Penpot's maturing — is it Figma-ready yet?

Penpot's open-source design tool is getting serious enterprise attention in 2025 as a Figma alternative. It won't replace Figma in most UK studios yet, but it's worth knowing for flexibility and procurement conversations.

Penpot's been open-source since 2021, but 2025 write-ups argue it's now genuinely enterprise-ready — self-hosting, no vendor lock-in, built on open web standards (SVG/CSS). That matters if you're job-hunting in the UK: more agencies and public-sector teams are exploring it for procurement and data-sovereignty reasons. This is **adoption, not hype** — Penpot's four years old, but 2025 marks real enterprise evaluation, not just early buzz. It's not about ditching Figma; most studios still run on it. But knowing Penpot's strengths (open files, CSS/SVG export, free tier) makes you more flexible across teams and shows range in interviews. Don't just read about it — open it and rebuild one Figma file in Penpot to feel the actual differences yourself.

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