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Technology · head to head

Canny vs Excalidraw

Canny logo

Canny

Technology

Capture, organize, and analyze product feedback

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: Canny tracked user pricing model causes costs to balloon as product grows and engagement increases, creating perverse incentive where more successful feedback gathering means higher costs; Excalidraw advanced features (unlimited private scenes/folders, cloud storage, access management, presentations, extended AI, team management) are gated behind Excalidraw+
  • They diverge on capability: Canny covers Feedback 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 Canny and Excalidraw actually diverge.

Attributes where Canny and Excalidraw differ
AttributeCannyExcalidraw
Pricing modelsubscriptionUnknown
PlatformsWeb, Claude AI (MCP)Web
Founded20152020

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

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 Canny

  • Feedback boards
  • Voting system
  • Roadmap planning
  • Changelog
  • User segmentation
  • Status updates
  • Admin moderation
  • Analytics

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.

Canny

  • Feature request managementnot Excalidraw
  • Product roadmappingnot Excalidraw
  • Customer feedback collectionnot Excalidraw
  • Changelog communicationnot Excalidraw
  • User engagementnot Excalidraw

Excalidraw

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

Where each one falls short

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

Canny

  • Tracked user pricing model causes costs to balloon as product grows and engagement increases, creating perverse incentive where more successful feedback gathering means higher costs
  • Limited integrations on Core plan; must upgrade to Pro to connect with Jira and Linear
  • Lacks built-in analytics for identifying themes and patterns across hundreds of feedback requests without manual tagging
  • Customizations limited for public-facing interfaces regarding branding and information presentation
  • Autopilot AI cannot be linked to product knowledge bases to better understand products and improve function
  • Slow response times reported by users, affecting feedback management efficiency
  • Limited custom user fields and manual data updates require API access

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

Canny

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Up to 100 tracked users
    • Unlimited feedback
    • 1 board
  • Starter$400/month
    • 1,000 tracked users
    • Unlimited boards
    • Private boards
  • Growth$900/month
    • 5,000 tracked users
    • API access
    • SSO
  • Business$undefined/month
    • Unlimited tracked users
    • White label
    • SLA

Excalidraw

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

Which should you pick?

Choose Canny if

  • You need feedback boards.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Claude AI (MCP).
  • You also want voting system.
Canny 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 Canny or Excalidraw better?
Neither clearly leads. Canny 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, Canny or Excalidraw?
Canny starts at Free and Excalidraw at Free.
Does Canny or Excalidraw run on more platforms?
Canny runs on Web, Claude AI (MCP). Excalidraw runs on Web.
Can I use Canny for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Canny best used for?
Canny is most often used for feature request management, product roadmapping, customer feedback collection, changelog communication. Of those, feature request management and product roadmapping are not what Excalidraw is typically brought in for.
What can Canny do that Excalidraw cannot?
Canny covers Feedback boards, Voting system, Roadmap planning, Changelog. Excalidraw covers Hand-drawn style diagrams, Real-time collaboration, Infinite canvas, Shape libraries. Both handle GitHub.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Canny: Does Canny offer a free plan?

Yes. Canny offers a free plan that allows collecting up to 100 feedback ideas. Free users get basic features without roadmap, changelog, or integrations.

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
Canny: How is Canny priced?

Canny pricing scales based on tracked users. Core starts at $19/month (100 users, annual), Pro starts at $79/month (100 users, annual). Prices increase as tracked users grow.

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
Canny: What is a tracked user in Canny?

A tracked user is anyone who posts, votes, or comments on your Canny board or embedded widget. Each unique end user counts once and the count accumulates.

Source
Canny: What is Canny Autopilot?

Canny Autopilot is an AI feature that automatically captures feature requests from communication tools like Gong, Intercom, Slack, and Zendesk. It prioritizes requests by revenue impact.

Source
Canny: Does Canny have a public roadmap feature?

Yes. Canny provides a public roadmap where customers can see what is planned, building, and shipped. Customers can vote on features and watch their feedback progress.

Source
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