Consider Figma when…
Shortlist Figma when your team depends on its libraries, Dev Mode, and plugins, and the cost of paid seats is acceptable for the people who design.
Explore Figma alternativesFIND YOUR FIT
Figma vs Penpot
Figma vs Penpot: compare a proprietary design platform with an open-source one, by hosting, free plans, seat pricing, and handoff.
The decision in brief
Both are browser-based tools for designing and prototyping interfaces together. Figma is a hosted platform with seat-based plans, Dev Mode, and a wider set of connected products; Penpot is open source under MPL-2.0, has a free fully featured cloud plan, and can be self-hosted, with layouts based on CSS grid and flexbox.
A focused editorial selection based on the linked official documentation. Fit notes are our judgment, rather than firsthand benchmark results or a universal ranking. How we select and verify information.
Compare the working details
| Decision factor | Figma | Penpot |
|---|---|---|
| Main focus | Product teams designing interfaces together, from shared design systems to prototypes and developer handoff. | Teams that want to own their design data and give developers designs expressed in web standards. |
| Working setup | Sign up in the browser, design in a file with components and auto layout, prototype the flow, then share it with comments and inspect it in Dev Mode. | Sign up for the cloud or self-host it with Docker or Kubernetes, design with components and design tokens, then let developers inspect the code-based output. |
| Pricing model | The free Starter plan covers a single team with one folder and three files, with 30 days of version history and a daily AI credit allowance. Paid plans are priced per seat, with Full, Dev, and Collab seats, and people on paid plans can let others view and comment without buying extra seats. | The cloud Professional plan is free and fully featured. Paid cloud plans add storage, longer history, and enterprise administration, priced per editor or per member. Self-hosting the open-source edition is free. |
| What to verify | Seats are priced by type; list who needs a Full seat, who only inspects designs (Dev), and who only comments before estimating cost. | Rebuild one real component with its variants and tokens before moving a design system; check that the features your team relies on in its current tool work the same way. |
Which belongs on your shortlist?
Consider Penpot when…
Shortlist Penpot when you need to self-host or control where design data lives, want to avoid per-seat costs for a growing team, or want layouts that map to CSS.
Run the same evaluation in both
- Rebuild one real screen with a component that has at least three variants.
- Have a developer inspect it in both tools and note which values they can copy straight into code.
- Price your team's seats or editors in each, including self-hosting time if you would run Penpot yourself.
Try the same task before you choose
Hand off one screen to development
Use the same fictional brief in each candidate. Design a sign-up screen for a made-up app with a button component in three states, a text input, and an error message. Share it with a fictional reviewer who should only comment and a fictional developer who needs to inspect and export. Compare what each person needs to pay for and what the developer can take into code.
Every check starts as Not run. Record your own observations; these are evaluation criteria, rather than completed product tests. Your worksheet stays in this page and can be downloaded.
| Task and expected observation | Figma | Penpot |
|---|---|---|
| Build the button as a reusable component One component with default, hover, and disabled states, used in at least two places. | ||
| Make the form resize The form keeps its spacing when the frame is resized, using auto layout, flex, or the tool's equivalent. | ||
| Change the component once Every instance updates, and you have recorded how the change reaches other files or libraries. | ||
| Invite the reviewer to comment The reviewer can leave a comment on the error message without a paid seat, or you have recorded the cost. | ||
| Have the developer inspect the screen The developer can read spacing, colours, and type values and export the icons at the sizes they need. | ||
| Link the screen to a success state A clickable prototype moves from the sign-up screen to a success screen in a browser. | ||
| Count the seats for this team Record the seats or editors needed for one designer, one reviewer, and one developer, then estimate a clearly labelled cost for a larger team. |
0 of 14 checks have an observation. An observation does not imply a passed test.
Sources and check dates
Provider documentation supports the product and billing descriptions. Confirm current limits and terms before choosing a plan.
ShowMeYourSaaS also offers commercial product coverage. These guides follow our editorial selection criteria; placement is not a purchased ranking. Send a correction with the page and a supporting source.