FigCraft vs Penpot
Open-source status, hosting, file formats and code output, compared by what each project publicly offers. No winner is declared.
FigCraft is an open-source, clean-room interface design tool written in pure Rust, currently in early alpha, and it is not Figma. Penpot describes itself as the open-source design platform for teams. Both projects are open source, so the useful question is which one fits how your team hosts, shares and hands off work.
Name note: FigCraft on this page means the ArtCraft interface design app. It is not Figma, not the .fig file format and not the fruit.
Comparison at a glance
public categories| Question | FigCraft | Penpot |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Open-source interface design tool in early alpha, from the ArtCraft team, with native desktop builds and a web build. | The open-source design platform for teams, according to penpot.app, with hosted sign-up and a self-host install option. |
| Licence | MIT or Apache-2.0, at your option, per the README. | Described as open source on its homepage. The licence text was not checked for this page. |
| Hosting | Desktop apps on macOS, Windows, Linux and FreeBSD. A web build you can host yourself is in the v0.5.1 release. figcraft-server, a preview, keeps a team's files on a server you run. | Hosted sign-up on penpot.app, and a self-host install that the homepage links to. Hosting terms were not compared. |
| Design features | Frames, auto layout in both directions with wrap and grid, components and variants, vector networks, styles and variables with modes. | The homepage lists UI design with wireframes and interactive prototypes, CSS Grid and Flex layouts, design tokens and shared libraries. |
| Files | .figcraft archives. SVG, PNG, JPG, WebP and PDF import and export. .fig files open on a best-effort basis. | The homepage describes open standards such as CSS, HTML, SVG and JSON, and Penpot's open file format. This page did not check the format details. |
| Code output | Dev Mode code for CSS, HTML, React, Leptos, SwiftUI and Compose, per the README. | The homepage lists inspecting and integrating code that matches the design, using CSS, HTML, SVG and JSON. |
| Agents and automation | 400+ commands through the UI, figcraft-cli, a JSON control channel and an MCP server (docs/mcp.md in the repository). | The homepage invites agents to design in Penpot and links to an open MCP server. |
| Sharing and data | Offline by default, with no account and no telemetry. Share ▸ Online uploads to a server that is not end-to-end encrypted. | Collaboration is part of the platform. Data processing and security terms are on penpot.app. This page did not review them. |
| Status | Early alpha. The README's own estimate is about 49% of the way to replacing Figma for real work. | Not assessed on this page beyond its public homepage. |
Cells describe public product categories and the sources listed under evidence and method. Dates: 2026-10-16. This is not a benchmark or a ranking.
Evidence and method
checked 2026-10-16Who wrote this: the FigCraft Fan Guide editors, an independent fan-made group. This is not an official ArtCraft or FigCraft page.
FigCraft sources: the official page at getartcraft.com/apps/figcraft, the repository README at github.com/storytold/figcraft, and the v0.5.1 release page with its checksum file.
Penpot sources: the public homepage at penpot.app, read on 2026-10-16. Pricing pages and terms were not used.
Method: each cell restates a category from one of those pages. This comparison did not install either product, move a file between them or time any task.
What to verify
- Decide where the work will live. FigCraft's default sharing goes to a public server unless you set another one. Penpot offers hosted sign-up and self-hosting. Compare both hosting models with your team's rules.
- Check the file formats you need to move. The FigCraft README does not describe a conversion to or from Penpot's format. Export a real file from one tool and reopen it in the other.
- Check code output against your own component API. FigCraft's README lists generated CSS, HTML, React, Leptos, SwiftUI and Compose code. Compare the output for one component in each tool.
- Read the MCP documentation before you give any agent access to a file. FigCraft exposes its 400+ commands through MCP, so the access rules matter.
Who this comparison is for
Use this page if you are deciding which tool to test first for interface work and you already have a real file to try. Read the FigCraft entries next to the Penpot entries, then check the primary sources on the day you decide. The sources are the authority on current releases, licences and terms.
Questions readers ask
Is FigCraft a version of Penpot?
No. FigCraft is a separate project from the ArtCraft team, written in pure Rust, with its own file format and command system. Penpot is a separate open-source design platform that describes itself as built for teams.
Can I host FigCraft myself, like Penpot?
Partly. The v0.5.1 release includes a web build you can host yourself, and figcraft-server is a preview that keeps a team's files. Both are documented in the repository. Check the server documentation before you put confidential work on it.
Which one should I choose?
This page does not choose. Test one real file in each tool, check the hosting and sharing model against your team's rules, and keep the option that leaves the fewest open questions.
What this page does not claim
This page does not benchmark either product, rank them, or make claims about pricing, user counts or hosting costs. It is not an endorsement by ArtCraft, storytold or Penpot.