Open Source Design Platform

Penpot is an open source design and prototyping platform that bridges the gap between designers and developers through a workflow built on web standards. Unlike proprietary design tools, it runs entirely in the browser using SVG and CSS as native formats, meaning design files are standards-compliant, inspectable, and version-controllable through Git. The platform supports real-time collaboration with unlimited team members on the free plan, allowing multiple designers to work simultaneously on the same canvas with live cursors and instant synchronization. Design system management enables teams to create reusable component libraries with variants, tokens, and grid systems that sync across projects. Prototyping tools allow designers to build interactive flows with transitions, overlays, and device-specific previews without writing code. The flex layout feature mirrors CSS flexbox properties directly in the design canvas, so layouts created visually map precisely to frontend code, eliminating the guesswork between design and implementation. Grid systems support both column grids and baseline grids with snap-to guides for precise alignment. Typography controls include OpenType feature access, variable font axis manipulation, and text styling that exports as clean CSS. Export options include SVG, PNG, PDF, and code generation for HTML and CSS. Self-hosting is fully supported through Docker containers, giving organizations complete control over their design infrastructure and data privacy. The plugin system allows extending functionality with custom automation, import and export tools, and design token management. The community includes over 35,000 GitHub stars and active contributor base. The platform is used by organizations including JetBrains, Red Hat, Mozilla, and universities worldwide for design system development, prototyping, and design-to-development workflows.