Figma for client feedback: what works, what doesn't, and when to switch

Figma comments are excellent for design collaboration between people who live in Figma. A fellow designer or developer can drop a comment on a frame, tag you, and the conversation happens in context. If that's your workflow, it works.

Client review is a different use case. Your client doesn't use Figma. They don't know the difference between a frame and a component. They're used to email. Asking them to leave feedback in Figma introduces friction at the exact moment you need to remove it.

What works in Figma for client feedback

• Prototypes are shareable via a public link — no Figma account required to view
• Comment mode lets non-editors drop feedback on a shared link
• Figma's presentation view is clean and doesn't expose design internals
• If the client is already a Figma user, the experience is seamless

What breaks down

The view-only link in Figma is read-only — no comments without an account. To leave a comment, your client needs to sign up for a Figma account. For many clients, that's a non-starter: another password, another email, another piece of software they don't understand.

Figma comments are also flat. There's no round concept, no approval workflow, and no formal sign-off. The client can comment on a Figma file indefinitely — there's no moment where the round is closed, the decision is on the record, and the next version starts from a stable base.

And Figma covers design only. The moment your deliverable is a website build, a video edit, a PDF brand document, or a photo gallery, Figma has no canvas for it. You're back to email for those formats.

When to keep using Figma for review

Use Figma comments when: the reviewer is a designer or developer already in your Figma workspace, the review is informal and internal, and there's no need for a formal sign-off or audit trail. That's a legitimate use case and Figma handles it well.

When to switch to a dedicated review platform

• Your client needs to review the work and you can't require them to sign up for Figma
• You need a formal approval with a timestamp and an audit trail
• The project includes video, website review, PDFs, or any non-Figma deliverable
• You're managing multiple rounds and need to track what changed between v1 and v2
• You need to prove to the client later that they approved something specific

A dedicated review platform handles these cases by design. It's not replacing Figma as your design tool — it's replacing the informal comment thread that Figma isn't built to be.