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Excalidraw vs Notion

Excalidraw logo

Excalidraw

Software

Virtual whiteboard for sketching hand-drawn like diagrams

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Notion logo

Notion

Software

All-in-one workspace for notes, tasks, wikis, and databases

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+; Notion free plan limited to 1,000 blocks for 2+ member workspaces, restricting team usage
  • They diverge on capability: Excalidraw covers Hand-drawn style diagrams, Notion covers Rich text editing with blocks.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Excalidraw and Notion actually diverge.

Attributes where Excalidraw and Notion differ
AttributeExcalidrawNotion
PlatformsWebWeb, iOS, Android
Founded20202016

Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (Unknown), free tier (Yes), 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
  • Infinite canvas
  • Shape libraries
  • Text support
  • Image import
  • Export options
  • Keyboard shortcuts
  • Notion

Only in Notion

  • Rich text editing with blocks
  • Customizable databases
  • Kanban boards and calendars
  • Template library
  • File attachments
  • Web clipper
  • API access
  • Slack

Both cover

  • Real-time collaboration
  • GitHub

What people use each for

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

Excalidraw

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

Notion

  • Project managementnot Excalidraw
  • Knowledge base creationnot Excalidraw
  • Note-taking and documentationnot Excalidraw
  • Team collaborationnot Excalidraw
  • Content planningnot 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

Notion

  • Free plan limited to 1,000 blocks for 2+ member workspaces, restricting team usage
  • Free tier only includes trial AI capabilities; full Notion AI requires paid plan
  • Page history limited to 7 days on free plan
  • Per-member pricing increases costs for teams compared to flat-rate competitors
  • Limited automation capabilities compared to dedicated workflow platforms

Pricing, plan by plan

Excalidraw

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

Notion

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 1000 block limit (2+ members)
    • 7-day page history
    • 5MB file upload cap
  • Plus$10/month
    • Unlimited blocks
    • 30-day page history
    • Unlimited file uploads
  • Business$20/month
    • All Plus features
    • Notion Agent
    • AI Meeting Notes
  • Enterprise$null/custom
    • All Business features
    • Advanced controls
    • Audit logs

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 Notion if

  • You need rich text editing with blocks.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want customizable databases.
Notion review

Questions people ask

Is Excalidraw or Notion better?
Neither clearly leads. Excalidraw starts at Free and Notion at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Excalidraw or Notion?
Excalidraw starts at Free and Notion at Free.
Does Excalidraw or Notion run on more platforms?
Excalidraw runs on Web. Notion runs on Web, 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 Notion is typically brought in for.
What can Excalidraw do that Notion cannot?
Excalidraw covers Hand-drawn style diagrams, Infinite canvas, Shape libraries, Text support. Notion covers Rich text editing with blocks, Customizable databases, Kanban boards and calendars, Template library. Both handle Real-time collaboration, GitHub.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Notion: What are Notion's pricing tiers?

Notion offers four plans: Free ($0/member/month), Plus ($10/member/month), Business ($20/member/month recommended), and Enterprise (custom pricing). All paid plans include Notion AI and identical features with no per-feature charges.

Source
Notion: What is included in Notion's free plan?

The free plan includes databases with limited collaborative blocks, trial AI capabilities, basic forms, basic sites, Notion Calendar, and file uploads. For workspaces with 2+ members, there is a 1,000-block limit.

Source
Notion: How much does Notion AI cost?

Notion AI is included with Plus ($10/mo), Business ($20/mo), and Enterprise plans. Free and Plus plans include limited AI trial capabilities. Custom Agents cost $10 per 1,000 monthly credits after free trial.

Source
Notion: Can guests access Notion workspaces without payment?

Yes. Guests are free of charge on all plans including the free tier. Free tier allows 10 guests; paid plans include unlimited guests. Guests can only access individual pages they are invited to.

Source
Notion: Does Notion integrate with other apps?

Yes. Notion integrates with 100+ third-party apps including Slack, Google Drive, GitHub, Google Calendar, Trello, Jira, Zapier, and many others. Native integrations are available plus additional connections via Zapier.

Source
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