Hype check: Hype
Figma ships more AI features, adoption still uneven
Figma's product blog keeps adding AI-assisted tools, but plenty of teams — especially smaller or open-source-curious ones — aren't using them fully yet.
figma.com
Practice brief · Design tools
Penpot keeps showing up on 'Figma alternative' lists
Published 2 September 2026 · Source dated 15 July 2026
Used for: Design-system tidy; Portfolio proof; Tool experiment. Practice brief for the gate you are in — not an industry digest dump.
Hype check: Adoption. Teams are using this — still check the source date (15 July 2026).
Saves the claim and source date (15 July 2026) on this device. No account.
Penpot's own roundup of Figma alternatives is a reminder the open-source design tool is still building momentum, not replacing Figma outright. Worth knowing if you're already working across both.
Penpot publishes regular comparison content positioning itself against Figma and other tools, which tells you two things: open-source design tooling is still very much in growth mode, and Penpot is actively investing in being taken seriously by teams evaluating alternatives. It's not evidence Penpot is overtaking Figma in the UK job market — most studios still hire for Figma fluency first.
As someone using both, your advantage is being genuinely bilingual: understanding where Penpot's open, code-based approach differs from Figma's variables and plugin ecosystem. That's a useful, low-effort differentiator in interviews, especially with smaller or budget-conscious studios exploring open tools.
Labelled **adoption**: real, growing use, but not yet displacing the incumbent.
Coach
Rebuild one small component you already have in Figma inside Penpot this week, and note where the token or export workflow actually differs.
Source: penpot.app ·
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Related in Design tools
More practice briefs on the same topic — not today's five from UCD Coach.
- Hype check: Adoption
Adobe keeps folding Firefly AI into Creative Cloud
Adobe continues rolling generative AI (Firefly) across its design apps rather than keeping it as a separate product. Worth knowing even if your day-to-day is Figma/Penpot.
blog.adobe.com
- Hype check: Adoption
Your AI tools still live inside Figma, not outside it
A junior designer's real-world AI workflow turned out to be Figma-first with AI bolted on, not an AI-native replacement for the canvas. Worth knowing before you chase every new 'AI design tool' launch.
medium.com