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Head-to-head · Web Design Software

Google Web Designer vs Penpot

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 5 checks side by side
Higher score Google Web Designer #6 in Web Design Software 8.4/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 4 of 5 features Visit Google Web
Penpot #8 in Web Design Software 8.0/10 Free plan · 14-day trial Free planFree trial✓ 1 of 5 features Visit Penpot

Google Web Designer leads on 0 checks, Penpot on 0, and 5 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 5 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreGoogle Web Designer · 8.4/10
  • Free planboth
  • Free trialonly Penpot
  • Most featuresGoogle Web Designer · 4 of 5

Google Web Designer scores higher on our rubric for web design software: 8.4 against 8.0 out of 10; our editors rank them #6 and #8.

Google Web Designer is the better fit for free HTML5 animation and interactive content. Penpot is the better fit for open-source teams needing full UI design.

  • Google Web Designer fits best

    Free HTML5 animation and interactive content

  • Penpot fits best

    Open-source teams needing full UI design

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.

Side by side

Feature Google Web Designer 8.4/10 Visit ↗ Penpot 8.0/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 8.4 8.0
Ranking #6 in Web Design Software #8 in Web Design Software
Best for Free HTML5 animation and interactive content Open-source teams needing full UI design
Pricing model Free Free plan + paid
Starting price Free $7/user/mo
Free plan ✓ ✓
Free trial — 14 days
Deployment Desktop Cloud, Self-hosted
Platforms Windows, macOS, Linux Web
Support Community, Docs Email, Community, Docs
Integrations 3 integrations 3 integrations
Built for Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Google Web Designer 4/5 · Penpot 1/5
Responsive design ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Prototype interactions ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Code export ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Design systems ✓ ✓
Team collaboration Not checked yet Not checked yet
Specs
Included team seats Not checked yet Not checked yet
Primary platform Desktop Not checked yet
Our review
Pros
  • Free plan includes visual and code editing
  • Timeline animation supports Quick and Advanced modes
  • Runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux
  • Responsive UI design with CSS Grid and Flex layouts
  • Design tokens, shared libraries, and developer inspection
  • Hosted cloud or self-hosted deployment with APIs and webhooks
Cons
  • Desktop application rather than a browser-based builder
  • Business use only
  • Publishing integrations center on Google and supported platforms
  • The free Professional plan supports up to 8 team members
  • Enterprise features require the $25 per-user monthly plan
  • Private Server pricing is handled separately from listed cloud plans
Our verdict

Google Web Designer is a free desktop application for businesses creating HTML5 ads, images, videos, and other web content. It combines visual design and code views, allowing teams to work with HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and XML in the same…

Read the review →

Penpot is a web-based, open-source platform for designers, developers, and product teams working on interface design and prototypes. Its feature set covers responsive layouts, interactive flows, reusable components, variants, styles,…

Read the review →
  1. Google Web DesignerWeb Design Software 8.4Free plan
  2. PenpotWeb Design Software 8.0Free plan · 14-day trial

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Google Web Designer — where it wins

    • Free plan includes visual and code editing
    • Timeline animation supports Quick and Advanced modes
    • Runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux

    Where it doesn't

    • Desktop application rather than a browser-based builder
    • Business use only
    • Publishing integrations center on Google and supported platforms
  • Penpot — where it wins

    • Responsive UI design with CSS Grid and Flex layouts
    • Design tokens, shared libraries, and developer inspection
    • Hosted cloud or self-hosted deployment with APIs and webhooks

    Where it doesn't

    • The free Professional plan supports up to 8 team members
    • Enterprise features require the $25 per-user monthly plan
    • Private Server pricing is handled separately from listed cloud plans
  • Google Web Designer8.4/10 · Free plan

    A free desktop tool for animated HTML5 content with visual and code-based control.

    Visit Google WebFull verdict →
  • Penpot8.0/10 · Free plan · 14-day trial

    A broad UI design platform with real-time collaboration, tokens, APIs, and self-hosting.

    Visit PenpotFull verdict →

More comparisons

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update