Head-to-head
Penpot vs Sketch
2 tools, 11 differing data points, mostly pricing and positioning.
The verdict
Penpot or Sketch?
Section 01
Pricing, plan by plan
Every plan each vendor publishes, monthly and yearly where both are offered.
PPenpot
Professional
Free
Free cloud plan
Unlimited
$7/mo
Per editor
Enterprise
$25/mo
Per editor, cloud or self-hosted
SSketch
Standard
$14/mo · $12/mo billed yearly
Per editor
Professional
— · $24/mo billed yearly
Per editor
Enterprise
— · $44/mo billed yearly
Per editor
Mac-only licence
$120 one-time
Per seat
Section 02
Pros and cons
From each tool's full review, written from the same checked facts.
PPenpot
Pros
- The cloud Professional plan is free with no tool limits, room for up to 8 team members and 10GB of storage.
- Penpot's code is published under the MPL-2.0 open source licence and can be self-hosted for free.
- The inspect tab gives instant SVG, CSS and HTML code for any design without a separate export step.
- Figma files can be brought in through the Penpot Exporter or migrated via connected Figma and Penpot MCP servers.
Cons
- Penpot runs only in a browser, with no native desktop app.
- Single sign-on is available only on the Enterprise plan, not on Professional or Unlimited.
- AI generation depends on connecting a separate outside agent or LLM rather than a model built into Penpot.
SSketch
Pros
- An open sourced .fig file importer lets a Figma project be dragged onto Sketch to bring the design across.
- Collaborators can co-edit the same document in real time and comment directly on a design or prototype.
- A Mac-only licence can be bought once for $120 per seat and kept, rather than paid for as a subscription.
- Connecting an MCP client such as Claude or Cursor lets that client generate and edit Sketch documents from a written prompt.
Cons
- There is no free plan; only a 30-day trial precedes a paid subscription or the Mac-only licence.
- The native app runs on Mac only, with no Windows or Android version.
- AI generation depends on connecting a separate outside AI client rather than a model built into Sketch.
Side by side
| Company | ||
| Founded | — | 2010 |
| HQ | Spain | Netherlands |
| Platforms | Web, self-hosted | Mac, Web, iOS |
| Pricing | ||
| Pricing model | Freemium | Subscription or one-time licence |
| Free plan | Yes, Professional plan | No |
| Free trial | Yes, 14 days | Yes, 30 days |
| Starting price | Free; paid from $7/mo per editor (Unlimited) | $14/mo per editor (Standard) |
| All plans | Professional — Free Unlimited — $7/mo Enterprise — $25/mo | Standard — $14/mo Professional Enterprise Mac-only licence — $120 one-time |
| Positioning | ||
| Best for | Teams who want an open-source, browser-based design tool they can self-host | Mac-based designers who want a native design app with prototyping and a licence they can buy once |
| Differentiator | Penpot is an open-source design and prototyping tool that runs in the browser or on your own servers. | Sketch is a native Mac design app with a web workspace, a Figma importer and a one-time licence option. |
| Competitors | Figma, Sketch, UXPin | Figma, Penpot, UXPin |
Section 03
Penpot vs Sketch: common questions
Is Penpot or Sketch cheaper?
Penpot's cheapest paid plan is Free; paid from $7/mo per editor (Unlimited) and Sketch's is $14/mo per editor (Standard). Compare what each plan includes below before going on price alone.
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