compare
OpenPencil vs Penpot
The same facts for both, read from GitHub every night, and the relation a person reviewed.
| Fact | OpenPencil | Penpot |
|---|---|---|
| Language | TypeScript | Clojure |
| Licence | MIT | MPL-2.0 |
| Stars | 8.8k | 61k |
| Latest | v0.15.1 | 2.18.3 |
| Last push | 2026-10-06 | 2026-10-06 |
| Release cadence | about 19 days between releases | about 6 days between releases |
| Active contributors | 9+ commit authors on the default branch in the last 90 days | 82+ commit authors on the default branch in the last 90 days |
| Flags | none | none |
How they relate
Both replace Figma. Alternatives to Figma →
PartialOpenPencilOpens and saves Figma files in a desktop app or the browser, with components, auto layout and peer-to-peer collaboration; still maturing.
Full replacementPenpotBrowser-based design and prototyping with components and CSS-based layout.
OpenPencil
- v0.15.12026-09-18Configure built-in AI and local MCP tool access independently on a Tool access page, including optional extended AI too…
- v0.15.02026-09-16Use MCP SDK v2 server/client types for programmatic MCP integrations. Define custom tools with native Valibot input sch…
- v0.14.02026-08-11Core SDK: Import scene graph types, geometry, coordinate, matrix, snapping, undo, and path helpers from @open-pencil/sc…
- v0.13.22026-05-30Update the Homebrew install command to use the published openpencil cask.
- v0.13.12026-05-29Fix the npm package contents for the CLI so Bun installs include the built openpencil binary and runtime bundle.
Penpot
- 2.18.32026-10-06Fix binfile import storing unsanitized SVG and missing obfuscated SVG content-types #12104 (PR: #12105)
- 2.18.22026-10-05Fix workspace showing an internal error when syncing components or dragging in the color picker #11933 (PR: #11941)
- 2.18.12026-10-01Fix workspace freezing with a stack overflow when opening the context menu on a shape that isn't on the current page #1…
- 2.18.02026-09-23Group toolbar drawing tools into shape and free-draw flyouts #9316 (PR: #9480, #10354)
- 2.17.22026-08-27Fix linear gradients in SVG text exports being emitted as radial gradients #5972 (PR: #11272)
OpenPencil
unsigned The latest release, v0.15.1, carries no signature GitHub could verify.
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Penpot
unsigned The latest release, 2.18.3, carries no signature GitHub could verify.
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