Subcategory · AI Citation Index
UI/UX Design
Figma dominates AI shortlists (66% rate), outpacing Adobe and Sketch across 161 prompts and 5 models.
161 discovery queries · 262 head-to-heads · refreshed Oct 7, 2026
Discovery stage
The shortlist
Across 161 buyer-style "UI/UX Design" queries
Figma appears in 106 of 161 prompts (66% shortlist rate), leading Adobe (63%) and Sketch (62%) by small but consistent margins. The top eight brands all achieve model diversity of 5, signaling consensus across LLMs. Framer, Miro, Maze, and Usertesting cluster between 43–48% shortlist rates, forming a secondary tier below the big three.
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Signal by intent
By topic
Top 5 most-cited brands per intent cluster. Brands with zero citations in a topic are not shown.
Evaluation stage
Head-to-head
How often AI cites each brand across uniform category evaluation prompts · median 4/100
When asked to compare tools head-to-head, Figma scores 53 across 30 queries, Adobe 49 across 28, and Sketch 47 across 27. Framer (46) and UXPin (42) sit just behind. The gap between Figma and Adobe narrows in evaluation versus shortlist prominence, suggesting deeper consideration tempers initial brand recall.
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Each brand's score is the share of category evaluation prompts where AI cited them across all four engines — the same prompt pool for every brand. Brands above the median citation rate have stronger presence in evaluation-stage queries.
Trends
Over the last 12 months
Category average score fell from 66 in April 2026 to 14 by October across eight months of data. Usertesting rose 14 points month-over-month while Miro dropped 8, the steepest swing in the cohort. Small sample sizes (5–21 prompts per month) limit trend confidence.
Brands to know
In this category
Figma
Tops both shortlist (66%) and evaluation (53) metrics across all models. The de facto standard for collaborative interface design, cementing first-mover advantage in browser-based workflows.
Read brand profile →Sketch
Holds 62% shortlist rate and scores 72 on fit, matching or exceeding Adobe despite narrower platform reach. macOS lock-in sustains loyalty among Apple-native design teams.
Read brand profile →Adobe
Adobe (domain adobe.com) captures 63% shortlist share and 49 evaluation score, leaning on Creative Cloud integration. XD's slower iteration cycle versus Figma shows in the evaluation gap.
Read brand profile →Usertesting
Rose 14 points in recent months, the strongest momentum signal in the category. Bridges design and research workflows, benefiting from rising demand for user-validation tooling embedded in Figma-era processes.
Read brand profile →Whimsical
Appears in only 11% of shortlists but scores 63 on fit, suggesting strong satisfaction in a narrow use case. Lightweight wireframing and flowcharting appeal to early-stage product teams avoiding Figma's complexity.
Read brand profile →Citation sources
Where AI pulls citations from
578 citations captured across UI/UX Design prompt runs.
Vendor pages
171Product, help, and marketing pages from tracked vendors
Independent sources
188Reviews, encyclopedias, forums, press — not vendor-owned
Buyer questions
What AI cites for top UI/UX Design questions
Most-cited prompts across the buyer journey. Click any prompt to see the actual URLs AI engines link to.
Discovery
Buyers exploring the categoryEvaluation
Buyers comparing options- Figma vs. Sketch vs. Adobe XD | StackAnalyst | StackAnalyststackanalyst.net
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