Excalidraw vs Penpot
Side-by-side comparison to help you pick the right tool.
| Excalidraw | Penpot | |
|---|---|---|
| Tagline | Open-source whiteboard that produces hand-drawn-style diagrams. | Open-source design and prototyping built on open standards. |
| Category | Design Illustration | Design Illustration |
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| Skill Level | Beginner | Intermediate |
| Platforms | Web, Browser | Web, Browser |
| Use Cases | Solo Indie, Small Team, Side Project, Collaboration | Small Team, Collaboration, Solo Indie |
| Traits | Open Source, Has Free Tier, Offline Capable, Fast To Set Up | Self Hostable, Privacy Friendly, Active Development, Open Source |
| Best For | Best for developers and technical teams who need quick, clean architecture diagrams and wireframes without installing anything. | Best for teams who want a Figma alternative they can self-host and fully own their data. |
Excalidraw
Excalidraw is a minimalist, browser-based drawing tool with a distinctive sketchy aesthetic. It is fully open-source, works offline as a PWA, and supports real-time collaboration via shared links. Diagrams export as SVG or PNG. No account required — open the URL and start drawing immediately.
View detailsPenpot
Penpot is a self-hostable design tool that uses SVG and CSS as its native format — no proprietary file lock-in. It provides design, prototyping, and developer inspect features comparable to Figma, for free.
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