I’ve been in the Adobe ecosystem for years, mainly out of habit and familiarity, but also because I didn’t believe there were any alternatives that were good enough. Photoshop, Illustrator, and Adobe Express in particular felt like the only way to get any serious design work done. I eventually canceled my Adobe subscriptions because the constant updates and subscription fatigue started killing my workflow.

In my hunt for Adobe alternatives, Penpot was one of my top finds. It’s a free, browser-based, open-source design and prototyping tool. Technically, Penpot would be more of an Adobe XD alternative (a software that Adobe abandoned) since it’s primarily used for UX design, but it’s also a solid stand-in for the other Adobe graphics apps.

So far, I’m thoroughly enjoying using Penpot and have managed to crank out a couple of designs. It’s a shame I hadn’t discovered it sooner because it replaces many of the projects I relied on Adobe for.

Penpot is more accessible

And more privacy-forward

Starting with the biggest benefit, Penpot is a lot more accessible than any of the Adobe apps. There’s no barrier to entry; all you need is an internet connection and to log in with your email. There are paid tiers, but those aren’t necessary for solo creators who don’t need extensive storage features. I also love that it’s a browser-based design tool, so you can use it on most devices regardless of the hardware specs.

Penpot is also self-hostable. I’ve self-hosted Penpot via Elestio simply because it’s more convenient, but you can go the Docker route, too. If not, Penpot’s servers offer a higher degree of control over your data compared to Adobe’s cloud.

No proprietary formats

An SVG-native foundation

Penpot’s foundation is built entirely on the SVG, CSS, and HTML standard languages, which brings multiple advantages over Adobe’s proprietary formats. The vector elements are fully web-standard, so every shape, path, gradient, or text object is stored in an open XML-based format. This means your files are readable and editable across tools without compatibility issues.

Because the format is standardized, exporting assets for the web or mobile is also seamless; developers can inspect the code without conversion. Unlike Adobe files, which often require third-party plugins or proprietary APIs to extract the code or assets, Penpot’s SVG-native approach ensures all your projects are portable and editable. Beyond this, Penpot also supports PNG, JPEG, WEBP, and PDF, as well as custom fonts in TTF, OTF, and WOFF formats.

Interactive prototyping

Without needing to leave the app

Adobe’s apps have limited prototyping abilities, often requiring me to switch between multiple tools to link screens, create interactions, preview screen flows, or even display mockups. Penpot solves this by integrating interactive prototyping directly into the design workspace. I can easily link frames, define transitions, set triggers like "on-click" or "hover", and preview it all in real time (and without leaving the app).

Penpot supports multiple interaction types, including modals, overlays, and scrollable areas. I can create micro-interactions in a design with precise timing controls and easing curves. And because it’s vector-native, the interactive elements retain scalability. Additionally, if I hand off my design to a developer, they can inspect the code directly in Penpot, thanks to its non-proprietary and collaborative nature.

The toolkit is lighter

But still more than capable

Now for my favorite part about Penpot: the actual tools. It comes decked out with vector tools like paths, drawing, text, and shapes; each with highly customizable properties. And of course, it also has a layer system with assets and tokens. The toolkit is practically a mirror of Figma, and you can truly design anything with it. Stills like logos, posters, and banners. Animated graphics like icons that bounce around. And entire interfaces for web and mobile. Why pay for separate Adobe apps when I can do it all for free in Penpot?

It also comes with a massive library of templates and plugins. These are perfect for beginners to get started or for pros to streamline and enhance their designs. Here, I’ve been playing around with a Smartwatch UI template and also the wireframe kit.

My favorite part is that, despite being such a comprehensive editor, it still feels minimal. Many talk about how bloated Adobe software can feel, and Penpot truly is a non-bloated alternative; the canvas isn’t bogged down with menus and buttons, and the layout flow just makes sense. This might also have something to do with the fact that Penpot is primarily used for UI design, so the design team probably takes the user experience a bit more seriously.

Penpot is the future of design

Using Penpot made me realize how much energy (and money) I’d wasted wrestling with Adobe’s bulk and flipping between their apps. Sure, being in the Adobe ecosystem does still have some benefits, like access to some niche advanced features and project integration. But I don’t use most of them, anyway. What matters more to me is an intuitive interface, a toolkit I’ll actually use, privacy, and no hiding essential features behind a paywall. Penpot checks all those boxes.