We use cookies

    We use essential cookies to run this service and optional Google Analytics cookies to understand how it's used. Read our Cookies Policy.

    Comparison

    Figma vs Vibe.WithGov

    Figma is for wireframes; Vibe is for working prototypes. Most government service teams need both, not one or the other.

    Updated
    16 May 2026
    6 min read

    Figma is the canvas where most UK government service teams sketch journeys and run critique sessions. It excels at the early-shaping work: trying layouts, comparing directions, getting the team to a shared design before writing a line of code. Vibe.WithGov is for the next step: generating a working GOV.UK Prototype Kit project from the spec, so research participants can use a prototype that behaves like the real service.

    The honest framing: these tools do different jobs. Most teams need both, used at different points in the sprint. The matrix below is for the moments when they overlap.

    The matrix

    Output

    • Artefact you ship to research

      Vibe.WithGov

      A working Prototype Kit project at a sandbox URL

      Figma

      Linked Figma frames; click-through wireframes

    • Real form behaviour

      Vibe.WithGov

      Server-side validation, error summaries, focus management

      Figma

      Not supported

      Figma can simulate clicks between frames but not real form input or validation.

    • Keyboard navigation that mirrors a real service

      Vibe.WithGov

      Supported

      Figma

      Not supported

    • GOV.UK Frontend (the real CSS + JS)

      Vibe.WithGov

      Supported

      Figma

      GOV.UK Design System components in Figma

      Figma uses static design-system components; Vibe uses the published Frontend that production services run on.

    Workflow

    • Authoring surface

      Vibe.WithGov

      Plain-language spec + chat

      Figma

      Drag-and-drop on a canvas

    • Best for early shaping

      Vibe.WithGov

      Not supported

      Figma

      Supported

      Figma is unbeatable for sketching the journey, exploring layout, and team critique.

    • Best for research-ready prototypes

      Vibe.WithGov

      Supported

      Figma

      Not supported

    • Iteration speed within a sprint

      Vibe.WithGov

      Regenerate from spec edits in seconds

      Figma

      Edit frames manually
    Accessibility

    • WCAG 2.1 AA on first paint

      Vibe.WithGov

      Supported

      Figma

      Not supported

      Figma wireframes are visual mocks; they have no accessibility tree to assess.

    • Keyboard and screen-reader testable

      Vibe.WithGov

      Supported

      Figma

      Not supported

    • Useful evidence for an assessment panel

      Vibe.WithGov

      Run axe-core against the live prototype

      Figma

      Verbal description only
    Sharing & hosting

    • Shareable URL for research participants

      Vibe.WithGov

      Per-project sandbox URL

      Figma

      Figma prototype link (read-only)

    • Participants type into the prototype

      Vibe.WithGov

      Supported

      Figma

      Not supported

    • Hand to engineering as build spec

      Vibe.WithGov

      Working code, exportable as a Prototype Kit project

      Figma

      Visual reference only
    Cost

    • Pricing model

      Vibe.WithGov

      Free tier; paid plans from £19/mo

      Figma

      Per-seat subscription

    • Useful for the same job

      Vibe.WithGov

      Research-ready prototypes

      Figma

      Wireframes, design system, team thinking space

      Most teams need both. Figma for the design work; Vibe for the prototype.

    When Figma is the right call

    • You’re sketching the journey shape and don’t yet know what the pages need to do.
    • The team is critiquing layout, hierarchy and visual decisions that need to be argued over a canvas.
    • You need to communicate the design intent to stakeholders who won’t click a prototype but will look at a frame.
    • You’re building or maintaining the team’s component library and design tokens.

    When Vibe is the right call

    • The journey is shaped enough that you’re ready to test it with users.
    • You need form validation, error summaries and real keyboard behaviour for accessibility testing.
    • Research participants need to type, choose, submit, and feel the response of a real service.
    • You want the artefact to double as a build spec for engineering, not just a visual reference.

    Using them together

    The pattern most teams settle on:

    1. Sketch the journey in Figma. Whiteboard-level fidelity is fine.
    2. Write a plain-language spec from the Figma frames (see the workflow guide).
    3. Generate the working prototype in Vibe. Walk it. Fix the ambiguities in the spec, regenerate.
    4. Put the Vibe URL in front of research participants. Bring findings back to both the Figma file and the spec.
    5. At alpha handoff, the Vibe export plus the Figma design history together form the build spec.

    Vibe.WithGov is an independent product, not affiliated with Figma or the Government Digital Service. See the FAQ for more.

    Related