# Pencil Project

> Pencil is a mature Electron desktop app for wireframes, GUI mock-ups and diagrams, using built-in and community stencil collections, with PDF and image export. The last release is 3.1.1 (1 Jan 2023), though commits continued into June 2026. GPL-2.0. It works offline on Windows, macOS and Linux but has no real-time collaboration, no modern auto layout or components, and no developer handoff, so it covers low-fidelity mock-ups rather than Figma-level UI design. Hardware needs are not documented.

- Repository: https://github.com/evolus/pencil
- Official docs: https://pencil.evolus.vn/WikiIndex.html
- Checked: 2026-10-15

## What it replaces
- Figma: UI and product design with components and auto layout, Clickable prototypes and user flows (partial). Offline wireframes and mock-ups only; no collaboration or handoff.
- Sketch: Interface design, Interactive prototypes (partial). GUI mockups and linked pages exported to HTML cover basic prototypes; this is not Sketch file compatibility, live collaboration or developer handoff parity.

## Facts, with sources

| Question | Status | Answer | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runs on my machine? | Confirmed | Yes, desktop app | https://pencil.evolus.vn/Downloads.html | 2026-10-15 |
| Code licence | Partial | GPL-2.0 (copyleft) | https://github.com/evolus/pencil/blob/master/LICENSE | 2026-10-15 |
| Model weights licence | Confirmed | No separate model weights | https://github.com/evolus/pencil#readme | 2026-10-15 |
| Commercial use | Partial | Yes, under GPL-2.0 conditions; your mock-ups are unrestricted | https://github.com/evolus/pencil/blob/master/LICENSE | 2026-10-15 |
| Paid services needed? | Confirmed | None required | https://pencil.evolus.vn/ | 2026-10-15 |
| Hardware | Unknown | Not documented | none found | - |
| Operating systems | Confirmed | Windows 7+, macOS 10.9+ (universal DMG), Linux (DEB, RPM, other 64-bit) | https://github.com/evolus/pencil#supported-platforms | 2026-10-15 |
| Setup effort | Confirmed | Easy; installers for Windows, macOS and Linux | https://pencil.evolus.vn/Downloads.html | 2026-10-15 |

GitHub: 9880 stars, 790 forks, last push 2026-10-16, archived: no.
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Source: RepoQuarry (https://repoquarry.dev/projects/pencil-project). Data licence: CC BY 4.0. Quotes are from project documentation and belong to their authors.