Account Requirements

To use Figmage, you should have a Figma account that can access the file you want to sync with your project. While in most cases, a free account will be enough, it is worth mentioning that due to Figma’s pricing model, you might need certain Tiers for certain features. There are two main cases in which you will need a paid plan:

Fetching Tokens from Variables

If your Design Tokens are defined using the newer Variables feature, you will need a Figma Enterise Account that can access the file. Tokens that are defined as Styles will work with any Figma account.

While creating Variables and using them in a design is possible with any Figma account, Figma has decided to restrict access to the Variables API to Enterprise accounts only. Figmage relies on this API to fetch the Tokens from the Variables, so you will need an Enterprise account to use this feature.

Let them know this is a problem

We think this is an unneccessary restriction, as automating your design system is certainly not only something that Enterprises do. If you agree, you can let Figma know by commenting on this Figma Community Post.

Working around the Enterprise Requirement

There are ways to work around this restriction, and in some cases, the drawbacks might even be insignificant. Unwilling to move your Figma Team to an Enterprise plan? Consider the following options.

Use Variables only for Primitive Tokens

This is the most straightforward solution. Use Variables for your primitive Colors, parameters of your Text Styles, etc. You can then alias thes Variables in your Styles, and use the Styles as semantic tokens in your design. And if your Design System includes component tokens, define those as Styles and consider using Variables for your semantic and primitive tokens.

This way, you’ll benefit from the power of Aliasing that variables enable, while still being able to use Figmage with a free account. Another benefit of this approach is that, to an extent, it comes naturally anyway, since you will need Styles for some of your tokens (Text Styles, Gradients, etc.).

The main drawback of this approach is that you will not be able to use modes in your tokens, as Variables are the only way to define them. However, a solution to this is in the works, so stay tuned!

Tokens Best Practices Unsure what primitive and semantic tokens are? Check out our recommendations.

Libraries

If you are using Figmage in a large team, you might at some point want to obtain styles from your Team’s library instead of the design file, which is not possible on a free account. However, we assume that teams that benefit from this feature, will already have a paid plan, so you can ignore this point if you are not sure.