The Best UX Tools Employers Look For in 2025

We analysed 150 job descriptions to find out which UX tools employers look for the most.

Data & Methodology

• 150 unique job listings, all coming from the UI & UX Designer Jobs Board.

• Job titles include UI/UX Designer, UX Designer, Product Designer & Head/Lead Designer.

• Of those listings, 50 were for junior designers, 50 for mid-level, and 50 for senior.

• We count how frequently the name of a UX tool, e.g. Figma, AdobeXD or Sketch appears in the job description.

• The data was analysed using a mix of manual inspection & Python.

• Of the 150 job descriptions, 51 did not have the name of any tool. The analysis is focused on the 99 job listings that mentioned at least a single tool.

The Tools Employers Mention The Most

The top 10 most in-demand UX tools are:

1. Figma

2. Adobe Suite

3. Sketch

4. Photoshop

5. Illustrator

6. Adobe XD

7. Miro

8. Invision

9. Principle

10. Figjam

Figma, 95 mentions

To no surprise, Figma ranks number one, mentined in 95 out of 99 possible listings. This is about three times as much as the second tool on the list.

This is likely due to Figma being web-based, making it easy for design teams to collaborate. Its generous free plan also helps with adoption. Lastly, Figma clearly spend a lot of effort in community building- just look at Figma Config.

Adobe Suite, 30 mentions

The Adobe Creative Suite appeared in a total of 30 job listings. Interestingly, all Adobe products (Suite, Photoshop, Illustrator)appeared in 46 unique job descriptions, much less than Figma.

Sketch, 23 mentions

Sketch comes in at third place, with 23 mentions. Sketch is an odd one as, on one hand, it's only available on Mac, and only via a desktop app. This makes it a lot more accessible than a tool like Figma.

On the other hand, its Enterprise plan is considered to be one of the most secure, making it appealing for large organisations.

Photoshop, 15 mentions

Photoshop remains a staple for UX designers, especially when high-fidelity visual assets or image manipulation are required. Its extensive feature set allows designers to craft detailed graphics that can complement UI workflows.

Illustrator, 14 mentions

Illustrator, ranked fifth, tends to have niche use for UX Designers. It mostly shines in vector-based design work, such as icons and illustrations.

Adobe XD, 8 mentions

Adobe XD being so far being Figma comes in as a surprise. Though the sample size is small, this could indicate XD is losing market share.

Perhaps this is why Adobe was so interested in acquiring Figma?

Miro, 6 mentions

Miro is the first whiteboarding tool we see on the list. Its flexible whiteboard approach makes it popular in remote-first teams.

Invision, Principle, Figjam

Invision, Principle and Figjam appreared very infrequently. This indicates these tools are supplemental, or nice-to-have, rather than mandatory.

The Impact of Job Seniority on Tools

Senior jobs mention tools less frequently. 24 of the senior jobs did not mention a tool, while this number was 13 for junior & 14 for mid-level jobs.

This could indicate that senior roles are not as focused on being a hands-on designer as they are on management/the UX process as a whole.