Penpot
ToolJet
| Feature | Penpot | ToolJet |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $8/mo | Free / from $20/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.3 / 5 | 4.1 / 5 |
| Best For | open-source-teams, privacy-focused-designers, developers, educational-institutions | developers, startups, ops-teams, small-businesses |
| Founded | 2015 | 2021 |
| Vector Editing | ✓ | ✗ |
| Prototyping | ✓ | ✗ |
| Components | ✓ | ✗ |
| Design Tokens | ✓ | ✗ |
| Real Time Collaboration | ✓ | ✗ |
| Css Output | ✓ | ✗ |
| Self Hostable | ✓ | ✗ |
| Visual Builder | ✗ | ✓ |
| Data Sources | ✗ | ✓ |
| Workflows | ✗ | ✓ |
| Custom Code | ✗ | ✓ |
| Version Control | ✗ | ✓ |
| Multi Tenancy | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ 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
✓ ToolJet Pros
- Open source
- Many data sources
- Drag-and-drop
- Self-hostable
✗ ToolJet Cons
- Documentation gaps
- Fewer widgets than competitors
- Community-dependent support
The Verdict
Penpot is built for open source teams and privacy focused designers, with a focus on vector-editing and prototyping. ToolJet targets developers and startups and leads with visual-builder and data-sources.
On pricing, Penpot is the clear winner for budget-conscious users — starting at $8/mo compared to $20/mo for ToolJet. That $12/mo difference adds up quickly for growing teams.
Both offer free plans, so you can test each with your real workflow before committing to a subscription.
Feature-wise, Penpot offers broader built-in capabilities (7 features vs 6), while ToolJet takes a more focused approach — which can mean a simpler, faster onboarding experience.
Both tools are a solid fit for developers — in those cases, the decision often comes down to workflow style and how your team prefers to organize work.
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.