Microsoft Designer is cheaper, but covers only 2 of 6 compared capabilities
$0/mo (Free (Microsoft account)) vs Penpot Unlimited (Cloud) at $7/mo — covering 33% of the 6 compared capabilities.
Cheaper. Not the same job.
Comparison scenario
Every cheaper-than claim is tied to a defined scenario — never a bare list price.
single user, monthly billing · USD · prices as observed on official pricing pages.
Unlimited (Cloud) plan at $7/mo, the cheapest paid plan.
Free (Microsoft account): 0 USD/monthly.
Penpot costs $7/mo on the Unlimited (Cloud) plan at single user, monthly billing. We found 1 assessed alternative that is cheaper in this scenario; 0 of them cover at least 75% of the 6 compared capabilities.
Capability comparison
Microsoft Designer covers 33% of the 6 capabilities compared against Penpot. ✓ native · ◐ via integration · ✗ not found.
| Capability | Microsoft Designer | Penpot |
|---|---|---|
| Design templates | ✓ | ✓ |
| Brand assets | ✗ | ✓ |
| AI generation | ✓ | ◐ |
| Team collaboration | ✗ | ✓ |
| Vector illustration | ✗ | ✓ |
| Professional export formats | ✗ | ✓ |
What you give up
Capabilities Penpot has that Microsoft Designer lacks.
- Brand assets — Store brand colors, fonts, and logos for reuse across designs.Missing from Microsoft Designer.
- Team collaboration — Multiple people edit, comment on or share designs in a shared workspace.Missing from Microsoft Designer.
- Vector illustration — Draw and edit scalable vector graphics, logos and icons.Missing from Microsoft Designer.
- Professional export formats — Export to print and production formats such as PDF, SVG, EPS or PSD.Missing from Microsoft Designer.
Plans & pricing, side by side
Advertised prices in USD as observed on the official pricing pages — per-seat and transaction-fee plans are marked.
| Free (Microsoft account) | Free |
| Professional (Cloud) | Free |
| Professional (Self-host) | Free |
| Unlimited (Cloud) | $7/seat/mo |
| Enterprise (Cloud) | $25/seat/mo |
| Enterprise (Self-host) | $25/seat/mo |
| Private Server | $4166.67/mo (billed yearly) |
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Frequently asked
How much cheaper is Microsoft Designer than Penpot?
100% cheaper in our scenario (single user, monthly billing): $0/mo on Free (Microsoft account) vs $7/mo on Unlimited (Cloud). That is $84 a year. But it covers only 2 of 6 compared capabilities, so it isn't a like-for-like replacement.
What does Microsoft Designer lack compared with Penpot?
Brand assets, Team collaboration, Vector illustration, Professional export formats — 4 of the 6 compared capabilities.
When were these prices checked?
Penpot: 2026-10-29; Microsoft Designer: 2026-10-26 — on the official pricing pages.
Who switched
Anonymous: no account, no email, no IP stored. Reports are shown once a switch has 3 or more and never change ranking or order — alternatives are computed from prices and capabilities only.
Sources & freshness
- https://penpot.app/pricing (official_pricing, checked 2026-10-29)
- https://penpot.app/ai/ai-workflows (feature_page, checked 2026-10-29)
- https://help.penpot.app/user-guide/export-import/exporting-layers/ (feature_page, checked 2026-10-29)
- https://help.penpot.app/user-guide/designing/layers/ (feature_page, checked 2026-10-29)
- https://penpot.app/pricing/self-host (official_pricing, checked 2026-10-29)
- https://penpot.app/features (feature_page, checked 2026-10-26)
- Microsoft Designer data last verified 2026-10-26