None of these applications have advanced vector tools like Adobe Illustrator or Affinity Designer. You get only simple tools: rectangle, ellipse, polygon, and freeform vector drawing. Plus logical ways to combine shapes. In most interface design cases, this will be enough.
That doesn’t mean you can’t create complex vector images in these applications. The images below show what each application is capable of, if you’re willing to take the time to learn all the tools and features.
Sketch has been a staple design tool for several years now, and I never felt the need to turn to Adobe Illustrator to create the icons and random illustrations I needed for my projects. You have the usual rectangle, ellipse and polygon shapes, a Bézier tool for everything else, and even an Arbitrary Shape Line tool that probably only makes sense when using a tablet/stylus.
Figma has an edge in this area due to what they call “vector grids”. If you’ve ever used Adobe Flash for drawing, this will seem very familiar. Rather than try to describe it, I’ll just show you what it does….
The shape tools also seem to be a step ahead of Sketch. Ellipses can now easily be used to create ring diagrams. Rectangle corners can be dragged to set the corner radius without paying attention to the Properties panel.
Adobe XD lags behind in this area, as it doesn’t even have a Polygon tool at this point. You also can’t align individual Bézier nodes on a curve or change the roundness of those nodes, something we use very often to create smooth line graphs on dashboards.
Once you’ve added elements to your design, all three applications allow you to group them, place them above or below each other, align and distribute selected objects evenly, etc.
An outstanding feature of XD is the Repeat grid. It allows you to create a single item and repeat it in a list or grid, with each duplicate having similar properties but unique content. Figma has Smart selection. Instead of specifying a list or grid view, Figma allows you to select a group of items that are already a list or grid and then organize them by evenly distributing and easily sorting them using drag and drop.
While neither application can match the power of Illustrator or Affinity Designer when it comes to illustration, they provide an adequate set of drawing tools for everyday interface design. Figma’s vector tools surpass Sketch and XD in terms of flexibility.