Figma vs Penpot

Figma is a paid design tool with a free Starter plan [S1]. Penpot is a design tool with its code on GitHub under the Mozilla Public License 2.0 [S2]. We checked every figure on this page against the vendors' own pages on 16 Oct 2026. Prices on this page are list prices as of that date.

Figma vs Penpot at a glance

What is Penpot?

Penpot's code is on GitHub at penpot/penpot. Its LICENSE file is the "Mozilla Public License Version 2.0" [S2]. The repo had 62,170 stars on 8 Nov 2026 [S3]. It is not archived, and the last push was on 8 Nov 2026 [S3].

Figma vs Penpot pricing

Figma's Starter plan gives "limited access to Figma products" at no cost [S1]. The Professional plan lists a full seat at US$16 a month [S1]. The same plan lists a dev seat at US$12 a month [S1]. Figma's pricing page also shows 3,000 AI credits a month with the full seat [S1].

Penpot's code costs nothing to download under MPL-2.0 [S2]. A Penpot paid plan is not documented on the pages we read. In our reading, a self-hosted Penpot costs you the server it runs on and the time to look after it.

License and code

In our reading, the license is the main difference for a team that needs control of its design tool. Penpot publishes its full license text on GitHub [S2]. A source license for Figma is not documented on the pages we read. Read the MPL-2.0 text before you modify Penpot.

Figma is the better fit when

• You want to start free on a hosted plan. Starter gives limited access at no cost [S1].
• You want separate seat prices for designers and developers. Professional lists a full seat and a dev seat [S1].

Penpot is the better fit when

• You want the design tool's code under the Mozilla Public License 2.0 [S2].
• You want a project with recent activity. The repo had a push on 8 Nov 2026 [S3].

Run Penpot on Railway

Railway lists a community template by Şükrü for Penpot (railway.com/deploy/penpot) [S4]. Railway shows it as unverified [S4]. Railway verifies a template only when the maker of the technology "becomes a partner and reviews the template" [S6]. The template had 65 projects on 16 Oct 2026 [S4]. Read the template page and its source before you deploy.

The template describes Penpot as "an open‑source, web‑based design and prototyping tool" [S4]. It runs the images penpotapp/frontend, penpotapp/backend and valkey/valkey:8.1 [S4]. Volume needs are not stated on the template page.

Affiliate disclosure: Forkshelf earns a commission if you sign up for Railway through the links marked "Paid link" on this page. This does not change the order or content of any comparison here.

To get started, create a Railway account (Paid link). The Free plan allows up to 1 vCPU and 0.5 GB RAM per service, with 0.5 GB of volume storage per volume [S5]. The Hobby plan has a US$5 minimum usage per month, with US$5 of monthly usage credits included [S5][S7]. It allows up to 5 GB of volume storage per volume [S5].

Railway is one option. Pricing on Railway is as of 16 Oct 2026.

Other Figma alternatives

Forkshelf lists 45 tools with open-source alternatives. See the Figma alternatives page for the open-source options we list for Figma.

What it is and who should self-host

This page puts a paid, hosted design tool next to Penpot, whose code is on GitHub under the Mozilla Public License 2.0. Penpot fits a team that needs control of its design tool and is ready to run and update a server. If a free hosted plan is enough, the page lays out what Figma's Starter plan gives.

GitHub stats

• Penpot (penpot/penpot): 62,170 GitHub stars (8 Nov 2026)
• Last code push: 8 Nov 2026
• Archived: no (8 Nov 2026)
• License: "Mozilla Public License Version 2.0", SPDX MPL-2.0 (as shown on the page; vendor pages checked 16 Oct 2026)

From the projects

• Penpot README: "Penpot is the open-source design platform for teams that build digital products at scale." (source, captured 19 Oct 2026)

FAQ

Is Penpot free?
Its code is under the Mozilla Public License 2.0 [S2]. A paid Penpot plan is not documented on the pages we read.

Is Figma free?
The Starter plan is free, with "limited access to Figma products" [S1].

How much does Figma Professional cost?
US$16 a month for a full seat and US$12 a month for a dev seat, as of 16 Oct 2026 [S1].

How many GitHub stars does Penpot have?
62,170 as of 8 Nov 2026 [S3].

Is the Penpot repository still active?
Yes. As of 8 Nov 2026, it is not archived and its last push was on 8 Nov 2026.

Where can I read Penpot's license?
Penpot publishes its full license text, the Mozilla Public License 2.0, on GitHub. Read it before you modify Penpot.

Sources (all fetched 16 Oct 2026)

• [S1] https://www.figma.com/pricing/
• [S2] https://github.com/penpot/penpot/blob/develop/LICENSE
• [S3] https://api.github.com/repos/penpot/penpot
• [S4] https://railway.com/deploy/penpot
• [S5] https://railway.com/pricing
• [S6] https://docs.railway.com/templates/publish-and-share
• [S7] https://docs.railway.com/pricing/plans