Lunacy vs Sketch
Both are alternatives to Figma. Here's how they stack up — verified facts, no spin.
Also searched as Sketch vs Lunacy — same comparison, one verdict.
Both are design & prototyping tools with the same broad shape, but Lunacy scores 48 against Sketch's 38 on data ownership and exit cost — the gap is in how easily you could leave.
Lunacy
Free desktop UI design that opens Sketch and Figma files.
Lunacy is a free desktop design app from Icons8 that reads and writes Sketch files and imports Figma documents, with built-in icons, illustrations and photos. It runs natively on Windows, macOS and Linux, and works offline — useful where a browser-based tool is not an option. It is proprietary and free rather than open source, which is why it scores where it does: you are not paying, but you are still depending on a company's decision to keep it free.
Sketch
The incumbent Figma displaced — still excellent, still Mac-only.
Sketch was the tool Figma took the market from, and it is still a first-class native macOS design application with a strong plugin ecosystem and a one-time-purchase option alongside subscriptions. Being native means it is fast in ways a browser tool is not. The constraints are the ones that cost it the market: macOS only, and collaboration that was retrofitted rather than designed in. Listed because for a solo designer on a Mac who resents subscriptions, it remains a rational choice.
Side by side
6 points of comparison, every one read from a verified field. Green marks the side that wins a row outright. A dash means we do not hold that fact — never that it is zero.
| Lunacy | Sketch | |
|---|---|---|
| Sovereignty ScoreOur transparent 0–100 composite for data ownership and exit cost. | 48 | 38 |
| Open source | No | No |
| Self-hostable | No | No |
| Local-first data | Yes | Yes |
| License | Proprietary (free) | Proprietary |
| Pricing | Free. Paid Icons8 subscription only for premium asset libraries. | Around $12 per editor per month, or a one-time licence with a year of updates. |
Lunacy edges it on the Sovereignty Score, but the right pick depends on the trade-offs below.
Weighing both against staying on Figma? Is Figma free? What it actually costs →
Lunacy
Strengths
- +Genuinely free with no seat limit
- +Opens Sketch files natively and imports from Figma
- +Runs offline as a native desktop app on all three platforms
- +Built-in asset libraries save real time
Trade-offs
- −Proprietary — free today is a business decision, not a licence
- −No self-hosting and no source access
- −Collaboration is weaker than Figma or Penpot
- −Tied to Icons8's ecosystem and its commercial direction
Sketch
Strengths
- +Native macOS performance — noticeably faster than browser tools
- +One-time purchase option, which is rare in this category now
- +Mature plugin ecosystem built over a decade
- +Files are local by default
Trade-offs
- −macOS only — excludes most teams outright
- −Collaboration is bolted on rather than native
- −Proprietary format with the same lock-in as Figma's
- −Losing ecosystem momentum to Figma and Penpot
Which one fits you
The trade-offs above, turned into a decision. Find the line that describes your team.
Choose Lunacy
if a lower exit cost matters more to you than any single feature, and genuinely free with no seat limit.
Choose Sketch
if native macOS performance — noticeably faster than browser tools.
Neither, yet
if both carry a real cost you should weigh first — proprietary — free today is a business decision, not a licence, and macOS only — excludes most teams outright. If either of those is a dealbreaker for your team, the shortlist is wrong rather than the choice.
Lunacy vs Sketch — common questions
Is Lunacy a better fit than Sketch for design & prototyping?
It depends on what you are optimising for, and the honest split is this: Lunacy scores 48 to Sketch's 38 on data ownership and exit cost, so it is the safer choice if you care about being able to leave. Sketch earns its place on a different axis — native macOS performance — noticeably faster than browser tools. Neither is a wrong answer for every team; the table above is the actual comparison.
What happens if we want to switch later?
Lunacy keeps its data local or in open formats, so leaving is an export rather than a negotiation. Sketch keeps your data on its own infrastructure, which is the part to plan for: confirm the export path before you commit, not when you are already trying to leave.
Is Lunacy free?
Lunacy: Free. Paid Icons8 subscription only for premium asset libraries.. The other side of this comparison, Sketch, is priced as Around $12 per editor per month, or a one-time licence with a year of updates.. "Free" here means no licence fee — if you self-host it you still pay for the server, and the running cost row above is our honest estimate of that.
Are Lunacy and Sketch both alternatives to Figma?
Yes — both appear in our Figma comparison, which is why they are worth putting side by side. People usually arrive here already having decided to move off Figma and now choosing between the two replacements, which is a narrower and much easier question.
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Facts verified 2026-08-07. Licenses and pricing change — spotted something out of date? That's a correction we want.