Figma is the default pick for most UI teams, because Professional at $16 per Full seat per month, billed annually, adds branching and merging, unlimited files and team libraries in one canvas. Penpot is the budget pick, because its Professional plan is $0 per month, with no file limits inside 10 GB of storage, and Unlimited is capped at $175 per month. GitHub at $4 per user per month for Team and GitLab at $29 per user per month for Premium, billed annually, suit teams that already keep design files, tokens and code in Git, while Zeplin suits handoff and version compare.
Version control for UI work can mean branching a file, restoring an earlier version, comparing two screens, or storing every change in Git. The tools below cover each of those models, so the right choice depends on where your team already works. Read the plan limits first, because version history, storage and seat counts are where most of these tools differ.
On this page
Top software for version control in ui design: comparison table
Swipe the table sideways on a phone to see every column.
| # | Name | Best for | Starting price | Free plan / trial | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Figma | Most UI teams that need branching in one canvas | $16 per Full seat/month | Yes | Visit |
| 2 | Sketch | Mac teams that want native editing and version history | $12 per editor/month | Free trial (30 days) | Visit |
| 3 | Penpot | Teams that want a free open-source canvas | $0 per month for Professional plan | Yes | Visit |
| 4 | GitHub | Design and code teams that store files in Git | $4 per user/month for Team plan | Yes | Visit |
| 5 | GitLab | Teams that want Git, planning and CI/CD in one place | $29 per user/month for Premium | Yes | Visit |
| 6 | Zeplin | Handoff teams that need screen versioning | $13.75 per project/month for Basic | Yes | Visit |
| 7 | Framer | Design-led websites that need Git-style branching | $10 per month for Basic site plan | Yes | Visit |
| 8 | Lunacy | Solo designers who want a free desktop editor | $0 per month | Yes | Visit |
The 8 best top software for version control in ui designs, in detail
Figma
Best for: Most UI teams that need branching in one canvas
Figma Professional is the clearest version control option for teams that design in Figma every day. Branching lets a designer try a new direction without changing the main file, then merge it back when ready. The Starter plan is free and includes unlimited drafts and 3 Figma Design files.
- Professional adds unlimited files, team libraries and advanced Dev Mode inspection.
- The seat model is the detail to plan around.
- A Full seat is $16 per month on the Professional plan, billed annually, and includes 3,000 AI credits a month.
- A Dev seat is $12 per month and a Collab seat is $3 per month, both billed annually.
Pros
- Branching and merging on Professional
- Unlimited files and projects on Professional
- Viewers can view and comment at no extra seat cost
Cons
- Organization jumps to $55 per Full seat/month (billed annually)
- Full seat costs more than Dev at $12 and Collab at $3 per month
Sketch
Best for: Mac teams that want native editing and version history
Sketch gives Mac teams document version history, real-time collaboration, unlimited documents and unlimited free viewers on its Standard subscription. Viewers can browse, comment and inspect files in a browser without an editor seat. Standard is $12 per editor per month, billed annually, and Professional is $24, with single sign-on and permissions groups.
- Sketch is direct about having no permanent free plan beyond the 30-day trial, apart from its education offer, so treat the trial as a test window rath
- The Mac-only license is $120 per seat and includes one year of updates, but it excludes collaboration, online sharing and iOS preview.
- That license suits a solo Mac designer.
- A mixed Mac and Windows team should choose the subscription, because editing still needs macOS.
Pros
- Document version history on Standard
- Unlimited documents and unlimited free viewers
- Mac-only license at $120 per seat includes one year of updates
Cons
- No permanent free plan beyond the 30-day trial
- Editing needs macOS, Windows users can only view in a browser
Penpot
Best for: Teams that want a free open-source canvas
Penpot is the strongest free option in this list, because its Professional plan is $0 and includes the full core feature set, with no file limits inside 10 GB of storage. A Professional team is limited to 8 members, with unlimited viewers, and keeps 7 days of autosaved versions. That 7-day window is the main version control limit on the free plan, so a team that needs a longer restore window should move to Unlimited or Enterprise.
- Unlimited is $7 per editor per month, capped at $175 per month no matter how large the team grows, with 25 GB of storage and 30 days of versions and f
- Enterprise is $25 per member per month, with 90 days of versions, single sign-on, a central admin console and team permissions.
- Self-hosting the Professional edition is $0 from Penpot, apart from server costs.
- Penpot also uses components and design tokens, which helps developers inspect CSS layouts.
Pros
- Professional plan is $0 with no file limits inside 10 GB storage
- Unlimited is $7 per editor/month with a $175 monthly cap
- Self-hosting is $0 from Penpot
Cons
- Professional keeps only 7 days of autosaved versions
- SSO needs Enterprise at $25 per member/month
GitHub
Best for: Design and code teams that store files in Git
GitHub is the version control standard for code, and it works for UI teams that store design tokens, exported assets and design system code in Git. The Free plan is $0 and includes unlimited public and private repositories, 2,000 CI/CD minutes a month, 500 MB of Packages storage, issues and projects. Team is $4 per user per month and adds repository rules, multiple reviewers, draft pull requests and code owners, plus 3,000 CI/CD minutes a month and 2 GB of Packages storage.
- The trade-off is that GitHub has no native UI canvas, so designers still need Figma, Sketch or Penpot to draw screens, then commit exports or tokens t
- Enterprise is $21 per user per month and includes Copilot access, SAML single sign-on, SCIM provisioning and 50,000 CI/CD minutes a month.
- The $4 Team seat is the lowest subscription seat price here.
Pros
- Free plan has unlimited public and private repositories
- Team adds required reviewers, code owners and draft pull requests
- Enterprise includes Copilot access at $21 per user/month
Cons
- Free plan gives only 2,000 CI/CD minutes a month and 500 MB Packages storage
- Design files need a Git workflow, with no native design canvas
GitLab
Best for: Teams that want Git, planning and CI/CD in one place
GitLab combines Git repositories, issue tracking, merge requests and CI/CD in one platform, so a product team can keep design tokens, code and delivery work in the same place. The Free plan is $0 and includes source code management and CI/CD, with 400 compute minutes a month, 10 GiB of storage per project and a cap of 5 users per top-level group. That 5-user cap pushes most growing teams to a subscription plan, because a sixth teammate in the same group needs Premium or a second group.
- Premium is $29 per user per month, billed annually, and removes the user cap, with 10,000 compute minutes a month and 500 GiB of storage.
- Ultimate is custom priced and adds security testing and compliance features.
- GitLab Community Edition is free to self-host with no seat limit.
- Choose GitLab for the combined planning and delivery tools, not for Git alone.
Pros
- Free plan includes source code management and CI/CD
- Premium includes 10,000 compute minutes a month and 500 GiB storage
- Community Edition is free to self-host with no seat limit
Cons
- Free plan caps a top-level group at 5 users
- Premium costs $29 per user/month, far above GitHub Team at $4
Zeplin
Best for: Handoff teams that need screen versioning
Zeplin is a handoff workspace rather than a design canvas. Designers publish screens from Figma or Sketch, and developers inspect specs, copy code and compare versions. All plans include screen versioning, version compare, annotations, styleguides, flows and approvals.
- The Free plan is $0, with 1 project, unlimited users and 100 screens per project, which suits a single project or a trial with a real team.
- Basic is $13.75 per project per month, billed annually, with 1,000 screens per project and unlimited users on each project.
- That per-project model suits agencies that bill project costs to clients and want to avoid per-seat charges.
- Advanced is $12 per seat per month, billed annually, with 50 projects, a team workspace and unlimited screens.
Pros
- All plans include screen versioning and version compare
- Free plan includes 1 project and 100 screens
- Basic allows unlimited users on each project
Cons
- Advanced is $12 per seat/month for 50 projects, so large teams add seats fast
- SSO, MFA and SCIM need Enterprise, which is custom priced
Framer
Best for: Design-led websites that need Git-style branching
Framer is a design-led website builder, and Framer 3.0 added Git-style branching, which lets a team work on a separate branch and preview changes before they reach the live site. The Free plan includes 10 CMS collections, 1,000 pages, 5 MB file uploads and one free locale, and workspaces without a subscription support collaboration with up to 3 editors. A custom domain needs a subscription plan.
- Basic is $10 per month, billed annually, and includes a custom domain, 30 pages, 2 CMS collections and 1,000 CMS items.
- Pro is $30 per month, billed annually, with 150 pages, 10 CMS collections and 2,500 CMS items, plus staging and branch previews.
- Extra full editors cost $20 per editor per month and content editors cost $10, with seats capped at 10 on Basic and Pro.
Pros
- Framer 3.0 added Git-style branching
- Free plan supports collaboration with up to 3 editors
- Basic includes a custom domain, 30 pages and 2 CMS collections
Cons
- Extra full editors cost $20 per editor/month
- Pro rises to $30 per month (billed annually) and caps seats at 10 on Basic and Pro
Lunacy
Best for: Solo designers who want a free desktop editor
Lunacy is a free desktop vector editor from Icons8, for Windows, macOS and Linux, and it opens Sketch files, which makes it a useful free companion for Sketch teams. Version history tracks changes and allows reverting, so a solo designer can recover from a wrong edit without a cloud service. The core app is free for personal and commercial use, with built-in icons, photos and illustrations ready to use.
- Lunacy works offline as a native app.
- The limit is collaboration, because Lunacy does not offer the same live multi-user editing, branching and review flow as Figma or Penpot.
- Some built-in assets need an Icons8 subscription for full use.
- Lunacy is best as a free desktop editor for one designer.
Pros
- Core app is free for personal and commercial use
- Version history tracks changes and allows reverting
- Works on Windows, macOS and Linux and opens Sketch files
Cons
- Collaboration is limited next to cloud tools such as Figma
- Some built-in assets need an Icons8 subscription for full use
How we chose
We chose tools that cover a real version control model for UI work, either branching inside a canvas, named version history, screen versioning, or a Git repository with branches and merge requests. Prices and plan limits in this article come from official vendor pricing pages and docs opened on 2026-11-12. We did not test any tool hands-on. Penpot Unlimited is capped at $175 per month no matter how large the team grows, which is a billing detail that most roundups skip. GitLab Free caps a top-level group at 5 users, and Sketch has no permanent free plan beyond a 30-day trial.
Which tool fits your team size and budget
| Team | Budget per month | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solo designer | $0 | Penpot or Lunacy | Penpot Professional is $0 with 8 team members and 10 GB storage; Lunacy is $0 and works offline |
| Small team of 2 to 5 editors | $20 to $80 | GitHub Team plus Figma Professional | GitHub Team is $4 per user per month; 5 Figma Full seats are $80 per month, billed annually |
| Mac team of 5 editors | $60 | Sketch Standard | 5 editors at $12 per editor per month, billed annually, is $60 per month |
| Growing team over 8 people | $175 cap | Penpot Unlimited | Unlimited is $7 per editor per month, capped at $175 per month, with 30 days of versions |
| Handoff team with many reviewers | $13.75 per project | Zeplin Basic | Basic is $13.75 per project per month, billed annually, with unlimited users on each project |
Frequently asked questions
Which software is best for version control in UI design?
Figma is best for most UI teams, because Professional at $16 per Full seat per month, billed annually, adds branching and merging, unlimited files and team libraries. Penpot is best for a free open-source canvas, GitHub is best for Git-led teams, and Zeplin is best for handoff and version compare.
How much does version control software for UI design cost?
Prices in this list run from $0 to $29 per user per month. Penpot Professional and Lunacy are $0, GitHub Team is $4 per user per month, Zeplin Basic is $13.75 per project per month, Figma Professional is $16 per Full seat per month, and GitLab Premium is $29 per user per month, billed annually.
Which is best for a small team on a tight budget?
Penpot is best for a small team on a tight budget, because Professional is $0 per month for up to 8 team members, with 10 GB of storage and unlimited viewers. GitHub Team at $4 per user per month is the next step for a team that also needs pull requests and code owners.
Can I use Git for UI design version control?
Yes, you can use Git for UI design version control when your team stores design tokens, exported assets and design system code in a repository. GitHub Team is $4 per user per month and GitLab Premium is $29 per user per month, billed annually, and both support branches, merge requests and required reviews.
Does Sketch have a free plan?
No, Sketch has no permanent free plan beyond a 30-day trial, apart from its education offer. Standard is $12 per editor per month, billed annually, and includes document version history, unlimited documents and unlimited free viewers, while the Mac-only license is $120 per seat.
Which tool is best for design handoff and version compare?
Zeplin is best for design handoff and version compare, because all plans include screen versioning and version compare, plus annotations and styleguides. Free includes 1 project and 100 screens, Basic is $13.75 per project per month, billed annually, with unlimited users.
Sources
- https://www.figma.com/
- https://www.figma.com/pricing/
- https://www.sketch.com/
- https://www.sketch.com/pricing/
- https://penpot.app/
- https://penpot.app/pricing
- https://github.com/
- https://github.com/pricing
- https://about.gitlab.com/
- https://about.gitlab.com/pricing/
- https://zeplin.io/
- https://zeplin.io/pricing/
- https://www.framer.com/
- https://www.framer.com/pricing/
- https://icons8.com/lunacy
Prices and features were read on each company’s own website in November 2026. They change often, so confirm the current offer on the official site before you sign up or buy.