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Project Management · head to head

Craft Docs vs Excalidraw

Craft Docs logo

Craft Docs

Project Management

Beautiful document and note-taking app for Apple devices

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: Craft Docs primarily designed for Apple ecosystem; limited support for Windows or Android; Excalidraw advanced features (unlimited private scenes/folders, cloud storage, access management, presentations, extended AI, team management) are gated behind Excalidraw+
  • They diverge on capability: Craft Docs covers Rich document editing, 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 Craft Docs and Excalidraw actually diverge.

Attributes where Craft Docs and Excalidraw differ
AttributeCraft DocsExcalidraw
PlatformsiOS, iPadOS, macOS, WebWeb
CategoryProject ManagementTechnology
Founded20192020

Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (Unknown), free tier (Yes), 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 Craft Docs

  • Rich document editing
  • Beautiful templates
  • Collaboration in real-time
  • Comments and discussions
  • iCloud sync
  • Powerful search
  • Dark and light themes
  • File attachments

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.

Craft Docs

  • Productivitynot Excalidraw
  • Collaborationnot Excalidraw
  • Task managementnot Excalidraw
  • Organizationnot Excalidraw

Excalidraw

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

Where each one falls short

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

Craft Docs

  • Primarily designed for Apple ecosystem; limited support for Windows or Android
  • Smaller ecosystem and community compared to Notion or Obsidian
  • Collaboration features less mature than dedicated team document platforms
  • Requires learning Craft-specific formatting and structure

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

Craft Docs

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Craft Docs review.

Excalidraw

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

Which should you pick?

Choose Craft Docs if

  • You need rich document editing.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on iOS, iPadOS, macOS, Web.
  • You also want beautiful templates.
Craft Docs 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 Craft Docs or Excalidraw better?
Neither clearly leads. Craft Docs 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, Craft Docs or Excalidraw?
Craft Docs starts at Free and Excalidraw at Free.
Does Craft Docs or Excalidraw run on more platforms?
Craft Docs runs on iOS, iPadOS, macOS, Web. Excalidraw runs on Web.
Can I use Craft Docs for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Craft Docs best used for?
Craft Docs is most often used for productivity, collaboration, task management, organization. Of those, productivity and collaboration are not what Excalidraw is typically brought in for.
What can Craft Docs do that Excalidraw cannot?
Craft Docs covers Rich document editing, Beautiful templates, Collaboration in real-time, Comments and discussions. Excalidraw covers Hand-drawn style diagrams, Real-time collaboration, Infinite canvas, Shape libraries.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Craft Docs: What platforms does Craft Docs support?

Craft Docs is available on iOS, iPad, and Mac, with deep integration into Apple's ecosystem. A web version is also available.

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
Craft Docs: Can you collaborate on documents in Craft Docs?

Yes. Craft Docs supports real-time collaboration, allowing multiple users to edit documents simultaneously.

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
Craft Docs: Does Craft Docs have AI features?

Yes. Craft Docs includes AI-powered writing assistance and editing features.

Source
Craft Docs: Can you use Craft Docs offline?

Yes. Craft Docs allows offline editing with synchronization when connectivity is restored.

Source
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