Penpot
Open-source design and prototyping platform — a European alternative to Figma.
Overview
Penpot is a Madrid, Spain-based European company building design tools, open source, and saas software since 2021. As an EU-headquartered provider, Penpot operates under GDPR and is outside the reach of the US CLOUD Act, making it a privacy-friendly alternative to Figma and Adobe XD for European teams.
Why European teams pick Penpot
Teams in Europe pick Penpot when they want a design tools provider that bills in EUR, supports their local data-protection officer requirements, and keeps customer data under Spain law, operating since 2021. Compared with Figma and Adobe XD, Penpot avoids cross-border data transfers under Schrems II and the US CLOUD Act, which is often the deciding factor for European procurement and legal teams.
See more EU design tools tools or browse other startups from Spain.
About
Penpot is an open-source design and prototyping platform developed by Kaleidos, a Spanish company based in Madrid. It is the only major open-source alternative to Figma, built on open web standards (SVG, CSS, HTML) and licensed under the EUPL (European Union Public Licence). Penpot can be self-hosted on any EU server using Docker, giving design teams complete data sovereignty over their design files — no intellectual property leaves the organisation. The hosted cloud version (penpot.app) is also available. Penpot supports real-time collaboration, components, design systems, and interactive prototypes. It is actively maintained by the Penpot team and a growing community of European contributors, and is gaining adoption among EU public sector organisations that cannot use US-hosted SaaS design tools.
Details
- Founded
- 2021
- Headquarters
- Madrid, Spain
Categories
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Frequently asked questions
What is Penpot?
Penpot is an open-source design and prototyping platform developed by Kaleidos, a Spanish company based in Madrid. It is the only major open-source alternative to Figma, built on open web standards (SVG, CSS, HTML) and licensed under the EUPL (European Union Public Licence). Penpot can be self-hosted on any EU server using Docker, giving design teams complete data sovereignty over their design files — no intellectual property leaves the organisation. The hosted cloud version (penpot.app) is also available. Penpot supports real-time collaboration, components, design systems, and interactive prototypes. It is actively maintained by the Penpot team and a growing community of European contributors, and is gaining adoption among EU public sector organisations that cannot use US-hosted SaaS design tools.
What does Penpot do?
Penpot is open-source design and prototyping platform — a european alternative to figma. It is listed under design tools, open source, and saas on EU Alts because its core functionality serves teams looking for a European design tools tool with EU data residency, typically as a switch away from Figma and Adobe XD.
Is Penpot a good European design tools alternative?
Penpot is a fit for European businesses evaluating design tools options where data residency and GDPR alignment matter — typical buyers include EU-based SaaS teams, public-sector projects, regulated industries (healthcare, finance, legal), and any organisation that needs to demonstrate that customer data does not leave the EU. It also overlaps with open source and saas use cases.
Is Penpot GDPR compliant?
Penpot is headquartered in Madrid, Spain and falls under EU jurisdiction, so it processes user data under the GDPR by default. Customer data processing is supervised by Spain's data protection authority, the Agencia Española de Protección de Datos (AEPD). Because the company is not US-incorporated, it is not subject to the US CLOUD Act — meaning US authorities cannot compel Penpot to disclose customer data the way they can with Figma and Adobe XD. For European buyers, that often simplifies DPIA paperwork and standard contractual clauses.
How do teams switch from Figma to Penpot?
Most teams move to Penpot from Figma and Adobe XD because they want EU data residency without giving up the core design tools workflow. Penpot's Spain base means a single jurisdiction for both the company and (typically) its hosting infrastructure, so you can drop Schrems II transfer impact assessments for this part of your stack. Plan the migration in stages: export your data from the US incumbent, pilot Penpot with a small team, then move the rest once the integration coverage you need is confirmed.
Where is Penpot based?
Penpot is headquartered in Madrid, Spain. The company was founded in 2021. Its main website is https://penpot.app.