Virtual collaborative whiteboard for sketching hand-drawn diagrams
Penpot is the first open-source, web-based design workspace built natively with open web standards (SVG, CSS Flexbox & Grid). Designers and developers work on the exact same layout models.
Recommended VPS & Hardware Sizing
Estimated Hosting: $10 - $15/mo (e.g. Hetzner CPX21 or Linode)Penpot vs Figma Comparison Matrix
| Evaluation Criteria | Penpot (Open Source) | Figma (Proprietary) |
|---|---|---|
| Cost per 15 Designers | $0 / Server Cost Only | $225 - $1,125 / month |
| Open Standard Files | Pure SVG Native | Proprietary Figma Blobs |
| Developer Hand-off | Real CSS Flex & Grid | Simulated auto-layout |
Financial Impact: Migrating from Figma to Self-Hosted Penpot
* Excludes enterprise SSO add-ons & usage overages
* Commodity Hetzner / DigitalOcean compute instance
Compare Penpot Head-to-Head
Core Capabilities & Features
Self-Host Penpot with Docker Compose
Tweak configuration ports, secrets, and volumes live. Download or copy your ready-to-run container file:
1-Click Docker Compose Generator
Generate production-ready container definitions with customizable ports and volumes.
The open-source design and prototyping tool for product teams
version: "3.8"
services:
penpot-frontend:
image: penpotapp/frontend:latest
ports:
- "${PORT:-9001}:80"
depends_on:
- penpot-backend
restart: unless-stopped
penpot-backend:
image: penpotapp/backend:latest
environment:
PENPOT_DATABASE_URI: postgresql://penpot:${DB_PASSWORD:-penpot_pwd}@postgres:5432/penpot
depends_on:
- postgres
- redis
restart: unless-stopped
postgres:
image: postgres:15-alpine
environment:
POSTGRES_USER: penpot
POSTGRES_PASSWORD: ${DB_PASSWORD:-penpot_pwd}
POSTGRES_DB: penpot
volumes:
- penpot_postgres:/var/lib/postgresql/data
redis:
image: redis:7-alpine
volumes:
penpot_postgres:Frequently Asked Questions: Self-Hosting Penpot
How do I self-host Penpot using Docker Compose?
You can deploy Penpot (penpot/penpot) on any Linux server by copying the docker-compose.yml template on this page, configuring your desired host port and persistent volume directory, and running 'docker compose up -d'.
How does Penpot compare to Figma?
Penpot is an open-source, self-hosted alternative to Figma built with Clojure, ClojureScript, TypeScript. Unlike Figma ($12 - $75 / editor / month), Penpot has zero per-user licensing fees and keeps 100% of your data on your own infrastructure.
What are the minimum VPS RAM and CPU requirements for Penpot?
For production self-hosting (Medium difficulty tier), we recommend at least 4 GB RAM (minimum 2 GB), 2 vCPU, and 25 GB SSD storage, which typically costs $10 - $15/mo (e.g. Hetzner CPX21 or Linode).
Is Penpot free for commercial business use under the MPL-2.0 license?
Yes. Distributed under the MPL-2.0 license, Penpot can be self-hosted internally by businesses and engineering teams of any size without per-seat royalties.
Embed Official Penpot Badge in GitHub README
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