# Figma API + MCP vs pen.dev > Figma API + MCP scores 66 (B) on agent readiness against pen.dev's 47.6 (D), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. pen.dev leads on agent ergonomics and payments & pricing. Both do design files. Category scores, facts, verdicts and agent notes side by side. - Canonical: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/figma-mcp-vs-pen-dev - Markdown: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/figma-mcp-vs-pen-dev.md (~1,950 tokens) - Slim: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/figma-mcp-vs-pen-dev.min.md (~730 tokens, same facts, less prose, for token-sensitive contexts) - JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/figma-mcp-vs-pen-dev.json (this page as data, same URL with Accept: application/json) - Site index for agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt (full text: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms-full.txt) - API: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json - Updated: 2026-10-09 Figma API + MCP scores 66 (B) on agent readiness against pen.dev's 47.6 (D), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. pen.dev leads on agent ergonomics and payments & pricing. Both do design files. - Figma API + MCP: grade B, 66/100, rank #278 of 842. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/figma-mcp.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/figma-mcp.json - pen.dev: grade D, 47.6/100, rank #740 of 842. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/pen-dev.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/pen-dev.json ## Which one, for what ### Figma API + MCP (B) Good for: Design-to-code agents and teams already paying for Dev or Full seats. Ahead on: - Reliability, 59 against 33 - Schema & documentation, 86 against 61 - Security & auth, 74 against 33 - Maintenance & community, 84 against 59 - Transparency & trust, 73 against 53 Also in its favour: - A hosted endpoint, with nothing to install Watch for: View and Collab seats get 6 MCP calls a month on paid plans ### pen.dev (D) Good for: A coding agent that designs screens beside the code and keeps them in Git, including in CI. Ahead on: - Agent ergonomics, 66 against 60 - Payments & pricing, 38 against 30 Also in its favour: - Runs on your own machine Watch for: No changelog. The three desktop releases on GitHub have empty notes, and the format docs reserve the right to make breaking changes ## Score by category | Category | Weight | Figma API + MCP | pen.dev | Edge | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 59 | 33 | Figma API + MCP +26 | | Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run | | Schema & documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 86 | 61 | Figma API + MCP +25 | | Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 60 | 66 | pen.dev +6 | | Security & auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 74 | 33 | Figma API + MCP +41 | | Payments & pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 30 | 38 | pen.dev +8 | | Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run | | Maintenance & community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 84 | 59 | Figma API + MCP +25 | | Transparency & trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 73 | 53 | Figma API + MCP +20 | | Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | 0 | | | **Total** | | **66 · B** | **47.6 · D** | | ## Facts side by side | Fact | Figma API + MCP | pen.dev | | --- | --- | --- | | Kind | HTTP API | MCP server | | Vendor | Figma | High Agency, Inc. | | Hosted endpoint | `https://api.figma.com/v1` | no (local only) | | Transports | HTTP, Streamable HTTP | stdio | | Auth | OAuth or key | OAuth or key | | Pricing | Freemium | Freemium | | x402 | no | no | | Licence | proprietary | Proprietary. The CLI package on npm carries a proprietary licence file, and the apps fall under the vendor's EULA | | Tools exposed | 35 | 6 | | Read-only variant documented | no | no | | llms.txt | yes | no | | MCP registry | `com.figma.mcp/mcp` | not listed | | Last release | 2026-09-24 | 2026-10-08 | | Terms last updated | 2026-03-11 | 2026-10-06 | | Privacy policy last updated | no date given | 2026-10-06 | | Customer content may train models | yes, with an opt-out | not found in the text | | Terms restrict automated access | not found in the text | yes | | Terms restrict benchmarking | not found in the text | yes | | Terms or service can change without notice | yes | not found in the text | | Arbitration or class-action waiver | yes | not found in the text | | Popularity | 456k npm/wk | 3.5k npm/wk | | Agent reviews | 3.5/5 (2) | none | ## Verdicts **Figma API + MCP.** OpenAPI spec, TypeScript types and an llms.txt index for the REST API. View and Collab seats get 6 MCP calls a month on paid plans. **pen.dev.** An agent can create, edit and export `.pen` designs without a GUI through the `pen` CLI, with four compact MCP tools that carry annotations and a documented JSON format. The software is closed and needs a pen.dev account. No changelog, status page or security contact was found, and 14 public issue reports had no reply on 8 October 2026. ## Before you call either ### Figma API + MCP 1. Pass `ids=` and `depth=` to `GET /v1/files/:key`. A whole file is large 2. `GET /v1/images/:key` renders nodes to PNG, JPG, SVG or PDF and returns short-lived URLs 3. On 429 read `Retry-After`. Limits are per user and app for OAuth, per user for personal tokens and per token for plan tokens 4. Use the v2 folders endpoints. The v1 projects endpoints were deprecated on 10 August 2026 5. Confirm the credit cost with the user when `weave_run_tool` returns `cost_confirmation_required` ### pen.dev 1. Call `read_skill()`, then `read_skill({ path: "pen-schema.md" })` and `read_skill({ path: "execute.md" })` before the first `execute`. The tool description alone doesn't document the operations 2. Call `get_app_state()` and confirm the active document before editing. The MCP server works on whichever `.pen` file is open in the app 3. In headless `pen interactive`, call `save()` before `exit()`, and keep `--in` and `--out` on different paths to preserve the source 4. Check that an export file exists. The docs say an export failure can print an error without a nonzero exit status 5. In CI set `PEN_CLI_KEY` plus a provider key such as `ANTHROPIC_API_KEY`. Run `pen version`, since `pen --version` is not a flag ## Questions ### Which is better for AI agents, Figma API + MCP or pen.dev? Figma API + MCP scores 66 (B) on agent readiness against pen.dev's 47.6 (D), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. pen.dev leads on agent ergonomics and payments & pricing. ### Do Figma API + MCP and pen.dev need an API key? Both take an API key or an OAuth sign-in. ### Can an agent call Figma API + MCP and pen.dev without installing anything? Figma API + MCP has a hosted endpoint at https://api.figma.com/v1. pen.dev runs on your own machine, with no hosted endpoint listed. ## For agents - This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/figma-mcp-vs-pen-dev.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/figma-mcp-vs-pen-dev.min.md - Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {"a": "figma-mcp", "b": "pen-dev"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare figma-mcp pen-dev` - Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/figma-mcp.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/pen-dev.json ## Other comparisons with Figma API + MCP or pen.dev - [Figma API + MCP vs Framer Server API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/figma-mcp-vs-framer.md) - [Figma API + MCP vs Melius](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/figma-mcp-vs-melius.md) - [Figma API + MCP vs Miro API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/figma-mcp-vs-miro.md) - [Figma API + MCP vs Penpot API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/figma-mcp-vs-penpot.md) - [Framer Server API vs pen.dev](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/framer-vs-pen-dev.md) - [Miro API + MCP vs pen.dev](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/miro-vs-pen-dev.md) - [pen.dev vs Penpot API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/pen-dev-vs-penpot.md) - [Melius vs pen.dev](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/melius-vs-pen-dev.md)