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Penpot vs Framer

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 Penpot, Framer
PenpotFramer
PricingFreeFrom USD 0
Platformswebweb
RatingNo reviewsNo reviews
AI assistanceNot supportedNative
Free tierNot supportedNative
IntegrationsNot supportedLimited
Open sourceNativeNot supported
Real-time collaborationNativeNative
Self-hostableNativeNot supported
TemplatesLimitedNative
Pros
  • 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
  • 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
Cons
  • Smaller ecosystem and plugin catalogue than Figma
  • Performance and polish trail the incumbent
  • Fewer third-party integrations
  • Custom domains and scale need a paid plan
  • Less flexible than hand-built sites for complex apps
  • Closed platform; your site lives in Framer
Ideal for
  • open_source_advocates
  • privacy_conscious_teams
  • designers_avoiding_vendor_lock_in
  • designers_and_founders
  • marketing_sites_and_portfolios
  • quick_launches
Avoid if
  • need_figmas_plugin_ecosystem
  • want_the_most_polished_experience
  • building_a_complex_web_app
  • need_full_control_over_code_and_hosting
Penpot

The open-source design and prototyping tool

Visit Penpot
Framer

Design and publish real websites, no code

Visit Framer
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