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 free, open-source virtual whiteboard tool available in the browser as a progressive web app (PWA) with a distinctive hand-drawn aesthetic. It requires no account to use — open excalidraw.com and draw immediately. It supports real-time collaboration via shared links, exporting diagrams as SVG or PNG, and an extensive library of community-contributed shapes. As a PWA, it works offline after the first load. The open-source codebase is actively maintained and can be self-hosted or embedded in other applications. Excalidraw is used by developers and technical teams who need quick, clean architecture diagrams, system design sketches, and wireframes with a low-friction, no-setup workflow that any team member can access from a link.
View detailsPenpot
Penpot is a free, open-source design and prototyping tool that runs in the browser and can be self-hosted on your own infrastructure. Unlike proprietary tools, Penpot uses SVG and CSS as its native file format, eliminating vendor lock-in and making files inspectable in any text editor. It supports design components, interactive prototypes, developer inspect mode, and real-time collaboration. Hosted on penpot.app for free with no feature limits, or deployable via Docker for full data ownership. Penpot is an increasingly capable Figma alternative favoured by privacy-conscious teams, open-source projects, and organisations in regulated industries.
View details