11 Amazing Figma Plugins and How to Use Them Effectively

Figma has emerged as one of the most popular cloud-based UI/UX design tools for designers. This platform is the most popular for creating website layouts due to its user-friendly design. Aside from its user-friendly interface, Figma includes various plugins that make it simple to use.

Figma plugins can help designers save time, reduce repetitive work, and add a creative touch to the design process. Additionally, these plugins can help you with everything from creating dummy material to searching for icons and testing accessibility.

This article will explain in detail about Figma plugins, the recommendation list, and how to implement them to enhance productivity and design quality. Let’s get into it!

What are Figma Plugins?

Figma plugins are add-ons or extensions planted in Figma to add certain functionalities outside the features of Figma. These plugins are made by communities or independent developers. They will share the plugins through Figma Community so that the users can install them. Some plugins are free, while some others require subscriptions. 

Plugins’ main function is to enhance the Figma application by automating tasks, adding new features, and integrating with other applications. In other words, plugins serve as a digital assistant, allowing designers to work faster, more organized, and more efficiently.

How to Access and Install Figma Plugins

Step 1: Open Figma Plugin Panel 

• Open your Figma (whether in the application or in a browser)
• For browser users, click right on the design area, and then choose the “Plugins” menu and select “Manage Plugins.” Meanwhile, in the application, users can go to the toolbar area and then choose the “Plugins” menu. 
• Choose “Plugins & widgets” to access the available plugins or explore the plugins in the community. 

Step 2: Explore and Install the Plugin from Figma Community

• To open Figma Community, you can go to the home dashboard and choose “Template and Tools” and then select “From Community.”
• Use the search column to find the plugins you need or explore the available categories. 
• After finding the plugin you need, click the “Run” or “Save” button to add it to your Figma account. 

Step 3: Run the Plugin

After saving the plugin, follow these steps to run it:

• For those who use browsers, click right on the canvas, choose the “Plugins” menu, and select the plugin name in the “Saved Plugins” area to run it. 
• If you use the Figma application, you can go to the toolbar in the top part, choose “Plugins,” and choose the plugin you want to run.

Step 4: Erase the Plugin

• First, go to the manage plugin menu. For browser users, right-click on the canvas, select “Plugins,” and then choose “Manage Plugins.” For application users, you can also access “Manage Plugins” through the toolbar menu at the top.
• Hover the cursor over the plugin you want to remove, click the three-dot icon, then select “Remove.” The plugin will be removed from you.

11 Best Figma Plugins for You

We will delve into 11 of the best Figma plugins you can find in the community and their details, functions, and main features. These plugins offer various features, including content management, search enhancement, asset addition, and accessibility tests. Those are as follows:

Content Reel

The first plugin on the list is Content Reel. This is one of Microsoft Design’s Figma plugins. Designers can use Content Reel to insert dummy content, like names, addresses, avatars, icons, and other elements, straight into their designs. This plugin is extremely beneficial not just for mockup designs but also for testing them with data that simulates real-world settings. Furthermore, this plugin addresses frequently missing edge cases when using “lorem ipsum.”

The main features of Content Reel:

• This plugin automatically fills placeholder content to fasten the workflow. 
• It provides various realistic data like names, addresses, icons, and avatars automatically. 
• Content Reel makes it possible for the creation of special content libraries (such as product or service names) to maintain consistency in the whole design project.
• This plugin supports layout and design tests with variative data, ensuring the design is flexible and responsive. 

Unsplash

The Unsplash plugin brings millions of high-quality images directly into Figma. This plugin was created directly by Unsplash itself, making it official. Images can be directly pasted into frames or shapes within Figma, making it more practical than having to download them manually.

The main features of Unsplash:

• It saves designers’ time by providing direct access to images within Figma.
• Unsplash gives access to thousands of high-quality, copyright-free photos.
• This plugin provides access to a diverse collection of images, ranging from landscapes to products to lifestyle.

Blush

Next is Blush. This is one of the Figma plugins that focuses on vector illustration. The vector illustration from this plugin allows for customization, like changing colors, hairstyles, clothing, or characters’ expressions. 

The main features of Blush:

• Blush provides various illustration styles from various professional illustrators. 
• This plugin provides customizable illustration assets that align with your brand identity. 
• It has two output formats: PNG and SVG. This feature makes it possible for the users to choose according to their needs.

Iconify

This plugin offers more than a hundred vector-based icons from popular libraries like Material Design, Font Awesome, and Feather Icons. Iconify is an open-source plugin, making it possible to use icons directly in your Figma design file for free.

The main features of Iconify:

• Iconify provides 100k+ icons from popular libraries. 
• This plugin makes it possible for users to search for icons using the keyword in the plugin, saving your time and energy. 
• It makes it possible for icon customization, especially the color and size of the icons. 
• This plugin is free and open-source, ensuring its users can use it without worrying about the cost and usage scope.

Icons8

Similar to Iconify, Icons8 is a Figma plugin that also provides direct access to thousands of icons. However, in addition to icons, this plugin also provides illustrations and photos, which are license-free from the Icons8 platform. All these assets can be used to enhance the interface design without having to leave Figma.

The main features of the Icons8 plugin:

• The icon collection is very extensive, covering various styles (flat, outline, glyph, and doodle).
• Icons8 provides many assets besides icons, such as stock photos and original illustrations from the Icons8 platform itself.
• It offers customization features such as recoloring the icon colors, which makes the design feel more personal.

Autoflow 

Autoflow is a Figma plugin that aims to help create a user flow. Users can choose two frames they want to connect, and Autoflow will automatically draw a connecting arrow. As a result, this plugin is ideal for demonstrating the user flow or the application’s navigation flow. 

The main features of Autoflow:

• Autoflow saves time when creating flowchart diagrams for various needs. 
• This plugin automatically creates a flow, making everything quicker and neater. 
• It is flexible and easy for flow customization, like changing the direction from vertical to horizontal and vice versa. 
• Autoflow is responsive with an adaptive connecting arrow. Additionally, it can adjust position and container/rectangle sizes. 
• This plugin maintains layout design consistency, especially in the complex component and system of a design.

Remove BG

Next on this list of best Figma plugins is Remove BG. This plugin offers a feature to remove a picture background with just one click without redirecting to another software. Remove BG saves time and energy for designers. However, before using it, users need to set API keys. The following are the steps to install API keys:

• Open the plugin “Remove BG,” and in the “Manage Plugins” menu, select “Set API keys.”
• To obtain API keys, users need to login on the Remove BG website. 
• After getting it, you only need to add the plugin and run it. 

The main features of Remove BG:

• This plugin is integrated with Figma, so users can remove the picture background without having to go to another application. 
• The result is neat and precise, as Remove BG uses advanced AI technology to process images, making them HD. 
• Remove BG enhances productivity and efficiency in the designer’s workflow. By using this plugin, designers no longer need to do repetitive work like removing backgrounds.

Color Palettes

Color Palettes is one of the Figma plugins that helps designers create, manage, and apply color schemes more efficiently in a design project. Users can create their color palette according to color theory, extract colors from a picture, save color libraries, and use those colors for various designs easily. 

The main features of Color Palettes:

• This plugin makes it easy to choose color, as it provides a collection of ready-to-use color palettes. 
• Color Palettes allow you to extract colors directly from a picture.
• You can get a consistent color in your design with an organized palette offered by this plugin.

Figmap – Map Maker

As the name suggests, this plugin functions to create maps instantly. Figmap—Map Maker instantly loads map images taken from Mapbox (a digital map platform). Additionally, users can customize their map’s properties, including latitude, longitude, zoom, bearing, and pitch, directly within Figma using the settings provided by this plugin.

The main features of Figmap -Map Maker:

• There are many map styles, from the plugin’s built-in options or customization through Mapbox Studio. Allows designers to customize the map’s appearance to match the design style.
• This plugin has complete control over display details, from position, zoom level, and rotation to perspective, making the map more attractive and aesthetic.
• This plugin allows users to load GPX files (which usually contain data on tracks, routes, or waypoints), enabling designers to easily create interactive maps.

Brandfetch

And then there is Brandfetch, one of the Figma plugins that can take logos, colors, and visual identity assets instantly just by entering the brand’s name or the website URL. This plugin is incredibly efficient in quickening the work, especially in projects like mockup creation, presentations, or e-commerce app prototypes that require certain assets quickly. 

The main features of Brandfetch:

• It is quick and accurate, making it easy for users to get assets without having to search manually. 
• This plugin provides not only logos but also other information for visual identity that is relevant to a brand. 
• Brandfetch uses the official assets of a reference brand, ensuring accuracy and high quality. 

Typescale

Typescale is a Figma plugin that makes it easy for designers to create a consistent text size scale (modular typographic scale) so that the design appearance looks harmonious and aesthetic. Its use is easy; designers just need to choose a base text along with the initial size, then set the desired number of size levels, and the plugin will automatically generate a harmonious and consistent typographic hierarchy.

Advantages of Typescale:

• Typescale saves time; designers only need to choose a base text along with its size, and the plugin will automatically provide hierarchical variations.
• Typescale makes visuals look harmonious and consistent with regular and esthetic font sizes.
• It has full control over typography size; designers are free to determine text sizes (e.g., 40 pt, 32 pt, 26 pt) according to the project’s needs.

Tips in Choosing the Right Plugins 

With thousands of available plugins in Figma Community, choosing ones that fit your needs might be challenging. That’s why we offer some tips to determine which plugins are the most suitable ones for you. 

Choose according to your design workflow.

Choose Figma plugins that you truly need in your daily design work; for example, to create dummy content, use Content Reel, or to add icons, use Iconify or Icons8. Avoid installing plugins haphazardly; focus on usefulness and relevance to keep your workspace tidy.

Check the rating and numbers of users. 

Popular plugins usually have many positive reviews and are “liked” by thousands of users, indicating that the plugin is stable, reliable, and frequently updated. You can use this as a consideration when choosing a plugin.

Pay attention to the latest update time.

Ensure that the creators of Figma plugins are still actively developing them. Outdated plugins may no longer be compatible with the current version of Figma. Sometimes, such plugins can also potentially have bugs and even damage your project.

Test some alternatives.

For every type of plugin we need, there are definitely many alternative plugins that can be used; for example, for icons, there are Iconify and Icons8. You can try both to see which one suits your working style better or which one is more efficient to use.

Consider team integration. 

If working in a team, it is important not only to use plugins that support collaboration but also to establish standard guidelines for their selection. This is useful for maintaining a consistent workflow and ensuring that all team members use the same plugin for similar tasks.

Figma Plugins to Optimize Design Productivity

Using Figma plugins does not only quicken the workflow, but it is also about enhancing the overall quality of the design. By choosing various plugins like content, illustration, color, and typography scale management, designers have a complete system to finish their projects more quickly and efficiently.

The best way to test Figma plugins is to use them yourself. So download the most suitable plugins for your needs, apply them in your workflow, and feel how designing becomes easier, quicker, and more fun.

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