6 free alternatives to Excalidraw

Edraw.AI's free plan gives you an easy drag-and-drop editor, 100 templates, 100 MB of cloud storage, up to 2 pages per document, and limited AI usage with 500 free tokens. It also allows 1 team number, 3 team members, and 1 team project, so it can cover small shared diagramming work. The free plan keeps basic creation available, but it adds strong document-style structure that Excalidraw does not emphasize. Where it stands out most is page-based organization and built-in cloud storage. Where it falls short is openness and flexibility: free users get default background and watermark behavior, restricted functions, and no private projects. Switch if you want a more guided, multi-page browser workflow for small teams.

• Beats Excalidraw: Multi-page documents and built-in cloud storage
• Falls short: It is function-restricted and watermark-limited in the free plan
• Who should switch: Switch to it if your diagrams are more document-like and you want small-team cloud storage plus page limits instead of one endless canvas.

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Miro's free tier gives you one workspace with 3 editable boards, 5,000+ templates, 160+ apps and integrations, layers for organizing objects, 10 AI credits per month per team, and 5 Talktracks. That makes it a better fit when you need several separate boards rather than one open-ended scene. It also brings a broader collaboration workspace around the canvas, with a large template library and many integrations. It falls short of Excalidraw on raw free collaboration breadth, since the free plan is capped at 3 editable boards and does not describe the same always-open, single-canvas simplicity. Switch if your main pain point is needing multiple boards and structured team work, not just fast sketching.

• Beats Excalidraw: 3 editable boards instead of one scene
• Falls short: The free plan is capped at only 3 editable boards
• Who should switch: Switch to it if you need several active boards and a larger template and integration ecosystem.

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Gleek's free plan includes the full set of basic diagramming features, up to 5 diagram files, up to 40 diagram objects per file, PNG export only, and local browser storage with no server storage. It is useful if you want keyboard-driven, text-first diagram creation and do not need cloud collaboration. The free tier also keeps the core toolset available without charging for basic use, though it does show ads. It falls short of Excalidraw on export flexibility and teamwork, since it is limited to PNG and does not offer the same collaborative canvas experience. Switch if you are a developer who values fast text syntax and local-only diagrams more than shared whiteboarding.

• Beats Excalidraw: Text-driven diagramming with local-only storage
• Falls short: PNG-only export and no server-based collaboration
• Who should switch: Switch to it if you want local developer-style diagram files instead of a collaborative whiteboard.

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Ilograph's free tier lets you use a cloud-based personal workspace, create unlimited public diagrams, create unlimited private diagrams, and work with no diagram size limits. It is the best fit here for builders who need many diagrams without worrying about file count or canvas size. The free plan costs $0 per month and stays usable for both private and public documentation work. It falls short of Excalidraw on lightweight sketching and broad editor-oriented collaboration, since its strength is structured architecture documentation rather than fast freeform drawing. Switch if your diagrams are meant to explain systems in depth and you want unlimited diagram inventory on the free plan.

• Beats Excalidraw: Unlimited public and private diagrams with no size limits
• Falls short: It is more documentation-oriented than sketch-friendly
• Who should switch: Switch to it if you need unlimited diagram count and size for architecture documentation.

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drawDB's free plan is aimed at local database design and gives you unlimited local diagrams, all SQL dialects, import and export for SQL, DBML, and JSON, templates, and no account requirement. It is the strongest free option if your real job is ER modeling or schema work rather than generic whiteboarding. Because it is local-first and account-free, it also avoids setup friction. It falls short of Excalidraw on broad diagramming and shared collaboration, since it is specialized around database schemas rather than open-ended visual sketching. Switch if your diagrams are mostly tables, relationships, and SQL output.

• Beats Excalidraw: Unlimited local diagrams with SQL and DBML workflows
• Falls short: It is specialized for database schema diagrams, not general whiteboarding
• Who should switch: Switch to it if your diagrams are ERDs and schema exports are the main task.

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Whimsical's free tier gives you unlimited workspace members, 3 team boards, 3 teams, 10 guests, 2 free workspaces, real-time collaboration, unlimited viewers, public share links, file uploads up to 5 MB each, 7-day version history, embeds, Slack integration, a desktop app, role management, and 20 AI credits per workspace total. It is more generous than Excalidraw on workspace structure and team management, while still keeping collaboration easy. It falls short on board count and file size limits, and the free plan requires a credit card. Switch if you want a more organized team workspace with version history and sharing controls, not just a freehand canvas.

• Beats Excalidraw: Team structure, version history, and sharing controls
• Falls short: Only 3 team boards and 5 MB file uploads in the free tier
• Who should switch: Switch to it if you want a collaborative workspace with admin and sharing features around the canvas.

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