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Software · head to head

Monday.com vs Penpot

Monday.com logo

Monday.com

Software

A platform built for a new way of working

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Penpot logo

Penpot

Software

Open source design and prototyping platform

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Monday.com expensive at scale with 3-seat minimum and costs increasing quickly with team size; Penpot smaller user base and community compared to Figma means fewer templates and resources
  • They diverge on capability: Monday.com covers Customizable workflows, Penpot covers Vector editing.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Monday.com and Penpot actually diverge.

Attributes where Monday.com and Penpot differ
AttributeMonday.comPenpot
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb, Windows, macOS, Linux
Founded20122021

Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (Unknown), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Monday.com

  • Customizable workflows
  • Multiple views (Kanban, Gantt, Calendar)
  • Automation engine
  • Mobile apps
  • Forms
  • Dashboards
  • Workload management
  • Slack

Only in Penpot

  • Vector editing
  • Interactive prototyping
  • Design systems
  • Components & libraries
  • SVG support
  • CSS Grid & Flexbox
  • Code export
  • Figma import

Both cover

  • Real-time collaboration

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Monday.com

  • Project managementnot Penpot
  • Sales CRMnot Penpot
  • Marketing campaignsnot Penpot
  • HR processesnot Penpot
  • IT ticketingnot Penpot

Penpot

  • UI/UX designnot Monday.com
  • Prototypingnot Monday.com
  • Design systemsnot Monday.com
  • Developer handoffnot Monday.com
  • Open source projectsnot Monday.com

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Monday.com

  • Expensive at scale with 3-seat minimum and costs increasing quickly with team size
  • Limited free plan with only 2 users and 3 boards
  • Mobile app provides reduced functionality compared to web version
  • Email CC/BCC limitations for looping in stakeholders without full board access
  • WorkForms can only create new items, not update existing ones

Penpot

  • Smaller user base and community compared to Figma means fewer templates and resources
  • Self-hosting requires Linux server and Docker knowledge for technical setup
  • Real-time collaboration features may have performance issues with very large design files

Pricing, plan by plan

Monday.com

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Monday.com review.

Penpot

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Cloud-based design
    • Real-time collaboration
    • Components and variants
  • Unlimited$7/month
    • All free features
    • Priority support
    • Advanced cloud features
  • Enterprise$950/month
    • Custom enterprise features
    • Dedicated support
    • Advanced security

Which should you pick?

Choose Monday.com if

  • You need customizable workflows.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want multiple views (kanban, gantt, calendar).
Monday.com review

Choose Penpot if

  • You need vector editing.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Windows, macOS, Linux.
  • You also want interactive prototyping.
Penpot review

Questions people ask

Is Monday.com or Penpot better?
Neither clearly leads. Monday.com starts at Free and Penpot at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Monday.com or Penpot?
Monday.com starts at Free and Penpot at Free.
Does Monday.com or Penpot run on more platforms?
Monday.com runs on Web, iOS, Android. Penpot runs on Web, Windows, macOS, Linux.
Can I use Monday.com for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Monday.com best used for?
Monday.com is most often used for project management, sales crm, marketing campaigns, hr processes. Of those, project management and sales crm are not what Penpot is typically brought in for.
What can Monday.com do that Penpot cannot?
Monday.com covers Customizable workflows, Multiple views (Kanban, Gantt, Calendar), Automation engine, Mobile apps. Penpot covers Vector editing, Interactive prototyping, Design systems, Components & libraries. Both handle Real-time collaboration.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Monday.com: Does Monday.com have a free plan?

Yes, Monday.com offers a free plan limited to 2 users and 3 boards. Paid plans start at around $9 per seat per month and require a minimum of 3 seats.

Source
Penpot: Is Penpot really free?

Yes. Penpot is completely free with no feature gates. The open-source version can be self-hosted on your own infrastructure for zero cost beyond server expenses.

Source
Monday.com: Can I use Monday.com on mobile?

Monday.com is available on iOS and Android, but the mobile app lacks the full depth of the desktop version, making complex board management more difficult on the go.

Source
Penpot: Can I self-host Penpot?

Yes. Penpot can be self-hosted on your own infrastructure with no licensing costs. Organizations with specific privacy or governance needs can run Penpot on their own servers.

Source
Monday.com: Does Monday.com support offline work?

Monday.com is primarily a cloud-based platform and does not have robust offline capabilities. You need an internet connection to access and edit boards.

Source
Penpot: What are the paid plans if I use Penpot cloud?

Penpot's cloud service offers a free tier, Unlimited plan at $7 per user per month for professionals and medium teams, and Enterprise starting at $950 per month for larger organizations.

Source
Monday.com: What is Monday.com's pricing based on?

Pricing is based on the number of seats and which product module you choose (Work Management, Sales CRM, Dev, or Service). Each module has different features and pricing.

Source
Penpot: What platforms does Penpot support?

Penpot runs in the browser, so it works on Windows, Mac, Linux, and any OS with a web browser. No platform-specific downloads required.

Source
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