— Design Tool

Penpot

Last updated June 16, 2026 · Reviewed by ToolForge Editorial

The open-source Figma alternative with a code-first flex layout engine.

★ 4.5/5 · 500K+ designers · Since 2021 · Free (open source)
Free (self-host) free + cloud
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Design that devs actually want to inherit

Penpot is the leading open-source design platform. Unlike Figma, its layout engine is based on CSS flexbox and grid, so what designers build maps closely to what engineers ship. You can self-host it for free, which is why privacy-conscious teams and open-source projects gravitate to it.

Who it's for: Designers and frontend teams who want Figma-like collaboration without vendor lock-in or per-seat fees.

Key features

Open source

Self-host or use the free cloud; no lock-in, auditable code.

Flex & grid layouts

Native CSS flexbox/grid so designs translate cleanly to code.

Prototyping

Interactive flows, transitions, and comments for handoff.

Dev mode

Inspect, copy CSS, and export tokens developers can use directly.

The honest take

✓ What works

  • Free and self-hostable — no seat tax
  • Layout model maps to real CSS
  • Strong collaboration features
  • Active open-source community

✗ What doesn't

  • Smaller plugin ecosystem than Figma
  • Performance lags on very large files
  • Onboarding differs from Figma muscle memory
  • No offline desktop app yet

Verdict

Penpot is the most credible Figma alternative for teams that care about ownership and code parity. Use it when you want design tooling that your engineers actually respect.

💡 Transparency: This review contains affiliate links. If you sign up through our link, we may earn a commission at no cost to you. We only recommend tools we use ourselves. Full disclosure.

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Free (self-host) free + cloud · Free (open source)

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