The Curious AI Guy

Library / Design

Penpot

Design and prototype in the browser, open source.

Replaces
LicenseMPL-2.0
GitHub stars61k
Last code update12 October 2026
SetupBeginner about 2 minOur estimate
Paid version costs about$20/moFigma Professional full seat, monthly billing
Per year~$240

New to this? What open source means and how to read this page.

What it is

A web-based design and prototyping tool built around open web standards, with real-time collaboration. You can use their hosted version or self-host.

Good for

UI design, prototypes and design handoff for teams that want no seat fees.

The catch

The plugin and template ecosystem is smaller than Figma's. If your team already lives in Figma files, moving takes real effort.

Penpot versus

Penpot
PriceFreeca. $20/moFigma Professional full seat, monthly billing
LicenseMPL-2.0Commercial license
Source codePublic, you can read and check itNot public
SetupBeginner, about 2 minSign up and pay
Where it runsIn your browser, or on a server you run yourselfThe vendor's app or service, under their terms

The paid product's own plans and terms change. Check its site before you decide.

Install it with an AI assistant

Paste this into Claude, ChatGPT or another assistant that can work on your computer (Claude Code or Claude Desktop, for example). It is written from the project's official repository and tells the assistant to show you every command first. Setup time is our estimate: about 2 min.

I want to install and try Penpot on my own computer.

Official repository: https://github.com/penpot/penpot
Official site: https://penpot.app
License: MPL-2.0

Before you do anything:
1. Read the README and install notes in the official repository above, and nothing else. Do not follow third-party tutorials or mirrors.
2. Tell me in plain words what will be installed, what it needs (operating system, memory, graphics card, disk space, accounts) and what it will cost me, if anything.
3. Check my computer against those needs and tell me honestly if it will not work well.

This one works in the browser. Tell me whether I can simply open the official hosted version, and when running my own copy makes sense. If I only want to try it, point me to the official page and stop there.

Rules:
- Show me each command before you run it, and say what it does.
- Ask before anything that deletes files, changes system settings, opens a network port or needs an administrator password.
- Never put my passwords or keys on a command line, or in a file I did not choose.
- When it is installed, help me check it with one small test, and tell me how to start and stop it.
- If something goes wrong, explain it in plain words and do not guess your way around it.

Good to know before you start: The plugin and template ecosystem is smaller than Figma's. If your team already lives in Figma files, moving takes real effort.

We have not run this prompt ourselves yet. Read what the assistant plans to do before you say yes.

Facts checked on 12 October 2026. We have not yet run a hands-on test of this tool. When we do, it gets a "Tested" mark here. Approximate US list prices for an individual plan, from third-party price trackers checked on 12 Oct 2026. Monthly billing where it exists. Regions, taxes and promotions change them. Confirm at the vendor before you decide.

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