Figma vs Penpot
Is it time to switch? We break down the differences so you can stop bleeding money.
Choose Penpot.
If you want to own your data, save money, and avoid vendor lock-in, Penpot is open source and community-driven.
What Actually Matters
No fluff — just the differences that affect your decision
Penpot is open source (MPL-2.0). Figma is closed. If vendor lock-in keeps you up at night, this is the deciding factor.
Penpot supports self-hosting via Docker. Figma is SaaS-only — convenient, but you're renting, not owning.
Penpot has the bigger crowd: 61.0k stars vs 0. More contributors, more integrations, more momentum.
Penpot is built in Clojure — you can read the source, contribute, or fork it. Figma is closed-source, so you're trusting their engineering.
Try both — most offer free tiers. The right pick depends on your stack size, team, and tolerance for DevOps.
Figma
Collaborative interface design tool.
Why Choose Figma
- ✓Real-time multiplayer collaboration
- ✓Runs entirely in the browser
- ✓Excellent component and design system support
Drawbacks
- ×Owned by Adobe (future pricing concerns)
- ×Offline support is limited
Penpot
Penpot: The open-source design tool for design and code collaboration
Why Choose Penpot
- ✓Runs entirely in the browser — no desktop app needed
- ✓SVG-native design — exports are pixel-perfect at any scale
- ✓Real-time multiplayer collaboration
Drawbacks
- ×Newer ecosystem
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