Penpot vs Spline
The ultimate side-by-side head-to-head analysis for 2026.
Short answer
- Price: not directly comparable — Penpot is free, Spline is free tier available.
- How to start: Penpot is free, Spline is free tier available.
These lines are generated from the pricing we track, not from a paid placement. We do not publish a quality score, because we do not have one we can stand behind. They cannot tell you which tool fits your workflow — the sections below are there for that. How we score tools.
Penpot
Spline
Category
Design
Design
Base Price
Free
Free tier
Public API
Yes
No
Mobile app
No
No
Open source / self-hostable
Yes
No
SSO (SAML)
No
No
Choose Penpot if:
Teams that need design collaboration without a per-seat contract, or with data residency rules.
Choose Spline if:
Web Designers, Creative Developers, and Product Brands.
Penpot: pros & cons
- Open source with no seat licence
- Self-hostable, so files stay yours
- Uses open web standards under the hood
- Fewer plugins and integrations
- Performance lags on very large files
- Smaller community for help
Spline: pros & cons
- Web Native: Your 3D scenes run directly in the browser with high performance.
- Interactivity: Build 3D objects that react to mouse movements or user clicks.
- Physics Engine: Add realistic effects like gravity and collisions to your scene.
- Easy Export: Export your designs as React, Webflow, or simple HTML snippets.
- Device Performance: Extremely complex 3D scenes may lag on older mobile devices.
- Learning Curve: Thinking in 3D (X, Y, Z axes) can be difficult for absolute beginners.
- File Size: High-resolution textures may increase your page's initial load time.
Our verdict on Penpot
The credible open-source answer to Figma. Judge it on your file sizes before committing a team to it.
Our verdict on Spline
The easiest way to add 'wow-factor' interactive 3D experiences to any website.