Penpot
Free (open source) / self-hostable
Figma
Free / from ~$16 per editor/mo
Penpot is an open-source design and prototyping tool you can self-host, built on open web standards. Figma is the polished, industry-standard collaborative design tool. Penpot wins on open source, self-hosting, and freedom; Figma wins on polish, features, and ecosystem.
Pick Penpot if you want a free, open-source, self-hostable design tool built on open standards with no lock-in.
Pick Figma if you want the most polished, feature-rich, widely adopted design and collaboration tool.
Penpot and Figma both handle interface design and prototyping, but they differ on openness. Penpot is open source and built on open web standards (SVG), so teams can self-host it, avoid lock-in, and even bridge design and code more directly — appealing to organizations that value control and freedom. Figma is the polished industry standard, with the deepest feature set, a huge plugin ecosystem, seamless real-time collaboration, and near-universal adoption among design teams.
On price, Penpot is free and open source (self-hostable), while Figma has a free tier and paid plans from around $16 per editor. The choice is mostly open-source freedom and self-hosting (Penpot) versus polish, features, and ecosystem (Figma).
We compare open source, self-hosting, features, collaboration, and price.
| Quick facts | Penpot | Figma |
|---|---|---|
| Open source | Yes | No |
| Self-hostable | Yes | No |
| Price | Free (open source) | Free / from ~$16/editor/mo |
| Feature depth & ecosystem | Growing | Best-in-class |
| Best for | Open source + control | Polish + ecosystem |
Each row reflects the feature on each product's current public release.
| Feature | P Penpot | F Figma |
|---|---|---|
| Interface design & prototyping | Strong | Best-in-class |
| Open-source codebase | Yes | No |
| Self-hosting | Yes | No |
| Open standards (SVG) | Best-in-class | Good |
| Real-time collaboration | Strong | Best-in-class |
| Plugin ecosystem | Growing | Best-in-class |
| Free to use | Best-in-class | Free tier |
| Industry adoption | Growing | Best-in-class |
Pricing and features change often. Always verify the current details on each product's official site. Last reviewed 2026-06-26.
Things neither product's marketing page leads with.
Penpot is open and self-hostable with no lock-in, but its features, polish, and ecosystem are still catching up to Figma.
Figma is the polished standard with the deepest ecosystem, but it is closed source and cannot be self-hosted.
For openness and control Penpot wins; for polish and adoption Figma wins.
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