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Framer vs Penpot

The verdict

If you’re an open-source advocate or part of a privacy-conscious team, Penpot is your best bet. Its genuinely open-source nature allows for self-hosting, giving you control over your data and a design process that's built on open standards. However, keep in mind that it has a smaller ecosystem compared to Figma and may lack the performance polish you might expect from more established tools.

On the other hand, if you're a designer or founder looking to create and publish websites without coding, Framer is the way to go. It offers a seamless experience to design, animate, and publish directly from one canvas, which is fantastic for marketing sites and portfolios. Just be aware that it becomes less flexible for complex web applications and requires a paid plan for custom domains and scaling. If those factors are crucial for your project, Penpot would be a better fit.

Side-by-side comparison of Framer, Penpot
FramerPenpot
PricingFrom USD 0Free
Platformswebweb
RatingNo reviewsNo reviews
AI assistanceNativeNot supported
Free tierNativeNot supported
IntegrationsLimitedNot supported
Open sourceNot supportedNative
Real-time collaborationNativeNative
Self-hostableNot supportedNative
TemplatesNativeLimited
Pros
  • Design and publish a real site from one canvas
  • Strong animations and interactions without code
  • CMS and templates for content-driven sites
  • AI-assisted page generation
  • Genuinely open source and self-hostable
  • Built on open standards (SVG), designer–developer friendly
  • Real-time collaboration and components
  • Free, with no per-editor seat costs
Cons
  • Custom domains and scale need a paid plan
  • Less flexible than hand-built sites for complex apps
  • Closed platform; your site lives in Framer
  • Smaller ecosystem and plugin catalogue than Figma
  • Performance and polish trail the incumbent
  • Fewer third-party integrations
Ideal for
  • designers_and_founders
  • marketing_sites_and_portfolios
  • quick_launches
  • open_source_advocates
  • privacy_conscious_teams
  • designers_avoiding_vendor_lock_in
Avoid if
  • building_a_complex_web_app
  • need_full_control_over_code_and_hosting
  • need_figmas_plugin_ecosystem
  • want_the_most_polished_experience
Framer

Design and publish real websites, no code

Visit Framer
Penpot

The open-source design and prototyping tool

Visit Penpot
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