Figma vs Penpot
Self-hosted for $4/mo on hetzner CAX11, versus $12-$75/user/mo on Figma.
Side-by-side
| Figma | Penpot (self-hosted) | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | $12-$75/user/mo | $4.13/mo flat (any team size) |
| Hosting | Figma's servers | Your VPS (hetzner CAX11) |
| Data ownership | Figma controls the data | Your disk, your encryption |
| Source code | Closed | Open (MPL-2.0) |
| Customization | API + integrations only | Full source access; modify freely |
| Maintenance burden | Zero | Backups + updates (manual) |
| Health score (ossreplace) | — | 76 / 100 |
Why teams leave Figma
- Editor-seat pricing scales painfully
- Cloud-only with no self-hosted option
- Files locked into Figma format
- Adobe acquisition concerns about long-term direction
Penpot answers this by: Penpot is the open-source Figma, vector + prototyping + dev-handoff, fully self-hostable, web-standards-based files.
The cost math
Assumes 5-person team using Figma at the midpoint price ($43.5/user/mo).
| Period | Figma | Penpot on hetzner | You save |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly | $217.5 | $4.13 | $213.37 |
| Yearly | $2610 | $49.56 | $2560.44 |
| 3 years | $7,830 | $149 | $7,681 |
Deploy Penpot now
One-click deploys at the cheapest provider for this workload:
Affiliate disclosure — these links may earn ossreplace a commission at no cost to you.
Common questions
Is Penpot a good alternative to Figma?
Penpot is an open-source, self-hostable alternative to Figma with an ossreplace health score of 76/100 — a composite of project activity, maturity, community, security, and adoption. It runs on your own hetzner VPS from $4.13/mo with full source access under the MPL-2.0 license, versus Figma's $12–75/user/mo hosted plans.
How much cheaper is Penpot than Figma?
A 5-person team pays about $217.5/mo on Figma. Self-hosting Penpot on hetzner CAX11 costs a flat $4.13/mo regardless of team size — roughly $7,681 less over three years (98% lower).
Is Penpot hard to self-host?
Penpot self-hosts on your own VPS. You handle the install, backups, and updates yourself in exchange for full data ownership and no per-seat fees.
Do you keep control of your data with Penpot vs Figma?
Yes. Because Penpot runs on your own server, the data lives on your disk under your encryption. With Figma, Figma controls the hosting, storage, and access.