Open source design and prototyping tool with full data ownership
Penpot is the leading open source design and prototyping platform, offering a Figma-like interface for UI design, interactive prototyping, and design system management — completely free on the cloud or self-hosted for full data control. Backed by Kaleidos and a global open source community, it is the definitive alternative for teams with data sovereignty or budget requirements.
Penpot is a strong fit if its core strengths match your workflow, budget, and support needs. Use the quick signals below before opening the full review.
Penpot is the most significant open source project in the design tool space — a full-featured UI design and prototyping platform built by Kaleidos in Spain and contributed to by an active global community. For organisations that cannot or will not use Figma due to data residency requirements, corporate policy on US-based SaaS tools, or simple budget constraints, Penpot is the only credible professional-quality alternative.
Penpot uses SVG as its native file format — a choice with significant implications. SVG is an open, W3C-standardised format that can be rendered by any browser, opened by any vector editor, and read by any developer. Unlike Figma's proprietary binary format, Penpot design files are not locked in a vendor-specific schema. Organisations can export their design library and open it in Inkscape, Adobe Illustrator, or any other SVG-capable tool.
The web application is built on Clojure and ClojureScript — a functional programming approach that contributes to the application's reliable rendering of complex design states. The self-hosted version deploys via Docker Compose and can run on any Linux server, enabling air-gapped deployment for classified or regulated environments.
Penpot's design feature set covers the complete UI design workflow: vector paths and shape tools, boolean operations, auto-layout (flex-based, comparable to Figma's auto-layout), component library with instances and overrides, design tokens, multi-page projects, and interactive prototype flows with transitions.
For teams transitioning from Figma, the design primitives are familiar. The component system works similarly to Figma's — main components define the canonical version, instances inherit properties and can override specific values. Auto-layout enables responsive component behaviour without manual resizing. The prototyping layer connects frames with interaction triggers and transition animations.
Penpot's cloud version (penpot.app) is free with no advertised feature gating on core design and prototyping capabilities. Teams can create projects, invite collaborators, build design systems, and publish prototypes without a credit card. For early-stage product teams, this is a compelling alternative to Figma's free plan (which limits projects to three active ones) or Sketch (macOS-only, $10/month).
Penpot Pro ($8/user/month) adds unlimited storage, advanced permissions, and priority support for teams that need SLA-backed infrastructure.
Penpot's community is active on GitHub (15,000+ stars) and its community forum. Component libraries contributed by the community cover common UI patterns for web and mobile design. The plugin system is newer and smaller than Figma's 1,500+ plugin marketplace — a meaningful gap for teams that depend on specific Figma plugins for icon library access, accessibility checking, or design-to-code handoff.
Honestly evaluated: Penpot is approximately 18–24 months behind Figma in advanced feature development. Variable fonts, component properties depth, Dev Mode's code inspection, and advanced auto-layout features are either not yet implemented or less mature. For design teams at the professional frontier of Figma usage, Penpot will feel limited.
For teams using Figma at a moderate level — screens, components, prototypes, team collaboration — Penpot covers the workflow competently and at materially lower cost.
Penpot is the right choice for organisations with data sovereignty requirements, teams with strict open source mandates, and budget-constrained design teams that need professional tooling. Teams at the feature frontier of Figma will find gaps; teams with moderate design tool needs will find Penpot more than sufficient.
Score: 7.5/10 — Best open source design tool available; feature depth and plugin ecosystem lag behind Figma for advanced users.
Free
Free billed annually
$8/mo
$80/mo billed annually
Penpot is best for Design teams at organisations with strict data privacy, sovereignty, or compliance requirements that cannot use US-hosted SaaS design tools, Public sector and educational institutions needing a free, open source, and auditable design tool for institutional design work, Freelancers and early-stage startups who want professional UI design and prototyping capability at zero cost.
Yes. Penpot currently lists a free plan in ToolRankr data.
It has a free plan.
Penpot is reviewed using ToolRankr's scoring model for ease of use, value, features, support, and overall quality. Affiliate links may earn a commission, but sponsored labels do not change editorial scoring.
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