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux (Electron-based).
Download: Google Antigravity
Bottom line: Antigravity if you’re already a Gemini shop and want the design-to-code loop inside the IDE.
8. Cursor with Figma MCP, best for bring-your-own IDE
Cursor with the Figma MCP server is the most flexible option on this list. Install the community Figma MCP server, add your Figma personal access token, then any prompt like “read this frame and implement it in src/pages/DashboardPage.tsx” pulls the actual design tree into the agent’s context. Because Cursor supports Claude, GPT, Gemini, and local models, you pick the model that fits the task.
Where it falls short: the MCP server is community-maintained, so keeping up with Figma API changes is on you. Fresh install has a couple of config steps beyond the average IDE plugin.
Pricing:
- Free: Cursor free tier with limited requests
- Paid: around $20 per month for Cursor Pro; Figma personal access is free with any Figma account
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux.
Download: Cursor and install a Figma MCP server such as figma-mcp from the community registry.
Bottom line: Cursor with Figma MCP for the team that wants the design-to-code loop but also wants to keep using their existing agent stack.
How to pick
If the design already lives in Figma and everyone on the team has a Figma seat: Figma Make. Nothing to install, no export step.
If your designers hand you a whole flow at once and you’d rather ingest it in one pass: Anima for React or Vue, Locofy for React or React Native with heavy component reuse.
If you already ship with shadcn/ui and Tailwind: v0 by Vercel produces code that fits without a rewrite pass.
If your company already has a component library and you want the generator to respect it: Builder.io with the Visual Copilot mapping step.
If you want the loop to live inside your IDE and you like conversational iteration: Google Antigravity or Cursor with the Figma MCP server. Antigravity for Gemini-first shops, Cursor for teams that want model flexibility.
If you want to see the design running end-to-end without touching an IDE at all: Bolt.new.
FAQ
Does design-to-code actually work in 2026? Better than in 2024, but not magically. The best output is React or HTML for well-structured Figma files that use Auto Layout, variants, and variables. Free-form designs with pixel-nudged elements still produce brittle code that needs cleanup.
What is the best free design-to-code app? Figma Make (included with a Figma seat), Bolt.new’s free tier, and Cursor’s free tier with the Figma MCP server. Anima’s three-export free tier is real but small.
Can I use design-to-code with Vue or Svelte? Yes. Anima, Builder.io, and v0 all support multiple frameworks. Locofy is strongest for React and React Native. Cursor with an MCP server writes whatever the underlying LLM knows how to write, which now includes Svelte 5 and Vue 3.
What is MCP and why does it matter for design-to-code? Model Context Protocol is an open standard for connecting AI agents to external data sources (Figma, GitHub, databases). Before MCP, connecting Figma to your IDE meant a custom plugin. Now it’s a config line. That’s why every tool on this list added Figma MCP support this year.
Should I still hire a frontend engineer? Yes. These tools handle the coordinate-and-tokens work well and struggle with anything that requires product judgement (accessibility, state design, error handling, performance). The engineer spends less time positioning divs and more time on the parts the tools don’t do.
Which design-to-code app has the best Tailwind output? v0 by Vercel is Tailwind-native. Anima and Builder.io produce Tailwind if you configure it. Locofy leans toward inline styles unless you enable the Tailwind mode.
