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Penpot

Free Figma Alternative for Design Teams — Penpot

Design UIs collaboratively without Figma — free open-source design tool for teams and developers.

v2.15.3
May 2026
WindowsmacOSLinuxFreeOpen Source

Design teams working with Figma faced growing uncertainty after Adobe's attempted acquisition raised concerns about price hikes and platform lock-in. Even after the deal was blocked by regulators, Figma restructured its pricing significantly. Sketch is macOS-only and costs $9 per editor per month. Both tools store design files in proprietary formats on servers the team cannot control.

Penpot is a fully open-source collaborative design platform that runs in any web browser. Teams can create UI mockups, build interactive prototypes, and manage design systems together in real time — the same workflow as Figma, but with no subscription required and complete control over where files live.

What distinguishes Penpot from other Figma alternatives is its developer-centric approach. Designs are stored in open web formats (SVG and CSS) rather than proprietary binary files. Developers can inspect any element and see real CSS code output directly, without a separate handoff plugin. CSS Grid and Flexbox layout controls are built into the design canvas, so what you design maps directly to how developers implement it in code.

The component system supports variants, overrides, and design tokens for systematic theming across a product. Auto-layout handles responsive components. A plugin API lets teams build custom extensions for their specific workflows. Self-hosting via Docker means design files never leave company infrastructure — essential for agencies handling NDA work and enterprises with compliance requirements.

Penpot's free cloud plan has no project limit, unlike Figma's restriction to three projects on the free tier. Teams of any size can collaborate freely, export work in standard formats, and switch away without losing access to their files — there is no proprietary lock-in.

Related Tools

  • Krita — Professional digital painting and illustration app when you need raster artwork alongside Penpot's vector designs
  • OpenCut — Free video editor to showcase or animate your Penpot designs in a presentation or reel

FAQ

Is Penpot free?+
Yes, Penpot is free and open source under the MPL-2.0 license. The cloud version at penpot.app is free to use with no project limits. For teams that want complete data control, self-hosting via Docker is also free. There are no paid plans required to access core design or collaboration features.
How to design UIs for free without Figma?+
Sign up at penpot.app (no credit card required) or self-host Penpot using Docker on your own server. You get a full collaborative design tool with components, prototyping, design tokens, and CSS/SVG code output — the same workflow as Figma at no cost. Teams can collaborate in real time from any browser.
Best free alternative to Figma?+
Penpot is the most feature-complete free alternative to Figma. It offers real-time collaboration, a full component library system, design tokens, auto-layout, developer code inspection, and prototyping — all free. Unlike Figma, designs are stored in open SVG/CSS formats and the entire tool can be self-hosted.
Penpot vs Figma — which is better?+
Figma has a larger plugin ecosystem and is more mature, but it requires a paid plan for serious team use and stores files in a proprietary format you cannot export completely. Penpot is fully free, open source, and self-hostable, with designs in open web formats. For teams prioritizing data ownership and no subscription cost, Penpot is the stronger choice.