Software · head to head
Excalidraw vs PostHog
Excalidraw
Software
Virtual whiteboard for sketching hand-drawn like diagrams
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
PostHog
Software
The single platform to analyze, test, observe, and deploy new features
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
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+; PostHog the free tier covers 1M events, 5K web session recordings and 2.5K mobile recordings per month before usage-based billing starts
- They diverge on capability: Excalidraw covers Hand-drawn style diagrams, PostHog covers Product analytics.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Excalidraw and PostHog actually diverge.
| Attribute | Excalidraw | PostHog |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Unknown | usage-based |
| Platforms | Web | Web, Ios, Android, Api |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown), founded (2020).
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 PostHog
- Product analytics
- Session recording
- Feature flags
- A/B testing
- Heatmaps
- SQL access
- Data warehouse
- Apps platform
Both cover
- GitHub
- Cloud deployment
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Excalidraw
- Wireframing and diagrammingnot PostHog
- Real-time collaborative whiteboardingnot PostHog
- Hand-drawn-style illustrations for docs and decksnot PostHog
- Embedding a whiteboard into third-party apps via the npm packagenot PostHog
- Visual planning and note-takingnot PostHog
PostHog
- Product analyticsnot Excalidraw
- Feature experimentationnot Excalidraw
- User behavior trackingnot Excalidraw
- A/B testingnot Excalidraw
- Debug production issuesnot 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
PostHog
- The free tier covers 1M events, 5K web session recordings and 2.5K mobile recordings per month before usage-based billing starts
- Accounts without a card on file are limited to 1 project; adding one raises it to 6
- Data retention is 1 year until a card is added, which extends it to 7 years
- Support is community-only until the account is on a paid plan
- Error tracking is capped at 100K exceptions and surveys at 1500 responses per month on the free tier
Pricing, plan by plan
Excalidraw
Free- Excalidraw+$6/month
- Unlimited private scenes and folders
- Cloud storage
- Access management
PostHog
Free- FreeFree
- 1M events/month
- 5K sessions/month
- Unlimited users
- Paid$undefined/month
- $0.00031/event
- $0.005/session
- Advanced permissions
- Enterprise$undefined/month
- SAML SSO
- Advanced security
- Dedicated support
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.
Choose PostHog if
- You need product analytics.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
- You also want session recording.
Questions people ask
- Is Excalidraw or PostHog better?
- Neither clearly leads. Excalidraw starts at Free and PostHog at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Excalidraw or PostHog?
- Excalidraw starts at Free and PostHog at Free.
- Does Excalidraw or PostHog run on more platforms?
- Excalidraw runs on Web. PostHog runs on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
- 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 PostHog is typically brought in for.
- What can Excalidraw do that PostHog cannot?
- Excalidraw covers Hand-drawn style diagrams, Real-time collaboration, Infinite canvas, Shape libraries. PostHog covers Product analytics, Session recording, Feature flags, A/B testing. Both handle GitHub, Cloud deployment.