Softwr

Project Management · head to head

Basecamp vs Excalidraw

Basecamp logo

Basecamp

Project Management

Project management & team collaboration software

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Excalidraw logo

Excalidraw

Technology

Virtual whiteboard for sketching hand-drawn like diagrams

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Basecamp the free tier allows one project and 1 GB of storage; Excalidraw advanced features (unlimited private scenes/folders, cloud storage, access management, presentations, extended AI, team management) are gated behind Excalidraw+
  • They diverge on capability: Basecamp covers Message boards, Excalidraw covers Hand-drawn style diagrams.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Basecamp and Excalidraw actually diverge.

Attributes where Basecamp and Excalidraw differ
AttributeBasecampExcalidraw
Pricing modelsubscriptionUnknown
CategoryProject ManagementTechnology
Founded20042020

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), platforms (Web), user rating (Not yet rated).

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 Basecamp

  • Message boards
  • To-do lists
  • Schedules
  • Documents & files
  • Group chat
  • Check-in questions
  • Hill Charts
  • Email forwards

Only in Excalidraw

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

Both cover

  • GitHub

What people use each for

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

Basecamp

  • Project management for a small team in one placenot Excalidraw
  • Message boards and chat alongside to-dosnot Excalidraw
  • Client collaboration, since guests are not chargednot Excalidraw
  • Flat-rate project management for a larger team on Pro Unlimitednot Excalidraw

Excalidraw

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

Where each one falls short

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

Basecamp

  • The free tier allows one project and 1 GB of storage
  • Pro is $15 per user per month, so cost scales with headcount unlike the flat Pro Unlimited at $299 a month billed annually
  • Storage beyond the plan costs $50 a month per additional terabyte
  • Timesheet and the Admin Pro Pack are paid upgrades on Pro and only bundled with Pro Unlimited

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

Basecamp

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 1 active project
    • 1 GB storage
    • 5 maximum users
  • Freelancer$25/month
    • 3 active projects
    • 5 GB storage
    • 20 maximum users
  • Studio$59/month
    • 10 active projects
    • 25 GB storage
    • Unlimited users
  • Pro$99/month
    • 25 active projects
    • 100 GB storage
    • Unlimited users

Excalidraw

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

Which should you pick?

Choose Basecamp if

  • You need message boards.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want to-do lists.
Basecamp 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 Basecamp or Excalidraw better?
Neither clearly leads. Basecamp starts at Free and Excalidraw at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Basecamp or Excalidraw?
Basecamp starts at Free and Excalidraw at Free.
Does Basecamp or Excalidraw run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Basecamp for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Basecamp best used for?
Basecamp is most often used for project management for a small team in one place, message boards and chat alongside to-dos, client collaboration, since guests are not charged, flat-rate project management for a larger team on pro unlimited. Of those, project management for a small team in one place and message boards and chat alongside to-dos are not what Excalidraw is typically brought in for.
What can Basecamp do that Excalidraw cannot?
Basecamp covers Message boards, To-do lists, Schedules, Documents & files. Excalidraw covers Hand-drawn style diagrams, Real-time collaboration, Infinite canvas, Shape libraries. Both handle GitHub.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Basecamp: Does Basecamp charge per user?

No, Studio tier and higher include unlimited users at no additional charge. The Free plan supports up to 5 users, and Freelancer supports up to 20 users.

Source
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
Basecamp: How much storage does each Basecamp plan include?

Free includes 1 GB; Freelancer includes 5 GB; Studio includes 25 GB; Pro includes 100 GB; Unlimited includes 1 TB and can be expanded to 6 TB for an additional $100/month.

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
Basecamp: What trial periods does Basecamp offer?

30-day free trial is available for all plans except Unlimited, which offers a 45-day free trial. No credit card required.

Source
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