Comparison
Penpot vs Figma: an honest comparison, and a third option
One is the industry standard, the other is the open source challenger. Both still draw on a canvas that is not a web page. Here is what that means for you.
Baurice Ley · 5 min read · Facts checked Oct 9, 2026
Disclosure: we build Kalka. Facts about Penpot and Figma come from their own websites and help center, checked on October 9, 2026.
Side by side
| Figma | Penpot | Kalka | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open source | No | Yes | Yes, MIT |
| Runs | Web and desktop | Web, self-hostable | Desktop: macOS, Windows, Linux |
| Layout | Auto layout | CSS Flex and Grid | CSS, laid out by the browser |
| Code | Dev Mode, MCP server | Inspect: SVG, CSS, HTML | The design is the code |
| AI agents | MCP, canvas writing in beta | Open MCP server | Built-in local MCP |
| Status | Mature | Mature | In development |
Where Figma wins
- The ecosystem: plugins, community files, and the fact that your clients and teammates already use it.
- Its MCP server reads design context for coding agents, and agents can now create and edit content on the canvas, in beta.
Where Penpot wins
- Open source, with a free plan that includes unlimited files and seats, and the option to self-host.
- Layouts built on CSS Flex and Grid, and code you can inspect in SVG, CSS and HTML.
- You can bring Figma files over with the Penpot Exporter.
What neither changes
In both tools, the canvas is a drawing that imitates a web page. Penpot gets closer by speaking CSS layout, but the page still has to be built afterwards, and someone checks that it matches.
The third option: a canvas that is the page
Kalka keeps the panels and habits you know from Figma, but the canvas is real HTML and CSS rendered by the browser. Your project is a folder of files you own, versioned with Git, and any AI agent can work on it through a local MCP server with no usage cap.
It is in development and open source. If you are choosing between Penpot and Figma because of the handoff to code, it may be worth waiting for.