diagrams.net vs Excalidraw
diagrams.net and Excalidraw are free apps you can use instead of Miro. diagrams.net is a diagram editor. Excalidraw is a hand-drawn whiteboard that exports SVG.
A full score means it matches our checklist. It is not a drop-in replacement. How this works
Instead of Miro
Last checked October 24, 2026
Excalidraw is #1 (92). diagrams.net is #2 (79).
diagrams.net
#2
5 of 5 checked features. A full score means it matches our checklist. It is not a drop-in replacement.You only get part of: sticky notes and shapes and more than one person on the board.
Excalidraw
#1 · Closest
5 of 5 checked features. A full score means it matches our checklist. It is not a drop-in replacement.You only get part of: share or embed the board.
Scroll sideways to see both apps.
| Feature | diagrams.net#2 · 795 of 5 checked features | Excalidraw#1 · 925 of 5 checked features |
|---|---|---|
| An infinite canvasCounts for 10 | Full | Full |
| Sticky notes and shapesCounts for 8 | Partial | Full |
| More than one person on the boardCounts for 8 | Partial | Full |
| Export to an image or SVGCounts for 6 | Full | Full |
| Share or embed the boardCounts for 6 | Full | Partial |
Where they differ
Sticky notes and shapes
Worth 8 points. diagrams.net does part of it. Excalidraw does all of it.
More than one person on the board
Worth 8 points. diagrams.net does part of it. Excalidraw does all of it.
Share or embed the board
Worth 6 points. diagrams.net does all of it. Excalidraw does part of it.
Both do all of these: an infinite canvas, and export to an image or SVG.
Also ranked: WBO is #3 (68). PlantUML is #4 (32). Mermaid is #5 (24).
The facts on file
diagrams.net
Free diagramming, formerly draw.io, under Apache-2.0.
- Rules
- Open source. Apache-2.0
- Run it yourself
- Easy. The editor can be hosted as a static web app or Docker image. Diagrams still need a storage location you choose.
- Free plan
- The web app and desktop apps are free. Running the editor yourself is free.
- They host it
- No hosted price on file.
- Where it runs
- Web, Mac, Windows, Linux, Run it yourself
Last checked October 15, 2026
Excalidraw
A hand-drawn whiteboard that exports SVG.
- Rules
- Open source. MIT
- Run it yourself
- Setup: medium. The editor can be embedded. A full multiplayer server is a separate deploy from opening the single-player app.
- Free plan
- The editor is free to use in the browser.
- They host it
- No hosted price on file.
- Where it runs
- Web
Last checked October 15, 2026
Which one to pick
diagrams.net
Pick diagrams.net if you want flows and architecture diagrams. Sticky notes and shapes are partial. More than one person on the board is partial. Share or embed is full. It is not an interface design tool. The license is Apache-2.0. Setup is easy.
Excalidraw
Pick Excalidraw if you want a hand-drawn whiteboard. Sticky notes and shapes are full. More than one person on the board is full. Share or embed is partial. The editor is MIT. A full multiplayer server is a separate deploy. Setup is medium.