We’ve all been there. It’s 2 AM, the design is almost perfect, but every card, every profile, every list item is filled with that old, tired friend: Lorem Ipsum. It’s the digital equivalent of scribbling on a napkin. It shows you where text should go, but it tells you absolutely nothing about how the design will actually feel with real content.
For years, I’ve wrestled with this. I've built my own janky spreadsheets of fake names. I’ve wasted hours manually typing out user bios. I’ve scoured the internet for free data generators that are clunky and spit out nonsense. It’s a universal pain point for UI/UX designers. The placeholder text is a necessary evil, but man, it’s an evil that sucks the soul right out of a beautiful mockup.
So, when I stumbled upon a Figma plugin called LoremGenie, my cynical designer brain immediately perked up. Another content tool? Sure. But this one promised something different. It wasn't just about random text. It was about meaningful content, AI-powered generation, and a workflow that seemed… well, genuinely smart. I had to see if it was just another flash in the pan or the real deal.
What Exactly is LoremGenie?
At its core, LoremGenie is a Figma plugin designed to yank Lorem Ipsum off the stage and replace it with a full cast of realistic characters. Think of it less as a text generator and more as a data population tool. We’re talking names, addresses, job titles, dates, company names, product descriptions, and even AI-generated avatars. It lives right inside your Figma panel, ready to fill your empty frames with data that looks and feels real.
The whole point is to bridge that gap between a sterile wireframe and a living, breathing product. When you see a user card with a believable name, a realistic job title, and a unique avatar, you design differently. You develop empathy for the user because they suddenly feel a bit more human. And that, my friends, is good design.
Visit LoremGenie
The Core Features That Caught My Eye
Look, a plugin can have a million features, but only a few really matter in the daily grind. After playing around with LoremGenie for a while, a few things really stood out as being more than just gimmicks.
The ChatGPT-Powered Data Generation
Okay, this is the headliner. The integration of ChatGPT is what separates LoremGenie from a simple data list. Instead of just picking from a pre-made list of 'Programmer' job titles, you can literally ask the genie for what you want. For a recent project, I needed to create a few sample profiles for a Berlin-based tech startup. I simply told it to generate profiles for “5 software engineers from Berlin, including name, age, gender, and date of birth.”
Seconds later, I had a list. It wasn't just random data; it was contextual. This is a massive leap forward. It’s like having a research assistant built right into your design tool, ready to whip up whatever persona you need on the fly.
A Rich Library of Datasets
Even without the AI, the built-in library is pretty solid. It comes packed with over 22 unique content categories. Designing an e-commerce site for sneakers? There's a dataset for that. Mocking up a recipe app? There are datasets for food and fruit. It’s this kind of ready-to-go content that shaves minutes, which quickly add up to hours, off a project timeline.
Seriously Powerful Custom Data
Here’s where it gets interesting for design teams and bigger projects. LoremGenie lets you create your own datasets. This is huge for maintaining brand consistency. If your product uses a specific format for user IDs, or if you have a defined list of product categories, you can build that right in. What's more, it has flexible import methods. You can bring in data directly from a CSV file or even connect to a Notion database (which is listed as 'coming soon', but is a very exciting prospect). This moves the plugin from a handy tool for solo designers to a viable part of a professional team's workflow.
Drag, Drop, and Go!
The user experience is slick. You can either select a layer in Figma and click the data you want to populate, or you can literally drag a dataset from the plugin and drop it onto your canvas. Figma will automatically create a new text layer with the data. It's fast, intuitive, and it just… works. No complex menus, no confusing setup. It feels like it was designed by people who actually use Figma every day.
The All-Important Question: How Much Does It Cost?
Alright, this is the part that made me do a double-take. When I see a tool this useful, I’m mentally preparing myself for a $10/month subscription at least. But LoremGenie’s pricing is… well, it’s kind of insane.
Here’s the breakdown:
- Free Plan: You get 150 data populates per month, can create 3 custom datasets (with some limitations), and have access to one avatar style. It's a perfect, generous trial.
- Pro Plan: This gives you unlimited populating, up to 1000 custom datasets, and 6 avatar styles. The price? $3 per year.
No, that's not a typo. Three. Dollars. For a year. That’s less than a single fancy coffee. For a tool that can genuinely save you hours of work every month, the value proposition is just off the charts. According to their FAQ, the subscription model exists because the data is fetched from the cloud, and custom datasets are stored there too. It's a fair explanation for a price that low.
The Good, The Bad, and The Realistic
No tool is perfect, and a gushing review helps no one. I believe in balanced takes. So let's break down the reality of using LoremGenie.
The Wins (The Good)
The biggest pro is the time saved. It's monumental. The ability to create realistic, high-fidelity mockups in a fraction of the time is a game-changer. The designs just feel more alive, which leads to better feedback and a more refined final product. The ChatGPT integration is a brilliant touch of modern tech, and the seamless integration with Figma’s workflow is a huge plus. And of course, the price. It's so affordable it's practically free.
The Niggles (The Bad)
The limitations on the free plan are noticeable. 150 populates might sound like a lot, but if you're working on a big project, you'll burn through that pretty quickly. So, it's best to think of the free plan as an extended demo. The other thing is its a cloud-based tool. This means you need an internet connection to fetch the data. For the vast majority of us, that’s not an issue, but if you’re someone who often works offline on a long flight, it’s something to consider. Finally, the custom dataset storage is limited, even on Pro. While 1000 datasets is a lot, for massive enterprise-level systems, it might be a consideration.
Who is LoremGenie Actually For?
After using it, I have a pretty clear idea of who gets the most out of this plugin.
- Solo Freelancers & UI/UX Designers: This is a must-have. It’s an incredible productivity booster that will directly impact your workflow and the quality of your presentations.
- Design Teams: The custom dataset feature makes it a fantastic tool for ensuring everyone is using consistent, on-brand placeholder content.
- Students & Beginners: It’s a cheap and accessible way to learn the importance of designing with realistic data right from the start, which is a crucial skill.
My Final Verdict on LoremGenie
So, is LoremGenie the official killer of Lorem Ipsum? For me, the answer is a resounding yes. It has fundamentally changed how I approach the content phase of my design process. The friction of finding and implementing realistic data has been almost completely eliminated.
It’s not just a tool; it’s a better way to work. It encourages you to think about the content from the very beginning, leading to stronger, more user-centric designs. For the price of a cheap snack, you get a full year of unlimited, intelligent content population. It has earned a permanent spot in my Figma toolkit, and I genuinely think it will in yours, too. I'm sold.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Why is LoremGenie a subscription and not a one-time purchase?
- The developers state that the subscription covers the costs of fetching generated data from the cloud and storing users' custom datasets on their servers, ensuring the service remains fast and reliable.
- What happens to my data if my Pro subscription expires?
- Your custom datasets are retained for one week after your Pro plan expires. After that week, they will email you a package containing all your datasets and then delete them from the server.
- Can I use LoremGenie with other design tools like Sketch or Adobe XD?
- No, LoremGenie is built specifically as a Figma plugin and is only available within the Figma ecosystem.
- Is the AI-generated data safe to use in commercial projects?
- The data is generated for placeholder purposes. While generally safe, it's always best practice to review any AI-generated content, especially for public-facing mockups, to ensure it contains no sensitive, biased, or inappropriate information.
- Is LoremGenie difficult to learn?
- Not at all. Its interface is highly intuitive, featuring simple click-to-populate and drag-and-drop functionality. Most users can master it within minutes.
- Is the Pro plan really just $3 per year?
- Yes, as of this writing, the price is $3/year. It's one of the best value-for-money deals you'll find in the design tool space. You can check the current price on their official site.
