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Business Intelligence · head to head

Deepnote vs Excalidraw

Deepnote logo

Deepnote

Business Intelligence

Collaborative cloud workspace for data analytics and machine learning

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: Deepnote free plan limited to 3 editors, restricting team usage; Excalidraw advanced features (unlimited private scenes/folders, cloud storage, access management, presentations, extended AI, team management) are gated behind Excalidraw+
  • They diverge on capability: Deepnote covers Collaborative notebooks, 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 Deepnote and Excalidraw actually diverge.

Attributes where Deepnote and Excalidraw differ
AttributeDeepnoteExcalidraw
Pricing modelSubscription with free tierUnknown
PlatformsWeb, APIWeb
CategoryBusiness IntelligenceTechnology
FoundedUnknown2020

Identical on both: starting price (Free), 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 Deepnote

  • Collaborative notebooks
  • Interactive dashboards
  • Data agent building
  • Scheduled pipelines
  • Model management
  • 100+ integrations
  • GPU support
  • API deployment

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.

Deepnote

  • Data exploration and analysis workflowsnot Excalidraw
  • Building interactive business intelligence dashboardsnot Excalidraw
  • Collaborative machine learning model developmentnot Excalidraw
  • Automating ETL and data pipeline orchestrationnot Excalidraw
  • Creating shareable reports without exportsnot Excalidraw

Excalidraw

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

Where each one falls short

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

Deepnote

  • Free plan limited to 3 editors, restricting team usage
  • Limited revision history on free plan compared to competitors
  • Requires Team plan or higher for automated scheduling
  • GPU support incurs additional charges beyond base subscription
  • No mentioned offline capability

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

Deepnote

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Up to 3 editors
    • Up to 5 projects
    • Limited Deepnote AI
  • Team$39/month
    • Unlimited viewers and notebooks
    • Full Deepnote AI access
    • Premium integrations
  • Enterprise$null/custom
    • Everything in Team plan
    • Custom contracts
    • Priority support

Excalidraw

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

Which should you pick?

Choose Deepnote if

  • You need collaborative notebooks.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, API.
  • You also want interactive dashboards.
Deepnote 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 Deepnote or Excalidraw better?
Neither clearly leads. Deepnote 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, Deepnote or Excalidraw?
Deepnote starts at Free and Excalidraw at Free.
Does Deepnote or Excalidraw run on more platforms?
Deepnote runs on Web, API. Excalidraw runs on Web.
Can I use Deepnote for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Deepnote best used for?
Deepnote is most often used for data exploration and analysis workflows, building interactive business intelligence dashboards, collaborative machine learning model development, automating etl and data pipeline orchestration. Of those, data exploration and analysis workflows and building interactive business intelligence dashboards are not what Excalidraw is typically brought in for.
What can Deepnote do that Excalidraw cannot?
Deepnote covers Collaborative notebooks, Interactive dashboards, Data agent building, Scheduled pipelines. Excalidraw covers Hand-drawn style diagrams, Real-time collaboration, Infinite canvas, Shape libraries.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Deepnote: What is included in the free Deepnote plan?

The free plan includes up to 3 editors, up to 5 projects, limited Deepnote AI, basic machines with 5 GB RAM, and 7-day revision history.

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
Deepnote: What data sources can Deepnote integrate with?

Deepnote integrates with 100+ data sources including major data warehouses like Snowflake, BigQuery, and Redshift, as well as BI platforms like Looker, Tableau, and Power BI.

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
Deepnote: Does Deepnote support collaboration?

Yes, Deepnote provides real-time collaborative notebooks where multiple team members can work simultaneously. The Team plan allows unlimited viewers and notebooks.

Source
Deepnote: What compliance certifications does Deepnote have?

Deepnote is SOC 2, HIPAA, GDPR, and CCPA compliant and offers role-based access control, single sign-on, and directory synchronization.

Source
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