Suggestions appear as you type. Use the up and down arrows to choose one and Enter to open it.

This page's audience our own tag's counts — open to see them
–Visits
–Page views
–Clicks to vendors
–Time on page
–Reading now
Clicks to vendors, by tool
  • –
Top countries
  • –
Devices
  • –

– · visits, page views and clicks counted by our own tag, which counts more than our checked analytics; every figure rounded down · how we count

Head-to-head · UI Design Tools

Penpot vs Sketch

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 9 checks side by side
Higher score Penpot #1 in UI Design Tools 9.4/10 Free plan · 14-day trial Free planFree trial✓ 6 of 7 features Visit Penpot
Sketch #5 in UI Design Tools 8.9/10 30-day trial Free trial✓ 7 of 7 features Visit Sketch

Penpot leads on 2 checks, Sketch on 1, and 6 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 9 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scorePenpot · 9.4/10
  • Lowest starting pricePenpot · $7/user/mo
  • Free planonly Penpot
  • Free trialboth
  • Most featuresSketch · 7 of 7

Penpot scores higher on our rubric for ui design tools: 9.4 against 8.9 out of 10; our editors rank them #1 and #5.

Penpot offers free plan; Sketch doesn't. Penpot is cheaper to start at $7/user/mo against $12/user/mo. Sketch offers desktop app; Penpot doesn't.

Penpot is the better fit for open, collaborative UI teams. Sketch is the better fit for established Mac-focused design teams.

  • Penpot fits best

    Open, collaborative UI teams

  • Sketch fits best

    Established Mac-focused design teams

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 Penpot 9.4/10 Visit ↗ Sketch 8.9/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.4 8.9
Ranking #1 in UI Design Tools #5 in UI Design Tools
Best for Open, collaborative UI teams Established Mac-focused design teams
Pricing model Free plan + paid Paid
Starting price $7/user/mo (best) $12/seat/mo
Free plan ✓ (best) —
Free trial 14 days 30 days
Free trial length 14 days 30 days · no card needed
Deployment Cloud, Self-hosted Cloud, Desktop, Mobile
Platforms Web Web, macOS, iOS
Support Email, Community, Docs Email, Community, Docs
Compliance GDPR, SSO/SAML GDPR, ISO 27001, SSO/SAML, 2FA
Integrations 3 integrations 1 integrations
Built for Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Penpot 6/7 · Sketch 7/7
Real-time collaboration ✓ ✓
Interactive prototyping ✓ ✓
Design systems ✓ ✓
Developer handoff ✓ ✓
Variables or design tokens ✓ ✓
Desktop app — ✓ (best)
Prototype sharing ✓ ✓
Our review
Pros
  • Real-time multiplayer editing with shared libraries and design systems
  • Responsive layouts, interactive prototypes, tokens, and developer inspection
  • Hosted cloud, self-hosting, REST API, webhooks, plugins, and MCP server
  • Deep vector design, prototyping, design systems, and reusable Libraries
  • Real-time collaboration with unlimited documents and free viewers
  • Browser inspection, asset exports, and developer handoff tools
Cons
  • The Professional plan supports up to 8 team members
  • Unlimited storage is reserved for the Enterprise plan
  • Advanced permissions, SSO, and audit logs require Enterprise
  • No free plan is available
  • Standard starts at $12 per editor per month with annual billing
  • The strongest desktop workflow is centered on the native Mac app
Our verdict

Penpot is a web-based, open-source UI design and prototyping platform for designers, developers, and product teams. It combines responsive interface design using CSS Grid and Flex layouts with interactive prototypes, reusable components,…

Read the review →

Sketch is a UI and product design platform for solo designers and teams. Its native Mac app covers vector interface design, illustration, reusable Symbols and Styles, Color Variables, shared Libraries, interactive prototypes, and device…

Read the review →
  1. PenpotUI Design Tools 9.4Free plan · 14-day trial
  2. SketchUI Design Tools 8.930-day trial

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Penpot — where it wins

    • Real-time multiplayer editing with shared libraries and design systems
    • Responsive layouts, interactive prototypes, tokens, and developer inspection
    • Hosted cloud, self-hosting, REST API, webhooks, plugins, and MCP server

    Where it doesn't

    • The Professional plan supports up to 8 team members
    • Unlimited storage is reserved for the Enterprise plan
    • Advanced permissions, SSO, and audit logs require Enterprise

  • Sketch — where it wins

    • Deep vector design, prototyping, design systems, and reusable Libraries
    • Real-time collaboration with unlimited documents and free viewers
    • Browser inspection, asset exports, and developer handoff tools

    Where it doesn't

    • No free plan is available
    • Standard starts at $12 per editor per month with annual billing
    • The strongest desktop workflow is centered on the native Mac app
  • Penpot9.4/10 · Free plan · 14-day trial

    A broad, collaborative UI design platform with cloud and self-hosted deployment.

    Visit PenpotFull verdict →
  • Sketch8.9/10 · 30-day trial

    A deep UI design suite for established Mac-focused teams willing to pay for collaboration.

    Visit SketchFull verdict →

More comparisons

All UI design tools comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update