Excalidraw
Collaborative whiteboard software
Diagramming software
Team collaboration software
- Features
- Ease of use
- Ease of management
- Quality of support
- Affordability
- Market presence
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$6 per user per month
Free TrialFree version
Small
Medium
Large
- Information technology and software
- Media and communications
- Public sector and nonprofit organizations
What is Excalidraw
Excalidraw is a web-based collaborative whiteboard and diagramming tool focused on creating hand-drawn style sketches, wireframes, and lightweight diagrams. It is used by product, engineering, and design teams for quick ideation, technical explanations, and low-fidelity UI planning. The product emphasizes a simple canvas, real-time collaboration, and easy sharing/embedding, with an open-source core and optional hosted services.
Fast low-fidelity diagramming
Excalidraw is optimized for quick sketching and rough diagrams rather than pixel-perfect design. The hand-drawn rendering style helps teams communicate concepts without implying final UI or layout decisions. Common shapes, connectors, text, and freehand drawing cover many early-stage whiteboarding needs.
Real-time collaboration and sharing
Excalidraw supports multi-user editing on the same canvas, which fits remote workshops and ad-hoc problem solving. It provides shareable links and export options (for example, image and SVG) that make it easy to circulate outputs. The collaboration model is lightweight compared with broader work-management suites, which can reduce setup overhead for short sessions.
Open-source core and portability
The core application is open source, which enables self-hosting and code-level review for organizations with stricter governance requirements. Drawings can be stored as Excalidraw scene files, supporting portability between environments. This approach can reduce dependency on a single hosted vendor for basic whiteboarding workflows.
Limited structured diagram features
Excalidraw focuses on freeform sketching and does not provide the same depth of structured diagramming features found in dedicated diagram suites. Users may miss advanced shape libraries, formal notation support, and automated layout tools for complex architectures or process maps. As diagrams grow, manual alignment and organization can become time-consuming.
Not a full collaboration suite
Excalidraw centers on the canvas experience and does not aim to replace broader team collaboration platforms. It typically lacks native task management, document hubs, and cross-project reporting that some teams expect in an all-in-one environment. Organizations may need integrations or separate tools to connect whiteboards to execution workflows.
Enterprise controls vary by deployment
Capabilities such as centralized administration, advanced access controls, and compliance features depend on how Excalidraw is deployed (hosted vs. self-hosted) and which plan is used. Teams in regulated environments may need additional infrastructure and policies to meet internal requirements. Procurement may also require clarity on support, SLAs, and data residency for the chosen deployment model.
Plan & Pricing
| Plan | Price | Key features & notes |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free forever | Full editor functions; 1 infinite scene; Unlimited collaborators; Export to .png, .svg or 'save to file'; Notion, Obsidian and other integrations; Libraries; E2EE locally in your browser; Open-source software. |
| Plus | $6 a month per user (monthly billing) | Everything in Free + Unlimited scenes and folders; Secure cloud saving; Access management; Sharing with edit/view rights; Read-only non-collaborative links & Embeds; Voice hangouts & screensharing; Presentations; Extended AI; Teams management & collaboration; Comments; 14-day free trial. Annual billing option noted on site with “save 14%” (annual price not explicitly listed on the pricing page). |
