Can I self-host an alternative to Figma?

Yes — Penpot, Excalidraw, tldraw all support self-hosting. Most ship as Docker containers and run on any VPS.

Penpot is open-source under MPL-2.0. You can self-host for free. Many also offer a hosted cloud option with a free tier and paid plans.

All alternatives

Design

Best Open-Source Alternatives to Figma

Q: What is the best open-source alternative to Figma?

The top open-source alternative to Figma is Penpot: Penpot is the only serious open-source Figma alternative in 2026. Full vector editing, components, prototyping, design system support, real-time collaboration. Self-hostable with Docker. SVG-native fi

Figma is the dominant collaborative design tool. After Adobe's attempted acquisition, many teams want OSS alternatives for self-hosting, file portability, and to avoid future pricing changes.

TL;DR — top pick

Penpot

Penpot is the only serious open-source Figma alternative in 2026. Full vector editing, components, prototyping, design system support, real-time collaboration.

github.com/penpot/penpot

All 3 alternatives ranked

Penpot

MPL-2.0Self-hostable★ ~36k

github.com/penpot/penpot

Penpot is the only serious open-source Figma alternative in 2026. Full vector editing, components, prototyping, design system support, real-time collaboration. Self-hostable with Docker. SVG-native files (Figma uses a proprietary format). Used by Mozilla, Wikipedia, and other public-sector teams that need OSS by mandate.

Pick Penpot if

You need real-time collaborative design with SVG-native portability, especially if you're in public sector / EU GDPR-sensitive industry.

Skip if

Your team has 6+ years of Figma muscle memory — migration is months of work.

Excalidraw

MITSelf-hostable★ ~90k

github.com/excalidraw/excalidraw

Excalidraw is hand-drawn-style whiteboarding — not a Figma replacement but the right tool for design sketches, architecture diagrams, and quick ideation. End-to-end encrypted rooms. Beloved by engineers for "back of napkin" diagrams.

Pick Excalidraw if

You need quick sketches, system diagrams, or whiteboarding (not pixel-perfect mockups).

Skip if

You need component-based design with design tokens — pick Penpot.

tldraw

MIT (with restrictions)Self-hostable★ ~36k

github.com/tldraw/tldraw

tldraw is a modern, polished whiteboard with AI-powered features (sketch-to-app). Library you can embed in your own product. Same niche as Excalidraw but with a more "designer-friendly" feel and better extensibility.

Pick tldraw if

You want to embed whiteboarding in your own SaaS product.

Skip if

You need a standalone tool — Excalidraw is simpler.

Want the full curated stack?

StackPicks members get 100+ open-source tools across 22 categories with curator takes, 13 stack bundles, and 12 skill tracks. ₹99 lifetime.

See pricing

More Design alternatives

Open-source alternatives to Canva

2 picks