Both pull from Figma and compare against a live page
Pixelay and Uiprobe both integrate with Figma and let you compare your designs against a real URL, including localhost and pages behind a login. Both save you from the manual screenshot-and-overlay workflow. If you're considering either, you're already thinking about the problem the right way.
Visual overlay vs. automated detection
Pixelay works by rendering your Figma frames as transparent overlays on top of the live page. You can toggle, blend, and squint to spot differences. It's a genuinely useful visual reference. But it's still your eyes doing the work. Uiprobe runs the comparison automatically and surfaces each difference as a finding with the exact expected and actual values. You're not looking for what's wrong. The product tells you.
Designer-initiated vs. developer-native
Pixelay's workflow starts in the Figma plugin. You select frames, upload them to generate a comparison URL, then open that URL in the browser with the Chrome Extension installed. It's designed to be run by whoever is in Figma. Uiprobe is built around a URL. You paste a Figma frame URL and a webpage URL, and it runs. There's no plugin step, no upload, and no generated URL to manage. A developer can run it without opening Figma at all.
Overlay interpretation vs. exact values
When you spot a difference in Pixelay, you still need to measure it. You can use the built-in pixel ruler, but the gap between seeing it's off and knowing exactly what to change requires an extra step. Uiprobe gives you that information directly. Every finding shows the expected value from Figma and the actual value on the page. The font size that's 14px instead of 16px. The spacing that's 20px instead of 12px. No ruler needed.
The workflow and the output are meaningfully different
Session-based vs. persistent version history
Pixelay comparisons exist for the duration of a session. When you close it, the comparison is gone. Uiprobe saves every probe run as an immutable version. You can re-run after a fix, compare the new version against the previous one, and share a link to any result without the recipient needing an account. Your comparison history builds up over time rather than resetting each time you open the tool.
At a glance
| Uiprobe | Pixelay | |
|---|---|---|
| Figma integration | Direct, paste frame URL | Via Figma plugin |
| Detection method | Automated, findings surfaced for you | Visual overlay, you judge |
| Exact delta values | Expected vs. actual per finding | Pixel ruler available, not automatic |
| Version history | Every run saved persistently | Session-based |
| Works on localhost / staging | Via Chrome Extension | Via Chrome Extension |
| Setup required | Sign in with Figma, paste frame URL | Run Figma plugin, upload frames, open comparison |
| Free tier | 10 probes/month, free forever | 10 free trials, then limited free version |
