Penpot
Whimsical
| Feature | Penpot | Whimsical |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $8/mo | Free / from $10/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.3 / 5 | 4.5 / 5 |
| Best For | open-source-teams, privacy-focused-designers, developers, educational-institutions | product-managers, startup-teams, ux-designers, strategists |
| Founded | 2015 | 2017 |
| Vector Editing | ✓ | ✗ |
| Prototyping | ✓ | ✗ |
| Components | ✓ | ✗ |
| Design Tokens | ✓ | ✗ |
| Real Time Collaboration | ✓ | ✗ |
| Css Output | ✓ | ✗ |
| Self Hostable | ✓ | ✗ |
| Flowcharts | ✗ | ✓ |
| Wireframes | ✗ | ✓ |
| Mind Maps | ✗ | ✓ |
| Sticky Notes | ✗ | ✓ |
| Docs | ✗ | ✓ |
| Ai Assistant | ✗ | ✓ |
| Templates | ✗ | ✓ |
| Collaboration | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ 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
✓ Whimsical Pros
- Multiple workspace types (flowcharts, wireframes, mind maps) in one tool
- AI-powered features for generating and organizing content
- Exceptionally clean and fast interface
- Great for rapid wireframing and prototyping
✗ Whimsical Cons
- Free plan limited to certain number of files
- Less detailed wireframing than Figma or Sketch
- Fewer integrations than larger platforms
The Verdict
Penpot is built for open source teams and privacy focused designers, with a focus on vector-editing and prototyping. Whimsical targets product managers and startup teams and leads with flowcharts and wireframes.
Pricing is close: Penpot starts at $8/mo versus $10/mo for Whimsical — not a deciding factor on its own.
Both offer free plans, so you can test each with your real workflow before committing to a subscription.
Feature-wise, Whimsical offers broader built-in capabilities (8 features vs 7), while Penpot 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.