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Excalidraw vs Checkmk

Excalidraw logo

Excalidraw

Software

Virtual whiteboard for sketching hand-drawn like diagrams

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Checkmk logo

Checkmk

Software

Comprehensive IT monitoring, open and flexible

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Excalidraw has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Excalidraw advanced features (unlimited private scenes/folders, cloud storage, access management, presentations, extended AI, team management) are gated behind Excalidraw+; Checkmk pricing is metered per service (each individual metric or sensor monitored) rather than per host, so cost scales with monitoring depth, not just server count

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Excalidraw and Checkmk actually diverge.

Attributes where Excalidraw and Checkmk differ
AttributeExcalidrawCheckmk
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelUnknownsubscription
Free tierYesNo
Founded2020Unknown

Identical on both: platforms (Web), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

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 Excalidraw

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

Only in Checkmk

Nothing recorded that Excalidraw does not also cover.

What people use each for

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

Excalidraw

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

Checkmk

No use cases recorded yet. See the Checkmk review.

Where each one falls short

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

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

Checkmk

  • Pricing is metered per service (each individual metric or sensor monitored) rather than per host, so cost scales with monitoring depth, not just server count
  • Pro edition starts at 190 euro per month billed annually, and Ultimate at 275 euro per month billed annually; prices are published in euros only
  • The CloudAI SaaS edition is capped at 50,000 services even though self-hosted Pro and Ultimate scale to over 100,000 hosts

Pricing, plan by plan

Excalidraw

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

Checkmk

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Checkmk review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Excalidraw if

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

Choose Checkmk if

Nothing in the data separates Checkmk from Excalidraw on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

Checkmk review

Questions people ask

Is Excalidraw or Checkmk better?
Neither clearly leads. Excalidraw starts at Free and Checkmk at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Excalidraw or Checkmk?
Excalidraw has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Excalidraw and On request for Checkmk.
Does Excalidraw or Checkmk run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Excalidraw for free?
Yes. Excalidraw has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Checkmk starts at On request.
What is Excalidraw best used for?
Excalidraw is most often used for wireframing and diagramming, real-time collaborative whiteboarding, hand-drawn-style illustrations for docs and decks, embedding a whiteboard into third-party apps via the npm package. Of those, wireframing and diagramming and real-time collaborative whiteboarding are not what Checkmk is typically brought in for.
What can Excalidraw do that Checkmk cannot?
Excalidraw covers Hand-drawn style diagrams, Real-time collaboration, Infinite canvas, Shape libraries.
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Related pages

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