What is the difference between Penpot and Whimsical?

Penpot is best for Teams that want a free, open-source Figma alternative, while Whimsical is best for Teams wanting fast wireframing and flowcharts. Penpot starts at Free and Whimsical starts at Free.

Is Penpot or Whimsical cheaper?

Penpot starts at Free and is free. Whimsical starts at Free with a free tier.

Is there a free alternative to Whimsical?

Both Penpot and Whimsical offer free tiers.

Penpot vs Whimsical

Penpot is open-source, browser-based design and prototyping platform. Self-hostable, while Whimsical is visual workspace for wireframes, flowcharts, mind maps, and sticky notes. 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 Whimsical targets teams wanting fast wireframing and flowcharts.

At a glance

	Penpot	Whimsical
Best for	Teams that want a free, open-source Figma alternative	Teams wanting fast wireframing and flowcharts
Starting price	Free	Free
Free tier	✓	✓
Open source	✓	—
Free tier available	✓	✓
Open source	✓	—
AI Suggestions	—	✓
Components	✓	—
Flowcharts	—	✓
Mind Maps	—	✓
Open Source	✓	—
Prototyping	✓	—
SVG Native	✓	—
Self-Hosted	✓	—
Wireframes	—	✓

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

Try Penpot → Full review

Whimsical

Strengths

Dedicated wireframing tools speed up early-stage design exploration
Includes Flowcharts as a core feature, purpose-built for design workflows
Free for 100 items — generous enough for most small teams to get real work done
Includes mind maps alongside the core feature set — fewer separate tools needed

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

Try Whimsical → Full review

The bottom line

Pricing: Both Penpot and Whimsical are free. You can try both without spending a dollar.

Feature gaps: Penpot offers Components, Open Source and Prototyping that Whimsical lacks. Whimsical brings AI Suggestions, Flowcharts and Mind Maps that Penpot does not have.

Team fit: Both tools target small teams teams, so the decision hinges on features and workflow fit rather than scale.

Open source: Penpot is open source, meaning you can self-host, audit the code, and avoid vendor lock-in. Whimsical 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. Whimsical's biggest strengths are: dedicated wireframing tools speed up early-stage design exploration. includes flowcharts 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 Whimsical, 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

Choose Whimsical if...

Your profile matches its sweet spot: teams wanting fast wireframing and flowcharts
You specifically need AI Suggestions and Flowcharts
You care about includes flowcharts as a core feature, purpose-built for design workflows
The free tier works for you: free for 100 items