Design & Prototyping arenaDesign & Prototyping
Collaborative interface-design and prototyping platforms — vector editing, components and design systems, multiplayer, dev handoff, and plugin ecosystems — judged on core design craft, design-to-code workflows, self-hosting, and how completely an AI agent can read and produce designs through documented APIs, plugin surfaces, and MCP servers. Diagramming whiteboards and slide tools are judged only on their design capabilities here.
53 user stories · 424 judged cells · updated 2026-09-16 · Evidence as of 2026-09-16
Leaderboard — every product ranked by evidenceLeaderboard
Rank by
| 1 |  Splinefree-tier vs Rive ↗ | 40/100 | 60/100 | 0/100 | 27/100 | 40/100 | npm 444.9k/wk | 8/29 verified | 17/100 integrity | ||
| 2 |  Rivefree-tier vs Spline ↗ | 57/100 | 45/100 | 0/100 | 16/100 | 28/100 | ★ 1.2k▲ 358/yrnpm 827k/wk | 11/28 verified · 4 disputed | 0/100 integrity | ||
| 3 |  Figmafree-tier vs Spline ↗ | 54/100 | 22/100 | 28/100 | 9/100 | 20/100 | ★ 1.6k▲ 648/yrnpm 223.6k/wk | 19/40 verified · 3 disputed | 35/100 integrity | ||
| 4 |  Penpotfree-tier vs Spline ↗ | 49/100 | 28/100 | 3/100 | 42/100 | 11/100 | ★ 60k▲ 5.6k/yrnpm 3.2k/wk | 16/38 verified · 4 disputed | 18/100 integrity | ||
| 5 |  Canvafree-tier vs Spline ↗ | 45/100 | 29/100 | 20/100 | 13/100 | 18/100 | npm 7.4k/wk | 14/22 verified | 63/100 integrity | ||
| 6 |  Sketchfree-tier vs Spline ↗ | 37/100 | 24/100 | 5/100 | 13/100 | 14/100 | npm 29.3k/wk | 15/33 verified | 44/100 integrity | ||
| 7 |  Framerfree-tier vs Spline ↗ | 18/100 | 52/100 | 5/100 | 7/100 | 19/100 | npm 2.5k/wk | 7/24 verified · 1 disputed | 22/100 integrity | ||
| 8 |  Claude Designsubscription-flat vs Spline ↗ | 16/100 | 51/100 | 10/100 | 7/100 | 16/100 | 14/22 verified · 1 disputed | 11/100 integrity |
Best by user type — persona-weighted winnersBest by user type
Per persona, the product with the highest persona-weighted coverage over just that persona's stories — not the same ranking as the overall PA Score leaderboard above.
Story matrix — every product × every judged storyStory matrix
53/53 stories shown · legend
Agent design — stories about agent design in this arenaAgent design
Agent ops
| Story | Persona | Figma | Penpot | Framer | Sketch | Canva | Claude Design | Spline | Rive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agent design — stories about agent design in this arenaAn agent can create or modify designs programmatically — through a write-capable API, plugin surface, or MCP tools — not just read them | ai-native | fullT 9/10 | partialT 6/10 | fullC 8/10 | fullC 8/10 | fullT 9/10 | partialT 4/10 | fullT 8/10 | fullT 8/10 |
| Agent design — stories about agent design in this arenaAn agent can render and export designs — screenshots, images, or production formats — through a documented programmatic surface | ai-native | partialT 6/10 | partialT 5/10 | none 0/10 | fullT 7/10 | fullT 8/10 | partialT 5/10 | partialT 4/10 | disputedD 4/10 |
| Agent design — stories about agent design in this arenaMy coding agent can pull real design context — frames, variables, screenshots, component mappings — through an MCP server or API to implement the design | ai-native | fullT 9/10 | partialT 6/10 | partialC 7/10 | fullC 7/10 | partialT 6/10 | partialX 5/10 | partialT 6/10 | partialT 5/10 |
Agenticness — how well agents can access and operate the productAgenticness
Agent access
| Story | Persona | Figma | Penpot | Framer | Sketch | Canva | Claude Design | Spline | Rive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agenticness — how well agents can access and operate the productPoint an agent at llms.txt or agent-oriented docs | ai-native | fullT 8/10 | fullT 8/10 | fullT 8/10 | fullT 8/10 | fullT 8/10 | fullT 7/10 | fullT 9/10 | fullT 7/10 |
| Agenticness — how well agents can access and operate the productRun the product headlessly / in CI for automation | ai-native | partialC 5/10 | partialC 5/10 | partialT 3/10 | partialX 5/10 | partialT 5/10 | n/a | none 0/10 | partialC 4/10 |
| Agenticness — how well agents can access and operate the productPlug MCP servers into this product so it can use their tools | ai-native | none 0/10 | partialC 3/10 | none 0/10 | none 0/10 | none 0/10 | partialX 3/10 | none 0/10 | fullT 7/10 |
| Agenticness — how well agents can access and operate the productConnect an agent via an official MCP server | ai-native | fullT 8/10 | fullT 8/10 | none 0/10 | fullC 7/10 | fullT 9/10 | n/a | fullT 8/10 | fullT 8/10 |
| Agenticness — how well agents can access and operate the productUse an official CLI | ai-native | partialT 5/10 | none 0/10 | none 0/10 | partialC 6/10 | partialT 5/10 | none 0/10 | n/a | partialC 3/10 |
| Agenticness — how well agents can access and operate the productDrive the product through a documented public API | ai-native | fullT 9/10 | fullT 8/10 | partialT 6/10 | fullT 7/10 | fullT 8/10 | none 0/10 | partialT 7/10 | fullT 8/10 |
| Agenticness — how well agents can access and operate the productIssue scoped/least-privilege API credentials for an agent | ai-native | partialC 4/10 | none 0/10 | none 0/10 | none 0/10 | none 0/10 | n/a | none 0/10 | n/a |
| Agenticness — how well agents can access and operate the productBuild against official SDKs | ai-native | fullT 8/10 | fullT 7/10 | partialT 6/10 | partialT 6/10 | fullT 8/10 | none 0/10 | partialT 6/10 | fullC 8/10 |
| Agenticness — how well agents can access and operate the productSubscribe to events via webhooks | ai-native | fullC 7/10 | fullC 7/10 | none 0/10 | none 0/10 | none 0/10 | n/a | fullC 7/10 | none 0/10 |
Agentic features
| Story | Persona | Figma | Penpot | Framer | Sketch | Canva | Claude Design | Spline | Rive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agenticness — how well agents can access and operate the productGet AI-generated insights and suggestions from my data inside the product | ai-native | disputedD 5/10 | partialC 5/10 | partialC 4/10 | partialC 6/10 | none 0/10 | partialC 5/10 | n/a | n/a |
| Agenticness — how well agents can access and operate the productSet up automations that run autonomously in the background | ai-native | partialC 5/10 | partialC 4/10 | partialC 4/10 | none 0/10 | partialC 4/10 | none 0/10 | partialC 4/10 | none 0/10 |
| Agenticness — how well agents can access and operate the productDelegate tasks to a built-in AI assistant inside the product | ai-native | disputedD 5/10 | none 0/10 | fullC 7/10 | partialC 4/10 | partialC 3/10 | fullX 8/10 | fullC 7/10 | fullC 8/10 |
| Agenticness — how well agents can access and operate the productOperate the product with natural-language commands | ai-native | partialX 5/10 | fullT 7/10 | fullC 8/10 | partialC 6/10 | fullT 8/10 | fullX 8/10 | fullC 8/10 | partialT 6/10 |
Api quality
| Story | Persona | Figma | Penpot | Framer | Sketch | Canva | Claude Design | Spline | Rive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agenticness — how well agents can access and operate the productExplore an interactive API reference with runnable examples | ai-native | none 0/10 | none 0/10 | none 0/10 | partialT 3/10 | none 0/10 | n/a | none 0/10 | none 0/10 |
| Agenticness — how well agents can access and operate the productDownload a machine-readable API spec (OpenAPI or equivalent) | ai-native | fullT 8/10 | none 0/10 | none 0/10 | none 0/10 | fullT 7/10 | none 0/10 | none 0/10 | none 0/10 |
| Agenticness — how well agents can access and operate the productTest against a sandbox environment without touching production data | ai-native | none 0/10 | partialC 4/10 | partialC 6/10 | none 0/10 | none 0/10 | partialC 5/10 | n/a | n/a |
| Agenticness — how well agents can access and operate the productRely on versioned APIs with a documented deprecation policy | ai-native | partialC 3/10 | none 0/10 | none 0/10 | none 0/10 | none 0/10 | n/a | none 0/10 | none 0/10 |
Ai design — stories about ai design in this arenaAi design
Ai
| Story | Persona | Figma | Penpot | Framer | Sketch | Canva | Claude Design | Spline | Rive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ai design — stories about ai design in this arenaBuilt-in AI handles asset chores — image generation, background removal, content-aware fills, copy suggestions — inside the editor | designer | partialX 5/10 | none 0/10 | partialC 3/10 | partialC 5/10 | none 0/10 | partialC 3/10 | partialC 3/10 | none 0/10 |
| Ai design — stories about ai design in this arenaGenerate or edit designs from a natural-language prompt — first drafts, layouts, or full mockups the tool actually produces | designer | partialX 6/10 | partialT 5/10 | fullC 8/10 | partialC 4/10 | partialT 6/10 | partialX 6/10 | fullC 7/10 | partialT 6/10 |
Automation depth — how much of the product can run unattendedAutomation depth
| Story | Persona | Figma | Penpot | Framer | Sketch | Canva | Claude Design | Spline | Rive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Automation depth — how much of the product can run unattendedPerform bulk operations across many items at once | ai-native | partialX 5/10 | disputedD 5/10 | partialC 6/10 | partialC 5/10 | fullC 7/10 | partialC 4/10 | none 0/10 | partialC 6/10 |
| Automation depth — how much of the product can run unattendedDefine rules that trigger actions automatically on events | ai-native | partialC 4/10 | partialC 3/10 | none 0/10 | none 0/10 | none 0/10 | n/a | fullC 7/10 | partialC 4/10 |
| Automation depth — how much of the product can run unattendedSchedule recurring jobs or workflows | ai-native | none 0/10 | none 0/10 | none 0/10 | n/a | none 0/10 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Automation depth — how much of the product can run unattendedVersion, review, and roll back my automations | ai-native | partialC 4/10 | none 0/10 | fullC 8/10 | partialC 4/10 | none 0/10 | none 0/10 | partialC 5/10 | partialC 4/10 |
Collaboration multiplayer — stories about collaboration multiplayer in this arenaCollaboration multiplayer
Collaboration
| Story | Persona | Figma | Penpot | Framer | Sketch | Canva | Claude Design | Spline | Rive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Collaboration multiplayer — stories about collaboration multiplayer in this arenaComment directly on designs, mention teammates, and resolve threads so review happens in the file, not in email | product-manager | fullC 6/10 | partialC 2/10 | none 0/10 | none 0/10 | partialC 5/10 | partialC 3/10 | partialC 4/10 | none 0/10 |
| Collaboration multiplayer — stories about collaboration multiplayer in this arenaMy whole team can edit the same file simultaneously with live cursors and instant sync | designer | fullC 8/10 | disputedD 4/10 | none 0/10 | none 0/10 | none 0/10 | partialC 4/10 | fullC 8/10 | partialC 4/10 |
Components design systems — stories about components design systems in this arenaComponents design systems
Design systems
| Story | Persona | Figma | Penpot | Framer | Sketch | Canva | Claude Design | Spline | Rive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Components design systems — stories about components design systems in this arenaManage design tokens or variables — colors, spacing, typography — with modes or themes applied across designs | designer | fullC 8/10 | partialC 4/10 | none 0/10 | partialX 5/10 | none 0/10 | partialX 3/10 | none 0/10 | none 0/10 |
| Components design systems — stories about components design systems in this arenaBuild reusable components with variants and per-instance overrides that stay linked to their source | designer | partialC 3/10 | partialX 5/10 | partialC 3/10 | partialX 6/10 | none 0/10 | none 0/10 | partialC 4/10 | fullC 8/10 |
| Components design systems — stories about components design systems in this arenaShared libraries publish components and styles across files and projects, with controlled updates when the source changes | designer | partialC 5/10 | partialX 5/10 | none 0/10 | fullX 7/10 | partialC 4/10 | partialC 3/10 | partialC 4/10 | none 0/10 |
Dev handoff — stories about dev handoff in this arenaDev handoff
Handoff
| Story | Persona | Figma | Penpot | Framer | Sketch | Canva | Claude Design | Spline | Rive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dev handoff — stories about dev handoff in this arenaDesigns map to production code — component-to-code mappings or direct design-to-code output I can actually ship | developer | partialX 7/10 | partialC 6/10 | partialX 7/10 | partialC 5/10 | none 0/10 | partialX 7/10 | fullC 7/10 | fullC 8/10 |
| Dev handoff — stories about dev handoff in this arenaInspect any layer and get measurements, styles, assets, and code snippets (CSS/iOS/Android) without an editor seat | developer | partialX 5/10 | partialC 5/10 | none 0/10 | fullC 8/10 | none 0/10 | none 0/10 | none 0/10 | n/a |
Openness — open source, data portability, and self-hosting storiesOpenness
| Story | Persona | Figma | Penpot | Framer | Sketch | Canva | Claude Design | Spline | Rive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Openness — open source, data portability, and self-hosting storiesDo everything through the API that I can do in the UI | ai-native | partialT 5/10 | partialT 5/10 | partialT 6/10 | partialT 5/10 | partialC 5/10 | none 0/10 | partialT 5/10 | partialT 5/10 |
| Openness — open source, data portability, and self-hosting storiesExport all of my data in open formats and leave | ai-native | disputedD 3/10 | disputedD 5/10 | none 0/10 | partialX 4/10 | partialC 4/10 | disputedD 4/10 | fullC 7/10 | disputedD 4/10 |
| Openness — open source, data portability, and self-hosting storiesRead the product's source under an open license | ai-native | none 0/10 | partialC 6/10 | none 0/10 | none 0/10 | none 0/10 | n/a | none 0/10 | partialX 5/10 |
| Openness — open source, data portability, and self-hosting storiesSelf-host the core product | ai-native | none 0/10 | fullX 8/10 | none 0/10 | none 0/10 | none 0/10 | n/a | none 0/10 | none 0/10 |
Plugins extensibility — stories about plugins extensibility in this arenaPlugins extensibility
Plugins
| Story | Persona | Figma | Penpot | Framer | Sketch | Canva | Claude Design | Spline | Rive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plugins extensibility — stories about plugins extensibility in this arenaA documented plugin API with typings and samples lets me build and distribute my own editor extensions | developer | fullC 8/10 | partialC 5/10 | partialC 6/10 | fullX 8/10 | fullT 8/10 | n/a | none 0/10 | none 0/10 |
| Plugins extensibility — stories about plugins extensibility in this arenaExtend the editor from a large plugin community or marketplace — icons, data fillers, accessibility checkers, and more | designer | fullX 7/10 | partialX 6/10 | partialC 5/10 | partialX 7/10 | partialT 6/10 | none 0/10 | none 0/10 | none 0/10 |
Pricing plans — plan structure and value — what each tier costs and what it unlocksPricing plans
Pricing
| Story | Persona | Figma | Penpot | Framer | Sketch | Canva | Claude Design | Spline | Rive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing plans — plan structure and value — what each tier costs and what it unlocksPublished plan pricing makes seat types, tiers, and AI-feature gating clear before procurement | product-manager | partialC 5/10 | none 0/10 | none 0/10 | partialC 5/10 | none 0/10 | none 0/10 | partialC 2/10 | none 0/10 |
| Pricing plans — plan structure and value — what each tier costs and what it unlocksThe free tier supports real design work — usable editor and collaboration without a paid seat | designer | none 0/10 | partialX 6/10 | none 0/10 | none 0/10 | none 0/10 | none 0/10 | partialC 3/10 | none 0/10 |
Privacy posture — data-handling and privacy storiesPrivacy posture
| Story | Persona | Figma | Penpot | Framer | Sketch | Canva | Claude Design | Spline | Rive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Privacy posture — data-handling and privacy storiesChoose where my data is stored (region/residency) | ai-native | none 0/10 | fullC 7/10 | none 0/10 | none 0/10 | none 0/10 | none 0/10 | none 0/10 | n/a |
| Privacy posture — data-handling and privacy storiesPrevent my data from being used to train AI models | ai-native | none 0/10 | partialC 6/10 | none 0/10 | none 0/10 | none 0/10 | none 0/10 | none 0/10 | n/a |
| Privacy posture — data-handling and privacy storiesControl data retention and deletion | ai-native | none 0/10 | partialC 4/10 | none 0/10 | none 0/10 | none 0/10 | none 0/10 | none 0/10 | n/a |
| Privacy posture — data-handling and privacy storiesOpt out of telemetry and usage tracking | ai-native | none 0/10 | none 0/10 | none 0/10 | none 0/10 | none 0/10 | none 0/10 | none 0/10 | n/a |
Prototyping — stories about prototyping in this arenaPrototyping
| Story | Persona | Figma | Penpot | Framer | Sketch | Canva | Claude Design | Spline | Rive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prototyping — stories about prototyping in this arenaPrototypes can carry advanced behavior — animation between states, conditions or variables, scroll effects — to feel like the real product | designer | partialC 5/10 | none 0/10 | disputedD 6/10 | partialC 4/10 | none 0/10 | partialX 4/10 | fullC 8/10 | fullX 8/10 |
| Prototyping — stories about prototyping in this arenaWire screens into clickable prototypes with triggers, transitions, and overlays — no code required | designer | fullX 9/10 | fullX 6/10 | partialX 4/10 | fullC 8/10 | none 0/10 | partialX 4/10 | partialC 6/10 | partialC 5/10 |
Vector editing — stories about vector editing in this arenaVector editing
Canvas
| Story | Persona | Figma | Penpot | Framer | Sketch | Canva | Claude Design | Spline | Rive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vector editing — stories about vector editing in this arenaFrames can behave responsively — auto layout, constraints, and grids resize designs the way real UIs flex | designer | partialC 2/10 | partialC 5/10 | partialC 6/10 | none 0/10 | none 0/10 | none 0/10 | none 0/10 | partialC 5/10 |
| Vector editing — stories about vector editing in this arenaI get professional vector tools — pen and path editing, boolean operations, precise alignment — for real interface design work | designer | partialC 4/10 | none 0/10 | none 0/10 | partialX 6/10 | none 0/10 | none 0/10 | partialC 5/10 | disputedD 3/10 |
Versioning export — stories about versioning export in this arenaVersioning export
Files
| Story | Persona | Figma | Penpot | Framer | Sketch | Canva | Claude Design | Spline | Rive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Versioning export — stories about versioning export in this arenaExport production assets — PNG, SVG, PDF, and more — with per-layer presets, scales, and slices | designer | partialX 4/10 | none 0/10 | none 0/10 | partialC 3/10 | partialC 4/10 | partialX 3/10 | none 0/10 | none 0/10 |
| Versioning export — stories about versioning export in this arenaThe file format is open or documented, so my designs stay portable and toolable outside the vendor's editor | developer | none 0/10 | fullC 8/10 | none 0/10 | partialX 6/10 | none 0/10 | partialX 6/10 | partialC 5/10 | disputedD 4/10 |
| Versioning export — stories about versioning export in this arenaSelf-host the full design platform on my own infrastructure under an open-source license | developer | none 0/10 | disputedD 6/10 | none 0/10 | none 0/10 | none 0/10 | n/a | none 0/10 | none 0/10 |
| Versioning export — stories about versioning export in this arenaFull version history lets me name milestones, compare, and restore any earlier state of a file | designer | partialC 3/10 | none 0/10 | partialC 5/10 | partialC 5/10 | none 0/10 | none 0/10 | partialC 6/10 | partialC 6/10 |
Verdict✓ fullclear evidence~ partialwith caveats! disputedevidence conflicts— noneno evidence foundn/aquestion doesn't apply to this kind of product
ProofT probedtested by usX communityusers back itC claimedvendor claim onlyD contradictedevidence disagrees⚿ auth-gatedprobe hit a live sign-in wall — verified reachable, untestable keylessly
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shares: Pricing plans