Particles UI

Overview

Particles UI is a cloud service for managing design tokens across codebases, themes and AI agents. It suits teams that need proposed token changes reviewed before release; teams seeking only a lightweight export utility may not need its governance workflow.

Its distinguishing strength is a connected process for versioning, review, accessibility checks and publishing. A free plan and an MIT-licensed CLI lower the barrier to trying the workflow, while Figma editing, collaboration and agent access depend on plan level.

Key features

Governance and accessibility

Token changes happen on branches and reach the main set through review, giving teams a controlled way to assess shared design decisions before publication. The product says contrast below WCAG AA cannot be merged or published, and the check can run in CI. That is a meaningful safeguard for teams treating accessible contrast as a release requirement; the WCAG release gate is included in Team, not the lower paid plan.

Token exchange and integrations

The CLI imports DTCG, Tokens Studio, CSS, SCSS, TypeScript and JavaScript files, and exports Tailwind v4, CSS, SCSS, Style Dictionary, DTCG, JSON, TypeScript, JavaScript and Flutter. That range makes it useful across varied code targets. The maker lists Figma, Tailwind, GitHub, MCP and TypeScript among its integrations. Its MIT-licensed CLI supports local token management and export without an account, a practical option for developers who do not need the cloud workflow.

Figma and AI workflows

The Figma plugin requires desktop version 116 or later, or Figma in a Chromium-based browser; Safari is unsupported. Free users can pull tokens but cannot push them, and creating, editing or deleting tokens in the plugin requires Pro or above. The MCP server exposes 42 tools for token access, search, impact analysis, WCAG contrast, documentation, releases and governance. MCP access requires Team or above, so agent workflows add a substantial plan threshold.

Security and compliance

Client traffic to the API uses HTTPS/TLS, and application data is stored in managed PostgreSQL databases. Studio supports GitHub and Google OAuth 2.0 and email magic links, with organization roles and project-level authorization for API access. Project webhooks use HMAC-SHA256 signatures; Stripe handles card data, which Particles UI says it does not store as raw card numbers. The maker says it is not currently certified under SOC 2, PCI DSS, HITRUST, ISO 27001 or SSAE 18, a material limitation for organizations that require one of those certifications.

Pricing

Particles UI is freemium, with a 14-day trial and paid plans from $19/user/mo. The published plans distinguish individual token work from team governance and organizational structure.

Free: free, billed forever. It includes 1 project, a main branch, 3 free viewers, unlimited tokens, all export formats, releases and version pinning, plus Figma pull, inspect and 1 theme. This is a useful way to manage and export a small token set, but the single project and branch, viewer-only Figma access and lack of push make it a constrained collaboration plan.

Pro: $19 a month, billed $19/ month, for 1 seat. It adds 5 projects, 5 branches, unlimited themes and Figma variable modes, and a token graph/DAG explorer; it includes a 14-day free trial. This fits a single practitioner or seat needing richer token organization and Figma editing. It does not include the Team plan’s token requests, review, 3-way merge, WCAG release gate, webhooks or MCP.

Team: $29 a month, billed $29/ editor / month. It includes token requests, review and 3-way merge, a WCAG release gate, webhooks to release-to-PR, MCP and agent recipes, and unlimited free viewer seats. It is the natural tier for teams that need governed releases or agent access; costs scale by editor.

Business: $79 a month, billed $79/ editor / month. It adds a Foundation → Brand → Product hierarchy, pinned module releases and conflict review, a knowledge graph explorer, a 4-hour SLA and onboarding, and a dedicated Slack channel. It fits organizations coordinating token systems across multiple product layers and needing the stated support commitments; its per-editor price is a significant step up from Team.

Platforms

Particles UI lists Linux, macOS, web and Windows. The Figma plugin has its own compatibility constraint: Figma desktop 116 or later or a Chromium-based browser, with Safari unsupported.

Who it's for

Choose Particles UI if design and engineering teams need reviewed token changes, broad import and export formats, or an accessibility gate integrated into release work. Free is suited to a small project that can live with one branch and Figma pull-only access; Pro is for a single seat needing more projects, branches and Figma variable modes. Teams needing review workflows or MCP should budget for Team, while Business is aimed at multi-level token systems and teams that value its stated SLA and onboarding. It is less compelling for buyers who need a listed security certification, Safari-based Figma plugin use, or only local token export.

Pros and cons

Pros

Broad token portability: imports and exports cover multiple common code and token formats, including Tailwind v4 and Flutter.

Review is part of the workflow: branches and review provide a defined path to the main token set, with a WCAG release gate on Team.

Local use without an account: the MIT-licensed CLI supports local token management and export.

Viewer access can scale: Team includes unlimited free viewer seats, reducing the need to pay for every stakeholder who only needs to view.

Cons

Key collaboration controls start at Team: review, 3-way merge, release gating, webhooks and MCP are not part of Pro.

Free Figma access is limited: users can pull but not push, and plugin token editing requires Pro or above.

Plugin compatibility excludes Safari: teams using Safari for browser-based Figma need another route.

No stated industry certifications: the maker says it is not certified under SOC 2, PCI DSS, HITRUST, ISO 27001 or SSAE 18, which can disqualify it for some procurement requirements.

Alternatives

For a broader category view, browse Design System Software.

Zaklad is a freemium option with a free plan and Android, iOS and web platforms; consider it if those platforms matter more to your choice.

Terrazzo is free, MIT-licensed and available on iOS, macOS and web; choose it if a free toolset is the priority.

Handoff is free and supports API, Linux, macOS, self-hosted, web and Windows platforms.

zeroheight has a free plan and trial, with a web platform and a free tier that includes 1 editor, 1 styleguide, 1 token set and MCP Standard Search at 500 calls/month; consider it if those free-tier limits suit your needs.

Bezel has a web-based free tier with 75 AI Credits, 1 project, 1 theme and 1,000 design tokens, though it is not yet open for signup; it may suit a reader willing to wait for signup access.

Carbon Design System is an open-source design system for anyone to use and contribute to, with no paid tiers stated; pick it if an open-source system rather than a token-governance service is the goal.

Supernova is freemium, with a free plan and API, macOS and web platforms; its free tier includes up to 5 seats, 1,000 workspace credits per month and 1 design system.

Design Tokens is freemium and offers Figma variable sync, CSS/SASS export and W3C JSON import/export on its free plan; consider it if those core sync and export needs are enough.

Verdict

Particles UI is a strong fit for teams that want token governance, broad code-format support and accessibility checks tied to releases. Its main reason to choose it is the combination of branch-based review, export breadth and release controls; its main reason to look elsewhere is that core collaboration and MCP capabilities require Team, while its certification limits may rule it out for compliance-sensitive buyers.