Penpot vs Photopea
Penpot is open-source, browser-based design and prototyping platform. Self-hostable, while Photopea is free online photo editor compatible with PSD, XCF, Sketch, and other formats. Penpot is open source and can be self-hosted, giving you full control over your data. Penpot is built for teams that want a free, open-source figma alternative, whereas Photopea targets anyone needing photoshop-like editing in the browser.
At a glance
|
Penpot
|
Photopea
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Teams that want a free, open-source Figma alternative | Anyone needing Photoshop-like editing in the browser |
| Starting price | Free | Free |
| Free tier | ✓ | ✓ |
| Open source | ✓ | — |
| Free tier available | ✓ | ✓ |
| Open source | ✓ | — |
| Browser-Based | — | ✓ |
| Components | ✓ | — |
| Layers | — | ✓ |
| Open Source | ✓ | — |
| PSD Support | — | ✓ |
| Prototyping | ✓ | — |
| RAW Support | — | ✓ |
| SVG Native | ✓ | — |
| Self-Hosted | ✓ | — |
Penpot
Strengths
- 100% free and open source
- Self-hostable for data sovereignty
- Real-time collaboration like Figma
- Uses open standards (SVG)
Weaknesses
- Less mature than Figma — fewer features
- Smaller plugin and community ecosystem
- Performance not as smooth as Figma
- Fewer design resources and templates available
Photopea
Strengths
- PSD file support lets you open and edit Photoshop files directly
- Includes Browser-Based as a core feature, purpose-built for design workflows
- Free with ads — generous enough for most small teams to get real work done
- Established product with 13+ years on the market and a mature ecosystem
Weaknesses
- Free plan exists but key features are locked behind the paid upgrade
- Fewer built-in features means you may need additional tools to cover gaps
- Output quality depends on your design skills — templates only go so far
- Limited team/admin features if your organization eventually scales up
The bottom line
Pricing: Both Penpot and Photopea are free. You can try both without spending a dollar.
Feature gaps: Penpot offers Components, Open Source and Prototyping that Photopea lacks. Photopea brings Browser-Based, Layers and PSD Support that Penpot does not have.
Team fit: Penpot is geared toward small teams teams, while Photopea is aimed at individual users and small setups. Pick the one that matches where your team is today and where it is headed — migrating tools later is always painful.
Open source: Penpot is open source, meaning you can self-host, audit the code, and avoid vendor lock-in. Photopea is proprietary — you are trusting the vendor with your data and uptime.
Where each tool shines: Penpot's biggest strengths are: 100% free and open source. self-hostable for data sovereignty. Photopea's biggest strengths are: psd file support lets you open and edit photoshop files directly. includes browser-based as a core feature, purpose-built for design workflows.
Watch out for: With Penpot, users commonly note that less mature than figma — fewer features. With Photopea, the main complaint is that free plan exists but key features are locked behind the paid upgrade.
Choose Penpot if...
- Your profile matches its sweet spot: teams that want a free, open-source figma alternative
- You need self-hosting, data sovereignty, or the ability to audit source code
- You specifically need Components and Open Source
- You care about self-hostable for data sovereignty
- Your team size fits the small teams profile Penpot is designed for
Choose Photopea if...
- You need a tool built for anyone needing photoshop-like editing in the browser
- You specifically need Browser-Based and Layers
- You care about includes browser-based as a core feature, purpose-built for design workflows
- Your team size fits the individuals profile Photopea is designed for
- The free tier works for you: free with ads
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