Creately
Diagramming & visual collaboration for flowcharts, org charts, and whiteboards
Excalidraw
Virtual whiteboard for hand-drawn style diagrams and collaboration
Infinite canvas whiteboard with hand-drawn aesthetics. Create diagrams, wireframes, and sketches with real-time collaboration and end-to-end encryption.
Overview
What is Excalidraw?
Excalidraw is a virtual whiteboard tool that brings the natural feel of hand-drawn sketches to digital diagramming. Built for designers, developers, educators, and teams who value visual thinking, it combines an infinite canvas with a distinctive sketchy aesthetic that makes technical diagrams feel approachable and creative.
Core Capabilities
The editor offers a comprehensive drawing toolkit including shapes (rectangles, circles, diamonds), arrows with binding and labels, free-draw capabilities, and image support. Export your work to PNG, SVG, or the open .excalidraw JSON format. The interface supports dark mode, localization in multiple languages, and full customization when embedded via the npm package.
Deployment & Integration
Available as both a hosted web app at excalidraw.com and an npm package (@excalidraw/excalidraw) for embedding into React applications. The hosted version includes real-time collaboration with end-to-end encryption, PWA offline support, and local-first autosaving. Organizations like Google Cloud, Meta, Notion, and Obsidian have integrated Excalidraw into their workflows. The MIT license and TypeScript codebase make it accessible for custom deployments and extensions.
Highlights
Hand-drawn aesthetic with infinite canvas for natural-feeling diagrams
Real-time collaboration with end-to-end encryption
Export to PNG, SVG, or open JSON format
Embeddable React component with full customization support
Pros
- Distinctive hand-drawn style makes diagrams approachable and visually appealing
- Strong privacy with end-to-end encryption for collaborative sessions
- Flexible deployment as hosted app or embedded npm package
- Active ecosystem with integrations in VSCode, Notion, Obsidian, and major platforms
Considerations
- Hand-drawn aesthetic may not suit formal technical documentation needs
- Advanced collaboration features currently limited to hosted version
- Requires React for npm package integration
- Limited structured diagramming features compared to specialized tools like flowchart editors
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When teams consider Excalidraw, these hosted platforms usually appear on the same shortlist.
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Fit guide
Great for
- Teams needing quick, collaborative visual brainstorming with privacy
- Developers embedding whiteboard functionality into React applications
- Educators and presenters wanting approachable, sketch-style diagrams
- Organizations requiring self-hosted diagramming with open formats
Not ideal when
- Formal technical documentation requiring precise, professional styling
- Complex flowcharts or UML diagrams needing strict standards compliance
- Non-React applications without custom integration effort
- Users requiring advanced vector editing or illustration capabilities
How teams use it
Remote team brainstorming
Distributed teams collaborate in real-time on system architecture sketches with encrypted sessions, exporting diagrams directly to documentation
Embedded product whiteboarding
SaaS platforms integrate Excalidraw via npm to offer users in-app diagramming without building custom drawing tools
Educational concept mapping
Instructors create approachable visual explanations that feel hand-drawn, reducing intimidation for complex technical topics
Design wireframing and mockups
Product designers rapidly sketch low-fidelity wireframes with a natural aesthetic that signals early-stage iteration
Tech snapshot
TypeScript94%
SCSS3%
MDX2%
JavaScript1%
HTML1%
CSS1%
Frequently asked questions
Can I self-host Excalidraw?
Yes, the repository includes the full source code for the excalidraw.com app. You can deploy it yourself, though collaboration features require additional setup.
Does the npm package include collaboration features?
Currently, real-time collaboration and end-to-end encryption are available in the hosted app. These features are planned as drop-in plugins for the npm package in the future.
What frameworks does Excalidraw support?
The npm package is built for React applications. Integration with other frameworks requires custom wrapping or using the hosted version via iframe.
Is my data private when using excalidraw.com?
Yes, collaborative sessions use end-to-end encryption. The app is local-first with autosaving to your browser, and you control when to share via readonly links.
Can I export diagrams for use in other tools?
Yes, export to PNG and SVG for universal compatibility, or use the open `.excalidraw` JSON format for re-editing and programmatic access.
Project at a glance
Active- Stars
- 114,889
- Watchers
- 114,889
- Forks
- 12,225
LicenseMIT
Repo age6 years old
Last commit3 hours ago
Self-hostingSupported
Primary languageTypeScript
Last synced 3 hours ago