Penpot
Spanish open-source design and prototyping tool built on web standards, self-hostable and free for unlimited users
Quick Overview
| Company | Kaleidos |
|---|---|
| Category | Design & Photo Editing |
| Headquarters | Madrid, Spain |
| Founded | 2020 |
| EU Presence | Yes - Spain (EU) |
| Data Location | Your own infrastructure, or Penpot cloud |
| Open Source | Yes (MPL 2.0) |
| GDPR Compliant | Yes - you remain controller when self-hosted |
| Self-Hosting | Yes - Docker deployment |
| Main Features | Design and prototyping, SVG-native files, design tokens, components and libraries, real-time collaboration, developer handoff, self-hosting, unlimited free users |
| Pricing | Free and open source, unlimited users / paid cloud tiers available |
| Best For | Design teams that want a Figma alternative they can host themselves |
| Replaces | Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD |
Detailed Review
Penpot is the credible open-source answer to Figma, built in Madrid by Kaleidos. Its distinguishing technical decision is that it uses SVG and open web standards as its native format rather than a proprietary one, which means design files are inspectable, diffable and not locked to the tool.
It can be self-hosted with Docker and is free for unlimited users, which changes the economics for large teams considerably.
Open Standards, No Lock-In
Files are SVG-based, so designs can be opened, inspected and processed with ordinary web tooling. That matters more than it sounds: a design system stored in an open format can be versioned, automated and migrated, whereas a proprietary format ties you to one vendor indefinitely.
Design tokens are first-class, which connects design decisions directly to the variables developers use in code.
Self-Hosting
A Docker deployment on your own European infrastructure means design files — often containing unreleased product plans — never leave your control. For organisations that cannot put product designs on an American service, this is the only realistic option in the category.
Free for Unlimited Users
Per-seat design tool pricing scales badly in large organisations, where many people need view or comment access. Penpot self-hosted removes that cost entirely, which for a hundred-person product organisation is a substantial annual difference.
Limitations to Consider
Penpot is less mature than Figma: performance on very large files, plugin ecosystem, and some advanced prototyping and auto-layout behaviours lag behind. Designers moving from Figma will find friction, and the community of shared resources is far smaller. Self-hosting is a real operational commitment.
Who Should Use Penpot
Design and product teams that want an open-source design tool they can self-host, organisations with sovereignty requirements around product designs, and large teams for whom per-seat pricing has become significant.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Open SVG-based file format, no lock-in
- Self-hostable on your own infrastructure
- Free for unlimited users
- Design tokens as a first-class concept
- Spanish company, MPL 2.0 licence
Cons
- Less mature than Figma on large files
- Smaller plugin and community ecosystem
- Self-hosting is operational work
Alternatives to Penpot
Other European design & photo editing worth comparing before you decide:
Capture One
Denmark · Professional RAW processing and tethered studio capture
Photopea
Czech Republic · Full PSD editor that runs entirely in your browser
Krita
Netherlands · Open-source painting studio built for digital artists
darktable
Germany · Open-source RAW developer and photo workflow manager
See all European design & photo editing or compare them directly against Figma on our alternatives page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, for most design and prototyping work, and it is the only serious self-hostable option. Figma remains ahead on performance with very large files, plugins and some advanced prototyping behaviours.
Yes, via Docker on your own infrastructure, which keeps design files — often containing unreleased product plans — entirely under your control.
Because designs stored in an open standard can be inspected, versioned and processed with ordinary tooling, rather than being locked inside one vendor's proprietary format.
Yes, open source under MPL 2.0 and free for unlimited users when self-hosted. Paid cloud tiers are available if you prefer a managed service.