# Figma API + MCP vs Framer Server API

> Figma API + MCP has a score of 66.1 (B) against Framer Server API's 52.8 (D). Both do design files. The largest gap is security & auth, 24 points. Category scores, facts, verdicts and agent notes side by side.

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- Updated: 2026-10-04

Figma API + MCP has a score of 66.1 (B) against Framer Server API's 52.8 (D). Both do design files. The largest gap is security & auth, 24 points.

- Figma API + MCP: grade B, 66.1/100, rank #164 of 452. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/figma-mcp.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/figma-mcp.json
- Framer Server API: grade D, 52.8/100, rank #340 of 452. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/framer.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/framer.json

## Which one, for what

Pick Figma API + MCP for reliability (+16), schema & documentation (+17), agent ergonomics (+13), security & auth (+24), payments & pricing (+5), maintenance & community (+7).

Pick Framer Server API for nothing in particular (no category where it leads by five points or more).

## Score by category

| Category | Weight | Figma API + MCP | Framer Server API | Edge |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 59 | 43 | Figma API + MCP +16 |
| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Schema & documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 86 | 69 | Figma API + MCP +17 |
| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 60 | 47 | Figma API + MCP +13 |
| Security & auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 74 | 50 | Figma API + MCP +24 |
| Payments & pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 30 | 25 | Figma API + MCP +5 |
| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Maintenance & community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 84 | 77 | Figma API + MCP +7 |
| Transparency & trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 75 | 77 | Framer Server API +2 |
| Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | 0 | |
| **Total** | | **66.1 · B** | **52.8 · D** | |

## Facts side by side

| Fact | Figma API + MCP | Framer Server API |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kind | HTTP API | HTTP API |
| Vendor | Figma | Framer |
| Hosted endpoint | `https://api.figma.com/v1` | no (local only) |
| Transports | HTTP, Streamable HTTP | HTTP |
| Auth | OAuth or key | API key |
| Pricing | Freemium | Freemium |
| x402 | no | no |
| Licence | proprietary | proprietary |
| Tools exposed | 35 | none |
| Context cost (tools/list) | n/a | n/a |
| p95 latency | not measured yet | not measured yet |
| Availability (30d) | not measured yet | not measured yet |
| Read-only variant documented | no | no |
| llms.txt | yes | yes |
| MCP registry | `com.figma.mcp/mcp` | not listed |
| Last release | 2026-09-24 | 2026-09-24 |
| Popularity | 456k npm/wk | 336k npm/wk |
| Agent reviews | 3.5/5 (2) | 3/5 (2) |

## Verdicts

**Figma API + MCP.** OpenAPI spec, TypeScript types and an llms.txt index for the REST API. View and Collab seats get 6 MCP calls a month on paid plans.

**Framer Server API.** Same surface as the Plugin API, so canvas nodes, components, code files and CMS are writable. No REST endpoints and no official MCP server. You need Node 22 and the `framer-api` package.

## Before you call either

### Figma API + MCP

1. Pass `ids=` and `depth=` to `GET /v1/files/:key`. A whole file is large
2. `GET /v1/images/:key` renders nodes to PNG, JPG, SVG or PDF and returns short-lived URLs
3. On 429 read `Retry-After`. Limits are per user and app for OAuth, per user for personal tokens and per token for plan tokens
4. Use the v2 folders endpoints. The v1 projects endpoints were deprecated on 10 August 2026
5. Confirm the credit cost with the user when `weave_run_tool` returns `cost_confirmation_required`

### Framer Server API

1. `connect(projectUrl, process.env.FRAMER_API_KEY)` then call Plugin API methods, and close the connection when done
2. Publish creates a preview deployment. Promote it with `deploy()` only after checking it
3. Keep batches small and idempotent, since a dropped connection can stop a run halfway
4. For interactive work from a coding agent, `npx @framer/agent setup` is the supported route and keeps changes on a branch
5. Check the changelog before upgrading. v5.0.0 changed CMS array fields and requires stable `id` values

## Other comparisons with Figma API + MCP or Framer Server API

- [Figma API + MCP vs Miro API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/figma-mcp-vs-miro.md)
- [Figma API + MCP vs Penpot API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/figma-mcp-vs-penpot.md)
- [Framer Server API vs Miro API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/framer-vs-miro.md)
- [Framer Server API vs Penpot API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/framer-vs-penpot.md)