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Penpot

DESIGN
Velocity2.5

Penpot chases Figma parity while betting on self-host and AI-agent access

open sourcedesign toolsfigma alternativeself-hostingmcpdesign tokens
◆Current state
Penpot is the open-source, deployment-agnostic design and prototyping tool, and its releases run on two tracks: steady Figma feature parity (background blur, design tokens, export formats) and infrastructure that sets it apart — self-hosting, an MCP server for AI assistants, and a WebGL rendering path. Development is fast and community-heavy, with each numbered release carrying dozens of enhancements and fixes.
◆Where it's heading
Two bets run in parallel. One is closing the remaining gap with Figma feature-by-feature; the other leans into what a hosted competitor can't easily copy — private or on-prem deployment and agent-readable design files via MCP. The token-system depth and WebGL work suggest Penpot wants to be both a credible daily design tool and the default for teams that need control over where their design data lives.
◆Prediction
Expect the parity grind to continue release-over-release, with the WebGL renderer maturing out of beta and the MCP and self-host story pushed harder as the differentiator against hosted rivals.

◆Recent moves

  1. 1mo ago

    Penpot 2.17: background blur lands, plus 6 new features

    The 2.17 release lands background blur — a long-standing parity gap — alongside six larger features, 30-plus enhancements, and 100-plus fixes. A heavy but on-track release: the Figma-parity grind continues at pace rather than any change of direction.

  2. 2mo ago

    Penpot 2.16: WebGL rendering beta and more token types

    2.16 opens a WebGL rendering beta for a faster canvas and widens access to token types from the design panel. The WebGL work is the more strategic thread — canvas performance is where an open tool has to match commercial rivals to be a daily driver.

  3. 3mo ago

    Penpot 2.15 adds an MCP server for AI-assistant access

    ⚡ SPARK

    The release that added Penpot's MCP server — the clearest signal of its AI-interop direction — alongside access-token refinements and a chunked upload API that lifts previous file-size limits. It marks the point Penpot began treating agent access as a first-class integration surface.

  4. 3mo ago

    Self-host

    A crawl of the self-host marketing page (privacy, control, Connect-Claude-to-Penpot MCP messaging), not a release. No shipped change — it restates the deployment-agnostic positioning the product notes cover in substance.

    View source ↗
  5. 3mo ago

    Penpot 2.14: design tokens in plugins, token remapping

    2.14 deepens the token system — tokens accessible in Penpot Plugins, reference remapping on rename, nested-path token view — plus layer-panel and sidebar usability work. Incremental but squarely on the design-tokens thread that keeps recurring across releases.

    View source ↗
  6. 3mo ago

    Release notes

    A dev-diaries republish of the same 2.14 release notes already captured in the canonical entry. No new capability beyond the version it duplicates.

    View source ↗