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Technology · head to head

Excalidraw vs Flock

Excalidraw logo

Excalidraw

Technology

Virtual whiteboard for sketching hand-drawn like diagrams

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Flock logo

Flock

Communication

Organized team communication platform

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+; Flock the Starter plan only makes the most recent 10,000 messages searchable and caps public channels at 10
  • They diverge on capability: Excalidraw covers Hand-drawn style diagrams, Flock covers Team chat.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Excalidraw and Flock actually diverge.

Attributes where Excalidraw and Flock differ
AttributeExcalidrawFlock
Pricing modelUnknownsubscription
PlatformsWebWeb, Windows, Macos, Ios, Android
CategoryTechnologyCommunication
Founded20202014

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

Only in Flock

  • Team chat
  • Channels
  • Threads
  • File sharing
  • Polls
  • Integrations
  • Mobile apps
  • Slack

Both cover

  • GitHub
  • Cloud deployment
  • Web support

What people use each for

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

Excalidraw

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

Flock

  • Team messaging with channels, direct messages and file sharingnot Excalidraw
  • Running polls, to-dos and reminders inside a chat workspacenot Excalidraw
  • Video conferencing and screen sharing for small teamsnot 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

Flock

  • The Starter plan only makes the most recent 10,000 messages searchable and caps public channels at 10
  • Starter storage is 5 GB for the entire team, against 10 GB per member on Pro and 20 GB per member on Enterprise
  • Starter allows a single team admin and a single approved domain
  • Group video calls and screen sharing require the Pro plan; Starter is limited to 1-1 video calls
  • Group video calls are capped at 20 participants even on Enterprise
  • Single Sign-On and Active Directory sync are Enterprise only
  • Enterprise is quote only, with no published rate, and is positioned for organisations with 100 or more members
  • Unlimited auto-join and announcement channels require Enterprise; Starter and Pro get one of each

Pricing, plan by plan

Excalidraw

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

Flock

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Unlimited chats
    • Channels
    • File sharing
  • Pro$5/month
    • Everything in Free
    • Advanced search
    • API access

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 Flock if

  • You need team chat.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Windows, Macos, Ios, Android.
  • You also want channels.
Flock review

Questions people ask

Is Excalidraw or Flock better?
Neither clearly leads. Excalidraw starts at Free and Flock at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Excalidraw or Flock?
Excalidraw starts at Free and Flock at Free.
Does Excalidraw or Flock run on more platforms?
Excalidraw runs on Web. Flock 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 Flock is typically brought in for.
What can Excalidraw do that Flock cannot?
Excalidraw covers Hand-drawn style diagrams, Real-time collaboration, Infinite canvas, Shape libraries. Flock covers Team chat, Channels, Threads, File sharing. Both handle GitHub, 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
Flock: Does Flock offer a free plan?

Yes, Flock's Starter plan is free and supports teams with 1-20 members, including 10,000 searchable messages and 5 GB storage.

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
Flock: What does Flock's Pro plan include?

The Pro plan supports teams with 20-100 members and offers unlimited messages, 10 GB per team member storage, and a 30-day free trial with no credit card required.

Source
Flock: How does Flock charge for external guests?

External guests are free for 90 days from date of invitation. After 90 days, guests are charged at the same rate as other team members.

Source
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