Penpot vs Sketch: Which is Better in 2026?
Choosing between Penpot and Sketch? Both are popular ui/ux tools. Below we compare them on pricing, free tiers, features, and pros & cons so you can pick the right fit for your stack.
Quick verdict
Penpot is the safer pick if budget matters — it has a free tier, while Sketch does not. Choose Sketch when its specific features justify the cost.
Penpot vs Sketch — Side by Side
| Penpot | Sketch | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | UI/UX | UI/UX |
| Pricing | Free · paid from $7/mo | From $11/mo |
| Starting price | Free tier available | From $11/mo |
| Free tier | — | |
| Rating | 4.6 | 4.4 |
| Best for | UI/UX — design, prototyping | UI/UX — design, macos |
Pros & Cons
- True open-source with zero vendor lock-in
- Strong collaboration between designers and developers
- Affordable pricing for growing teams
- Plugin extensibility
- Capped pricing prevents cost explosion
- Smaller ecosystem than Figma
- Fewer built-in templates
- Enterprise features require higher base cost
- Clean and focused UI design workflow
- Excellent macOS performance
- Strong versioning and collaboration
- Flexible cloud and private hosting options
- Mature ecosystem of plugins
- macOS only
- Less real-time collaboration than Figma
- Smaller community compared to Figma
Key Features Compared
Penpot
- Up to 8 team members
- Unlimited viewers
- 10GB storage
- 7 days autosaved version history
- 7 days deleted file recovery
- Unlimited projects and files
Sketch
- Real-time collaboration
- Unlimited documents
- Unlimited free viewers
- Document version history
- Free developer handoff
- Mac app, web app, and iOS viewer
Choose Penpot if…
- You want to start free — Penpot has a free tier and Sketch does not.
- Budget is tight — paid plans start lower ($7/mo vs $11/mo).
- True open-source with zero vendor lock-in
- Strong collaboration between designers and developers
Choose Sketch if…
- Clean and focused UI design workflow
- Excellent macOS performance
- Strong versioning and collaboration
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Penpot better than Sketch?⌄
Penpot is the safer pick if budget matters — it has a free tier, while Sketch does not. Choose Sketch when its specific features justify the cost.
What is the difference between Penpot and Sketch?⌄
Penpot — Open-source design and prototyping platform with collaborative ui-ux tooling for teams. Sketch — Mac-based ui-ux design tool focused on interface design, collaboration, and developer handoff. Both are ui/ux tools; the comparison table above breaks down pricing, free tiers, and what each is best for.
Penpot vs Sketch: which is cheaper?⌄
Penpot pricing: Free · paid from $7/mo. Sketch pricing: From $11/mo. Confirm current pricing on each tool's official site, as plans change.
Which is rated higher, Penpot or Sketch?⌄
In our catalog, Penpot rates 4.6 out of 5 and Sketch rates 4.4 out of 5, so Penpot has a slight edge on reviews.
See more options in our guide to the best ui/ux tools for startups.
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