A rebuilt pipeline from design to handoff
Zeplin has rolled out a fully redesigned plugin for Figma, replacing the original integration that predated Figma’s public launch. The new plugin is built natively for Figma, a shift the Zeplin team says improves both the export experience and the underlying performance of the tool.
The original integration has seen heavy use: more than 300,000 files are exported from Figma to Zeplin every month, with traffic up 30-40 percent during the current period of widespread remote work. That uptick has pushed the need for better online collaboration spaces, and Zeplin’s new plugin is aimed directly at that demand.
What the new plugin changes
Rather than patching the old integration, Zeplin rebuilt it from the ground up. For Figma users, the practical result is that exporting frames, components, color styles, and text styles to Zeplin now takes only a couple of clicks. Previously, exporting large Figma files and frames could cause performance hiccups or resolution issues; the new native plugin is designed to avoid those problems.
On the Zeplin side, developers and product team members can still pull accurate specs, assets, and code snippets from the exported work. Assets and styles show up directly in Zeplin’s style guides, keeping the handoff workflow intact.
Web-based advantages and what’s next
Because Figma runs in the browser, Zeplin sees unique opportunities for the integration that don’t exist with other design tools. One feature the team is exploring is automatically pushing component changes made in Figma over to Zeplin, eliminating the need for manual re-exports. That capability hasn’t shipped yet, but Zeplin says more details will follow.
The new plugin is available now through the Figma community. Zeplin is also offering existing Figma customers three months of its Organization plan for free, which can be requested by emailing [email protected]. Questions and feedback on the plugin itself can go to [email protected].
