Adobe XD vs Penpot — Which One Wins?
Pick Adobe XD if: Teams already paying for Adobe Creative Cloud who need basic UI/UX design
Pick Penpot if: Open-source advocates who want a self-hosted Figma alternative with no vendor lock-in
Our take: Adobe XD for simplicity, Penpot for power users.
| Adobe XD | Penpot | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | No free plan (included in Creative Cloud $54.99/mo) | Single App $9.99/mo (legacy) | Free and open source | Penpot Cloud Teams custom pricing |
| Features | Prototyping and wireframing, Repeat grid, Auto-animate, Voice prototyping, Creative Cloud integration | Open source and self-hostable, SVG-native design, Real-time collaboration, Components and design systems, Interactive prototyping |
| Best for | Teams already paying for Adobe Creative Cloud who need basic UI/UX design | Open-source advocates who want a self-hosted Figma alternative with no vendor lock-in |
| Learning Curve | Medium | Medium |
The Real Difference
Both offer free tiers, so the real question is what you get when you start paying.
Adobe XD stands out with Repeat grid and Auto-animate. Penpot counters with Open source and self-hostable and SVG-native design.
Adobe XD's Achilles heel: adobe effectively abandoned it — no major updates since 2023, figma won the market. Penpot's: still catching up to figma on polish and plugin ecosystem — feels rough around the edges. Pick whichever weakness you can live with.
Bottom Line
If you value repeat grid and teams already paying for, go with Adobe XD. If open-source advocates who want matters more, Penpot is your pick. Neither is a bad choice — but one will fit your workflow better.