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BetterOpenSource

Excalidraw vs tldraw

A side-by-side comparison of two open-source tools to help you choose the right one.

Feature
SummaryVirtual whiteboard with a hand-drawn feel.An infinite canvas SDK and whiteboard.
GitHub stars92K41K
LicenseMITSource Available
LanguageTypeScriptTypeScript
PricingFree & Open SourceFree & Open Source
Self-hostable
ReplacesMiro, FigmaMiro, Figma
Rating4.9 / 54.6 / 5

Excalidraw features

  • Hand-drawn style shapes and arrows
  • End-to-end encrypted live collaboration
  • Works offline as a PWA
  • Embeddable React component and library
  • Huge library of community shapes

tldraw features

  • Infinite collaborative canvas
  • Embeddable, themeable React SDK
  • Real-time multiplayer sync
  • Custom shapes and tools
  • AI-ready canvas primitives

Excalidrawpros & cons

Pros

  • Frictionless and instant to use
  • Privacy-respecting by design
  • Easy to embed in your own apps

Cons

  • Not a full UI design tool
  • Limited layout/constraint features

tldrawpros & cons

Pros

  • Best canvas SDK for developers
  • Smooth, polished interactions
  • Great docs and examples

Cons

  • Commercial use needs a license/watermark
  • More toolkit than finished product

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