Introduction: From Design to Code — Instantly
As a designer, one of the biggest challenges I’ve always faced is bridging the gap between design and development. We spend hours perfecting a layout in Figma, only to hand it off to a developer who then has to recreate everything in code — often with small inconsistencies that add up.
But what if you could skip that translation step and turn your Figma designs directly into working HTML and CSS — in minutes?
In this post, I’ll walk you through two tools that make this possible: Figma Make and Figma MCP connected to Cursor. I tested both using the same designs — from a simple hotel card to a complex dashboard — and compared their results.
By the end, you’ll understand how each approach works, what to expect from their output, and which one is better for your next project.
Why Variables and Auto Layouts Matter
Before we dive into the tools, I need to emphasize one key thing:
👉 Your Figma setup directly affects your code output.
When exporting designs, both Figma Make and MCP rely heavily on how well your design is structured — meaning consistent use of:
Auto Layouts
Variables for spacing, radius, and colors
Design tokens for color and typography
If your file uses absolute positioning everywhere or lacks consistent variables, no AI conversion tool will give you clean code.
In my tests, I made sure to set up everything properly: variables for numbers, radiuses, and paddings; and color tokens for my brand palette. That’s what allowed both tools to generate structured code.
What Is Figma Make?
Figma Make is an AI-powered plugin built right into the Figma ecosystem. You can select any frame in your Figma file and send it to Make — where it automatically converts your layout into HTML and CSS.
Here’s how it works in practice:
Select your frame (for example, my hotel card).
Click “Send to Figma Make.”
In Make, describe what you want — like:
“Create an HTML and CSS layout from this design using exact variables, colors, and dimensions.”
Hit Run.
A few seconds later, Figma Make generates a ready-to-use HTML structure and a CSS file that mirrors your design.
When I tested it with a small hotel card design, the result looked surprisingly good — it replicated the layout, color scheme, and typography fairly accurately.
The only downsides?
The font rendering was slightly off.
It missed the drop shadow.
Some elements weren’t perfectly aligned.
Still, for a one-click solution, it’s impressive.
What Is Figma MCP (and How It Works with Cursor)
Figma MCP (Model Context Protocol) is a newer and more advanced way of integrating Figma with AI tools like Cursor or Claude.
Unlike Figma Make, which works by analyzing screenshots, MCP lets the AI read your actual Figma file — including layers, variables, and auto layouts.
That’s a huge difference.
Here’s the workflow I used:
Open Figma (desktop app, not browser).
Enable the Desktop MCP Server in Figma’s settings.
Open Cursor (the AI-powered code editor).
In Cursor, go to Settings → Tools → MCP and connect the Figma MCP Server using the provided code.
Open a new chat in Cursor and paste your prompt — the same one used in Figma Make.
Copy the link to your Figma frame, paste it into Cursor, and hit Run.
Cursor immediately started the MCP process — it accessed my Figma file, analyzed the structure, and generated HTML and CSS code in seconds.
Comparing Results: Figma Make vs. MCP + Cursor
Let’s break down what I found when testing both tools on two examples:
Example 1: The Hotel Card
Figma Make:
Decent layout
Slight font mismatch
Missing shadows
Looked close to the original design
MCP + Cursor:
Near-perfect replication
Correct typography (Montserrat)
Cleaner CSS structure
Minor issues with icons
Even on the free plan of Cursor, the results were cleaner and more faithful to my original layout. When I noticed the slider arrows were missing, I simply told Cursor:
“Fix the slider arrows — they’re missing.”
It understood instantly, regenerated the code, and fixed the issue.
That kind of conversational debugging is something you just can’t do in Figma Make.
Example 2: A Complex Dashboard
To push things further, I tried converting a full SaaS dashboard — multiple charts, sidebars, and cards.
Here’s what happened:
Figma Make generated a static version of the dashboard. It looked good visually but lacked interactivity and responsiveness.
MCP + Cursor, however, understood the nested structure, variables, and auto layouts. It built a better, cleaner layout — even creating overlay interactions when I asked for them via prompts.
For example, I told Cursor:
“Open this overlay from right to left when clicking on the social media card.”
And it did exactly that. The overlay appeared, worked, and could be closed.
The generated code was production-grade — fully editable and ready for developer handoff.
Why Cursor + MCP Is More Powerful
The main difference between these two methods comes down to how they interpret your design:
Figma Make looks at a screenshot of your design and tries to reconstruct it with AI.
Figma MCP gives AI direct access to your design file — reading every variable, layer, and layout property.
This means MCP-based tools like Cursor don’t guess — they understand your design.
That’s why the output code is cleaner, more scalable, and easier to work with later.
Beyond Code Export: Turning Designs Into Live Apps
Here’s where things get really exciting.
Once your design is converted through MCP and Cursor, you can actually:
Connect it to Supabase or Firebase for back-end data.
Sync it with GitHub for version control.
Host it online — even directly on Figma Site or your own custom domain.
That means your Figma design isn’t just a static mockup anymore — it’s a functional, shareable, live web app.
My Honest Verdict
After comparing both tools on multiple projects, here’s my takeaway:
Feature | Figma Make | Figma MCP + Cursor |
|---|---|---|
Setup | Simple, in Figma | Requires MCP setup |
Output Quality | Decent | More accurate |
Font/Variable Support | Limited | Full variable support |
Interactivity | None | Prompt-based |
Code Quality | Average | Clean, scalable |
Ideal Use Case | Quick static exports | Real app prototyping & developer handoff |
If you just need quick HTML/CSS for simple layouts, Figma Make is fine.
But if you want to turn your design system into real, structured code, MCP with Cursor is the way to go.
Final Thoughts
These tools are changing the game for designers like us.
For years, the handoff process between design and development has been a bottleneck. Now, with AI-driven code generation, that gap is closing faster than ever.
By using Figma MCP with Cursor, you’re not just exporting your design — you’re building the foundation for a living, interactive product.
If you’re curious to see it in action, watch my full tutorial on YouTube where I show both tools side by side — and you can decide which workflow fits your design projects best.
👉 Watch the video: Figma Make vs MCP – From Design to Code
See you in the next tutorial!
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