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Technology · head to head

Netlify vs Penpot

Netlify logo

Netlify

Technology

The fastest way to build the fastest sites

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Penpot logo

Penpot

Open Source

Open source design and prototyping platform

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Netlify the free tier is an individual account with 300 credits; team members require the Pro plan at $20 a month; Penpot smaller user base and community compared to Figma means fewer templates and resources
  • They diverge on capability: Netlify covers Continuous deployment, Penpot covers Vector editing.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Netlify and Penpot actually diverge.

Attributes where Netlify and Penpot differ
AttributeNetlifyPenpot
Pricing modelfreemiumUnknown
PlatformsWebWeb, Windows, macOS, Linux
CategoryTechnologyOpen Source
Founded20142021

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

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 Netlify

  • Continuous deployment
  • Instant rollbacks
  • Deploy previews
  • Split testing
  • Forms handling
  • Identity/Auth
  • Serverless functions
  • Edge handlers

Only in Penpot

  • Vector editing
  • Interactive prototyping
  • Design systems
  • Components & libraries
  • Real-time collaboration
  • SVG support
  • CSS Grid & Flexbox
  • Code export

What people use each for

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

Netlify

  • Hosting static sites and frontend frameworks with global CDN deliverynot Penpot
  • Deploy previews on every pull requestnot Penpot
  • Serverless functions alongside a static sitenot Penpot
  • Netlify Database and Blob storage for small application statenot Penpot

Penpot

  • UI/UX designnot Netlify
  • Prototypingnot Netlify
  • Design systemsnot Netlify
  • Developer handoffnot Netlify
  • Open source projectsnot Netlify

Where each one falls short

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

Netlify

  • The free tier is an individual account with 300 credits; team members require the Pro plan at $20 a month
  • Everything is metered in credits, so bandwidth at 20 credits per GB and production deploys at 15 credits each consume the allowance in ways a bandwidth figure alone would not show
  • Compute is billed at 10 credits per GB-hour, so server-rendered work costs more than static hosting
  • Running past the allowance means buying credit packs, at $5 for 500 on Personal and $10 for 1,500 on Pro
  • AI inference is priced by model rather than at a flat credit rate

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

Netlify

Free
  • StarterFree
    • 100GB bandwidth
    • 300 build minutes
    • 1 concurrent build
  • Pro$19/month
    • 400GB bandwidth
    • 25,000 build minutes
    • 3 concurrent builds
  • Business$99/month
    • 600GB bandwidth
    • 35,000 build minutes
    • 5 concurrent builds
  • Enterprise$undefined/month
    • Custom bandwidth
    • Custom build minutes
    • Unlimited concurrent builds

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 Netlify if

  • You need continuous deployment.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want instant rollbacks.
Netlify 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 Netlify or Penpot better?
Neither clearly leads. Netlify 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, Netlify or Penpot?
Netlify starts at Free and Penpot at Free.
Does Netlify or Penpot run on more platforms?
Netlify runs on Web. Penpot runs on Web, Windows, macOS, Linux.
Can I use Netlify for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Netlify best used for?
Netlify is most often used for hosting static sites and frontend frameworks with global cdn delivery, deploy previews on every pull request, serverless functions alongside a static site, netlify database and blob storage for small application state. Of those, hosting static sites and frontend frameworks with global cdn delivery and deploy previews on every pull request are not what Penpot is typically brought in for.
What can Netlify do that Penpot cannot?
Netlify covers Continuous deployment, Instant rollbacks, Deploy previews, Split testing. Penpot covers Vector editing, Interactive prototyping, Design systems, Components & libraries.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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
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
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
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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