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Design · head to head

Adobe Creative Cloud vs Excalidraw

Adobe Creative Cloud logo

Adobe Creative Cloud

Design

Creativity for all

From
$20.99/month
Free plan
No
Visit Adobe Creative CloudFull review
Excalidraw logo

Excalidraw

Design

Virtual whiteboard for sketching hand-drawn like diagrams

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Visit ExcalidrawFull review

The short version

  • Excalidraw is a virtual collaborative whiteboard tool.
  • Excalidraw has a free plan, then $6/mo; Adobe Creative Cloud starts at $20.99/mo.
  • Only Adobe Creative Cloud lists premiere Pro; only Excalidraw lists hand-drawn style diagrams.
  • Where Excalidraw falls short: free hosted version persists via scene links/local storage rather than a managed multi-scene workspace.
  • Prices and features on this page were last checked on 13 November 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Adobe Creative Cloud and Excalidraw actually diverge.

Attributes where Adobe Creative Cloud and Excalidraw differ
AttributeAdobe Creative CloudExcalidraw
Starting price$20.99/monthFree
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWindows, macOS, iOS, Android, WebWeb
Founded19822020

Identical on both: category (Design).

Not yet recorded: pricing model for Excalidraw.

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Adobe Creative Cloud

  • Photoshop
  • Illustrator
  • InDesign
  • Premiere Pro
  • After Effects
  • Lightroom
  • XD
  • Creative Cloud Libraries

Only in Excalidraw

  • Hand-drawn style diagrams
  • Real-time collaboration
  • Infinite canvas
  • Shape libraries
  • Text support
  • Image import
  • Export options
  • Keyboard shortcuts

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Adobe Creative Cloud

  • Graphic designnot Excalidraw
  • Photo editingnot Excalidraw
  • Video productionnot Excalidraw
  • Web designnot Excalidraw
  • Digital artnot Excalidraw

Excalidraw

  • Wireframing and diagrammingnot Adobe Creative Cloud
  • Real-time collaborative whiteboardingnot Adobe Creative Cloud
  • Hand-drawn-style illustrations for docs and decksnot Adobe Creative Cloud
  • Embedding a whiteboard into third-party apps via the npm packagenot Adobe Creative Cloud
  • Visual planning and note-takingnot Adobe Creative Cloud

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Adobe Creative Cloud

  • The vendor's own Plans and Pricing page as captured by the Internet Archive on 1 January 2022 listed, in US dollars per month: Photography (20GB) at $9.99, Photography (1TB) at $19.99, Creative Cloud All Apps at $52.99, Acrobat Pro at $14.99, and single apps such as Photoshop, Premiere Pro, Illustrator, and InDesign each at $20.99, all with a 30 day free trial and a separate Adobe Stock add-on

Excalidraw

  • Advanced features (unlimited private scenes/folders, cloud storage, access management, presentations, extended AI, team management) are gated behind Excalidraw+
  • Free hosted version persists via scene links/local storage rather than a managed multi-scene workspace
  • Self-hosting the full collaborative stack requires standing up a websocket server and storage beyond the npm editor package
  • No official native desktop or app-store mobile apps - web/PWA only

Pricing, plan by plan

Adobe Creative Cloud

$20.99/month
  • Photography$20.99/mo
    • Lightroom
    • Lightroom Classic
    • Photoshop
  • Single App$22.99/mo
    • One app of your choice
    • 100GB cloud storage
    • Portfolio website
  • All Apps$59.99/mo
    • 20+ Creative Cloud apps
    • 100GB cloud storage
    • Portfolio website
  • Teams$89.99/mo
    • Everything in All Apps
    • 1TB cloud storage
    • Advanced admin console

Excalidraw

Free
  • Excalidraw+$6/mo
    • Unlimited private scenes and folders
    • Cloud storage
    • Access management

Which should you pick?

Choose Adobe Creative Cloud if

  • You need photoshop.
  • You work on Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Web.
  • You also want illustrator.
Adobe Creative Cloud review

Choose Excalidraw if

  • You need hand-drawn style diagrams.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want real-time collaboration.
Excalidraw review

Questions people ask

Is Adobe Creative Cloud or Excalidraw better?
Neither clearly leads. Adobe Creative Cloud starts at $20.99/month and Excalidraw at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Adobe Creative Cloud or Excalidraw?
Excalidraw has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $20.99/month for Adobe Creative Cloud and Free for Excalidraw.
Does Adobe Creative Cloud or Excalidraw run on more platforms?
Adobe Creative Cloud runs on Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Web. Excalidraw runs on Web.
Can I use Excalidraw for free?
Yes. Excalidraw has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Adobe Creative Cloud starts at $20.99/month.
What is Adobe Creative Cloud best used for?
Adobe Creative Cloud is most often used for graphic design, photo editing, video production, web design. Of those, graphic design and photo editing are not what Excalidraw is typically brought in for.
What can Adobe Creative Cloud do that Excalidraw cannot?
Adobe Creative Cloud covers Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Premiere Pro. Excalidraw covers Hand-drawn style diagrams, Real-time collaboration, Infinite canvas, Shape libraries.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Excalidraw: Is Excalidraw free?

Excalidraw appears to be a free drawing application available at no cost to users. The website does not display information about pricing tiers or premium features, suggesting it is offered as a free service.

Source
Excalidraw: Does Excalidraw offer paid plans?

No pricing tiers or paid upgrade options are mentioned on the Excalidraw website, which indicates the service is available entirely free without commercial pricing models.

Source
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