Penpot vs Spline — Which One Wins?
Pick Penpot if: Open-source advocates who want a self-hosted Figma alternative with no vendor lock-in
Pick Spline if: Web designers and front-end devs who want 3D on their sites without touching Blender or Unity
Our take: Penpot for simplicity, Spline for power users.
| Penpot | Spline | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free and open source | Penpot Cloud Teams custom pricing | Free with unlimited projects and community sharing | Pro $7/mo |
| Features | Open source and self-hostable, SVG-native design, Real-time collaboration, Components and design systems, Interactive prototyping | Browser-based 3D modeling with real-time collaboration, 3D animations and interactive scenes without code, One-click embed for websites and React apps, Material editor with PBR and custom shaders, Built-in physics engine for interactive prototypes |
| Best for | Open-source advocates who want a self-hosted Figma alternative with no vendor lock-in | Web designers and front-end devs who want 3D on their sites without touching Blender or Unity |
| Learning Curve | Medium | Medium |
The Real Difference
Both offer free tiers, so the real question is what you get when you start paying.
Penpot stands out with Open source and self-hostable and SVG-native design. Spline counters with Browser-based 3D modeling with real-time collaboration and 3D animations and interactive scenes without code.
Penpot's Achilles heel: still catching up to figma on polish and plugin ecosystem — feels rough around the edges. Spline's: not a replacement for serious 3d work — geometry tools are basic compared to blender or cinema 4d. Pick whichever weakness you can live with.
Bottom Line
If you value open source and self-hostable and open-source advocates who want, go with Penpot. If web designers and front-end matters more, Spline is your pick. Neither is a bad choice — but one will fit your workflow better.