What is Adobe XD?
Adobe XD is a UI and UX design application covering wireframing, interface design, interaction design, prototyping and UX animation in one tool, with real-time preview on iOS and Android devices and prototypes that can be published as web links. Its significance for anyone choosing software today is not what it does but its status: Adobe's own help centre carries a notice stating that XD is in maintenance mode, and that this means Adobe is not investing in new features. The application is delivered through Creative Cloud, and Adobe's XD help documentation continues to describe it as a UI/UX design and collaboration tool for websites, mobile apps and other user experiences. Existing files remain workable, but Nuanyue could not find a first-party statement that XD is being developed further, so it is not a sensible choice for new design work.
Verified product facts
- Type
- interface design toolEditorially reviewed
- Platform
- macOS
- Pricing
- SubscriptionDeveloper-stated
- Developer
- AdobeDeveloper-stated
- Relationship to Nuanyue
- Third-party product — not published by NuanyueEditorially reviewed
- Official website
- www.adobe.com/products/xd.html
Last updated . Facts marked developer-stated come from the developer and are not independently confirmed; editorially reviewed marks a Nuanyue judgement.
Key features
What Adobe XD does at a glance.
Wireframing, UI design, interaction design, prototyping and UX animation in one tool
Preview designs and prototypes
In real time on iOS and Android devices
Share designs and prototypes
With stakeholders, developers and fellow designers using presets
Publish prototypes as web links
Open in a mobile browser
Cloud documents
So XD files can be opened from Creative Cloud
UI design kits, plugins and app integrations
Create, install, uninstall and submit plugins
Move files
Between XD, Photoshop and Illustrator
Keyboard shortcuts and workspace documentation
For macOS and Windows
What you can use Adobe XD for
- Wireframing an app or website before visual design
- Building clickable prototypes to test an interaction flow
- Sharing a design specification with developers
- Opening and continuing to edit existing XD files
Who is Adobe XD for?
- Designers who already have XD files or team workflows they need to keep working
- Teams whose design system and component libraries already live in XD
Who is Adobe XD not for?
- Anyone starting a new design project, because Adobe states XD is in maintenance mode and is not investing in new features
- Designers who need an actively developed tool with a published roadmap
- Anyone who needs to buy XD as a standalone product, since Adobe publishes no separate price for it
Limitations
- Adobe states that XD is in maintenance mode and that it is not investing in new features
- Adobe's XD product page now resolves to the XD help centre rather than to a marketing page, which is consistent with a product no longer presented as current
- Adobe publishes a list of Adobe apps that run natively on Macs with Apple silicon and a shorter list that run under Rosetta 2; XD appears on neither, so its status is not established here
- Nuanyue could not find a first-party statement about XD's availability to new customers, so it is not recorded here
Strengths and trade-offs
What Adobe XD does well, and what to weigh before choosing it. Points marked developer-stated come from the developer’s own material and have not been independently confirmed.
Strengths
- Covers wireframing, UI design, interaction design, prototyping and UX animation in one application.Developer-stated
- Designs and prototypes can be previewed in real time on iOS and Android devices.Developer-stated
- Prototypes can be published as web links and opened in a mobile browser.Developer-stated
- Design specifications can be shared with developers and stakeholders using presets.Developer-stated
- Integrates with Photoshop and Illustrator, and supports UI kits, plugins and app integrations.Developer-stated
- Files are kept as Creative Cloud documents, so they can be opened from another machine.Developer-stated
Trade-offs
- Adobe states that XD is in maintenance mode and that this means it is not investing in new features.
- Adobe's XD product page resolves to the XD help centre rather than a marketing page, which is consistent with a product no longer presented as current.
- Adobe's Apple silicon compatibility page lists neither native support nor Rosetta 2 use for XD, so its behaviour on Apple silicon Macs is not documented.
- The application is closed source, so its implementation cannot be inspected.
First-use experience
What the app asks of you when you set it up. Only established facts appear here; anything we could not confirm is left out rather than guessed at.
- Installation
- Installed through the Creative Cloud desktop application. Adobe's XD help documentation includes an entry covering what to do when XD does not appear in the Creative Cloud desktop application.
- System integration Developer-stated
- Documents are Creative Cloud documents, and designs can be shared as published web links or moved between XD, Photoshop and Illustrator.
What Adobe says about XD
Adobe’s XD help centre carries a notice at the top of the page: Adobe XD is currently in maintenance mode. The help page’s maintenance-mode section repeats that XD continues to be in maintenance mode and that this means Adobe is not investing in new features. That is the whole of the situation. There is no announcement of a replacement product in the sources Nuanyue tracks, and no first-party statement about what happens to the application next.
A second signal sits alongside the notice. Adobe’s product URL for XD now resolves to the XD help centre rather than to a marketing page describing a current offering, which is what you would expect of a product Adobe is no longer presenting as one to buy.
What the application does
The help centre still documents XD in full, and the description it gives is of a UI and UX design and collaboration tool for creating and sharing designs for websites, mobile apps and other user experiences. Adobe lists wireframing, UI design, interaction design, prototyping, UX animation and sharing as the areas it covers, and the documentation walks through artboards and layers, document assets and libraries, cloud documents, UI kits, plugins, keyboard shortcuts, and publishing prototypes as web links.
Designs and prototypes can be previewed on iOS and Android devices in real time, or opened from Creative Cloud on a mobile device, and published prototypes can be viewed in a mobile browser. Files can be moved between XD, Photoshop and Illustrator.
Apple silicon and what is not recorded
Adobe maintains a page listing which Adobe apps run natively on Macs with Apple silicon, and a shorter list of apps that run under Rosetta 2. XD appears on neither list, and Adobe’s note on that page says the company is working to bring other apps to native support with release dates not yet available. That is the extent of what Adobe publishes, so XD’s Apple silicon behaviour is recorded as unknown here rather than guessed.
Two further things are not recorded. Adobe publishes no separate price for XD on the pages Nuanyue checked, and no first-party statement about whether the application is still available to new customers. Both are left out rather than inferred.
Questions about Adobe XD
Is Adobe XD discontinued?
Adobe does not use the word discontinued in the sources Nuanyue tracks. Its XD help centre carries a maintenance-mode notice that reads, 'We want to remind you that Adobe XD continues to be in maintenance mode,' and continues that this means Adobe is not investing in new features. The application and its documentation remain in place.
Will Adobe XD get new features?
Adobe's own maintenance-mode statement says it is not investing in new features for XD. Anyone choosing a design tool on the expectation of future development should treat that statement as the answer.
Does Adobe XD run natively on Apple silicon?
Nuanyue could not establish this. Adobe publishes a list of Adobe apps that run natively on Macs with Apple silicon and a shorter list that run under Rosetta 2; XD appears on neither list, so no claim is recorded here.
Where do I get Adobe XD?
Through the Creative Cloud desktop application. Adobe's XD help documentation is written for users with a Creative Cloud membership and includes troubleshooting for the case where XD does not appear in the Creative Cloud desktop application.Developer-stated
Can I still open my existing XD files?
Yes. Adobe's XD help centre continues to document the application, including cloud documents, importing and exporting, sharing designs and prototypes, publishing web links and the mobile preview apps. What Adobe states it is no longer doing is investing in new features.
Competitors
Direct competitors: overlapping features aimed at the same users.
Figma
Collaborative interface design, prototyping and handoff.
Both are browser-and-desktop UI design and prototyping tools, but Figma is actively developed while Adobe states XD is in maintenance mode and is not investing in new features.
Sketch
Native Mac interface design and prototyping app.
Both are Mac-centred interface design tools with prototyping and developer handoff, but Sketch is a Mac-only application sold on its own licence while XD is delivered through Adobe's Creative Cloud.
Affinity Designer
Vector design studio in Affinity, now free from Canva.
Both are used for interface and layout work on macOS, but Affinity's Vector Studio is part of a free application from Canva while XD is an Adobe product that Adobe states is in maintenance mode.
Sources
Facts on this page are checked against the sources below. Last updated .
- Adobe XD — official websiteGrade B
- Adobe — developer websiteGrade B
- Adobe XD — documentationGrade C
