macrostack
Head-to-head · Whiteboards & diagramming

draw.io vs FigJam

Both are alternatives to Miro. Here's how they stack up — verified facts, no spin.

Also searched as FigJam vs draw.io — same comparison, one verdict.

94

draw.io

Structured diagrams that live as files in your own repository.

OPEN SOURCEApache-2.0SELF-HOSTLOCAL-FIRST

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.

30

FigJam

If your designers already pay for Figma, this is included.

SOURCE-AVAILABLEProprietary (hosted service)

FigJam is Figma's whiteboard, and for organisations already paying for Figma it is often included or nearly so — which makes buying Miro alongside it a duplicated cost worth noticing. It handles sticky notes, voting, timers and workshops competently, and the ability to pull real design components onto the canvas is something Miro cannot do. Proprietary and hosted. Listed because the most common way to stop paying for Miro is to discover you already own something that does the job.

Side by side

 draw.ioFigJam
Sovereignty Score9430
Open sourceYesNo
Self-hostableYesNo
Local-firstYesNo
LicenseApache-2.0Proprietary (hosted service)
PricingFree and open source. Confluence and Jira plugins are paid.Free tier available; included or heavily discounted with existing Figma seats. Checked 2026-08-04.
The verdict

draw.io edges it on the Sovereignty Score, but the right pick depends on the trade-offs below.

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

FigJam

Strengths

  • +Frequently already paid for if your team uses Figma
  • +Real workshop tools — voting, timers, templates
  • +Design components drop straight onto the canvas
  • +Familiar to anyone who already uses Figma

Trade-offs

  • Proprietary and hosted with no self-host path
  • Only compelling if you are already a Figma customer
  • Fewer templates than Miro
  • Another Adobe-owned dependency
See all 5 Miro alternatives →

Related alternative guides

Facts verified 2026-08-04. Licenses and pricing change — spotted something out of date? That's a correction we want.

The Macrostack brief

New swaps, worth your inbox.

A short, occasional email when we add a high-intent alternative or ship a new head-to-head. No spam, no selling your address — unsubscribe in one click.