Unclear Figma billing practices

Chiming in to mirror the community’s surprise and anger over billing practices. It’s so unclear, and it feels like an intentional “dark pattern”. As a system it just doesn’t make sense that two paid subscribers to a software would have to pay MORE to work together, and that the amount would differ depending on where the files originate. Barring a change there, y’all should at least have a clear warning every time an editor is added that billing will be affected. Insane. This model kind of works for agencies, and totally unfairly penalizes freelancers.

Also everyone here PLEASE VOTE FOR THIS TOPIC at the top of the page… and maybe post about it on social… that’s the only way it’ll get any real attention

This is total nonsense. As an agency, I have clients who have their own paid licenses, but if we share a file with their designers then those designers are added to my account and I’m paying for them? Also with no warning to accept the additional charges, or add an additional seat. It feels VERY intentionally grey and dishonest to double, triple, quadruple etc. charge for these services and should be called what it is: total bull$hit. Fix it, Figma.

Sharing and Billing on Figma:

Figma has two main billing plans: Professional and Team. Professional is for a single user, while Team allows you to add multiple people.
On the Professional plan, anyone you invite to view or edit your Figma file counts as a paid seat unless they are designated as a viewer with specific limitations set by you. This can lead to surprise charges if you aren’t careful.
Here are some things you can do to avoid future charges:

Switch to the Team plan if you need to collaborate with multiple people. This plan gives you more control over billing and allows you to set viewer permissions.
Be mindful of who you invite to edit your files. If you only need someone to view your work, make sure to set their permissions to viewer and restrict editing capabilities.
Keep track of your team members. Figma allows you to see who has access to your files and their permission levels. This helps you identify if someone has been given editing access unintentionally.
Figma’s billing practices are outlined in their Help Center https://help.figma.com/hc/en-us/articles/360050602593-Guide-to-billing-at-Figma. It might be worth reviewing this to learn more about how their plans and permissions work.

Alternatives to Figma:

There are several design collaboration tools available, some with different billing models. Here are a few options to explore:

Adobe XD: A popular choice from Adobe with similar functionalities to Figma.
genio: A well-established design tool, particularly popular for Apple users.
InVision: A prototyping tool that also offers design collaboration features.
These tools all have their own strengths and weaknesses, so it’s worth trying them out to see which one best suits your needs.

Hey @Dakoe, sorry to ask but, are you a Figma employee? Or is it just your personal opinion to recommend different tools?

I’ve been paying $15USD / month on a professional plan, and last month Figma sent me an email saying that I’ve been moved to a team plan… didn’t think much of it until today when I received a charge on my card for $264USD/month. That’s $400 in Australian dollars. No warning, no explanation. And the link to “manage billing” just takes you to the Project Boards. WTF Happened.

The fact that you need a tutorial to explain where the money go (2 years after this thread started) makes it obvious that this is a very shady practice. Hiding the admin tab so well only confirms this is on purpose.
Once I’ve paid for my seat, my collaborators also own their own license, taxing all of us again makes it close to stealing…

Its just insane that if you invite a user that already has a license that you get charged additionally in your team. Figma please reconsider.

Evil and disgusting

We both have paid accounts to work on our own projects, but if I want to invite my associate to collaborate on a project together, then I need to pay for another seat for him? This makes no sense at all and is scummy, to say the least.