Adobe XD offers a 7-day free trial, and you can still use a limited version after the trial.
Offset XD’s cost using Adobe discounts (like student pricing) or by earning through Freecash to cover subscription fees
Free/cheap alternatives like Figma (best pick) and Sketch give similar UI/UX design functions making them a better long-term alternative.
Get the Adobe Free Trial
Adobe offers a seven-day free trial of Adobe XD through the Creative Cloud app. It's a solid option if you need short-term access or are still getting familiar with the tool.
How to get started:
- Download the Creative Cloud app from Adobe's website.
- Click "Free Trial" for Adobe XD.
- Create or sign in to your Adobe account.
- Enter payment details (required).
- Cancel before the trial ends to avoid being charged.
The trial lasts seven days. You could use that window to earn your first ￥7,280 on Freecash. That way, if you want more time with Adobe XD, you can pay for a month without touching your own money.
Some Reddit users, such as u/neozas, report a workaround that allows limited continued use:
- Start the free trial.
- Install and launch Adobe XD normally.
- Go to your Adobe account dashboard and cancel the plan immediately.
- Restart XD. You'll see a message about limited functionality, but most core features still work. Collaboration features are disabled.
One key limitation: you can't update the app after cancelling. You're locked to the version installed during the trial.
Use Adobe Discounts to Cut the Cost
Adobe's Education plan offers the lowest available price, reducing the cost of Creative Cloud significantly. The student discount brings it down to ￥1,450 per month, though it's only available to eligible students and educators.
Earn Money Online to Pay for Adobe XD
Freecash is a straightforward way to cover Adobe XD's monthly fee. Users earn rewards by completing app offers, surveys, and mobile game tasks, then cash out to PayPal, gift cards, or crypto.
Freecash works on iOS, Android, and the web. Getting started takes less than a minute:
- Sign up for Freecash.
- Start your first task, such as a game, survey, or app offer.
- Cash out your earnings once you hit the minimum threshold.
Over 98M users have joined the platform. Withdrawals typically process in under 17 minutes.
Cheap and Free Alternatives to Adobe XD
Figma's free tier covers most core UI/UX design functions, including cloud-based collaboration. It's a strong starting point for new designers and a capable replacement for Adobe XD at no cost.
Mac users can also consider Sketch, which offers an affordable one-time license and remains an industry standard for many UI teams. It's limited to macOS, but delivers a polished, professional toolset.
