Show HN: I'm Building an Alternative to Figma(octo.coffee) I'm building Octo because I needed a tool that combined Figma’s collaboration with Illustrator and Photoshop’s tooling. As a developer, I wanted something that supports both the technical and creative sides of UI/UX design. Octo is cross-platform and built to simplify workflows for people who code and design. |
There are a few reasons for an alternative, one of the goals behind this project is to identify and incorporate all of the tooling that supports a UI/UX designer's everyday workflow directly into the editor. I found that designers still use Adobe products to tweak vector and raster graphics, so they end up paying for both Figma and Adobe. Sure, there are some plugins available in Figma that supplement missing features, but a lot of them are not free, so you end up still paying for more than seats. Having things incorporated directly should also mean that the tools are easier to find and use and were not just slapped in as an afterthought.
I'm also hoping to solve a lot of the interface and usability problems in a different way so that it's appealing to people who find Figma confusing.
After the bulk of the editor is complete, I plan to incorporate even more fun features that support designers that would not be possible with an extension or a plugin on another platform, like better search and repository features.
The goal is for Octo users not to feel the need to still use Photoshop or Illustrator to supplement their work.
I am curious, what are your gripes with Penpot.app?
Great question, thank you!