Penpot

Open-source design and prototyping platform you can self-host

AI Design & UIFree planOverseas★★★☆☆ 3.0

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What is Penpot?

Penpot is an open-source design and prototyping tool that runs in the browser and can be self-hosted, which is the difference most teams care about. Layout is built on flex and grid CSS concepts rather than a designer-only box model, so a design translates more directly into front-end code, and files are stored as open, SVG-based data. Components, design tokens, shared libraries and interactive prototyping are all present, alongside plugin and API access for automation. Its built-in AI features are limited compared with commercial rivals, so pick it for open licensing, data ownership and self-hosting rather than for generation.

Last updated: 2026-09-20. This site only provides an index; for exact features, pricing, and licensing, see the official website.

Key features

Browser design canvas with flex and grid layout based on CSS
Components, variants, design tokens and shared team libraries
Interactive prototyping with links, overlays and fixed scrolling
Self-hosting with Docker for full control of data and access
Plugin system and API for extending or automating workflows
Open file format with SVG and CSS based export options

Pros & cons

Strengths

Open source with no per-seat licence cost
Self-hosting keeps design files inside your own infrastructure
CSS-like layout makes front-end handoff more direct

Watch out for

Plugin and AI ecosystem is much smaller than Figma's
Some advanced design interactions are still catching up
Self-hosting means running your own updates and backups

Best for & use cases

open-source teams, self-hosted design work, design tokens and developer handoff

If you're comparing similar products, check the alternatives below, or browse all tools in the AI Design & UI category.

FAQ

Is Penpot really free to use?

Yes. The source is open and the hosted tier is free for normal team use. Costs appear when an organisation wants managed hosting, support or enterprise controls rather than for the design tool itself.

Can it replace Figma for a small team?

For layout, components, tokens and prototyping, often yes. Teams that depend on a large plugin library or specific community resources may miss features that only exist in the Figma ecosystem.

What does self-hosting involve?

Running the supplied Docker images on your own server, then handling upgrades, backups and access control yourself. That effort buys data ownership and freedom from per-seat pricing.