Penpot vs Figma
Penpot is an open-source, web-standards-based design tool that positions itself as a privacy-respecting Figma alternative that designers and developers can self-host. Figma is the industry standard with a more mature feature set and plugin ecosystem. Penpot is compelling for teams with data sovereignty requirements.
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Open-source design and prototyping platform vs The collaborative interface design tool.
| Feature | Penpot | Figma |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing from | Free (self-host) or $7/editor/mo cloud | Free–$45/editor/mo |
| Pricing | Free on cloud; self-hosted free; Teams $7/editor/mo | Free (3 projects); Professional $15/editor/mo |
| Best for | Privacy-conscious teams and open-source advocates | Industry-standard collaborative design |
| Hosting | Self-hosted or cloud | Cloud only (on-premise via enterprise deal) |
| Standards | SVG-native, CSS-based | Proprietary format with export |
| Plugin ecosystem | Growing, smaller than Figma | Thousands of plugins |
| Prototyping | Basic interactions and flows | Advanced interactions with variables |
The third option most teams miss
Picking between Penpot and Figma isn't the only choice.
Appaca can mirror design tokens and component specifications from Penpot or Figma into your development workflow without vendor dependency. Build a design system pipeline that works regardless of which design tool your team prefers.
- No code, no deployment, no devops
- Built-in database, dashboards, team access
- Refine with chat as your needs change
- Free to start, no per-seat pricing surprises
Common questions
Penpot is a serious alternative for teams that prioritize open-source and self-hosting. Feature parity with Figma is not yet complete, particularly for advanced prototyping and design system tooling, but it is closing the gap.
Penpot supports importing Figma files via the Figma export API. Complex components and certain interaction types may not import perfectly and require manual cleanup.
Penpot is developed by Kaleidos, a Spanish software company. It is open-source under the Mozilla Public License and funded through cloud subscriptions and enterprise support contracts.