Penpot

situational

Open-source design and prototyping platform built for designers and developers.

Visit penpot.app →Add to kit Open in Noemium

ledger entry · observed by @whysanesanders

A genuine open-source Figma alternative with CSS-friendly layout tools and dev handoff. The free plan covers small teams generously, and you can self-host. Plugin ecosystem and advanced prototyping still trail Figma.

Strengths

Genuine open-source Figma alternative with CSS-friendly layout tools.
Dev handoff is built in, not an afterthought.
Free plan covers small teams generously.
Self-host option keeps design data in-house.

Known limitations

Plugin and template ecosystem is smaller than Figma's.
Advanced prototyping and animation features are more limited.
Self-hosting requires infrastructure; the managed free plan has storage caps.

Use it when

Teams wanting an open-source design and prototyping tool.
Small teams that fit the free plan limits.

Skip it when

You need Figma's plugin and template ecosystem.
Advanced prototyping and animation are required.
You cannot operate a self-hosted instance.

Buy-check

·Price — freemium, Professional free for up to 8 editors/10GB; Unlimited $7/user/mo; Enterprise from $950/mo; Private Server $50k/yr as of 2026-08-19. Open the pricing page, not a screenshot.
·Free tier — Free tier exists — burn it first.
·Cancel fallout — What happens to your data/projects on cancel — check the ToS, not the FAQ.
·Seat math — Per-seat pricing multiplies quietly. Count seats before the annual plan.
·Who skips it — Also skipped when: You need Figma's plugin and template ecosystem.; Advanced prototyping and animation are required..

Price trailchangelog →

No price move in this repo yet.

Facts

pricing: freemium¹
price note: Professional free for up to 8 editors/10GB; Unlimited $7/user/mo; Enterprise from $950/mo; Private Server $50k/yr
free tier: yes
open source: yes
api: yes
self-host: yes
category: design
evidence: source-verified