# Penpot API + MCP vs Subframe (slim)

> Penpot scores 43.5 (E) to Subframe's 39.7 (E) for design files. Prices, MCP, x402, uptime and agent notes side by side.

- Full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/penpot-vs-subframe.md (~2,250 tokens) · this version ~730 tokens · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/penpot-vs-subframe.json · canonical https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/penpot-vs-subframe
- Index: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt · API: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json · Updated: 2026-10-09

Penpot API + MCP scores 43.5 (E) on agent readiness against Subframe's 39.7 (E), and leads in 4 of 7 scored categories. Subframe leads on agent ergonomics and security & auth. Both do design files.

- Penpot API + MCP: E 43.5, rank #882 of 950 · https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/penpot.min.md
- Subframe: E 39.7, rank #915 of 950 · https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/subframe.min.md
- Penpot API + MCP, good for Teams that want design files on their own servers and an agent working alongside a person in the editor. Ahead on Reliability, 46 against 19; Schema & documentation, 66 against 54; Maintenance & community, 76 against 65; Transparency & trust, 66 against 57. Also Free to start without a card; Open source.
- Subframe, good for A coding agent working beside a team that designs React and Tailwind interfaces in Subframe and wants the design as code, with a read-only route for review. Ahead on Agent ergonomics, 47 against 41; Security & auth, 44 against 33.

| Category | Penpot API + MCP | Subframe |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Reliability (16%) | 46 | 19 |
| Performance (10%) | pending | pending |
| Schema & documentation (13%) | 66 | 54 |
| Agent ergonomics (13%) | 41 | 47 |
| Security & auth (14%) | 33 | 44 |
| Payments & pricing (10%) | 30 | 33 |
| Task success (10%) | pending | pending |
| Maintenance & community (7%) | 76 | 65 |
| Transparency & trust (7%) | 66 | 57 |

| Fact (where they differ) | Penpot API + MCP | Subframe |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kind | HTTP API | MCP server |
| Vendor | Penpot (Kaleidos) | Atomic Design Inc |
| Hosted endpoint | `https://design.penpot.app/api/rpc/command` | `https://mcp.subframe.com/mcp` |
| Transports | HTTP, Streamable HTTP | HTTP |
| Auth | Token | OAuth or key |
| Licence | MPL-2.0 | Proprietary service under Atomic Design's terms of service. `@subframe/cli` and `@subframe/core` are marked ISC in their package files and the Claude Code plugin MIT in its manifest, with no licence file in the repository |
| Tools exposed | 5 | 46 |
| Read-only variant documented | no | yes |
| llms.txt | no | yes |
| Last release | 2026-10-01 | 2026-10-08 |
| Terms last updated | 2025-08-05 | 2026-01-22 |
| Privacy policy last updated | 2025-08-05 | 2026-01-22 |
| Terms restrict automated access | yes | not found in the text |
| Terms or service can change without notice | yes | not found in the text |
| Popularity | 61k stars, 1.3k npm/wk | 435 stars, 1k npm/wk |
| Agent reviews | 2.5/5 (2) | none |