Penpot
Open-source, self-hostable design and prototyping tool with SVG-based files and real-time collaboration.
Overview
Penpot is an open-source design and prototyping platform developed by Kaleidos in Spain and released under the MPL 2.0 license. It covers the same ground as Figma's core: vector design on an infinite canvas, reusable components and shared libraries, interactive prototypes, comments and real-time multiplayer editing. It can be used on the hosted cloud at penpot.app or self-hosted with Docker or Kubernetes, which is the main reason organizations with data-residency or procurement constraints choose it.
Its distinctive technical choice is that files are SVG and CSS underneath, so Flex Layout and Grid Layout map directly to CSS and the inspect panel produces code developers can reuse. Native design tokens, added in 2025, follow the W3C community group format, and a plugin system with a public hub has grown since late 2024. Files export as SVG, PNG or PDF.
The hosted Free plan has no limits on projects, files, editors or viewers. A paid hosted tier exists at approximately $7 per editor per month, and Enterprise pricing for supported self-hosting with SSO and SLAs is custom. Trade-offs include a much smaller plugin and template ecosystem than Figma, slower performance on very large files, no desktop or mobile apps, and minimal AI features.
Key features
Collaboration
- Real-time collaboration
- Comments & mentions
- Roles & permissions
Automation
- API access
Getting started
- Templates
Data
- Import & export
Design
- Vector editing
- Interactive prototyping
- Design systems & components
Ecommerce
- App marketplace
Development
- Self-hosting option
- Platforms
- Web, API
Pros & cons
Strengths
- 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
Limitations
- 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
Pricing
Freemium. Hosted 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.
Free
PopularFree
Hosted plan with unlimited projects, files, editors and viewers.
- Unlimited editors and viewers
- Components, libraries and prototyping
- Plugins and community templates
Premium
$7/user/mo
Approximately $7 per editor per month on the hosted cloud; check the pricing page for current limits.
- Higher storage and version history limits
- Priority support
Enterprise
Custom
Custom pricing for supported self-hosted deployments.
- SSO / SAML
- SLA-backed support
- Deployment assistance
Prices are listed in USD and can change. Confirm current pricing on the vendor’s pricing page.
Best for
A good fit if you are
- 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
Not ideal if you
- Teams that rely on Figma-specific plugins or large UI kit ecosystems
- Non-technical users wanting templated marketing graphics
Compared in these shortlists
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Penpot
From $7/mo · Free plan