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's open-source pitch to Figma users, tested
Published 23 August 2026 · Source dated 20 November 2025
Used for: Alpha assumption; 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 (20 November 2025).
Saves the claim and source date (20 November 2025) on this device. No account.
Penpot keeps closing the gap on Figma with a free, self-hostable, open-source platform — but it's still not a like-for-like swap. Plugin depth and advanced prototyping still favour Figma for now.
Penpot's core pitch is real: unlimited files and seats on the free plan, no vendor lock-in, and the option to self-host if your organisation cares about data control. It's genuinely usable for UI design and dev handoff today. Where it still trails Figma is the plugin ecosystem, FigJam-style whiteboarding, and more advanced prototyping interactions — those gaps are shrinking but not gone. If you're job hunting in the UK, Figma fluency is still the safer bet for most listings, but Penpot literacy is a cheap, free way to stand out and show you understand open tooling debates.
Coach
rebuild one small component from your Figma file in Penpot's free tier this week and note where the workflow breaks down.
Source: youtube.com ·
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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