Figma vs Penpot (2026)
By Noahlast updated
Figma
FigmaA browser-based collaborative design tool for interface design, prototyping, and whiteboarding, used by roughly 95% of the Fortune 500.
- Pricing
- Free tier · paid from $16/mo
- License
- Freemium
- Best for
- design and product teams that need real-time multiplayer editing and a shared design-to-development handoff, from solo freelancers on the free tier up to large enterprises managing design systems across many teams
Penpot
PenpotAn open-source (MPL-2.0) design and prototyping platform for UI design and design systems, free for up to 8 team members with self-hosting available for unlimited use.
- Pricing
- Free tier · paid from $7/mo
- License
- Open source
- Best for
- small design teams (up to 8 members) wanting a free Figma-style tool, and larger organizations wanting to self-host their design infrastructure under an open-source license
Choose Figma if…
- You need the largest plugin and font marketplace, built over years of third-party development
- You want native CMYK-adjacent print workflows to feel less like an afterthought (though neither tool supports true CMYK)
- You're on a team larger than 8 people needing more than a small-team free plan
- You want Dev Mode's inspectable specs and a proven design-to-development handoff at scale
- You want FigJam whiteboarding and Figma Slides bundled into the same account
Choose Penpot if…
- You want a fully open-source (MPL-2.0) codebase you can self-host with no per-seat fee
- You're a small team (up to 8 members) that wants a genuinely free hosted plan, not a 3-file-limited one
- You want native CSS Grid and Flexbox-aware layouts that export directly to standard CSS
- You want built-in design-to-code and code-to-design AI workflows
- You want to avoid vendor lock-in on a tool your organization can run on its own servers
Figma vs Penpot: feature comparison
| Feature | Figma | Penpot |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Yesfree plan; paid from $16/mo (Professional, full seat) | Yesfree plan; paid from $7/user/mo (Unlimited) |
| Free tier | YesStarter, limited to 3 collaborative files | YesProfessional, up to 8 team members, 10GB storage |
| Platforms | Yesweb, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS | Partialweb only |
| License | Noclosed-source, freemium | Yesopen source (MPL-2.0) |
| Self-hosting | No | YesPrivate Server license, $50,000/year |
| Real-time multiplayer editing | Yes | Partialsupported, but performance lags on very large files per user reports |
| Native CSS Grid/Flexbox export | No | Yes |
| AI code generation/design-to-code | YesFigma Make, Figma Weave | Yescode-to-design and design-to-code workflows |
| Whiteboarding (FigJam-equivalent) | YesFigJam included | No |
| Presentation tool | YesFigma Slides included | No |
| Plugin/font ecosystem | Yeslarge, years of third-party development | Partialsmaller marketplace |
| Enterprise security (SSO, audit logs) | YesOrganization/Enterprise tiers, $55-$90/mo | YesEnterprise tier, $25/user/mo (min $950/mo) |
| External rating (Capterra) | Yes4.7/5 from 874 reviews | Yes4/5 from 1 review |
Figma vs Penpot pricing: which costs less?
Penpot costs less for teams willing to self-host, since its open-source codebase carries no per-seat licensing fee, while its cloud Unlimited and Enterprise tiers sit close to Figma's own pricing.
Both tools offer a free tier: Figma's Starter caps collaborative work at 3 files, while Penpot's Professional plan supports up to 8 team members with 10GB storage. Penpot's Unlimited tier ($7/user/month) and Enterprise tier ($25/user/month) are priced near Figma's Professional ($16/month) and Organization ($55/month) tiers, so the cost advantage mainly appears for organizations that self-host Penpot rather than pay for its hosted cloud plans.
Which is more open, Figma or Penpot?
Penpot is more open: its full codebase is published under the Mozilla Public License 2.0 and can be self-hosted, while Figma is entirely closed-source.
Which has more platform and plugin support, Figma or Penpot?
Figma supports more native platforms, with desktop apps for Windows, macOS, and Linux plus an iOS app, while Penpot runs in the browser only, and Figma's plugin and font marketplace is larger after years of third-party development.
Penpot's platform list in the data is limited to web, with no listed native desktop or mobile apps. Figma ships native wrappers for Windows, macOS, Linux, and iOS around its browser engine, and its plugin ecosystem has grown substantially longer than Penpot's smaller marketplace.
Can Penpot replace Figma?
Yes, for small teams up to 8 people on the free cloud plan or organizations willing to self-host, though Penpot's plugin ecosystem and large-file performance still lag Figma's.
Penpot covers the core UI design, prototyping, and design-system workflow with native CSS export that Figma lacks. Teams larger than 8 people who want to stay on Penpot's free tier, or who rely heavily on Figma's FigJam whiteboarding, Slides, or extensive plugin marketplace, will need Penpot's paid tiers or should stay with Figma.
Strengths and weaknesses
Figma
Pros
- Real-time multiplayer collaboration works reliably even with many simultaneous editors in one file.
- Free Starter tier is genuinely usable for solo designers with unlimited drafts and basic AI credits.
- Dev Mode gives engineers direct, inspectable access to design specs, reducing handoff friction.
- Broad plugin and integration ecosystem plus FigJam and Slides extend it beyond pure UI design.
Cons
- Requires an internet connection for full editing; offline work is limited.
- No native CMYK color profile or 300dpi export, so print design work needs a separate tool.
- Per-seat, per-role pricing (full/dev/collab) can be confusing and adds up quickly for larger teams.
- Organization and Enterprise tiers are annual-billing only, reducing flexibility for smaller teams.
Penpot
Pros
- Full open-source codebase (MPL-2.0) that can be self-hosted with no vendor lock-in.
- Free Professional plan covers teams up to 8 members with unlimited viewers.
- Native CSS Grid and Flexbox-aware layout tools that export directly to standard CSS.
- Design-to-code and code-to-design AI workflows built into the platform.
Cons
- Smaller plugin and font marketplace than Figma, which has years of third-party ecosystem lead.
- Enterprise self-hosted licensing ($50,000/year) is a significant jump from the free self-hosted community edition's DIY setup.
- Cloud Unlimited and Enterprise pricing ($7-$25/user/month) is close to Figma's own tiers, narrowing the price advantage for teams not self-hosting.
- Real-time collaboration and rendering performance on very large files lag behind Figma, per user reports.
Which fits your use case?
| Use case | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Small design team of 8 or fewer people wanting a free hosted tool | Penpot | Penpot's Professional plan is free for up to 8 team members; Figma's free Starter tier limits collaborative work to 3 files regardless of team size. |
| Organization that wants to self-host its design tooling under an open-source license | Penpot | Penpot's MPL-2.0 codebase supports self-hosting; Figma is closed-source and cloud-only. |
| Large enterprise design team needing the broadest plugin and font ecosystem | Figma | Figma's plugin and font marketplace is larger, built over years of third-party development that Penpot's smaller ecosystem hasn't matched. |
| Team that wants whiteboarding and presentation tools bundled with design | Figma | Figma includes FigJam for whiteboarding and Figma Slides for presentations; Penpot has no equivalent products. |
| Developer-heavy team wanting design output that exports directly to standard CSS | Penpot | Penpot's CSS Grid and Flexbox-aware layouts export directly to standard CSS; Figma has no equivalent native CSS export. |
Neither a match?
Both lists carry verified pricing and honest weaknesses for every option.
Popular comparisons
Figma vs Penpot: migration FAQ
Should I use Figma or Penpot?
- Use Figma if you need the largest plugin ecosystem and proven performance at scale; use Penpot if you want an open-source tool you can self-host or a free plan for a small team.
Is Figma cheaper than Penpot?
- It depends on the team: Penpot is free for up to 8 members versus Figma's 3-file-limited free tier, but Penpot's paid cloud tiers ($7-$25/user/month) sit close to Figma's own pricing.
Can Penpot replace Figma?
- Yes for small teams or organizations willing to self-host, since Penpot covers the core design and prototyping workflow, though its plugin ecosystem and large-file performance still trail Figma's.
Is Penpot really open source?
- Yes — Penpot's full codebase is published under the Mozilla Public License 2.0 and can be self-hosted with no per-seat fee, unlike Figma's closed-source platform.
Which has more native app support, Figma or Penpot?
- Figma has more native app support, with Windows, macOS, Linux, and iOS apps, while Penpot's platform list in the data is limited to the web.