Softwr

Technology · head to head

Excalidraw vs Notion

Excalidraw logo

Excalidraw

Technology

Virtual whiteboard for sketching hand-drawn like diagrams

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Notion logo

Notion

Technology

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.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

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 (Technology).

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$20/month
    • All Plus features
    • Notion Agent
    • AI Meeting Notes
  • Enterprise$undefined/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

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
Notion: What features are included in the free Notion plan?

The free plan ($0/member/month) includes trial AI capabilities, basic forms and sites, Notion Calendar access, unlimited databases, up to 10 external guests, and 7-day page history.

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
Notion: What is the difference between Plus and Business plans?

Plus ($10/member/month) adds custom forms, unlimited file uploads, and 30-day history. Business ($20/member/month) adds Notion Agent for autonomous tasks, AI Meeting Notes, and advanced security features.

Source
Notion: How does Notion calculate billing when team members join mid-month?

New members added mid-month incur prorated charges for the current billing period and are included in future billings.

Source
Notion: What is the refund policy for Notion subscriptions?

New users receive a full refund within 3 days for monthly plans or 30 days for annual plans. EU/UK customers get a 14-day refund window per regional policy.

Source
Notion: What happens if a payment fails on my Notion account?

Failed payments are retried up to 8 times before the account automatically downgrades to the free plan.

Source
Share

Related pages

More on Excalidraw

More on Notion

Keep looking

Other head to heads