Excalidraw vs Lunacy
Both are alternatives to Figma. Here's how they stack up — verified facts, no spin.
Also searched as Lunacy vs Excalidraw — same comparison, one verdict.
Excalidraw
Diagrams and whiteboarding, done better than Figma does them.
Excalidraw is a hand-drawn-style whiteboard for diagrams, architecture sketches and wireframes. It is not an interface design tool and does not pretend to be — but for the specific job of getting an idea onto a shared canvas fast, it beats Figma comfortably. MIT, roughly 129k stars, and it runs entirely in the browser with optional end-to-end encrypted collaboration. Included because a large share of what teams actually use Figma for is diagramming, and paying editor seats for that is expensive.
Lunacy
Free desktop UI design that opens Sketch and Figma files.
Lunacy is a free desktop design app from Icons8 that reads and writes Sketch files and imports Figma documents, with built-in icons, illustrations and photos. It runs natively on Windows, macOS and Linux, and works offline — useful where a browser-based tool is not an option. It is proprietary and free rather than open source, which is why it scores where it does: you are not paying, but you are still depending on a company's decision to keep it free.
Side by side
| Excalidraw | Lunacy | |
|---|---|---|
| Sovereignty Score | 95 | 48 |
| Open source | Yes | No |
| Self-hostable | Yes | No |
| Local-first | Yes | Yes |
| License | MIT | Proprietary (free) |
| Pricing | Free and open source. Excalidraw+ is an optional paid hosted tier. | Free. Paid Icons8 subscription only for premium asset libraries. |
Excalidraw edges it on the Sovereignty Score, but the right pick depends on the trade-offs below.
Excalidraw
Strengths
- +Fastest tool here from blank canvas to a diagram someone understands
- +MIT, self-hostable, works offline in the browser
- +End-to-end encrypted collaboration on the hosted version
- +Enormous adoption — 129k stars and used across the industry
Trade-offs
- −Not an interface design tool — no components or auto-layout
- −No developer handoff surface
- −Deliberately limited: the sketch aesthetic is the product
- −Wrong choice if you are designing screens rather than explaining systems
Lunacy
Strengths
- +Genuinely free with no seat limit
- +Opens Sketch files natively and imports from Figma
- +Runs offline as a native desktop app on all three platforms
- +Built-in asset libraries save real time
Trade-offs
- −Proprietary — free today is a business decision, not a licence
- −No self-hosting and no source access
- −Collaboration is weaker than Figma or Penpot
- −Tied to Icons8's ecosystem and its commercial direction
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Facts verified 2026-08-07. Licenses and pricing change — spotted something out of date? That's a correction we want.