Essential Toolkit: 15 Plugins Every Figma Designer Should Install

1. Iconify

So, you're working in Figma and need some icons, right? Well, Iconify is pretty much your go-to for that. It's like this massive library of icons, all ready to be dropped into your designs. We're talking over 100 different icon sets here, with more than 100,000 individual icons. That's a lot of choices, which is great because you'll almost always find what you need.

This plugin lets you pull in icons from all sorts of popular collections, like Material Design, FontAwesome, and even various emoji sets. It's super handy for making sure your designs look consistent and professional without having to hunt around for icon files. Plus, they come in as vector shapes, so you can scale them up or down without losing any quality. It's a real time-saver, especially when you're trying to get a project done quickly.

Iconify really simplifies the whole icon-finding process. Instead of downloading icon packs and importing them manually, you just search within the plugin, pick what you like, and boom—it's in your Figma file. It's a small thing, but it makes a big difference in your workflow, letting you focus more on the actual design work.

It's not just about having a lot of icons, though. It's about having them easily accessible and ready to use. This means less fussing around with file formats or trying to convert things. It's a pretty essential tool for anyone who uses Figma regularly, whether you're building a website, an app, or just some quick mockups. And hey, if you're thinking about converting your Figma designs to code later, something like Codia AI Code - Figma to Code will appreciate clean, vector-based assets like these icons.

2. Unsplash

Unsplash, the website, has been a lifesaver for designers needing good quality stock photos. It's like a treasure chest of images, all free to use for pretty much anything you can think of, personal or commercial. So, when they made a Figma plugin, it was a pretty big deal. This plugin lets you pull those amazing Unsplash photos right into your Figma designs without ever leaving the program. It's super handy because you don't have to bounce between your browser and Figma, downloading images and then importing them. That whole process can be a real drag, especially when you're trying to keep your creative flow going.

The plugin makes adding, swapping, or just trying out different images in your design incredibly simple. You can search for something specific, like "coffee shop interior" or "mountain landscape," or just grab a random image if you're looking for inspiration. It's all about making your workflow smoother and faster, which is what any good plugin should do. It's no wonder it's one of the most downloaded plugins out there.

Here's why it's a must-have:

• Direct Access: No more downloading images to your computer first. You just open the plugin, find what you need, and boom, it's in your Figma file.
• High-Quality Images: Unsplash is known for its stunning, high-resolution photos. You won't find blurry, pixelated stuff here.
• Royalty-Free: All images come with a license that lets you use them freely, which is a huge relief when you're working on client projects or anything that might be published.
• Time-Saving: Seriously, this thing saves so much time. Imagine not having to leave Figma every time you need a placeholder image or a final hero shot. It's a game-changer.

It's a simple tool, but it does one thing really well: it brings a massive library of beautiful photos directly to your fingertips inside Figma. If you're looking for a similar experience with icons, you might want to check out the Codia official website for their icon plugin. But for photos, Unsplash is definitely the way to go.

3. Remove BG

This plugin is a real time-saver for anyone who deals with images. It lets you get rid of image backgrounds right inside Figma, which is super handy. You don't have to jump over to another app or website to do it. Just select your image, run the plugin, and boom—the background is gone. It's pretty accurate most of the time, even with tricky edges like hair or complex shapes. This means you can quickly isolate subjects for mockups, presentations, or just cleaning up assets.

It's especially useful when you're trying to keep your workflow smooth. Think about all those times you've needed a clean product shot or a person cut out from a photo. Instead of exporting, opening Photoshop, doing the work, saving, and then re-importing, you just click a button. It's a small thing, but it adds up to a lot of saved time over a project. Plus, it helps keep your Figma file tidy since you're not importing a bunch of extra, unedited images.

This tool is a must-have for designers who frequently work with image assets and need to maintain a fast pace. It simplifies a common design task, allowing you to focus more on the creative aspects of your work rather than repetitive image editing. It's a good example of how plugins can really make a difference in your daily design routine, much like how Codia AI Office - Office to Figma helps with document conversion.

Here's why it's a good idea to have it:

• Saves a lot of time on image editing.
• Keeps your design process within Figma.
• Helps maintain clean and professional-looking assets.
• Reduces the need for external software.

4. Storyset By Freepik

Storyset by Freepik is a pretty neat plugin if you're always on the hunt for illustrations. It's like having a huge library of customizable artwork right inside Figma. You can grab an illustration and then tweak it to fit your project perfectly. This plugin makes it super easy to add unique visual flair to your designs without having to draw everything from scratch.

I mean, who has time to draw every single illustration? Not me, that's for sure. This plugin just saves so much time, letting you focus on the bigger picture of your design. It's a real game-changer for speeding up your workflow, especially when you're on a tight deadline.

It's not just about dropping in a picture and calling it a day. You can really get in there and change things up. Think about it: you can adjust colors, change the style, and even mess with the background elements. It's pretty flexible.

• Customization Options:
  • Color palettes
  • Illustration styles (e.g., flat, isometric, outline)
  • Background elements
  • Character poses and expressions
• Benefits for Designers:
  • Saves a ton of time on illustration creation.
  • Provides a consistent visual style across projects.
  • Offers a wide variety of themes for different design needs.
• Integration with Workflow:
  • Directly accessible within Figma.
  • Easy drag-and-drop functionality.
  • Complements other plugins like Codia AI PDF - PDF to Figma for a complete design process.

5. Stark

Stark is a big deal for designers who want to make sure their work is usable by everyone. It's not just about looking good; it's about making sure people with different needs can actually use what you design. This plugin helps you catch accessibility problems early, before they become a headache later on. Think of it like a built-in quality control for inclusivity. It's got a bunch of tools that help you check things like color contrast, which is super important for people with vision issues. You don't want your text to blend into the background, right? Stark helps you avoid that.

It also lets you see your designs through the eyes of someone with color blindness or blurred vision. That's pretty cool because it gives you a real sense of what others might experience. Plus, it helps with things like making sure touch targets on mobile are big enough for everyone's fingers. It's a comprehensive suite, meaning it covers a lot of ground, from typography checks to making sure your designs work well with screen readers. It's a must-have if you're serious about creating designs that are truly for everyone, not just a select few. It's a different kind of tool than something like Codia AI Illustrator - Illustrator to Figma, which focuses on file conversion; Stark is all about making your designs universally usable.

6. Mockuuups Studio

When you're designing, everything looks great in your head. But then you try to show it to someone, and it just doesn't quite hit the same. That's where mockups come in handy. They let you see what your design will actually look like in the real world, on a device, or in a specific setting. Mockuuups Studio is a Figma plugin that makes creating these mockups super easy. It's got a huge library of scenes, so you can quickly drop your design into a phone, a laptop, or even a billboard, and get a realistic preview.

This plugin is a lifesaver for designers who need to quickly visualize their work in context. It saves a ton of time compared to trying to create these scenes from scratch, and it helps you spot potential issues with your design before it goes too far.

Here's why Mockuuups Studio is a good pick:

• Lots of Scenes: It has over 600 different scenes to choose from, so you're bound to find something that fits your project.
• Instant Previews: You can see your design in the mockup right away, which is great for quick iterations.
• Organized Library: The scenes are well-organized, making it simple to find what you need.
• Device Variety: It includes a wide range of device types, from smartphones to desktops, all in one place.

While tools like Codia AI DesignGen - Prompt to UI are great for generating initial UI concepts, Mockuuups Studio takes those concepts and puts them into a real-world context, helping you present your work professionally. It's all about making your designs look their best and helping others understand your vision.

7. Charts

This plugin is a lifesaver for anyone who needs to visualize data directly within their Figma files. It lets you generate various chart types and then tweak them right there, without jumping to another program. It's pretty handy for making sure your data presentations look good and are consistent with the rest of your design.

You know, sometimes you just need to show some numbers in a way that makes sense, and doing it all in one place saves a ton of time. No more exporting, importing, and then realizing the colors are off. This plugin just keeps things smooth.

When you're working with data, you often need different ways to show it. This plugin has a good selection:

• Line charts: Great for showing trends over time.
• Bar charts: Good for comparing different categories.
• Pie charts: Useful for showing parts of a whole.
• Scatter plots: Helps visualize relationships between two variables.

One of the best things about this plugin is how it handles data. You can just copy and paste data from a spreadsheet, like Excel or Google Sheets, right into it. Or, if you're feeling fancy, you can even connect it to live data sources. This means your charts can update automatically if your data changes, which is pretty neat. For designers who need to integrate data visualizations, the Highcharts Core plugin offers a robust solution.

Here's a quick look at some common chart types and their typical uses:

Chart Type	Primary Use Case	Example Data
Line	Trends over time	Website traffic per month
Bar	Comparison of categories	Sales figures by product category
Pie	Proportions of a whole	Market share of different companies
Scatter	Relationship between variables	Student study hours vs. exam scores

8. Content Reel

Content Reel is a plugin that lets you quickly add text, images, and icons to your Figma designs. It's a real time-saver when you're trying to fill out layouts without having to manually type in placeholder text or search for stock photos. You can pull from existing content libraries or even create your own custom content to share with others.

This plugin is a lifesaver for anyone who needs to populate designs with realistic data. It cuts down on repetitive tasks and helps you focus on the actual design work, not just finding content.

What is Content Reel?

Content Reel is essentially a content library built right into Figma. It gives you access to a variety of pre-made content types, making it easy to populate your designs with realistic data. Think of it as a shortcut for filling in all those text fields and image placeholders.

How to use Content Reel

Using Content Reel is pretty straightforward. Here's a quick rundown:

• Select your layer: First, pick the text layer, image frame, or icon placeholder you want to fill.
• Open Content Reel: Go to your plugins menu in Figma and select Content Reel.
• Choose your content: Browse through the categories like names, dates, images, or icons. You can also search for specific types of content.
• Apply content: Click on the content you want, and it will automatically populate your selected layer. You can also drag and drop content directly onto your canvas.

Benefits of Content Reel

This plugin offers several advantages for designers:

• Saves time: No more manually typing placeholder text or searching for images.
• Realistic data: Helps your designs look more authentic with real-world content.
• Consistency: Ensures uniform content across your designs.
• Collaboration: You can create and share your own content sets with your team.
• Focus on design: Lets you concentrate on the layout and user experience rather than content generation.

It's a great tool for speeding up your workflow, especially when you're working on projects that require a lot of dummy data. While it doesn't directly relate to "Codia AI Screenshot - Screenshot to Design," Content Reel complements any design process by making content population much more efficient.

9. Palette

When you're knee-deep in a design project, the last thing you want to do is waste time hunting for the perfect color. That's where the Palette plugin comes in handy. It's a real game-changer for managing and applying colors in Figma, making the whole process much smoother.

This plugin acts like a central hub for all your color needs, letting you create, import, and organize color swatches with just a few clicks. It really helps keep your creative flow going without any annoying interruptions. You can pull colors from all sorts of places, like Dribbble or Adobe Color, which is pretty neat for expanding your options.

It’s pretty wild how much easier Palette makes color management. It just streamlines everything, letting you focus on the actual design instead of getting bogged down in the details of color selection. It’s one of those tools that you don’t realize you need until you start using it, and then you can’t imagine working without it.

Here’s why Palette is a must-have for any designer:

• Effortless Color Organization: Keep all your color schemes neatly arranged and accessible.
• Quick Application: Apply colors to your designs in a snap, saving tons of time.
• Broad Compatibility: Import colors from various external platforms, giving you more creative freedom.
• Intuitive Interface: It’s super easy to use, even if you’re new to Figma plugins.

10. Aspect Ratio

This plugin is a real lifesaver for keeping your designs looking sharp and proportional. It helps you resize elements without stretching or squishing them, which is super important for a clean, professional look. You know how sometimes you drag a corner and suddenly your perfect circle is an oval? This plugin stops that from happening. It's all about maintaining those correct proportions, especially when you're working on designs for different screen sizes or platforms.

It's not just about making things look good; it's about making them function correctly across various devices. Imagine an icon that looks great on a desktop but is distorted on a phone. This plugin helps you avoid those kinds of headaches.

When to use:

• When you're making responsive versions of your designs, ensuring images and other elements scale correctly across different screen sizes.
• When you're prepping graphics for social media, where each platform has its own specific aspect ratio needs.
• When you're creating print-ready images and need to guarantee that everything, from photos to text, stays perfectly proportioned.
• When you're designing icons and want to make sure they look consistent and sharp on every device.

It's a simple tool, but it makes a big difference in the final product. Think of it as your personal assistant for keeping everything perfectly aligned and scaled. It's way easier than trying to eyeball it or doing a bunch of math in your head. And hey, if you're ever moving designs between platforms, like from Codia AI Canva - Canva to Figma, maintaining aspect ratios becomes even more critical for a smooth transition.

11. AEUX

AEUX is a Figma plugin that lets you send your designs straight into After Effects. It's a real time-saver because you don't have to manually export and import files. This plugin makes it easy to move your work from Figma to After Effects, keeping all your layers and groups intact.

It's like having a direct line between your design and animation tools. No more fiddling with file formats or losing elements in translation. It just works, and that's a huge plus when you're trying to get things done quickly.

When you use AEUX, your designs show up in After Effects just as you made them in Figma. This means:

• All your layers are there, ready to be animated.
• Groups stay grouped, so you don't have to reorganize everything.
• Artboards are preserved, making it simple to work with multiple screens or states.

This plugin is especially handy for designers who need to create motion graphics or animated prototypes. It cuts down on a lot of the repetitive tasks that usually come with moving files between different software. For instance, if you're working on a new app interface and want to show how buttons animate, AEUX handles the transfer smoothly. You can even export your Figma animations as GIFs or MP4s, which is great for sharing with clients or your team. If you're running into issues with other plugins, like Lokalise connection problems, AEUX offers a more stable transfer for animation work.

12. Figma GPT

Figma GPT brings the power of AI language models right into your design environment, making it easier to generate text and ideas without leaving Figma. It's like having a super-smart writing assistant always on standby. You can use it for all sorts of things, from coming up with catchy headlines to drafting entire paragraphs of body copy. It really helps cut down on the back-and-forth between different apps.

It's pretty cool how this plugin lets you customize the AI's responses. You can tweak parameters to get exactly what you need, whether it's a more formal tone or something super casual. It's not just about generating text either; it can help with proofreading and even translating content, which is a huge time-saver for global projects.

Here are some ways designers use Figma GPT:

• Content Generation: Quickly create headlines, taglines, product descriptions, and UX copy.
• Idea Brainstorming: Get fresh ideas for design concepts or content themes.
• Text Refinement: Proofread existing text for grammar and clarity, or translate it into other languages.
• Code Assistance: Generate or complete code snippets, which is handy for designers who also dabble in development.
• Image to SVG Conversion: Tools like Codia AI VectorMagic - Image to SVG can be integrated, allowing you to turn raster images into scalable vector graphics with AI assistance, directly within Figma.

13. Pixel Perfect

So, you're working in Figma, right? And sometimes, you get those weird decimal values for your layer positions or sizes. Like, 150.25 pixels instead of a nice, clean 150. It happens to the best of us, especially if you forget to turn on "Snap to Pixel Grid" at the start. That's where Pixel Perfect comes in. This plugin is basically your digital cleanup crew, making sure everything lines up perfectly on the pixel grid.

It's pretty straightforward to use. You just select the layers you want to fix, and the plugin does its thing. If you select a frame or a group, it'll even go through all the stuff inside it, which is super handy. It just rounds everything to whole numbers, so your designs look crisp and sharp, no blurry edges or misalignments.

It's easy to overlook the small details when you're in the flow of designing, but those tiny misalignments can really add up and make a design feel a bit off. A tool that handles that grunt work automatically lets you focus on the bigger picture, which is always a win.

Now, usually, Pixel Perfect won't mess with the anchor points of vector shapes. But if you're feeling adventurous, there's an option to turn that on, and then it'll adjust those too. It's all about getting that perfect, pixel-aligned look. And hey, if you're ever thinking about converting your Photoshop designs to Figma, tools like Codia AI Psd2Figma - Photoshop to Figma can help bridge that gap, and then Pixel Perfect can ensure everything is, well, pixel perfect once it's in Figma.

When to use:

• When you've been moving things around a lot and suspect some layers might be off-grid.
• Before handing off designs to developers, to make sure everything is super precise.
• After importing assets or designs from other tools, like if you're using something like Codia AI Psd2Figma - Photoshop to Figma and want to ensure everything is aligned perfectly in Figma.
• Anytime you want to guarantee your design elements are perfectly snapped to the pixel grid for a clean, professional look.

14. Random Name Generator

This plugin is a real time-saver for designers who need to populate their mockups with realistic-looking data. It helps you quickly fill text layers with random names, making your designs feel more authentic without you having to manually type out dozens of different names. You can either select existing text layers and have the plugin replace their content, or you can tell it to create new text layers, each with a unique random name. It's a small detail, but it really helps bring your designs to life and makes them feel more personalized.

When you're building out user interfaces, especially for things like social media feeds, contact lists, or comment sections, having diverse names makes a big difference. It moves your design from a generic wireframe to something that looks like a real application, which is super helpful for presentations or user testing.

Here's how it can streamline your workflow:

• Quickly populate user profiles or contact lists.
• Generate placeholder names for dynamic content areas.
• Add a human touch to your design prototypes.

This tool is especially useful when you're trying to simulate a user experience and need to show how different users might interact with your product. It saves you the hassle of coming up with names on the fly or copying and pasting from a list. For example, if you're designing a social media app, you can use the Random Name Generator to fill out a feed with various user names, making the prototype feel much more alive.

15. Tinify

Tinify is a Figma plugin that helps you compress and optimize images. It works with all sorts of image formats, like WEBP, JPG, and PNG. This plugin is super useful for designers who need to make their image files smaller without losing quality. Smaller image files mean faster page loading times, better site performance, and lower bandwidth costs. You can even pick how much you want to compress, the quality, and the biggest file size you're okay with. This gives you a lot of control over the whole compression process, so you can make it fit exactly what you need.

When you're building out designs, especially for the web, every kilobyte counts. Optimizing images isn't just about making things load faster; it's about making sure your users have a smooth experience. Nobody likes waiting for images to pop up, and a slow site can really turn people off. Plus, if you're working with a lot of images, those file sizes can add up quickly, so keeping them lean is a smart move.

When to use:

• When you're trying to make your website load faster by optimizing images, but you still want them to look good.
• When you need to save storage space on your users' devices by compressing images.
• When you're making graphics for social media and want them to load quickly and look sharp on different platforms.
• When you're working on a project that involves a lot of images, like a portfolio or an e-commerce site, and you need to manage file sizes efficiently.
• When you're preparing designs for development and want to hand off optimized assets to the developers, ensuring a smooth workflow and better performance for the final product. This is especially important when considering tools like Codia AI Web2Figma - HTML to Design, where optimized assets contribute to a more efficient conversion process.

Tinify helps you make your images smaller without losing quality. This means your website will load faster, which is great for your visitors! Want to see how much faster your site can be? Check out our website to learn more about how Tinify can help you.