compare /figma Paper vs Figma

Real HTML/CSS canvas vs proprietary design tool

Paper is a professional design tool built on real HTML and CSS — a web-native approach that makes it easy for AI agents to read and write on the canvas and get your work ready for production. Unlike Figma, Paper has built-in solutions for advanced color features (P3, OkLCH), visual effects powered by shaders, native CSS features like real flexbox, CSS filters, and more.

Figma stores designs in a proprietary WebGL format that developers and AI agents need to translate into production code. Paper is a native, agent friendly format that is closer to your production code.

Key Differences

Canvas model

  • Paper: Real HTML/CSS — web-native, no translation step
  • Figma: Proprietary model (WebGL-based canvas)

Styling & effects

  • Paper: Real CSS styles, outlines, shadows, filters, plus a big collection of visual effects powered by shaders
  • Figma: Borders, shadows, blur as abstracted properties — require translation to CSS

Color spaces

  • Paper: sRGB and Display P3 simultaneously — mix oklch(), display-p3, and hex per element, just like production CSS
  • Figma: sRGB or P3 as a file-wide toggle — can't mix color spaces in the same file

Color models

  • Paper: OkLCH/Oklab — perceptually uniform, equal numeric changes = equal perceived changes
  • Figma: HSB/HSL picker — perceptually inconsistent across hues
Feature Paper Figma
Canvas model Real HTML/CSS — web-native, no translation step Proprietary model (WebGL-based canvas)
Styling & effects Real CSS styles, outlines, shadows, filters, plus a big collection of visual effects powered by shaders Borders, shadows, blur as abstracted properties — require translation to CSS
Color spaces sRGB and Display P3 simultaneously — mix oklch(), display-p3, and hex per element, just like production CSS sRGB or P3 as a file-wide toggle — can't mix color spaces in the same file
Color models OkLCH/Oklab — perceptually uniform, equal numeric changes = equal perceived changes HSB/HSL picker — perceptually inconsistent across hues

Other Comparisons