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Penpot vs Squarespace

A side-by-side look at Penpot and Squarespace: what each costs to start, whether there is a free plan, how easy they are to pick up, and which features and integrations they cover.

Which should you choose?

Choose Penpot if

  • Teams that need self-hosted design tooling for compliance or data residency
  • Developer-heavy teams that value CSS-accurate layouts
  • Open-source projects and budget-constrained teams

Choose Squarespace if

  • Creatives, photographers and small brands that prioritize design
  • Service businesses selling appointments plus a small range of products
  • Restaurants and local businesses that need a site with light commerce

Cheapest to start

Not confirmed

Free plan

Penpot

Highest editor rating

Squarespace · 4.2

Comparison of Penpot and Squarespace
ComparePenpot
Free planYes
Free trialNo
Starting priceFrom $7/mo
Editor rating4.0
Ease of useModerate (3/5)
CategoryDesign
Pricing modelHosted Free plan with unlimited editors, files and projects; a paid hosted tier costs approximately $7 per editor per month; Enterprise pricing for supported self-hosting is custom. Self-hosting the open-source edition is free.
Plans
  • Free Free
  • Premium $7/user/mo
  • Enterprise Custom
PlatformsWeb, API
Integrations
Best for
  • Teams that need self-hosted design tooling for compliance or data residency
  • Developer-heavy teams that value CSS-accurate layouts
  • Open-source projects and budget-constrained teams
Pros
  • Open source (MPL 2.0) and self-hostable with Docker or Kubernetes
  • SVG and CSS-based files; Flex and Grid layouts map directly to code
  • Real-time collaboration, comments and prototyping included on the free plan
  • Native design tokens and a growing plugin system
  • No seat limits on the hosted Free plan
Cons
  • Much smaller plugin, template and community ecosystem than Figma
  • Performance drops on very large files
  • No desktop or mobile apps and no offline mode
  • Few AI-assisted features
Abandoned cart recoveryNo
AI assistantNo
API accessYes
App marketplaceYes
Comments & mentionsYes
Custom domainsNo
Design systems & componentsYes
Discounts & couponsNo
Drag-and-drop builderNo
Forms & surveysNo
Import & exportYes
Interactive prototypingYes
Inventory managementNo
Mobile appNo
Payment processingNo
Point of saleNo
Real-time collaborationYes
Reporting & dashboardsNo
Roles & permissionsYes
Self-hosting optionYes
TemplatesYes
Vector editingYes

Common questions

Does Penpot or Squarespace have a free plan?
Penpot has a free plan. Squarespace does not, though it offers a free trial.
How long is the Penpot and Squarespace free trial?
Squarespace offers a 14-day free trial. Penpot does not offer one.
Which is easier to use, Penpot or Squarespace?
In VERILO's editorial assessment Squarespace is the easier of the two, scoring 4 out of 5 against 3 for Penpot. That is a judgement about how quickly a new team gets productive, not a measured benchmark.

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