Design
Figma for a Design Team in Russia: Work Around It or Migrate
The question is not which tool is better in a vacuum, but what happens to a client’s project if access disappears mid-work.
In short
For a team continuing to work in Figma through workaround access, the main risk is not inconvenience but project continuity: losing access mid-sprint stops the entire team at once. Fully migrating to Penpot, Pixso or another alternative removes this risk, but costs time migrating existing files and getting the team up to speed, and some collaboration functionality in the alternatives still lags Figma. The decision comes down to what costs more for a specific team: a one-off migration cost, or the risk of a full work stoppage at an unpredictable moment.
How this question differs from an ordinary "tool choice"
Figma-alternative round-ups written for the global market compare tools on functionality, components, auto-layout, plugins, co-editing. These are real criteria, but for a Russian team they are secondary to a question global round-ups never ask: what happens to current projects and the team’s access if restrictions tighten at a moment that cannot be predicted in advance.
Two options, and their real cost
| Parameter | Working around restrictions | Migrating to an alternative |
|---|---|---|
| Cost now | Minimal — the team keeps working as before | Time to migrate files and train the team |
| Work-stoppage risk | Real, unpredictable in timing | Removed |
| Functionality | Full, unchanged | Some collaboration features still weaker |
| Handing off a project to a client without Figma | Problematic if the client also lacks access | Direct, no extra conditions |
The risk rarely named: handing the project to the client
A design team can solve its own access problem via VPN or other workarounds, but that does not solve the client’s problem, who may not have the same workarounds set up or any wish to set them up. The final handoff of mockups, source files and edit rights to a client who physically cannot open Figma is a real operational risk, worth discussing at the start of the project, not at the moment of delivering the final milestone.
Penpot and Pixso: how they differ from each other
Penpot is an open-source project that can be self-hosted on a company’s own infrastructure, which removes the dependency-on-a-foreign-service question entirely, but requires technical resources to maintain the instance. Pixso is a cloud service closer to Figma in interface and workflow, which lowers the team’s learning curve, but keeps some of the same dependency on foreign cloud infrastructure availability that the migration was meant to solve.
How to decide without waiting for a crisis
A practical approach is not a sudden, all-at-once team migration, but a parallel pilot project on an alternative while the main workflow continues in Figma. This gives the team real experience with the new tool at low stakes, before deciding on a full switch under the pressure of an access failure that has already happened, when there will be no time left for a calm evaluation of alternatives.
Frequently asked questions
Should a team switch away from Figma right now?
It depends on the team’s tolerance for work-stoppage risk: if losing access mid-project is unacceptable, migrating or at least running a parallel pilot on an alternative is justified now. If the team can absorb a temporary pause, continuing to work in Figma with workaround access remains a viable option.
What is the difference between Penpot and Pixso?
Penpot is open-source and can be self-hosted, which fully removes dependency on a foreign service, but needs technical resources to maintain. Pixso is a cloud service closer to Figma’s interface and easier for a team to pick up, but keeps some of the same dependency the migration was meant to solve.
What about handing off a project to a client with no Figma access?
Discuss it at the start of the project, not at final delivery. If the client has no workaround access set up, it is worth agreeing in advance on a handoff format for mockups and source files that the client can actually open and edit.
How can an alternative be tested without risking current projects?
Run a parallel, low-stakes pilot project on the alternative while the main workflow continues in Figma. This gives the team real hands-on experience with the new tool before a full-switch decision has to be made in a rush under the pressure of an access failure that has already happened.
Need a hand with this?
We do this work, not just write about it. Describe the task and we will scope it and send a staged estimate.
Related services
- UX/UI design for websites and appsWe design interfaces that survive contact with production: research, structure, UI kit and a clean handoff to the developers. Everything lives in Figma as components with real states and real breakpoints, not as a folder of flat mockups. The same process covers landing pages, corporate sites, e-commerce, web apps and mobile.
- IT consulting and product auditThe most expensive mistakes in software happen before the first line of code: a misread problem, a stack chosen out of a contractor’s habit, and a specification that does not exist. Consulting exists to settle all of that before the development meter starts running: what to build, out of what, at what cost and in which order. The result is a document, not an opinion on a call.
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