Freelance designer stack
Create, present, deliver without a file factory.
- Selection
- 15 tools
- Target budget
- $137 per month
- Profile
- Optimization business stage
Which tool does what?
Design sourceFigma
Mockups, components, prototypes, comments, and client handoff.
Design system pluginTokens Studio for Figma
Useful once a project has tokens, themes, or variables to maintain.Icon plugin
Iconify for Figma
Speeds icon search without importing ten libraries.Accessibility plugin
Stark
Contrast, color blindness, and readability before client delivery.Workshop
Miro
Scoping, journeys, UX audits, and client workshops.
Fast visualsCanva
Social variations, decks, and simple collateral.
Focused creative suiteAdobe Photoshop
Keep if photo retouching or PSD exports remain real.
Occasional vector workAdobe Illustrator
Keep only if client AI files or complex logo work come up often.
Photo / catalogAdobe Lightroom
Justified if you manage real photo volume, not a few isolated edits.
DocumentationNotion
Briefs, moodboards, decisions, assets, and recaps.
Client storageGoogle Drive
Final deliverables, heavy exports, and shared folders.Web prototype
Framer
To test a landing page or interaction without a full build.Advanced handoff
Zeplin
Optional if developers do not work directly in Figma.
Video feedbackLoom
Keep if async feedback truly removes meetings.
Writing / UX AIChatGPT
Helps with microcopy, angles, audits, and summaries.
Why these tools together?
Figma has a free plan that covers up to 3 active projects. Many solos pay the Pro plan (€15/month) without ever using branching or dev mode. The only case where Adobe is hard to replace: Lightroom, if you manage thousands of photos with catalogs and collections. For everything else, the Adobe Photography plan at €12/month (Photoshop + Lightroom only) is often the only thing worth keeping.
A good fit if…
Light branding, UX/UI, landing pages, and design audits.
Look elsewhere if…
You do video, 3D, or heavy print production every week.
Create the source of truth
Figma should hold mockups, components, comments, and approved versions. Notion keeps the brief and decisions.
Produce fast without breaking art direction
Canva helps with variations. It should not become a second creative system competing with Figma.
Make feedback actionable
Feedback must be anchored to the screen, moodboard, or decision. Otherwise the tool adds noise.
What should you budget?
- Adobe Illustrator$23
- Adobe Photoshop$20
- ChatGPT$20
- Tokens Studio for Figma$20
- Figma$16
- Loom$15
- Adobe Lightroom$12
- Notion$11
- Canva$11
- Google Drive$2
The target budget is the recommended starting envelope. The list price adds up each core tool's first paid plan. Optional tools are not included.
What to watch out for
Paying for a full creative suite when the real flow is framing, design, feedback.
Full Adobe for reassurance
Keep Adobe only for files, photos, or exports you truly handle every month.
Paid Loom without client use
If clients do not watch videos or you do not record weekly, free is enough.
More than 3 active projects
Paid Figma makes sense if you truly exceed the free limit or use dev mode weekly.
Recurring multi-format deliverables
That is when Canva Pro earns its place. Before that, free often works.
Questions to ask yourself
Are you on Figma Pro or the free plan?
Pro → check if you actually use branching and dev mode. The free plan covers 3 active projects, enough for most solos. That is €15/month saved with no real functional loss.
Do you use Lightroom to catalog your photos or just to edit them?
Just edit → Luminar Neo as a one-time purchase (~€90) or free Lightroom Mobile is enough. Catalog management is the only feature without a simple equivalent.
Do your clients comment in Figma or in email threads?
Email → Figma comments anchor feedback to the exact area being discussed. A client trained in 10 minutes avoids 2 vague back-and-forths per week.
