GIMP 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 more popular among developers.
What Actually Matters
No fluff — just the differences that affect your decision
Both open source, different licenses: GIMP uses Other, Penpot uses MPL-2.0. Check the fine print if you're building commercial.
Both can run on your own metal with Docker. Full data ownership, no cloud dependency. We have deploy guides for each.
Penpot has the bigger crowd: 61.0k stars vs 6.5k. More contributors, more integrations, more momentum.
GIMP is built in C, Penpot in Clojure. Matters if you want to contribute, extend, or debug internals.
Try both — most offer free tiers. The right pick depends on your stack size, team, and tolerance for DevOps.
GIMP
Read-only mirror of https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gimp
Why Choose GIMP
- ✓Professional-grade photo editing tools rivaling Photoshop
- ✓Extensible with Python and Script-Fu plugins
- ✓Cross-platform with native support for PSD, TIFF, and RAW
Drawbacks
- ×Steep learning curve
- ×Dated UI
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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