Penpot vs Adobe XD: Which Design Tool Should You Use in 2026?

A factual comparison of Penpot and Adobe XD covering pricing, features, and migration — including Adobe's discontinuation of XD.

Updated 2026-09 · 2026

Penpot

Open-source design and prototyping tool for teams

Free (self-hosted or cloud Starter); Professional cloud plan from $7/editor/montheditor/month

Strengths

+Fully open source — self-host for free with no user limits
+Native SVG-based files, no proprietary format lock-in
+Works in any browser, no desktop app required

Weaknesses

-Smaller plugin ecosystem than Adobe/Figma
-Fewer advanced prototyping features (voice triggers, auto-animate) than XD had
-Performance can lag on very large, complex files

Best for

Teams that want a free, self-hostable design tool without vendor lock-in, or budget-conscious startups replacing paid design software.

Adobe XD

UI/UX design and prototyping tool for web and mobile apps

Free Starter plan; paid plans no longer sold to new customers as of 2024 (Adobe is discontinuing XD)user/month

Strengths

+Mature prototyping with auto-animate and voice triggers
+Deep integration with Photoshop, Illustrator, and After Effects
+Familiar interface for long-time Adobe Creative Cloud users

Weaknesses

-Adobe has officially discontinued XD and stopped selling new licenses
-No further feature development or long-term support guaranteed
-Existing files may need migration to Figma or another tool eventually

Best for

Existing Adobe Creative Cloud shops with legacy XD files who haven't migrated yet — not recommended for new projects.

Feature Comparison

Feature	Penpot	Adobe XD
Pricing model	Free open source, optional paid cloud	Free Starter, paid plans discontinued for new users
Self-hosting	Yes, fully supported	No
File format	Open, SVG-based	Proprietary .xd
Browser-based editing	Yes	No, desktop app only
Prototyping	Yes, interactive flows	Yes, more mature (auto-animate, voice)
Design tokens	Native support	Limited
Plugin ecosystem	Growing, smaller	Large but no longer maintained
Real-time collaboration	Yes	Yes (Creative Cloud)
Ongoing product development	Active	Discontinued
Version history	Yes	Yes
Team management	Yes, cloud and self-hosted	Via Creative Cloud admin console

The Verdict

Adobe has stopped selling Adobe XD, making it a dead-end tool for anyone starting new design work. Penpot is the more sustainable choice: it's free, open source, self-hostable, and still actively developed. If your team is still on XD, plan a migration now rather than waiting for Adobe to sunset support entirely.

How to switch from Penpot to Adobe XD

1In Adobe XD, select your artboards and use File > Export > Batch or SVG to export each design as an SVG file, preserving vector layers as closely as possible.
2Create a project in Penpot (self-hosted or cloud) and import the SVG files via File > Import, then reorganize layers and components since XD's grouping structure won't map 1:1.
3Rebuild interactive prototyping flows manually in Penpot's prototype mode, replacing XD's auto-animate and voice triggers with Penpot's supported transitions.
4Recreate any design system components and tokens in Penpot's built-in design tokens panel, since XD's component libraries don't transfer automatically.
5Reconnect any dev handoff or plugin workflows by setting up Penpot's inspect mode and CSS/SVG export for your engineering team.
6Migrate the team gradually by running both tools in parallel on a new project, then fully cut over once the team is comfortable with Penpot's interface.

Penpot vs Adobe XD: common questions

How do I export my files from Adobe XD to move to Penpot?+

Adobe XD lets you export designs as SVG, PNG, or PDF via File > Export. SVG is the best format to bring into Penpot since it preserves vector shapes and layers reasonably well, though you'll need to manually rebuild prototyping interactions and components since XD's .xd format isn't directly importable.

What features do I lose moving from Adobe XD to Penpot?+

You'll lose XD-specific prototyping features like voice triggers and some auto-animate transitions, which don't have exact equivalents in Penpot yet. Native Photoshop/Illustrator round-tripping also goes away, though Penpot supports plugins and CSS/SVG export as alternatives.

Is Penpot's free plan enough for a small design team?+

Yes — Penpot's self-hosted version is completely free with no user limits, and the cloud Starter plan covers small teams with basic needs. Teams needing advanced admin controls or larger storage may eventually want the paid Professional cloud plan at $7/editor/month.

Does Penpot integrate with the same tools as Adobe XD?+

Penpot doesn't have native Photoshop/Illustrator integration like XD did, but it supports plugins, webhooks, and works with dev handoff tools via inspect mode and CSS export. Since it's open source, teams can also build custom integrations directly against its API.

Will switching to Penpot actually save money long-term?+

Yes, since Penpot's self-hosted option is free indefinitely and its cloud paid tier ($7/editor/month) is cheaper than a full Creative Cloud subscription. Given Adobe XD is being discontinued anyway, teams will need to migrate somewhere, so Penpot avoids paying for a new tool like Figma while still getting active development.