My first UI design tool was Sketch, and I still use it a lot. However, since they switched to a subscription model and limited collaboration features to paid users, I decided to look for an alternative. Figma was good at first—the free version was sufficient for design and collaboration—but then they changed things, and the limitations became so severe that it wasn’t usable unless you paid. That’s when Penpot came along and saved the day, and I’ve been very happy with it ever since.
Yet when I’m chatting with fellow designers or talking with designer friends and I mention Penpot, some suggest alternatives like “If you’re looking for an alternative, you should try Play” or “Have you tried Creatie?.” Others mention “Pixso is really solid” or “the future is Framer, to be honest.” When I try these options, though, they all feel like clones of Penpot—not quite different enough to be considered true alternatives. I wonder if designers hesitate to acknowledge Penpot as a real alternative because it’s open source. I’ve been using Penpot extensively and, aside from some obvious bugs that are already being addressed, it’s truly a gem. Does anyone have a theory?
Hey @AlbertKinng thanks for the feedback! In your opinion, these Designers don’t see Penpot as an alternative because we still don’t have all the features expected or because they don’t know about Penpot?
What exactly are those features? In my opinion, Penpot is already functional and ready for designing and prototyping as it stands. What is this so-called “main feature” that’s missing? As I mentioned, I’ve tried other alternatives, and I can create the same app using any of them. Sure, each tool has its unique features to differentiate itself, but that doesn’t necessarily make them superior or essential.
I suspect there’s some kind of agenda with Penpot—perhaps they don’t want it to gain widespread popularity. It could pose a threat to their business, which might explain why Figma has introduced plugins that allow developers to extract code, similar to Penpot, and even added a floating menu bar. They’re aware of Penpot’s existence but seem intent on keeping it under the radar. I might be wrong, but this reminds me of what happened with Sketch. Sketch was essentially the first tool for UI/UX design, but when Figma launched, they heavily marketed the idea that Figma was the first collaborative UI/UX tool on the market.
Any company that takes itself somewhat seriously keeps an eye on the market in which it operates. So this will be no different at Figma. Besides, Figma has no interest in mentioning Penpot, what people do not know about they are not going to look for.
For the moment, Penpot is not yet stable enough, there are still too many bugs in it.
See Penpot GitHub bug issues and see subsequent posts.
Adobe currently has many bugs, and Figma does as well. Software will never be perfect, and bugs are here to stay.
Regarding the supposedly essential features, variable fonts are not essential. I’ve been working with Affinity Designer before they were implemented, and even now, it’s rare for a client project or agency product development to require their use. Although variable fonts have an enormous fan base, they simply aren’t essential.
After reviewing the list of features offered for us to vote on, none of them seem essential either. I would be happy if they included all of them, but right now, we can work on real projects without these features.
Perhaps I’m an old-school guy, accustomed to achieving my goals with the tools I have. I come from an era of Photoshop 5.5 and Freehand 8, when we were designing product packages rather than using systems like Cadalyst Graphic Design. There will always be debates over which app is best for any task; no single app has been universally accepted as the one that meets all our needs. Still, it feels like Penpot is being unjustly ignored.
I think marketing is a big part of it. Proprietary tools have huuuuuge marketing budgets for billboards, sponsorships, brand deals, influencer marketing, etc.
Designers and people interested in design discover Figma and the likes because it’s introduced to them in school, or their favourite YouTuber gave it a good review (whether it was sponsored or not), or all the major design agencies require proficiency in it.
I can’t speak to what Penpot/Taiga has invested in marketing, but collaborating with popular/mainstream design “influencers”, content creators, conferences, design schools, listicles/“essential design tools” inforgraphics, course platforms (think LinkedIn, Coursera, FreeCodeCamp) would be key.
It’s the same with many of the other open source creative tools. They’re great pieces of software, but I only discovered them because I go out of my way to use open source apps and use search engines like Alternativeto to find them. Does the general public care (or even know) about open source? Not necessarilly… They want the tool that looks nice, works well, that their peers use, and/or that will give them the best job prospects.
@AlbertKinng thank you so much for the heartfelt message. I’ll try to be as honest and open as I can. I can already see that @candidexmedia beat me to it, though.
While I do agree that we may not be coming up as you expected, I believe part of it is due to marketing, indeed, which is down to us mainly and beloved community members like yourself. There have been multiple reasons why we haven’t been going heavier on marketing efforts. A quick take on it is that we prefer to play things a bit safer especially in terms of making sure living up to expectations and keep things as organic as possible.
However, I’m happy to say that we are starting to invest a lot more into promoting Penpot as not just as an alternative but as “the go-to” solution. We have multiple initiatives in the pipeline for 2025 when it comes to community and events efforts as we speak. Starting with Penpot Fest. You can also find more about our plans here. I’m also happy to hear your thoughts if you want to book a meeting with me directly.
It’s true; as a self-proclaimed nerd, I often assume that everyone shares my interests. However, that’s not the case. I suppose I simply wish to see Penpot gain the same recognition in the mainstream as other platforms.
I think at the moment, the critical answer is time. Designer’s time from 2 angles:
Alternatives provide the Variations which is a big time saver with design libraries as well as reviewing layouts.
The DOM approach is comparatively slow.
Both of these are being developed, scheduled for completion at the end of Q2 / early Q3.
Once these are complete - Penpot will be absolutely compelling. You will have to ask the question: why are you not using Penpot?
I see these two features as saving time, creating flexibility and extensibility. I intend to fully redevelop current projects once those features are complete.
I’m investing time and energy now learning the tool because it already provides great value through design precision and collaborative features.
[personal opinion]
Ironically, with Penpot’s very welcome presence, I think Adobe dodged an expensive bullet when the Figma deal fell through.
[/personal opnion]
Same here. I believe Penpot will be the go-to tool in three years. Commercial apps will start copying its features and will do everything they can to push it out of the market, that’s how powerful I think Penpot is.
Adobe has lost the UI/UX design battle — and the worst part is, they don’t seem to care. Their focus now is on attracting Canva users rather than pushing innovation. It’s disappointing to see a company that once led the design industry now falling behind. Around 65% of their subscribers aren’t designers, and many are only paying to open files rather than create. That’s the reality — and the easy money Adobe is chasing.
Adobe XD is gone from their app library, with no real alternative to replace it, despite UI/UX being the industry’s main focus. Meanwhile, even Lunacy is making serious efforts to become a go-to tool for designers — and it’s completely free. We’re in the era of UI/UX design now, and Penpot is set to take the lead.
I can already see that 
