Penpot vs Excalidraw
Detailed comparison to help you choose the right tool for your needs
E
Excalidraw
Virtual whiteboard for sketching hand-drawn like diagrams
4.7
Editorial RatingQuick Comparison
Rating
4.4
vs4.7
Starting Price
Free
vsFree
Pricing Model
free
vsfreemium
Feature
Penpot
Excalidraw
Vector editing
Real-time collaboration
Prototyping
Components
Open source
Self-hosting
Hand-drawn style
End-to-end encryption
Self-hosting option
Export formats
Custom libraries
Penpot Pros
- Fully open source with self-hosting option
- No cost with all features included
- SVG-native format (no proprietary lock-in)
- Figma-like interface reduces learning curve
- Active development improving rapidly
- No Figma/Adobe file format restrictions
Penpot Cons
- Performance noticeably slower than Figma
- Feature gap remains vs industry leaders
- Smaller plugin/component ecosystem
- Some advanced Figma features still missing
- Cloud collaboration less reliable than Figma
Excalidraw Pros
- Beautiful hand-drawn aesthetic
- E2E encrypted by default
- Completely free for core features
- Massive community and library ecosystem
Excalidraw Cons
- Limited to whiteboard use case (not full design tool)
- No built-in presentation mode
- Cloud storage requires paid plan