Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Pencil Project VS Cachely.dev

Compare Pencil Project VS Cachely.dev and see what are their differences

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Pencil Project logo Pencil Project

Single-user mockup / wireframing / diagramming tool
Cachely is a managed implementation of self-hosted remote cache for monorepos. Speed up CI, prove how much time and cost you saved, get build optimization suggestions, safe from cache poisoning (CVE-2025-36852). Turborepo and Bazel on the roadmap.
  • Pencil Project Landing page
    Landing page //
    2018-09-30
  • Cachely.dev
    Image date //
    2026-08-20
  • Cachely.dev
    Image date //
    2026-08-20
  • Cachely.dev
    Image date //
    2026-08-20
  • Cachely.dev
    Image date //
    2026-08-20

Cachely is the managed self-hosted remote cache for Nx and Turborepo - the cache backend you'd otherwise build and run yourself, hosted for you on Cloudflare's edge (R2). It's a drop-in replacement for a DIY @nx/s3-cache / S3 bucket setup: point your build tool at Cachely with a token and two environment variables, and share build cache across CI and every developer's laptop.

Unlike a self-hosted cache, Cachely enforces read-only tokens at the API, so pull-request and fork builds can read but never write - closing the Nx cache-poisoning attack (CVE-2025-36852). It adds ROI reporting (the real build minutes and dollars the cache saved), per-tool insights, and build-optimization suggestions on top.

Pricing is a flat per-workspace subscription with no per-seat fees - add every developer, bot, and CI actor without watching the bill. Cachely never stores your source code; it caches only task outputs and their content hashes. Nx and Turborepo today; Bazel on the roadmap.

Pencil Project

Pricing URL
-
$ Details
Release Date
-
Startup details
Country
Vietnam

Cachely.dev

$ Details
freemium
Release Date
2026 June

Pencil Project features and specs

  • Open Source
    Pencil Project is an open-source tool, making it free to use and modify according to your needs.
  • Ease of Use
    The software is user-friendly with a simple and intuitive interface, making it accessible for beginners.
  • Cross-Platform Compatibility
    Available for Windows, macOS, and Linux, ensuring that users on various platforms can utilize the tool.
  • Wide Range of Templates
    Provides various templates and stencils for web, mobile, and desktop applications to speed up the design process.
  • Integration Capabilities
    Supports exporting designs in multiple formats like PNG, PDF, SVG, and even integrates with popular tools like OpenClipart.org.
  • Community Support
    Being open-source, it has a community of users and developers who contribute to its development and provide support.

Possible disadvantages of Pencil Project

  • Limited Collaboration Features
    Unlike some paid tools, Pencil Project lacks advanced collaboration features which can be essential for team projects.
  • Performance Issues
    Users have reported that the software can be slow or laggy, especially with complex diagrams or longer usage periods.
  • UI/UX Limitations
    While it covers basic design needs well, it lacks some advanced UI/UX prototyping features available in premium tools.
  • Limited Online Resources
    There are fewer tutorials, plugins, and extensions available compared to more popular commercial alternatives.
  • No Cloud Storage
    The software does not offer built-in cloud storage or synchronization options, which can be a drawback for users needing secure storage solutions.

Cachely.dev features and specs

  • Simplified Caching Setup
    Cachely.dev likely offers an easy-to-integrate caching layer that reduces the complexity of manually configuring caching infrastructure, allowing developers to implement caching with minimal setup time.
  • Performance Improvement
    By providing a dedicated caching solution, Cachely.dev can help reduce latency and improve application response times, especially for frequently accessed data or API responses.
  • Developer-Focused Design
    The .dev domain and branding suggest the product is tailored specifically for developers, potentially offering clean APIs, SDKs, and documentation that fit into modern development workflows.
  • Scalability
    As a specialized caching service, it may be built to handle scaling automatically, removing the burden of managing cache infrastructure as traffic grows.
  • Reduced Backend Load
    Effective caching can significantly reduce the load on primary databases and backend services, potentially lowering infrastructure costs and improving overall system reliability.

Analysis of Pencil Project

Overall verdict

  • Yes, Pencil Project is a good choice for users looking for a cost-effective and easy-to-use tool for creating mockups and wireframes. Its open-source nature and the community support further enhance its value.

Why this product is good

  • Pencil Project is well-regarded for being a free and open-source GUI prototyping tool that is user-friendly and versatile. It provides a variety of built-in shapes, templates, and stencils which makes creating mockups and wireframes straightforward. Its integration with various platforms and export options to file formats like PNG and PDF also adds to its flexibility and convenience.

Recommended for

    This tool is recommended for designers, project managers, and developers who need a simple yet effective solution for GUI prototyping and wireframe creation. It is also suitable for smaller teams or individuals with limited budgets who are looking for a no-cost alternative to more complex and expensive design software.

Pencil Project videos

Pencil Project | Free UI Mockup Design Software

More videos:

  • Demo - Wireframing with Pencil Project Demo

Cachely.dev videos

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Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Pencil Project and Cachely.dev)
Diagrams
100 100%
0% 0
Productivity
0 0%
100% 100
Wireframing
100 100%
0% 0
Developer Tools
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Pencil Project and Cachely.dev

Pencil Project Reviews

10 Best Visio Alternatives for Cost Effective Diagramming [2022]
Pencil Project is one of the best Visio alternatives which is open-source GUI prototyping software suitable for developers to create mockups, flow charts, floor designs, etc. It has a rich set of shapes and designed collections that make it easier to draw.

Cachely.dev Reviews

We have no reviews of Cachely.dev yet.
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Pencil Project seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 11 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Pencil Project mentions (11)

  • Uizard: Figma alternative with low learning curve
    I am a software developer, so doing UX is never my strength. From time to time though, I would resort to using the open source tool Pencil (https://pencil.evolus.vn/) to get a low fidelity mock-up. Lately I've been encountering bugs where images would come out broken when I re-open my wireframe in Pencil. Frustrated of the issue on Pencil, I tried out uizard yesterday, and have been really happy with it. It's... - Source: Hacker News / over 3 years ago
  • Quick UI-design tool for mockups?
    Thanks for your replies. I checked some of them out, but I found one on my own that fits me perfectly: Pencil. Source: over 3 years ago
  • Best practice to draw/describe UIs in plain text?
    I wouldn't use text to illustrate a GUI. We use Pencil with the crayon-styled stencils to make quick mockups. The crayon styling makes it clear that they're just mockups so people don't poke at the style aspects of the design. We've gotten great feedback from our clients that these are effective illustrations too. Source: about 4 years ago
  • Simple tool for network documentation?
    I use MS Visio at work and Pencil (free) at home. Source: about 4 years ago
  • A blog web design with Inkscape, what do you think about it?
    Thank you ! Of the ones I have tested, the only one that really works is Pencil, unfortunately, it lacks a lot of functionalities, and it is still far from being as practical as Figma, adobe xd etc. I think Inkscape is much more practical and powerful, but maybe it's just because I'm used to it :). Source: over 4 years ago
View more

Cachely.dev mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Cachely.dev yet. Tracking of Cachely.dev recommendations started around Jun 2026.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Pencil Project and Cachely.dev, you can also consider the following products

Penpot - Design freedom for teams

nxCloud - nxCloud is a commercial OwnCloud provider

draw.io - Online diagramming application

SuperNotecard - Introducing SuperNotecard. SuperNotecard is an online writing tool that features virtual notecards to help arrange facts or scenes, track details, organize paragraphs, and clarify your composition process.

LucidChart - LucidChart is the missing link in online productivity suites. LucidChart allows users to create, collaborate on, and publish attractive flowcharts and other diagrams from a web browser.

Linked Ideas - A macOS/iOS apps to treat ideas as links of concepts.