Excalidraw vs draw.io
Both are alternatives to Miro. Here's how they stack up — verified facts, no spin.
Also searched as draw.io vs Excalidraw — same comparison, one verdict.
Excalidraw and draw.io are closely matched on ownership (95 vs 94) — this one comes down to pricing and to which trade-offs below you can live with.
Excalidraw
TOP PICKHand-drawn style diagrams, instantly, for nothing.
Excalidraw opens in a browser tab with no account and produces diagrams in a deliberate hand-drawn style — which sounds cosmetic and is not. A sketchy diagram signals 'this is a draft, argue with it', where a polished one signals 'this is decided', and for architecture discussions that difference changes how people respond. MIT licensed, self-hostable, with real-time collaboration and end-to-end encryption. Around 100k stars. For engineering diagrams specifically it has quietly become the default, and the reason is that it removes every step between having an idea and drawing it.
draw.io
Structured diagrams that live as files in your own repository.
draw.io is the precise, structured counterpart to Excalidraw's sketchiness: network topologies, UML, flowcharts, org charts, with extensive shape libraries and stencils for AWS, Azure and GCP. Apache-2.0, runs entirely in the browser or as a desktop application, and stores diagrams as files you keep — in Git, in Drive, wherever. That last point matters more than it sounds: a diagram in your repository is reviewed alongside the code it describes, and a diagram in a SaaS canvas is not.
Side by side
6 points of comparison, every one read from a verified field. Green marks the side that wins a row outright. A dash means we do not hold that fact — never that it is zero.
| Excalidraw | draw.io | |
|---|---|---|
| Sovereignty ScoreOur transparent 0–100 composite for data ownership and exit cost. | 95 | 94 |
| Open source | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hostable | Yes | Yes |
| Local-first data | Yes | Yes |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Pricing | Free and open source. Excalidraw+ is an optional paid hosted tier. | Free and open source. Confluence and Jira plugins are paid. |
Excalidraw is Macrostack's recommended Miro alternative, so it's our pick here.
Excalidraw
Strengths
- +Opens instantly with no account, no loading, no onboarding
- +Hand-drawn style invites argument rather than closing it down
- +MIT and self-hostable, with end-to-end encrypted collaboration
- +Exports cleanly to SVG and PNG, and embeds in most documentation tools
Trade-offs
- −No workshop facilitation tools — no voting, timers or templates
- −Weaker for large structured boards
- −Real-time collaboration needs the hosted service or your own server
- −Not a Miro replacement for cross-business workshops
draw.io
Strengths
- +Extensive shape libraries including AWS, Azure and GCP stencils
- +Diagrams are files you own — version them in Git
- +Apache-2.0, self-hostable, and works fully offline
- +Best of these for precise structured diagrams
Trade-offs
- −Real-time collaboration is weaker than Miro or Excalidraw
- −Interface is dense and dated
- −No workshop or facilitation features
- −Wrong tool for loose collaborative sketching
Which one fits you
The trade-offs above, turned into a decision. Find the line that describes your team.
Choose Excalidraw
if a lower exit cost matters more to you than any single feature, and opens instantly with no account, no loading, no onboarding.
Choose draw.io
if extensive shape libraries including AWS, Azure and GCP stencils.
Neither, yet
if both carry a real cost you should weigh first — no workshop facilitation tools — no voting, timers or templates, and real-time collaboration is weaker than Miro or Excalidraw. If either of those is a dealbreaker for your team, the shortlist is wrong rather than the choice.
Excalidraw vs draw.io — common questions
Is Excalidraw a better fit than draw.io for whiteboards & diagramming?
It depends on what you are optimising for, and the honest split is this: Excalidraw scores 95 to draw.io's 94 on data ownership and exit cost, so it is the safer choice if you care about being able to leave. draw.io earns its place on a different axis — extensive shape libraries including AWS, Azure and GCP stencils. Neither is a wrong answer for every team; the table above is the actual comparison.
What happens if we want to switch later?
Excalidraw keeps its data local or in open formats, so leaving is an export rather than a negotiation. draw.io is still self-hostable, so the files stay on your server either way — but it is not local-first by design, so check what its export produces before you rely on it.
Can I self-host Excalidraw or draw.io?
Both can be self-hosted. The difference is what it costs you in time rather than whether it is possible — see the setup and maintenance rows above.
Are Excalidraw and draw.io both alternatives to Miro?
Yes — both appear in our Miro comparison, which is why they are worth putting side by side. People usually arrive here already having decided to move off Miro and now choosing between the two replacements, which is a narrower and much easier question.
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Facts verified 2026-08-04. Licenses and pricing change — spotted something out of date? That's a correction we want.