Softwr

Technology · head to head

Excalidraw vs FigJam

Excalidraw logo

Excalidraw

Technology

Virtual whiteboard for sketching hand-drawn like diagrams

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
FigJam logo

FigJam

Productivity

Free online whiteboard for teams

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • 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+; FigJam organization and Enterprise tiers are billed annually only, with no monthly billing option
  • They diverge on capability: Excalidraw covers Hand-drawn style diagrams, FigJam covers Infinite whiteboard.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Excalidraw and FigJam actually diverge.

Attributes where Excalidraw and FigJam differ
AttributeExcalidrawFigJam
Pricing modelUnknownfreemium
PlatformsWebWeb, Windows, Macos, Ios, Android
CategoryTechnologyProductivity
Founded20202012

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 Excalidraw

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

Only in FigJam

  • Infinite whiteboard
  • Sticky notes
  • Drawing tools
  • Shapes
  • Widgets
  • Templates
  • Voting
  • Slack

Both cover

  • Real-time collaboration
  • End-to-end encryption
  • Cloud deployment
  • Web support

What people use each for

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

Excalidraw

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

FigJam

  • Teams running collaborative brainstorming and whiteboarding sessions bundled into an existing Figma plannot Excalidraw

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

FigJam

  • Organization and Enterprise tiers are billed annually only, with no monthly billing option
  • Free Starter plan caps AI credit usage at 150 credits per day and 500 per month, well below the 3,000 monthly AI credits on a Professional full seat

Pricing, plan by plan

Excalidraw

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

FigJam

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Unlimited editable boards
    • Basic tools
    • Unlimited viewers
  • Paid$5/month
    • Everything in Free
    • Advanced templates
    • Moderation tools

Which should you pick?

Choose Excalidraw if

  • You need hand-drawn style diagrams.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want infinite canvas.
Excalidraw review

Choose FigJam if

  • You need infinite whiteboard.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Windows, Macos, Ios, Android.
  • You also want sticky notes.
FigJam review

Questions people ask

Is Excalidraw or FigJam better?
Neither clearly leads. Excalidraw starts at Free and FigJam at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Excalidraw or FigJam?
Excalidraw starts at Free and FigJam at Free.
Does Excalidraw or FigJam run on more platforms?
Excalidraw runs on Web. FigJam runs on Web, Windows, Macos, Ios, Android.
Can I use Excalidraw for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
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 FigJam is typically brought in for.
What can Excalidraw do that FigJam cannot?
Excalidraw covers Hand-drawn style diagrams, Infinite canvas, Shape libraries, Text support. FigJam covers Infinite whiteboard, Sticky notes, Drawing tools, Shapes. Both handle Real-time collaboration, End-to-end encryption, Cloud deployment, Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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
FigJam: Is FigJam included with Figma or sold separately?

FigJam is included at no additional cost with all Figma plans, from the free Starter plan through Enterprise.

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
FigJam: How many AI credits does each Figma plan include for FigJam?

The Professional plan includes 3,000 AI credits per month, Organization plan includes 3,500 AI credits per month, and Enterprise plan includes 4,250 AI credits per month. Starter (free) does not include AI features.

Source
FigJam: What can I do with FigJam's open sessions feature?

FigJam allows anyone to join open sessions for 24 hours without needing a Figma account, and you can create unlimited open sessions across your team.

Source
FigJam: What diagramming capabilities does FigJam include?

FigJam includes advanced shapes for technical diagramming such as AWS, GCP, Azure, and Kubernetes components, plus standard diagramming tools and connectors. All these features are available on every paid plan.

Source
Share

Related pages

More on Excalidraw

More on FigJam

Keep looking

Other head to heads