Sketch is a Mac-only, industry-standard design tool with superior prototyping and 3,000+ plugins, while Penpot is a free, open-source, cross-platform alternative with real-time collaboration and no subscription required.
Sketch vs Penpot — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Lightweight, macOS-exclusive vector design tool focused on UI/UX with intuitive interface and one-time purchase option.
Free, open-source web-based design tool with strong real-time collaboration features.
Platform Availability. Pricing Model. Plugin Ecosystem. Real-Time Collaboration. Prototyping Features. Design System Support. Learning Curve
Choose Sketch if you're a professional designer on Mac who needs industry-standard prototyping tools, advanced plugin integrations, and don't mind a subscription. Choose Penpot if you work cross-platform, need real-time team collaboration, prefer open-source tools, or want to avoid monthly costs—it's ideal for startups and distributed teams.
Sketch: macOS, Windows (beta) | Penpot: Web-based (all OS)
Sketch: $120/year ($10/month) | Penpot: N/A
Sketch: 3 (Mac, Windows, Web) | Penpot: N/A
Sketch: Basic (plugin-dependent) | Penpot: N/A
Sketch: Limited (requires Cloud plugin, up to 5 free) | Penpot: N/A
Sketch: Excellent - minimal lag | Penpot: N/A
Sketch: Native support with libraries | Penpot: N/A
Sketch: ~1,000+ community-built plugins | Penpot: 100+
Sketch: No (third-party workarounds) | Penpot: N/A
Sketch: Advanced Auto Layout (2021+) | Penpot: N/A
Sketch: 5-6 basic interactions (tap, click, scroll) | Penpot: N/A
Cloud Storage Included (Free Plan/Trial)
Market Share Among UI/UX Designers (2024)
Sketch: Full interactive prototyping with animations and states | Penpot: N/A
Sketch: Mac desktop, Web (limited features) | Penpot: N/A
Sketch: 14-day free trial only; no free plan | Penpot: N/A
Sketch: Partner integrations (photos/icons sold separately) | Penpot: N/A
Monthly Subscription Cost (Professional Plan)
Sketch: $8.25/user (yearly: $99) | Penpot: N/A
Sketch: Shared libraries, comments, version history (async) | Penpot: N/A
Sketch: 1,200+ plugins | Penpot: Limited ecosystem, community-driven
Sketch: Not included; requires third-party services | Penpot: N/A
Sketch: Requires third-party plugins (e.g., Figma-to-React) | Penpot: N/A
Sketch: Symbols, shared styles, nested components (established) | Penpot: N/A
Sketch: macOS, Windows, Web (recently improved) | Penpot: N/A
Sketch: Plugin-based, additional cost | Penpot: Yes (built-in multiplayer)
Sketch: Advanced (interactions, animations, states) | Penpot: Basic (standard prototyping)
Sketch: No (proprietary) | Penpot: AGPL v3 (fully open)
Sketch: $144 (Sketch Standard annual) | Penpot: N/A
Sketch: Optimized for 100+ artboards without lag | Penpot: N/A
Sketch: 0 (native); available via plugins | Penpot: N/A
Market Share Among Professional Designers
Sketch: ~70% (industry standard for UI/UX teams) | Penpot: N/A
Sketch: $14 | Penpot: Free (Premium: $10)
Sketch: Basic (clickable prototypes only) | Penpot: N/A
Sketch: 4,000 x 4,000 pixels | Penpot: N/A
Sketch: Manual management (requires Sketch 90+) | Penpot: N/A
Sketch: Full support with readable output | Penpot: N/A
Sketch: $299 | Penpot: $0 (free forever)
Sketch: Requires workarounds | Penpot: N/A
Sketch: 800+ without degradation | Penpot: N/A
Sketch: Shared symbols with nesting | Penpot: N/A
Sketch: Advanced with animations | Penpot: N/A
Sketch: $12/month (or $129 one-time) | Penpot: N/A
Sketch: 15 concurrent users | Penpot: Unlimited
Sketch: 8+ years of resources | Penpot: 4+ years of resources
Sketch: Proprietary/Closed | Penpot: 100% Open Source (GitHub)
Sketch: Advanced (Symbols, Shared Styles, Tokens) | Penpot: Good (Components, Shared Libraries)
Sketch: Basic (transitions, drag triggers) | Penpot: N/A
Sketch: Yes (Slack integration only) | Penpot: N/A
Performance on Large Files (100+ Artboards)
Sketch: Excellent (instant load) | Penpot: N/A
Sketch: None (third-party workarounds) | Penpot: N/A
Sketch: No (30-day trial only) | Penpot: N/A
Sketch: Limited via plugins (~5) | Penpot: N/A
Sketch: Advanced with nested symbols | Penpot: N/A
Sketch: Available in beta/plugins | Penpot: N/A
Sketch: Requires integration (Zeplin, Abstract) | Penpot: N/A
Sketch: macOS only + Web viewer | Penpot: N/A
Sketch: 6-8 basic interactions | Penpot: N/A
Sketch: Limited free tier (projects only) | Penpot: N/A
Sketch: 22% of design tools market (2024) | Penpot: N/A
Sketch: 15-20 min (macOS native install) | Penpot: N/A
Sketch: Advanced design tokens with shared libraries | Penpot: N/A
Sketch: Limited; community-contributed | Penpot: N/A
Sketch: Via plugins; file-based | Penpot: N/A
Sketch: Full design support | Penpot: N/A
Sketch: Third-party plugins only | Penpot: N/A
Sketch: Basic: 4-5 transition types (fade, slide, push, pop) | Penpot: 8-10 (basic transitions)
Sketch: 2-5 MB per project | Penpot: N/A
Sketch: Shared symbols with cloud sync via subscription | Penpot: N/A
Sketch: N/A | Penpot: No native AI tools (community experiments only)
Sketch: N/A | Penpot: Free (Premium optional €60/year)
Sketch: N/A | Penpot: Full real-time co-editing with 20+ users
Sketch: N/A | Penpot: No (browser-based only)
Sketch: N/A | Penpot: No direct integration
Sketch: N/A | Penpot: $192/month unlimited (or free self-hosted)
Sketch: N/A | Penpot: Yes (Docker, Kubernetes)
Sketch: N/A | Penpot: $0 (Premium: $120)
Sketch: N/A | Penpot: Unlimited projects
Sketch: N/A | Penpot: Community plugins; native support developing
Sketch vs Penpot — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for Sketch vs Penpot. Contains 121 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
Sketch vs Penpot — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Sketch vs Penpot.
Yes. Penpot is available as a web app (works in any browser on any OS) and has a dedicated Windows desktop application. Sketch is Mac-only and requires workarounds like Parallels Desktop or alternatives for Windows users.
Which has better real-time collaboration?
Penpot has native, built-in multiplayer collaboration where multiple team members can edit simultaneously with live cursors and chat. Sketch requires third-party tools like Frame.io or relies on cloud file syncing, which is less seamless than Penpot's native implementation.
Is Penpot suitable for professional design work?
Yes, Penpot is production-ready for UI/UX design, wireframing, and design systems. However, Sketch remains the industry standard in agencies due to its 3,000-plugin ecosystem, advanced prototyping, and 95% adoption rate. Penpot excels for teams prioritizing collaboration and cost over third-party integrations.
How much would Sketch cost for a 10-person design team?
At $120/year per editor, a 10-person team would pay $1,200/year ($100/month). Penpot costs $0/year for the same 10-person team if using the free cloud version, or hosting fees if self-hosting on your own infrastructure.
Can I export designs from Sketch to Penpot?
Penpot can import Sketch files (.sketch format) with reasonable fidelity, preserving layers, components, and text styles. However, some advanced Sketch-specific features (certain plugins, interactions) may not transfer perfectly. It's generally a smooth migration path for switching between tools.
Platform Availability: Sketch has macOS only, while Penpot has Web-based (all platforms), Desktop (Linux/Mac/Windows).
Pricing Model: Sketch has $12/month per editor or $120/year, while Penpot has Free forever (open-source), optional paid hosting.
Plugin Ecosystem: Sketch has 3,000+ official plugins via Sketch App Store, while Penpot has 120+ plugins, growing but limited ecosystem.
Real-Time Collaboration: Sketch has Requires third-party tools (Figma-style collab not native), while Penpot has Native real-time multiplayer built-in.
Prototyping Features: Sketch has Advanced interactive prototyping with interactions and animations, while Penpot has Basic prototyping (links and hotspots, no advanced animations).
Design System Support: Sketch has Symbols with overrides, Shared Libraries via cloud, while Penpot has Components with advanced overrides, shared libraries.
Learning Curve: Sketch has Steep for advanced features, $0 for learning resources, while Penpot has Moderate, extensive free documentation and tutorials.