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Excalidraw vs ProofHub

Excalidraw logo

Excalidraw

Technology

Virtual whiteboard for sketching hand-drawn like diagrams

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
ProofHub logo

ProofHub

Project Management

All-in-one project management and team collaboration

From
$45/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Excalidraw has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • 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+; ProofHub the Ultimate Control plan advertises $89 a month for the first 3 months and then charges $135, so the headline is an introductory rate
  • They diverge on capability: Excalidraw covers Hand-drawn style diagrams, ProofHub covers Tasks.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Excalidraw and ProofHub actually diverge.

Attributes where Excalidraw and ProofHub differ
AttributeExcalidrawProofHub
Starting priceFree$45/month
Pricing modelUnknownsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWebWeb, Ios, Android
CategoryTechnologyProject Management
Founded20202011

Identical on both: 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 ProofHub

  • Tasks
  • Discussions
  • Proofing
  • Time tracking
  • Gantt charts
  • Slack
  • Google Drive
  • Dropbox

Both cover

  • Web support

What people use each for

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

Excalidraw

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

ProofHub

  • Project management for teamsnot Excalidraw
  • Resource planning and reportingnot Excalidraw
  • Collaborative workflow managementnot 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

ProofHub

  • The Ultimate Control plan advertises $89 a month for the first 3 months and then charges $135, so the headline is an introductory rate
  • The Essential plan caps projects at 40 and storage at 15 GB
  • Storage is 100 GB even on the higher plan, which is low for a tool holding project files
  • There is no free tier, and the entry price is a flat $45 a month billed annually

Pricing, plan by plan

Excalidraw

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

ProofHub

$45/month
  • Essential$45/month
    • 40 projects
    • Unlimited users
    • 15GB storage
  • Ultimate Control$89/month
    • Unlimited projects
    • Unlimited users
    • 100GB storage

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 ProofHub if

  • You need tasks.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want discussions.
ProofHub review

Questions people ask

Is Excalidraw or ProofHub better?
Neither clearly leads. Excalidraw starts at Free and ProofHub at $45/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Excalidraw or ProofHub?
Excalidraw has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Excalidraw and $45/month for ProofHub.
Does Excalidraw or ProofHub run on more platforms?
Excalidraw runs on Web. ProofHub runs on Web, Ios, Android.
Can I use Excalidraw for free?
Yes. Excalidraw has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. ProofHub starts at $45/month.
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 ProofHub is typically brought in for.
What can Excalidraw do that ProofHub cannot?
Excalidraw covers Hand-drawn style diagrams, Real-time collaboration, Infinite canvas, Shape libraries. ProofHub covers Tasks, Discussions, Proofing, Time tracking. Both handle 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
ProofHub: How much does ProofHub cost?

ProofHub offers two plans: Essential at $45/month (annual) or $50/month (monthly), and Ultimate Control at $89/month (first 3 months) or $135/month thereafter (annual billing).

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
ProofHub: Are per-user fees required with ProofHub?

No. ProofHub includes unlimited users in both Essential and Ultimate Control plans. There are no per-user fees regardless of team size.

Source
ProofHub: Does ProofHub offer a free trial?

Yes, ProofHub provides a 14-day free trial with no credit card required. You can explore all features before committing.

Source
ProofHub: Can I cancel ProofHub anytime?

Yes. ProofHub has no long-term contracts. You can cancel anytime and switch billing between annual and monthly plans.

Source
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