Penpot
Pirsch
| Feature | Penpot | Pirsch |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $8/mo | From $4/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✗ No |
| Rating | 4.3 / 5 | 4.3 / 5 |
| Best For | open-source-teams, privacy-focused-designers, developers, educational-institutions | privacy-focused-websites, european-businesses, bloggers, saas-companies |
| Founded | 2015 | 2021 |
| Vector Editing | ✓ | ✗ |
| Prototyping | ✓ | ✗ |
| Components | ✓ | ✗ |
| Design Tokens | ✓ | ✗ |
| Real Time Collaboration | ✓ | ✗ |
| Css Output | ✓ | ✗ |
| Self Hostable | ✓ | ✗ |
| Pageview Tracking | ✗ | ✓ |
| Event Tracking | ✗ | ✓ |
| Goals | ✗ | ✓ |
| Utm Tracking | ✗ | ✓ |
| Server Side Tracking | ✗ | ✓ |
| Api Access | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Penpot Pros
- Open-source and self-hostable for free
- CSS-based design outputs production-ready code
- Real-time collaboration (Figma-like experience)
- SVG-native (no proprietary formats)
✗ Penpot Cons
- Performance slower than Figma on complex files
- Smaller plugin and community ecosystem
- Missing some advanced design features
✓ Pirsch Pros
- No cookies required
- GDPR compliant out of the box
- Lightweight script (less than 1KB)
- Server-side tracking option
✗ Pirsch Cons
- No free plan
- Less detailed than GA4
- Limited e-commerce tracking
The Verdict
Penpot is built for open source teams and privacy focused designers, with a focus on vector-editing and prototyping. Pirsch targets privacy focused websites and european businesses and leads with pageview-tracking and event-tracking.
Pricing is close: Pirsch starts at $4/mo versus $8/mo for Penpot — not a deciding factor on its own.
Penpot has a free plan, which gives it a meaningful edge for individuals and small teams exploring their options. Pirsch requires a paid subscription from day one.
Feature-wise, Penpot offers broader built-in capabilities (7 features vs 6), while Pirsch takes a more focused approach — which can mean a simpler, faster onboarding experience.
This is a genuinely close comparison. If you can, sign up for both free trials (where available) and run a one-week test with your actual team tasks before deciding.