OpenPencil is an AI-native design editor and open-source Figma alternative that supports .fig and .pen design files.
What it does
- Opens .fig and .pen files — read and write native Figma files, open supported Pencil documents from the app or OS file browser, copy & paste nodes between apps
- AI builds designs — describe what you want in chat, 90+ tools create and modify nodes. Connect OpenRouter, Anthropic, OpenAI, Google AI, Z.ai, MiniMax, or compatible endpoints
- Fully programmable — headless CLI, XPath queries, Figma Plugin API via eval, MCP server for AI agents, and desktop agent integrations for Claude Code, Codex, and Gemini CLI
- Lint, convert, and extract tokens — inspect documents, lint naming/layout/accessibility, convert between supported formats, analyze colors/typography/spacing/clusters, and extract design tokens
- Components and variants — create reusable components, group variants into component sets, insert local assets as instances, and switch variants from the inspector
- Image vectorization — convert image layers into editable vector layers with Recraft or fal.ai
- Design-to-code export — export selections as JSX/Tailwind, generate token outputs, and map designs into component-oriented code workflows
- Vue SDK for custom editors — headless components and composables for embedding OpenPencil into other apps or building workflow-specific editing surfaces. Read the SDK docs →
- Real-time collaboration — P2P via WebRTC, no server, no account. Cursors, presence, follow mode
- Auto layout & CSS Grid — flex and grid layout via Yoga WASM, with gap, padding, alignment, track sizing
- ~7 MB desktop app — Tauri v2 for macOS, Windows, Linux. Also runs in the browser as a PWA
Publisher’s description
What is OpenPencil?
OpenPencil by dannote is open-source Windows software in the drawing & design category. It ranks 39th by popularity among drawing & design in this catalogue. It is written in TypeScript.
Installation and requirements
The publisher provides EXE (NSIS) and MSI installers for 64-bit and ARM64 Windows. It can be installed for the current user only, without administrator rights. A silent install is possible with the installer’s documented switches. An MSI package is available for deployment with Group Policy, Intune or Configuration Manager.
Updates and version history
The current version is 0.16.0, released on October 14, 2026. The version history goes back to August 11, 2026: 4 releases, all linked to the official files. The last update is less than a month old.
Popularity and file types
The source code on GitHub (open-pencil/open-pencil) has 9,184 stars. On Windows it registers 2 file types, including .pen and .fig. Similar programs include draw.io, Inkscape and LibreCAD.
Project description on GitHub: “AI-native design editor. Open-source Figma alternative.”
Pros / Cons
Pros
- Open source: the code can be inspected and built by anyone
- Native ARM64 build for Windows on Arm
- MSI package for managed deployment
- Documented silent install
- Installs without administrator rights
- Updated in the last two months
- Large user base
In short: OpenPencil is an open-source drawing & design tool for 64-bit and ARM64 PCs. Administrators can deploy it unattended.
Is OpenPencil safe to download?
- The file is served by github.com, the publisher’s own domain
- The download link uses HTTPS
- A SHA256 hash is published, so you can verify the file:
1B851AC488CE9BE437F8B321CADB87EE169F9A1D11968D8E8BE87742C9D4DF4B· Open the VirusTotal report for this hash - The link has not been checked yet
- The source code is public
- ExeAtlas does not host, wrap or modify installers
Related guide: How to check a file’s SHA256 hash on Windows
Recent versions
All 4 versions ›| Version | Date | Size | Files |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.16.0Latest | October 14, 2026 | — | 64-bit EXE (NSIS)ARM64 EXE (NSIS)ARM64 MSI64-bit MSI |
| 0.15.1 | September 18, 2026 | — | ARM64 EXE (NSIS)64-bit EXE (NSIS)64-bit MSIARM64 MSI |
| 0.15.0 | September 16, 2026 | — | ARM64 MSI64-bit MSI64-bit EXE (NSIS)ARM64 EXE (NSIS) |
| 0.14.0 | August 11, 2026 | — | ARM64 MSI64-bit MSI64-bit EXE (NSIS)ARM64 EXE (NSIS) |
Install from the command line
Silent install ›winget install --id OpenPencil.OpenPencil -eOpenPencil_0.16.0_x64-setup.exe /SRelated guide: How to use winget: install and update apps
Also for other systems
brew install --cask openpencilInformation
- Publisher
- dannote
- Category
- Drawing & design
- Licence
- MIT
- Price
- Free
- Source code
- github.com/open-pencil/open-pencil
- Written in
- TypeScript
- Requires
- Windows 11 / 10
- Architecture
- 64-bit, ARM64
- Installer
- EXE (NSIS), MSI
- Version
- 0.16.0
- Released
- October 14, 2026
- Added to the catalogue
- August 19, 2026
- Versions listed
- 4
- GitHub stars
- 9,184
- GitHub forks
- 944
- Website
- openpencil.dev
- winget ID
- OpenPencil.OpenPencil
- MSI product code
- {A00D4EF5-238A-4C21-B6A4-85C76CC640D3}
File types it opens (2)
Ratings and reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to rate it.
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Frequently asked questions
Is OpenPencil free?
Yes. OpenPencil is open-source software under the MIT licence.
Is OpenPencil safe to download?
The download comes from github.com, which belongs to the publisher; ExeAtlas does not host or change the file. Compare its SHA256 hash with the one shown here, or open the VirusTotal report for that hash.
How do I install OpenPencil with winget?
Open PowerShell or Windows Terminal and run the winget command shown on this page. winget downloads the official installer and checks its SHA256 hash before running it.
Can OpenPencil be installed silently?
Yes. The silent install page lists the exact command for each installer, including msiexec for the MSI package.
Does OpenPencil run on ARM (Windows on Arm)?
Yes, there is a native ARM64 installer.
Where can I download an older version of OpenPencil?
The versions page lists all 4 versions with links to their official installer files, back to August 11, 2026.
Can I use OpenPencil without administrator rights?
Yes, there is a per-user installer that does not need administrator rights.
What are alternatives to OpenPencil?
draw.io, Inkscape, LibreCAD, Figma and Graphviz. The alternatives page compares them.
