Affinity Designer vs Penpot — Which One Wins?
Pick Affinity Designer if: Designers who refuse to pay Adobe’s subscription tax and want pro-grade vector tools for a one-time fee
Pick Penpot if: Open-source advocates who want a self-hosted Figma alternative with no vendor lock-in
Our take: Affinity Designer for simplicity, Penpot for power users.
| Affinity Designer | Penpot | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Affinity Designer 2 $69.99 one-time | Free and open source | Penpot Cloud Teams custom pricing |
| Features | Vector and raster in one app, One-time purchase (no subscription), CMYK and Pantone support, 1,000,000%+ zoom, PSD and AI file import | Open source and self-hostable, SVG-native design, Real-time collaboration, Components and design systems, Interactive prototyping |
| Best for | Designers who refuse to pay Adobe’s subscription tax and want pro-grade vector tools for a one-time fee | Open-source advocates who want a self-hosted Figma alternative with no vendor lock-in |
| Learning Curve | Medium | Medium |
The Real Difference
Penpot has a free plan; Affinity Designer doesn't. Budget-conscious? That's your answer.
Affinity Designer stands out with Vector and raster in one app and One-time purchase (no subscription). Penpot counters with Open source and self-hostable and SVG-native design.
Affinity Designer's Achilles heel: no plugin ecosystem — what ships is what you get, and the community is small compared to illustrator. 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 vector and raster in one app and designers who refuse to, go with Affinity Designer. If open-source advocates who want matters more, Penpot is your pick. Neither is a bad choice — but one will fit your workflow better.