Sketch or Penpot: which fits your design team
Sketch fits best when your designers work on Macs, your component libraries and plugins already live in Sketch, and a managed deployment meets your data rules. Its per-editor workspace plans and Private Cloud tier suit teams that want the vendor to run hosting and updates. Penpot fits better when your designers use mixed operating systems, when design files must stay on servers you control, or when you need open SVG and CSS output and an open API. If your trigger is a renewal or a rising per-editor cost, start by listing who edits files each week, on which operating system, and which data location rules apply to their work.
Penpot runs in the browser, so designers on Windows, Linux and macOS can work in the same tool, and the project is licensed under the Mozilla Public License 2.0. It works with open standards such as SVG, CSS, HTML and JSON, has native design tokens, and offers an open API and plugin system, which matters if design output feeds engineering pipelines or internal tools. Self-hosting is documented with Docker Compose and an official Helm chart. Login can use email and password by default, Google, GitHub and GitLab OAuth, generic OpenID Connect for single sign-on, or LDAP. Your team then owns PostgreSQL 13 or later, Valkey for websocket coordination, and filesystem or S3-compatible storage such as MinIO. Confirm those skills exist in-house, using the Penpot configuration guide, before you commit to running the servers yourself.
The decision turns on four questions: your platform mix, how much control you need over where design files live, which identity provider must govern access, and what it costs to rebuild existing files. We did not find a documented Sketch importer, so confirm current import options with Penpot before scoping. Penpot's Figma exporter plugin shows what conversion can look like: it produces a .zip that Penpot can import but does not carry prototyping settings, so expect manual rework on interactions and components. Before any pilot, inventory your Sketch libraries, plugins and active projects, then test one product team's workflow end to end. That pilot will show whether the rebuild effort is worth the control you gain.
Which option fits which scenario
This table maps common team situations to the option that fits better, with the reason tied to platform, hosting and migration facts. Read each row against your own file library, operating systems and identity setup. The main takeaway is that Penpot suits cross-platform and self-hosted needs, while Sketch stays simpler for an all-Mac team with a large existing library until a rebuild plan is in place.
| Scenario | Better fit | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| All-Mac design team with no residency requirement | Sketch | Native Mac app with no migration work. Penpot only justifies the move if self-hosting or cross-platform access is needed. |
| Mixed Windows and Linux designers | Penpot | The browser-based workspace runs on any operating system, so no Mac-only licenses or workarounds are needed. |
| Strict data residency, files must stay on your servers | Penpot | Self-hosting with Docker Compose or the Helm chart keeps files in your own infrastructure. Confirm Sketch Private Cloud location terms with Sketch. |
| SSO through an existing identity provider | Penpot, after testing | Penpot supports generic OpenID Connect and LDAP. Test your provider and group mapping in a staging instance first. |
| Large existing Sketch file library | Sketch for now | No Sketch importer is documented for Penpot, so artboards and components must be rebuilt. Keep Sketch licenses until the rebuild plan is proven. |
| Designers handing off to developers in code | Penpot | Penpot works with SVG, CSS, HTML and JSON, has native design tokens, and offers an open API and plugin system. |
| Small team with little capacity to run servers | Sketch | A vendor-hosted plan avoids operating PostgreSQL, Valkey and object storage. Self-hosting Penpot adds that operational work. |
Where design files live and who controls the servers
Sketch and Penpot put design files in different places and under different operators. The cards below cover who runs the servers, how people sign in, where objects and data are stored, and what compliance work falls to your team.
Vendor-hosted Sketch workspace
In the standard Sketch setup, the vendor hosts shared workspaces and cloud documents, and your team manages access through the workspace. Ask the vendor which regions store your files, how long deleted files and version history are kept, which admin and audit logs you can export, and how incident notifications work. Also confirm how Sketch handles files saved only on a Mac, since those stay on the device and outside any shared workspace. Penpot's pricing page gives a separate tier for hosted Penpot, but its data location is a different question from self-hosting.
Sketch Private Cloud operations
Sketch's Private Cloud tier moves hosting closer to your organization, but the operating model is what matters. Ask the vendor who installs, patches, monitors and backs up the environment, whether its staff can reach your data, and where encryption keys are held. Get the answers in writing, including the update schedule and the process for emergency fixes. With self-hosted Penpot, your own team or a partner controls these decisions directly, so the questions shift to your change windows and on-call rotation.
Self-hosted Penpot deployment
Penpot documents two main routes: Docker Compose for smaller installs and the official Helm chart for Kubernetes. It also documents OpenShift, Rancher, Elestio and TrueNAS. Every route places the application, database and file storage on infrastructure you choose, so your team owns the host, network placement, TLS, upgrades and restore tests. Confirm which Penpot release your security baseline accepts before rollout, and decide who approves each upgrade. The Penpot getting started guide lists the supported deployment options.
Identity options and SSO access control
Self-hosted Penpot supports email and password login by default, with Google, GitHub and GitLab OAuth, generic OpenID Connect for single sign-on, and LDAP. Single sign-on through your identity provider lets you enforce your existing MFA, group membership and offboarding, so removing someone from a directory also removes their design access. Confirm which groups map to Penpot roles, whether local password accounts stay enabled, and how sessions expire. Document the configuration keys in your change record, since they define who can sign in.
Database and object storage
Penpot supports only PostgreSQL, recommending version 13 or later, and uses Valkey to coordinate websocket notifications. Uploaded objects go to the filesystem or to an S3-compatible store such as MinIO. A restore is only complete when the database and the object store come back together, so your backup plan must cover both, along with Valkey settings where your design requires them. Ask where each component runs, who can read the bucket directly, and how encryption at rest is handled on each volume.
Compliance readiness responsibilities
Moving design files on-premises or into your own cloud account changes which controls you must evidence. Your team must document access reviews, change control, backup tests, logging and vendor management for the Penpot stack, while the Sketch vendor's own assurance reports cover only the parts it operates. DeployOpen can plan, configure and document these controls and collect the supporting evidence for your assessment. DeployOpen does not issue audit reports or certifications. Independent auditors and certification bodies make that determination.
What running Penpot on your own servers involves
Self-hosting Penpot means operating four components rather than one application. The Penpot application serves the workspace and API. PostgreSQL is the only supported database, and the Penpot technical guide recommends version 13 or later, so your database team needs to own its provisioning, patching and connection limits. Penpot also uses Valkey to coordinate websocket notifications between sessions, which means a second stateful service to deploy, secure and monitor. Uploaded objects such as images and fonts go either to a filesystem volume or to an S3-compatible store such as MinIO. Confirm which storage model your backup tooling can capture consistently with the database.
Penpot documents several deployment paths: Docker Compose, an official Helm chart, OpenShift, Rancher, Elestio and TrueNAS. Docker Compose suits a single-host pilot, while the Helm chart fits teams already running Kubernetes. Choose the path with your platform team before anything else, because it determines how secrets, persistent volumes and ingress are handled. Read the Penpot technical guide configuration section for the environment settings that control login, storage and email before you write your deployment manifests.
The recurring work is upgrades, backups and monitoring. Penpot ships frequently, and the 2.18.1, 2.18.2 and 2.18.3 releases, published October 1 to October 6, 2026, show how quickly patch versions can follow one another. Put a written upgrade procedure in place that covers database migrations, a staging run and a rollback path, and track the Penpot release notes as part of routine change management. Backups must capture PostgreSQL and the object store together so that a restored design file has its images. Monitor the application, PostgreSQL and Valkey health, and test a restore before you rely on it. Ask any implementation partner to price these as ongoing operations, not as a one-time setup.
What Sketch and self-hosted Penpot cost to own
The cost of Sketch and Penpot splits into different kinds of spending. Sketch costs are licenses and plan fees that the vendor quotes, while self-hosted Penpot has no license fee but carries servers, database administration, storage, backups and the rebuild of existing files. The cards below show which items are one-time, which recur, and what to request before comparing totals.
Sketch licenses and Private Cloud fees
Sketch is sold through per-editor workspace plans, Mac-only licenses and a Private Cloud tier, and the figures depend on your edition, editor count and contract terms. Confirm whether a license includes the collaboration features your designers use, and whether Private Cloud is billed per year, per seat or as a flat fee. Renewal dates, seat true-ups and minimum terms often matter more than the headline rate, so ask for a written quote that shows each line item and its renewal terms. Every subscription recurs.
Penpot cloud plan reference
Penpot's pricing page, as read in October 2026, lists Professional at $0, Unlimited at $7 per editor per month capped at $175 per month, Enterprise at $25 per member per month, and a Private Server at $50k per year. Use these figures as a benchmark for a hosted option, and compare the Private Server line against what your own servers, staff time and storage would cost. Self-hosted Penpot carries no license fee. Ask Penpot to confirm current pricing before budgeting, since plan terms can change.
Compute and database hosting
Self-hosted Penpot can run on Docker Compose, an official Helm chart, OpenShift, Rancher, Elestio or TrueNAS, so compute is either capacity your team already pays for or a new allocation. The database must be PostgreSQL, version 13 or later, and Valkey coordinates websocket notifications, so both need to be sized and hosted. Compute recurs and grows with concurrent editors and the uptime you promise. Price a highly available database and a standby node separately, and ask whether your cloud or data center bills per instance, per core or per storage gigabyte.
Object storage and backups
Penpot stores uploaded objects on the filesystem or in S3-compatible storage such as MinIO. Storage grows with the number of files, linked assets and the version history you keep, and it recurs for as long as the files exist. Backups must cover PostgreSQL and the object store together, because a restored database that points to missing assets leaves designers with broken files. Ask your storage team which replication, snapshot and retention options apply, and whether backup capacity is billed separately from primary storage. Back up the database and objects together.
Administration and upgrades
Your staff owns patching, Penpot version upgrades, identity configuration, monitoring and incident response. Penpot published 2.18.1 on October 1, 2026, 2.18.2 on October 5 and 2.18.3 on October 6, so point releases arrive often enough to need a scheduled upgrade routine tested in a staging environment first. This work recurs whether an internal team or an outside partner performs it, and it is easy to underestimate in a comparison that only counts license fees. Ask who covers administration during leave and how long a rollback takes.
File rebuilds and migration
No Sketch importer is documented for Penpot, and the Figma exporter plugin does not apply to Sketch files, so artboards, symbols and shared styles usually need to be rebuilt by hand. This is a one-time cost that scales with the number of files, components and prototype links. Penpot's native design tokens and open SVG and CSS handling can shorten the rebuild of color and type systems. Ask for an inventory of files and libraries, a sample conversion, and a fixed effort estimate per file group before you commit to a schedule.
How a move from Sketch to Penpot runs
The sequence turns Sketch files, libraries and team habits into a self-hosted Penpot workspace that the organization controls, with a parallel period before any Sketch licenses are retired. Each step produces a checkpoint the team can verify before moving on.
Inventory Sketch files, libraries and users
Someone on the design operations or IT side lists every Sketch document, shared library, plugin and symbol set, along with its owner, last edit date and which projects depend on it. Include the people who hold Sketch seats and any Sketch Cloud or Private Cloud sharing links in use. The step is done when you have a single register that maps each file to a project, an owner and a business need, so you know what is worth carrying over.
Decide which files to rebuild
Design leads and product owners sort the register into three groups: active work to rebuild, reference material to archive as exported files, and abandoned files to retire. Confirm with the team which libraries are used across many products, because those usually determine the component structure in Penpot. The output is a signed-off list of what moves, what is archived and what is dropped, reviewed by the people who will use Penpot every day.
Stand up self-hosted Penpot on your platform
Your platform or infrastructure team deploys Penpot on infrastructure you control, using the Docker Compose setup or the official Helm chart that Penpot documents, with PostgreSQL 13 or later and Valkey for websocket coordination. Decide early where uploaded objects go, either the filesystem or an S3-compatible store such as MinIO, and plan backups for both the database and that storage. The step is complete when a test workspace loads, a test file saves and a restore from backup has been rehearsed.
Configure login with OpenID Connect
Your identity team connects Penpot to your identity provider through the generic OpenID Connect option, and decides whether local email and password accounts stay enabled for break-glass access. Confirm group or role mapping, session lifetime and how leavers lose access, because a Sketch seat is not the same control as a directory-backed account. Test sign-in and sign-out with a pilot group. The step is done when pilot users sign in through SSO and an account removed in the directory can no longer open a workspace.
Set up teams, projects and permissions
The design operations lead recreates the team and project structure from the inventory in Penpot, assigning roles to the groups defined in the identity step rather than to individuals where possible. Agree on naming conventions for files and projects so that reviewers can find work after the move. The step closes when every project from the rebuild list exists, has an owner and has the expected members, and the permission settings have been checked by someone outside the design team.
Rebuild components and design tokens
Designers recreate the Sketch symbols and shared libraries as Penpot components, then define design tokens in Penpot's native token support so colors, type and spacing are not hard-coded in each file. No Sketch importer is documented in the supplied material, so confirm with Penpot and test any conversion of Sketch content in your own environment before relying on it. If your team also works in Figma, the Penpot Figma exporter plugin converts Figma files into a .zip that Penpot can import, but it does not support prototyping settings, and it is a Figma tool, not a Sketch tool. The output is a library in Penpot that a pilot team has checked against the original Sketch screens.
Run a parallel period and check the output
Pilot teams work on live projects in both Sketch and Penpot for an agreed period, and reviewers compare handoff output, developer specs and exported assets from each. Track issues such as missing fonts, altered spacing or broken component overrides in a shared log, and fix them in the Penpot library before wider rollout. The step is done when the pilot log has no open blocking issues and the design leads accept the Penpot output for production work.
Retire Sketch licenses and archive files
Once the parallel period is closed and the migrated projects are signed off, the design operations lead removes Sketch seats, revokes shared links and stores the archived Sketch and export files in a retained location under your own control. Ask Sketch for its current terms on exporting and deleting workspace data before cancelling, and confirm that no active deliverable still depends on a Sketch-only file. The step is complete when the license count matches the users who still need Sketch, if any, and the archive is listed in your records with an owner.
Questions buyers ask before switching from Sketch
How much effort does switching from Sketch to self-hosted Penpot take?
The effort depends mostly on how many files, libraries and components you need to move and how much of your design system relies on Sketch-specific features. Penpot is a browser-based tool that runs on any operating system, so the client side is simple, but the server side needs a PostgreSQL database, object storage and a deployment method your team can maintain. Expect work in four areas: standing up the server, configuring login, rebuilding or converting files, and training designers on the Penpot workspace. Ask any implementation partner for a written scope that lists which files and libraries are in and out, so the effort can be estimated against a defined set of work rather than the whole archive.
Can our internal team run Penpot without outside help?
Some teams can, provided they already operate containers, a PostgreSQL database and backups. Penpot documents self-hosting with Docker Compose, an official Helm chart, OpenShift, Rancher, Elestio and TrueNAS, so the choice of platform should match what your operations team already runs. The harder parts are ongoing: keeping the release current, managing storage and database backups, handling identity configuration and supporting designers when something breaks. Before deciding, ask who will own each of those tasks after go-live and whether that person has the time. DeployOpen plans, implements, hardens, backs up, upgrades and documents self-hosted platforms in your own infrastructure, and ongoing support is available as a retainer.
How long does it take to rebuild a Sketch file library in Penpot?
No timing figures are available for this migration, so the only reliable answer comes from a scoped assessment of your own library. The main drivers are the number of files and pages, how many symbols and shared libraries are linked across files, how heavily the designs use text styles, auto layout and prototyping, and how many plugins your team depends on. Penpot's Figma exporter plugin converts Figma files into a .zip that Penpot can import, but it does not support prototyping settings, so interactive flows will need rebuilding by hand. Ask for a sample migration of a representative file before committing to a full library, and confirm each Sketch feature in use against Penpot's current capabilities.
Can Sketch files be imported directly into Penpot?
We are not aware of a documented Sketch importer for Penpot, so you should confirm this directly with the Penpot project and its documentation before planning around it. Penpot's documented import path that is relevant to design tools is the Figma exporter plugin, which produces a .zip file for Penpot. If your Sketch files need to move, the practical route is usually to export assets such as SVG or PNG from Sketch, then rebuild layouts, components and styles in Penpot. Because Penpot works with open standards such as SVG, CSS, HTML and JSON, and has native design tokens, exported assets and tokens are a sound foundation for the rebuild. Ask your implementation partner to test that route on a sample file first.
What does single sign-on require for self-hosted Penpot?
Self-hosted Penpot supports email and password login by default, plus Google, GitHub and GitLab OAuth, generic OpenID Connect for single sign-on, and LDAP. For corporate SSO, the usual path is generic OpenID Connect, which requires an identity provider that your organization already runs, a registered client for Penpot, and the redirect and client settings configured in the Penpot server. Confirm the exact configuration keys and group handling in the Penpot configuration documentation for the release you deploy. Also decide how user provisioning and offboarding will work, since login configuration alone does not remove access when someone leaves the company.
How are Penpot upgrades handled on a self-hosted server?
On a self-hosted server, your team decides when to upgrade, so the upgrade process becomes part of your operations. Penpot publishes releases on its GitHub releases page, and recent patch releases have been published within days of each other, which means a regular review cadence matters. Before each upgrade, back up the PostgreSQL database and the object storage, test the new version in a non-production environment, and check the release notes for configuration changes. Ask whether your deployment method has a documented upgrade path, and who approves production changes. DeployOpen can plan, upgrade and document these steps under a fixed scope or a retainer.
What do our IT and design leads need to contribute?
The project needs a clear division of work between IT and design. IT leads should own the infrastructure decisions, including the hosting platform, PostgreSQL version (Penpot recommends version 13 or later), object storage such as the filesystem or an S3-compatible store like MinIO, the Valkey component used for websocket notifications, identity configuration, backups and network access. Design leads should provide an inventory of files and libraries, name the owners of each shared library, decide which Sketch features are essential, and select pilot files for testing. Both groups should agree on acceptance criteria before the rebuild starts, so the work is measured against what designers actually need.
What the switch asks of your team
The switch from Sketch to self-hosted Penpot needs four internal roles agreed before anyone installs software. The first is a platform or infrastructure owner who decides where Penpot runs, how the PostgreSQL database and file storage are backed up, and who applies upgrades. Penpot documents deployment through Docker Compose and an official Helm chart, so the owner should confirm which of those fits the existing container platform. The second is an identity administrator who configures how designers sign in. Self-hosted Penpot supports email and password by default, plus generic OpenID Connect for single sign-on and LDAP, so this person needs to check the configuration guide against the directory the organization already uses and decide whether local accounts stay enabled as a fallback.
The third role is a design lead who owns the library rebuild. Penpot has no Sketch importer in the sources reviewed for this page, so Sketch symbols, text styles and shared libraries will be recreated or mapped by hand, and the design lead should inventory those assets and decide which ones move first. The fourth is a security reviewer who checks where design files, comments and uploaded assets sit, who can reach the server, and how the hosting fits the organization's own policies. A team can do much of this itself, including the library inventory, the sign-in setup in a test environment and a pilot with a few designers. A fixed-scope implementation partner adds the most value on hardening, backup and restore testing, and documenting evidence for an assessor, which are the areas where an internal team is often stretched. Agree the scope, deliverables and timeline in writing before work starts.
How DeployOpen helps evaluate, implement or migrate
DeployOpen starts with a written scope that separates the Sketch files a team needs to keep from the ones it can retire. We then plan and implement a self-hosted Penpot instance inside your own cloud account, data center or air-gapped network, so design files stay under your control.
How we scope
- Inventory which Sketch files, libraries and design tokens the team actually uses today
- Confirm the login model, whether email and password, OpenID Connect or LDAP, before any build starts
- Agree in writing which files are rebuilt in Penpot and which are archived, since no Sketch importer is documented
How we build
- Deploy Penpot with Docker Compose or the official Helm chart, sized to your own infrastructure
- Configure PostgreSQL 13 or later, Valkey for websocket coordination, and filesystem or S3-compatible storage such as MinIO
- Test SSO, access rules, file rebuilds and the Figma exporter plugin workflow where teams need it
How we hand over
- Document the deployment, configuration keys, backup routines and the upgrade path for each Penpot release
- Train design and platform staff on the rebuilt libraries, tokens and sharing settings in Penpot
- Deliver evidence of access controls and data location that your internal reviewers or external auditors can assess
How we support
- Engagements are fixed-scope, with deliverables and timelines agreed in writing before work starts
- Ongoing support, upgrades and continuous testing are available as a retainer after handover
- Ask for a quote based on the written scope, since DeployOpen does not publish a price list
