Tool profile
Penpot: cost, fit and limits
Penpot is an open-source design and prototyping platform made by KALEIDOS Subsidiary SL in Madrid. It can be used as a hosted service or installed on a team's own server, builds layouts with CSS Grid and Flex, and exposes an open MCP Server for connecting AI clients.
What to know first
Penpot is the free, open-source option in this ranking. The Professional plan costs nothing and is described as having no limits and no missing tools. Unlimited costs $7 per editor per month, capped at $175 a month, and Enterprise is $25 per member. A Private Server tier starts at $50k per year. The AI story is an MCP Server and named workflows for code-to-design, design-to-code and design-to-design, described in general terms only.
Penpot at a glance
| Maker | KALEIDOS Subsidiary SL, Spain |
|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes |
| Entry price | $0 (Professional) |
| API access | Yes |
| Category | Best AI Wireframing and Prototyping Tools in 2026, rank 4 of 13 |
| Website | penpot.app |
Who Penpot is best for
Teams that want to self-host
A self-host install option means design files can live on infrastructure the team controls, which matters for organizations with strict data rules.
Developer-led design groups
Code inspection uses open standards (CSS, HTML, SVG, JSON) and layouts use real CSS Grid and Flex, so designers and engineers share the same layout model.
Budget-limited teams
The free Professional plan has no stated feature limits, so a small team can run a full design system with shared libraries at no seat cost.
Penpot plans and pricing
| Plan | Price | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| Professional | $0 | Free and described as fully featured, with no limits and no missing tools; 90 days of version history and file recovery. |
| Unlimited | $7 per editor per month (capped at $175 per month) | Unlimited projects and storage within capacity, with a 14-day free trial. Billing is per editor, with the cap applying whatever the team size. |
| Enterprise | $25 per member per month | Advanced governance, centralized administration and team permissions, with a 14-day free trial. Billing is per member, not per editor, so reviewers count toward the $25 price. |
| Private Server | $50k per year | Dedicated infrastructure, custom hosting, advanced security and enterprise-grade support. Priced at $50k a year, with further terms by quote for this self-contained tier. |
Checked November 2026.
What Penpot does
- Open source with self-hosting
- The platform is open source and offers a self-host install, so a team can run Penpot on its own servers instead of the vendor's cloud.
- CSS Grid and Flex layouts
- UI design uses responsive layouts based on CSS Grid and Flex, which keeps a wireframe's structure close to how developers build pages. Flex and Grid layouts also stay responsive.
- Design systems and tokens
- Reusable components, native design tokens and shared libraries support a consistent system across files and teams. Components are reusable, tokens are native to the product, and libraries can be shared. A team can therefore keep one source of truth for spacing, color and type.
- Open-standards inspection
- Code inspection outputs CSS, HTML, SVG and JSON, which reduces dependence on proprietary export formats. Developers read measurements and styles in formats they already use. The open standards also mean designs are not locked into a proprietary file format.
- MCP Server and AI workflows
- The page names an open MCP Server for connecting AI clients and AI workflows for code-to-design, design-to-code and design-to-design. The pages give no credit allowance or model names, so treat these as integration points.
How Penpot handles your data
Penpot's privacy policy names Kaleidos Subsidiary S.L at a Madrid address. It says data is kept as long as the commercial relationship is maintained or until elimination is requested, with no fixed period. The policy read does not mention AI model training, so that point is not stated. The pricing page lists a choice of hosting region for higher tiers without naming regions, and no certification is named on the opened pages. A self-hosted install moves storage under the customer's own control.
Where Penpot falls short in practice
- . The pricing page lists 10GB and 25GB figures, SSO, hosting region choice and IP whitelisting without a clear plan mapping, so a buyer must ask which tier holds which item.
- . The AI workflows and MCP Server appear in general terms, with no credit allowance or model named, so output quality cannot be judged from the page.
- . Private Server starts at $50k per year and is quote-based beyond that figure, which puts dedicated hosting out of reach for small teams. Beyond that figure, pricing is by quote.
Works with
Alternatives to Penpot
Penpot: common questions
Is Penpot really free?
The Professional plan is $0 and the page describes it as free and fully featured, with no limits and no missing tools. Version history and file recovery run 90 days on that plan. Paid tiers start at $7 per editor per month on Unlimited, capped at $175 monthly.
Can I host Penpot on my own server?
Yes. The page lists a self-host install option, and a Private Server tier at $50k per year adds dedicated infrastructure, custom hosting and enterprise support. Whether the license and install steps fit your stack should be checked in the project documentation.
How does Penpot use AI?
The pricing and home pages name AI workflows for code-to-design, design-to-code and design-to-design, and an open MCP Server for AI clients. Detail beyond that was not on the opened pages, so named clients and limits are unverified. Both paid tiers include a 14-day free trial.
Does Penpot train AI on customer files?
Its privacy policy does not mention AI model training, so no statement either way exists on the page read. For an official answer, ask KALEIDOS in writing. A self-hosted install keeps files on your own infrastructure. Self-hosting is the stronger control.
Where is Penpot's maker based?
The privacy policy gives a Madrid, Spain address for Kaleidos Subsidiary S.L. The pricing page mentions a choice of hosting region on higher tiers but names no regions, so confirm EU hosting directly if residency is a requirement. Self-hosting keeps files on your own servers.