🇪🇸 Spain · Penpot — Open-Source Design and Prototyping Tool
Status: 🟩 COMPLETE 🟦 LIVING Section: 14 — Design and UX
| Vendor | Penpot (Kaleidos, a Taiga.io project) |
| Country/origin | 🇪🇸 Spain (Kaleidos HQ Madrid; open-source project) |
| Recommended for AUS? | ✅ Yes — EU-origin; strong open-source privacy; can self-host |
| Privacy summary | Self-hostable (zero data to anyone); cloud version uses EU servers; GDPR governed; no AI training on your designs |
| Free tier | Yes — fully free on penpot.app cloud; self-hosted also free |
| Paid tiers | Enterprise: self-hosted with support contracts (custom pricing) |
| First released | 2021 (public beta); stable release 2022 |
| Last reviewed | June 2026 |
| Official site | https://penpot.app |
What it is
Penpot is a free, open-source design and prototyping tool — the primary open-source alternative to Figma. It’s used by designers and developers to create user interface designs, prototypes, and design systems.
Why it exists: When Adobe announced plans to acquire Figma in 2022 (later blocked by regulators in 2023), the design community grew concerned about vendor lock-in and the future of their primary tool. Penpot emerged as the leading open-source alternative — one that you can self-host on your own servers, meaning your design files never leave your control.
Key features:
- Full vector design tool (comparable to Figma’s core design capabilities)
- Real-time collaboration (multiple designers working simultaneously)
- Prototyping with interactive connections between screens
- Design components and shared design systems
- Open SVG-based file format (not proprietary — your files are usable without Penpot)
- Developer handoff (inspect mode shows CSS, measurements, assets)
- AI features (2024–2026): AI-powered design generation, layout suggestions, and accessibility checking are being added through the Penpot AI initiative
What you’d use it for
- UI/UX design for apps, websites, and software
- Creating design systems that maintain consistency across a product
- Prototyping user flows to test and present to stakeholders
- Collaborative design work for open-source or privacy-conscious teams
- Organisations that require self-hosted tooling (government, healthcare, education)
How to get started from Australia
- Go to https://penpot.app → Start for free (uses the cloud version; EU servers)
- Sign up with email (no credit card; no trial limits)
- Create a project → New file
- Start designing — Penpot’s interface is similar to Figma if you’ve used it
- Invite collaborators via email → they get free access too
- To self-host: Docker is the recommended path — see https://help.penpot.app/technical-guide/getting-started/
For Australian teams with data sovereignty requirements, self-hosting on Australian cloud infrastructure (AWS Sydney, Azure Australia East) is straightforward and completely free.
What it costs
| Option | Cost |
|---|---|
| Penpot Cloud (penpot.app) | Free — no limits on projects, files, or collaborators |
| Self-hosted (your own servers) | Free — hosting costs are yours (AWS, Azure, etc.) |
| Enterprise support contract | Custom — from the Penpot/Kaleidos team |
This is genuinely free — not “free with limits” like Figma’s free plan. Unlimited files, unlimited collaborators, unlimited projects.
How it compares to alternatives
| Tool | Cost | Privacy | AI | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Penpot | Free (open-source) | Excellent (self-host option) | Growing | Open-source; self-hosting; EU/privacy-first teams |
| Figma | Free (limited) / $15/month | US cloud; Adobe-owned | Good (AI features) | Industry standard; widest ecosystem |
| Sketch | $10/month (Mac only) | Mac-native | Limited | Mac teams; app design |
| Adobe XD | Discontinued (2024) | Adobe cloud | Merged into Figma area | — |
| Framer | Free / paid | EU origin | Good (AI website building) | Website design + publish |
Penpot’s unique value proposition: professional design capability + free + self-hostable + open-source. The ecosystem (plugins, integrations) is smaller than Figma’s, but growing rapidly.
Privacy / data handling
- Self-hosted: Zero data to anyone. Your files stay on your infrastructure.
- Cloud (penpot.app): EU servers; GDPR compliant; Kaleidos (Spanish company) operates under EU law
- Open-source: code is publicly auditable at github.com/penpot/penpot
- Files stored in open SVG format — no proprietary lock-in
- No AI training on your designs
Gotchas
- Smaller plugin ecosystem than Figma. Figma has thousands of community plugins; Penpot has fewer. For advanced icon libraries, design tokens, and third-party integrations, Figma is still ahead.
- AI features are emerging, not mature. Penpot’s AI capabilities are earlier-stage than Figma’s. If AI-assisted design is a priority, Figma currently leads.
- Performance on very large files. Penpot’s cloud version can feel slower than Figma on very complex design files. Self-hosted with good server specs addresses this.
- Self-hosting requires technical setup. Docker knowledge is needed. Not plug-and-play for non-technical teams.
- Export to Figma / Sketch: Not fully supported. Penpot uses open SVG formats; migrating from Figma requires manual or third-party conversion.
- Not widely used in Australian agencies (yet). If you’re collaborating with external agencies or freelancers, they likely use Figma. Consider whether compatibility matters for your workflow.
Recent changes (LIVING)
- Penpot 2.0 (2024): Major redesign of the interface; improved performance; new component and design system features.
- Grid layout support (2023): CSS Grid layout design capability added.
- Penpot AI initiative (2024–2025): AI-powered layout generation, accessibility checking, and design suggestions under active development.
- Plugin system (2024): Community plugins now supported; ecosystem growing.
See also
- figma — the industry-standard alternative
- framer — design + publish in one tool
- canva — easier design for non-designers
- blender — the 3D equivalent of open-source professional tooling
Sources
- Penpot official documentation: help.penpot.app
- Penpot GitHub: github.com/penpot/penpot
- Penpot roadmap and AI initiative blog posts (2024–2025)
- TechCrunch coverage of the open-source design tool ecosystem (2022–2024)
- Kaleidos company background: kaleidos.net