Figma is built for interface design, prototyping and handoff, and now makes and edits images inside the file. Virse is a canvas built around generative image and video work. Virse may fit teams whose bottleneck is imagery; Figma may suit you if images are a small part of design work. Based on public documentation, September 2026.
Both products put image generation on a canvas. Figma adds it to the file where the interface is designed; Virse builds the canvas around the image work itself.
| Dimension | Virse | Figma | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canvas | An infinite canvas where references, briefs and notes, documents and alternative results sit side by side. Image, video, text, search, Virse Creator and smart-tool nodes are added on the canvas. | Figma Design is an infinite canvas to design and prototype in one place, with multiplayer files, comments and cursor chat in one shared space. | Source |
| Generating an image | Image nodes generate on the canvas. Re-render replaces the current result, render new keeps it and adds another for side-by-side comparison, and clone creates an empty node with the same prompt, settings and references. | Make an image turns a text prompt into an image that fills a selected frame or shape, or a new image layer. It works in Figma Design, FigJam, Figma Draw, Figma Slides, Figma Sites and Figma Buzz on paid plans. | Source |
| Reference images | Drag a connection from one node to another to make it a reference for the next generation, for example a product shot into an image node. The reference area shows which references a generation uses, and references can be added or removed there. | Make an image and Edit with prompt accept an optional reference image: attach a file, pick a layer on the canvas, paste, or drag an image into the prompt box. | Source |
| Model choice | 40+ AI models (21 image, 16 video, 4 text), including GPT Image 2.5, Nano Banana 2 / Pro, Seedream 5.0 Pro, FLUX 2 Pro and Ideogram 4.0. The model is chosen per generation with aspect ratio, resolution and quality, and estimated compute is shown before generating. | When more than one image model is available, you can choose which to use. Credit rates for Make image list ChatGPT Images 2.0, Nano Banana 2 Lite, Nano Banana and Nano Banana 2. | Source |
Both products offer AI image editing, a form of motion, a way to reuse a look and an agent on the canvas. Figma's motion is design animation; Virse's is generative video.
| Dimension | Virse | Figma | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Image editing | Local (object) editing, currently experimental; remove background; expand (outpaint); upscale. GPT Image 2.5 outputs at 1K, 2K and 4K. | Figma AI in Figma Design can edit images with a prompt, remove backgrounds, boost resolution, expand images, isolate or erase objects, and vectorize images. | Source |
| Video and motion | 16 video models, including Veo 3.1, Kling 3.0 and Seedance 2.0 / 2.5. A connection can bring an opening image into a video's first frame. Video models need a paid plan. | Figma Motion (beta) animates designs on a timeline and exports MP4, GIF, WebM or SVG. The Figma agent can generate editable animation from a text prompt. | Source |
| Reusing a visual look | Build a reusable aesthetic from 1–20 reference images (colour, composition, lighting, material, mood). Aesthetics can be used in generation, search and Virse Creator, saved to folders and shared. Official aesthetics are also available in the community library. | Weave tools (beta) include Transfer style, which applies the visual style of a source image to a target image, and Apply color palette, which carries one image's palette to another. They are available on Professional, Organization and Enterprise plans. | Source |
| Design agent | Virse Creator is an AI design agent on the canvas. Give it a task and references (images, Word, PDF); it plans steps, searches for references, calls models and tools, and produces images, video and Word/PDF documents, continuing from earlier requirements and results. | The Figma agent (beta) generates and remixes designs, automates busywork and gives design feedback. It can create and edit images, search the web, and work from attached Figma files, images, text and code files. It is free to try during the beta. | Source |
Both products handle reusable workflows, search, sharing and metered AI use. Figma's are designed around files and seats; Virse's around canvases, assets and compute.
| Dimension | Virse | Figma | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reusable workflows | Smart tools package the inputs, process and output requirements of a repeated task. Reuse one with new material, run a batch of similar assets the same way, share it with the team, or let Virse Creator call it. Official tools can be added from the community. | Skills package a repeatable workflow into reusable instructions for the Figma agent and Figma Make. They are invoked with a slash command and can be published to a team, an organization or the Figma Community. | Source |
| Finding past work | Asset management organises images, videos, documents, canvases and aesthetics in folders, with star, move, copy, batch management and restore from trash. A search node runs a search on the canvas, optionally with reference images and an aesthetic. | AI search can track down designs across your team, organization or Figma Community files, starting from part of a design, a screenshot or a description. | Source |
| Sharing and team controls | Share a canvas by link with view, use (download) or edit permissions, or invite by email; comment on the canvas, an image or a group. Team spaces add shared project folders, member groups, admins, per-member compute caps and a setting that pauses external sharing. | Files and prototypes can be shared by link or direct invitation, with link access set to anyone, your organization, a workspace or only invited people, depending on plan. Prototype-only links are available on paid plans. | Source |
| How AI use is metered | Usage is measured in compute and depends on model, resolution and quality. New accounts start with 200 free compute, and the Free plan tops up 50 compute a day while the balance is below 200. On paid plans, compute credits never expire. Plan details checked on the Virse pricing page on 2026-09-24. | AI credits come with every seat, for example 3,000 a month on a Professional Full seat and 500 on Starter, which also has a daily limit of 150. Seat credits reset monthly and don't roll over. | Source |
Drag a connection from a product shot, a mood image or an opening frame into the next node, and it becomes a reference for that generation. The reference area lists what a generation is using, so you can add or remove a reference and render again. Use render new to keep the earlier result beside the new one.
Build a reusable aesthetic from 1–20 reference images that capture colour, composition, lighting, material and mood. Apply it when generating, when searching for references, or when briefing Virse Creator, and save it to a folder the team can open.
When the same job comes back every week, package its inputs, process and output requirements as a smart tool. Run it on new material, batch a set of similar assets the same way, share it with the team, or let Virse Creator call it.
The two are rarely substitutes. Many teams will keep Figma for interface work and decide separately where generative imagery gets made.
Treat this as adding a layer, not as a migration. Nothing needs to leave Figma.
Everything that is layout, components, interaction and handoff stays in Figma. Everything that is a generated visual, and the references behind it, is what you are moving.
Create a Virse canvas and bring in the brief, approved imagery and any Word or PDF guidelines. Connect the references you want to the image node you are about to generate, and use render new to keep alternatives side by side.
Once a few results land, build a reusable aesthetic from 1–20 of the images that best capture the direction. Save it to a folder the team shares, so the next brief starts from the same look.
Download the selected images and drag them onto your Figma canvas to lay out, prototype and hand off. Judge the setup on the second brief, when the team starts from the saved aesthetic instead of a new prompt.
Put one real brief on a Virse canvas with its references, generate alternatives side by side, then bring the chosen images into your Figma file. Check whether the direction held on the second round.
