Penpot

Penpot represents the open-source alternative to Figma that many agencies have been waiting for. As a fully free, SVG-native design and prototyping platform, it offers agencies an escape from per-seat licensing costs and vendor lock-in. The self-hosting option is particularly appealing for agencies working with clients in regulated industries where design assets containing sensitive information need to stay on controlled infrastructure.

The design experience in Penpot is surprisingly capable. Vector design tools, component libraries, interactive prototyping, and real-time collaboration cover the core workflows that agencies need for UI/UX projects. The SVG-native approach means that designs export as clean, standards-based files rather than proprietary formats — a meaningful advantage for development handoff. While the interface isn't as polished as Figma's, the gap narrows with each release as the open-source community contributes improvements.

Compared to Figma, Penpot trades ecosystem maturity for freedom and cost savings. You won't find the same depth of plugins, community resources, or third-party integrations. But for agencies that value open-source principles, need self-hosting capabilities, or simply want to eliminate per-designer licensing costs, Penpot is the most viable free alternative available today. Many agencies use it alongside Figma — Penpot for internal projects and Figma for client-facing work where ecosystem compatibility matters.