Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Penpot

Design freedom for teams.

Penpot

Penpot Reviews and Details

This page is designed to help you find out whether Penpot is good and if it is the right choice for you.

Screenshots and images

  • Penpot Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-08-19

Features & Specs

  1. Open Source

    Penpot is completely open-source, which allows for community contributions and greater transparency in development.

  2. Cross-Platform

    Being a web-based application, Penpot is accessible on any operating system with a modern web browser.

  3. Collaboration Features

    Penpot includes real-time collaboration capabilities, making it easier for teams to work together on design projects.

  4. Integrations

    Penpot offers integrations with popular project management and version control tools, enhancing its adaptability within existing workflows.

  5. No Vendor Lock-In

    Since it is open-source and supports standard file formats, there is no risk of vendor lock-in, and you can export your work for use in other applications.

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Videos

Penpot: Free and Open Source Design Prototyping Tool - First Impressions

Penpot: Free Open Source Design Prototyping Tool | Get Started

FOSDEM 2021 Talk: Penpot, design freedom for teams

Social recommendations and mentions

We have tracked the following product recommendations or mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you see what people think about Penpot and what they use it for.
  • Show HN: I spent 4 years building a UI design tool with only the features I use
    Comparing the tool shared here to PenPot[1] might be more fair. [1]: http://penpot.app/. - Source: Hacker News / 5 months ago
  • Show HN: I spent 4 years building a UI design tool with only the features I use
    If you're looking for an open-source and self-host option then you might to checkout https://penpot.app/. - Source: Hacker News / 5 months ago
  • Show HN: Open-source Figma design to code
    There is https://penpot.app too. Although IMHO as I wrote some years ago in my blog (sorry only in spanish) https://tomatesasesinos.com/2023/01/09/proyectos-que-son-una-mierda-por-las-tecnologias-que-usan/ TL;DR: Penpot team chose a bad dev language. - Source: Hacker News / 6 months ago
  • Penpot: The Open-Source Figma
    Https://penpot.app/ you don't have to download it at all :). - Source: Hacker News / 8 months ago
  • Top 10 Free Dev Tools to Boost Productivity in 2025
    Not every developer is a designer, but we often need to mock up a UI. Penpot is a free, open-source design tool made with developers in mind. - Source: dev.to / 11 months ago
  • Figma Announces IPO Pricing
    There's Penpot[1], but it's not as good as Figma, currently. [1]: https://penpot.app/. - Source: Hacker News / 12 months ago
  • Figma Announces IPO Pricing
    Https://penpot.app/ is doing pretty well and quite well featured! - Source: Hacker News / 12 months ago
  • When Figma Starts Designing Us
    I haven't used it myself yet, from what I've heard, Penpot is closer to filling that gap? https://penpot.app And it's free and open source. - Source: Hacker News / about 1 year ago
  • Make little apps for you and your friends
    It seems the way to go would be to open source the SaaS code to ensure that longevity. The folks at Penpot have a good thing going with thatโ€”most people will use the SaaS offering but itโ€™s available for self-hosting. One of the difficulties of course is notarizing/signing the apps and so-forth. Perhaps some Web3 solutions could help as well. OR, another option would be like what PICO-8 does (or flash I... - Source: Hacker News / about 1 year ago
  • Adventures in Homelabbing: From Cloud Obsession to Self-Hosted Shenanigans
    I began to self-host a Minecraft server using Crafty Controller, an Excalidraw instance, Docmost to replace Notion, Plane to replace Jira, and Penpot to replace Figma. To be able to access them from the internet, I used Nginx Proxy Manager to set up reverse proxies with SSL. You can use Traefik or Caddy instead, but I enjoyed the ease-of-use of NPM. For a dashboard solution, I started with Homarr, but later... - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • Linux for UX Designers: What I learn after a year of doing design work on Linux
    Good info. There's an open-source Figma alternative called Penpot: https://penpot.app/ When Apple orphaned my late-2014 iMac, I tried OpenCore Legacy, but it was plagued by weird glitches and stalls that rendered some things (notably Safari) pretty much unusable. I installed Mint and now I have a 25-inch Linux workstation. Everything works fine. - Source: Hacker News / almost 2 years ago
  • I'm not a designer, but ...
    Note: All of the UI images here were created with Penpot. The these examples are simplified, and often quite clunky and far from pixel perfect, but hopefully they get the gist across. - Source: dev.to / about 2 years ago
  • Release Radar ยท April 2024 Edition: Major updates from the open source community
    Imagine designers and coders working seamlessly together. That's what Penpot aims to do. It's a tool where designers can create stunning designs, interactive prototypes, and design systems at scale. Developers then have ready-to-use code, which makes their workflows faster and more efficient. Penpot's latest version receives a new grid CSS layout, new UI, new components system, and more components. Oh and there's... - Source: dev.to / about 2 years ago
  • A list of SaaS, PaaS and IaaS offerings that have free tiers of interest to devops and infradev
    Penpot - Web-based, open-source design and prototyping tool. Supports SVG. Completely free. - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
  • Ask HN: How would you build Figma?
    Checkout https://penpot.app -- its OSS figma. - Source: Hacker News / over 2 years ago
  • Ask HN: What open-source alternative is there for Canva
    Not necessarily like Canva, but more similar to Figma is Penpot, if it may interest you: https://penpot.app/. - Source: Hacker News / over 2 years ago
  • Adobe's buy of Figma is 'likely' bad for developers, rules UK regulator
    More people should adopt the open source Penpot app instead of using Figma. Then the problem will be solved. https://penpot.app/. - Source: Hacker News / over 2 years ago
  • Adobe's buy of Figma is 'likely' bad for developers, rules UK regulator
    What do you think about penpot as an alternative to figma? https://penpot.app/. - Source: Hacker News / over 2 years ago
  • CEO of Figma is a Zionist and supports the occupation of Palestine
    - Penpot (open source) - penpot.app/. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Just paying Figma $15/month because nothing else fucking works
    A colleague had a quick presentation on Penpot[1] a few weeks back. Was a real contender I think. [1]: https://penpot.app/. - Source: Hacker News / almost 3 years ago
  • Figma added OpenAI to a list of companies that can use some of its data
    Now is as great a time as any to signal boost Penpot: https://penpot.app/ Open technology always wins, and it's only a matter of time until Adobe-Figma fades out of relevance. - Source: Hacker News / almost 3 years ago

Summary of the public mentions of Penpot

Penpot, an emerging contender in the domain of design tools, has increasingly sparked interest among designers and developers seeking viable alternatives to established platforms like Figma. Positioned primarily as an open-source, web-based design and prototyping tool, Penpot distinguishes itself with several unique offerings that cater to cross-functional teams and individual designers alike.

Market Position and Reception

Penpot has rapidly gained traction as one of the most promising alternatives to Figma, commonly highlighted in discussions surrounding design tools for its collaborative, user-friendly, and customizable nature. Its adoption notably appeals to those who prioritize open-source solutions and aim to avoid vendor lock-in, especially in light of concerns about Adobe's acquisition of Figma. The ability to self-host Penpot provides an additional layer of control and flexibility, appealing to the DevOps community and individuals invested in self-hosted solutions.

Key Functionalities and Advantages

At the core of Penpot's proposition is its reliance on scalable vector graphics (SVG), eliminating formatting challenges that commonly besiege designers working across different platforms and mediums. The toolโ€™s alignment with open web standards ensures accessibility and broad usability, thus enabling a seamless start for those with internet access. Penpot emphasizes streamlining workflows by offering designers the capability to produce sophisticated interfaces, interactive prototypes, and comprehensive design systems that developers can seamlessly translate into code.

Penpot's commitment to being an entirely free tool bolsters its attractiveness against competitors like Figma, Adobe XD, and Sketch. For sectors that place a significant premium on resource conservationโ€”such as education and small businessesโ€”this economic advantage is pivotal. The regularly updated feature set, including a new grid system, component structure, and dual-mode interface (light and dark), further augments its appeal by demonstrating responsiveness to user feedback and evolving design requirements.

User Feedback and Areas for Growth

Public sentiment about Penpot often revolves around its status as open-source software and its potential for innovation through communal contribution. While some users laud its intuitive interface, others identify that the platform is yet to achieve the pixel-perfect precision offered by more mature products like Figma or Adobe XD. This comparison underscores a general consensus that while Penpot is already robust, its evolutionary journey is ongoing.

Moreover, discussions around various design forums and communities regularly reflect optimism that Penpot will continue to develop into a formidable tool within the design ecosystem. Users express satisfaction with its direction and strategic focus, particularly in contexts advocating for ethical technology consumption and independence from proprietary ecosystems.

Conclusion

In summary, Penpot emerges as an impactful design and prototyping tool that is fostering a shift towards open-source alternatives amidst growing dissatisfaction with monopolistic practices in the design software market. As it continues to evolve and refine its offerings, Penpot's combination of accessibility, cost-effectiveness, and adaptability positions it favorably within an increasingly crowded space of design tools. For stakeholders vested in open-source technologies, Penpot represents both current utility and future promise.

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Is Penpot good? This is an informative page that will help you find out. Moreover, you can review and discuss Penpot here. The primary details have not been verified within the last quarter, and they might be outdated. If you think we are missing something, please use the means on this page to comment or suggest changes. All reviews and comments are highly encouranged and appreciated as they help everyone in the community to make an informed choice. Please always be kind and objective when evaluating a product and sharing your opinion.