Penpot

Open-source design and prototyping platform with inspect-ready developer handoff.

Overview

Penpot is an open-source design platform built for teams that need scalable collaboration across design, development, and AI workflows. Unlike proprietary tools, Penpot runs in the browser and can be self-hosted, giving teams full control over their design infrastructure and data.

The platform combines a full-featured design editor with developer-friendly tools like code inspection, CSS Grid and Flex layouts, and open file formats (SVG, HTML, CSS, JSON). Teams can work simultaneously in real-time, share interactive prototypes, and integrate AI agents directly into their design workflows. Penpot emphasizes no vendor lock-in through its open-source foundation and support for industry standards.

Key features

Real-time multiplayer collaboration
CSS Grid and Flex layouts
Design systems with components and tokens
Interactive prototyping with flows and transitions
Code inspector for CSS/SVG/HTML
Self-hosting capability
AI workflow integration
Open file format (SVG-based)
Design libraries and templates
Webhooks and plugin system

Pros

Fully open-source with no vendor lock-in
Self-hosting option for data control
Free Professional plan with core features
Developer-friendly with code inspection tools
Real-time multiplayer editing
Supports modern CSS standards (Flex, Grid)
AI agent integration built-in
Transparent pricing with capped monthly bills

Cons

Learning curve for users migrating from Figma or Adobe XD
Smaller ecosystem of third-party integrations compared to established competitors
Plugin system marked as 'coming soon' in some documentation
Self-hosting requires technical infrastructure knowledge

Use this if

You need a collaborative design tool with self-hosting options, want to avoid vendor lock-in, require developer-friendly design-to-code workflows, or need to integrate AI agents into your design process.

Skip this if

You require extensive third-party plugin ecosystems, prefer fully managed SaaS without self-hosting complexity, or need the largest community of design templates and resources.

Best for

Design teams needing real-time collaborationOrganizations wanting self-hosted design infrastructureDevelopers integrating design into code workflowsTeams using AI agents in design processesProjects requiring open-source and vendor-lock-in-free solutions