Growing an audience
Running the business
Both cover design & graphics. Here is what separates them on price, billing, what you can take with you, and coverage.
| Figma | Penpot | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | From $16 | From $7 |
| Pricing model | Free plan, paid tiers | Free plan, paid tiers |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Billing | Not stated | Not stated |
| Free trial | Not stated | 14 days |
| API | Not stated | Yes |
| Data export | Not stated | Not stated |
| Their cut | Not stated | Not stated |
| Runs on | Web, macOS, Windows | Web |
| Covers | Design & Graphics | Design & Graphics |
| Works with | Nothing in particular | Nothing in particular |
| Founded | Not listed | Not listed |
| Reader rating | No reviews yet | No reviews yet |
| Live deals | None right now | 1 |
Interface design and prototyping in a browser
Figma is where most interface design happens now, and creators arrive at it for brand kits, thumbnails and anything a developer has to build from later. Files live in the browser and several people can be inside one at the same time without anybody emailing a version. The free Starter plan carries unlimited drafts, which covers solo work. Seats are priced by what you actually do in the file.
Our note
The free tier is genuinely enough for one person maintaining their own brand assets, and the seat split is what makes bringing in an editor or a developer affordable. Penpot is the answer if self-hosting or open formats matter to you.
Open source design you can host yourself
Penpot does the job Figma does and is open source, which matters if you would rather keep design files on a server you control than on somebody else's. The free plan is fully featured rather than crippled, and paying mostly buys storage, version history and a bill that stops rising past a point. Files are standards-based, so what comes out is SVG and CSS rather than a format only one company reads.
Our note
The capped bill is the quietly good part of this: it removes the sting from adding the ninth person to a team. Take it seriously if you are choosing tools for an organisation that cares about lock-in, and stay on Figma if you just need to draw a thumbnail.
Ratings are the average of reviews readers left. The facts are stated by each tool’s own listing and are not verified by CloutStack. How we make money.