Free Figma Alternative Plugins for Dev Mode

Ravi Desai
Yudiz Solutions
Published in
4 min readFeb 8, 2024

Figma introduced Dev Mode to reduce barricades between Designers and Developers. Figma stresses that they are no longer for designers alone, but now they offer interesting benefits for the developers too. The core version of Figma is undergoing the transition from beta to Dev Mode.

This is especially helpful for the developers in making their work easier. Developer notes can be easily viewed by devs now, instead of going through the trouble of manual measurements and callouts by designers themselves. This is facilitated by the introduction of annotations in Dev Mode.

As a valuable feature, Dev Mode is only available to paid users and is not accessible to free ones. Nonetheless, developers can still have a look at code inside Figma and draw potential development ideas from it.

To further assist developers, below are some helpful plugins that are not only free but also accessible to free users:

1. Export Kit

Explore Kit is a Figma plugin that enables you to turn your designs into functioning websites, mobile apps, and desktop apps in an instant. Export Kit allows for the easy copying of code from Figma either layer by layer or elements selected individually. This ground-breaking tool makes coding easier than ever before. It is as simple as clicking a button to transform your Figma creations into live websites or applications

2. Figma to Code

Figma-to-Code transforms your responsive Figma arrangements to HTML or Tailwind web pages and Flutter or SwiftUI mobile apps while respecting the essence of their original conceptions like nothing else can. Our innovative methodology strategically maintains alignment and preserves layout integrity throughout every conversion step, enhancing productivity without sacrificing project sincerity.

It’s a free and open-source plugin without any in-app purchases. This plugin allows you to create code that is accurate and elegant, meeting the highest design and programming criteria.

3. HtmlGenerator

The HTMLGenerator plugin, which can render any selection as HTML with its CSS attached, helps in speeding up your conversion process. The resultant output is intelligently indented and spaced for you into a code snippet that is ready to be used, which can be copied and pasted easily. This tool aims at simplifying your workflow to make a faster transition from design to HTML. Simplify your coding tasks and increase productivity with HtmlGenerator.

4. Structure

The Structure plugin enables you to generate HTML and SASS code directly from Figma designs. You can instantly create the code by clicking on inspect after selecting an item whether it’s an object, component, frame, or anything else. This streamlined approach allows for easy extraction of code structure that seamlessly integrates into the development workflow. Save time and improve accuracy in your coding process with the Structure plugin.

5. React Native Styling Inspector

React Native Styling Inspector will save you hours while generating styling code for React Native projects. When developing the React Native applications, select any object on Canvas, and this plug-in will produce React Native-style code for it automatically. Optimize your developer experience by using React Native Styler when working on React Native projects so that they are consistent from one screen to another. Style without sweat quickens your pace on React Native. BTW, guys React Native is one of the best framework that makes cross platform web development easy for users. Its a gateway for you to make the maintain a consistent UI/UX directly affecting your website’s engagement rate and unique impressions. And if you are looking to build a website, you can hire react native developers from a reliable and experienced service provider and it will make a huge difference for your business.

Conclusion

I hope the above-mentioned plugins are beneficial for you. If there are any helpful tips that I might have missed, I would appreciate your comments. Feel free to discuss and suggest additional tips to include in the list. Your input is valuable!

Written By: Ravi Desai

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