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Software · head to head

Excalidraw vs Sentry

Excalidraw logo

Excalidraw

Software

Virtual whiteboard for sketching hand-drawn like diagrams

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Sentry logo

Sentry

Software

Application monitoring platform built by developers for developers

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+; Sentry spending caps stop event ingestion when reached, eliminating visibility during critical moments
  • They diverge on capability: Excalidraw covers Hand-drawn style diagrams, Sentry covers Error tracking.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Excalidraw and Sentry actually diverge.

Attributes where Excalidraw and Sentry differ
AttributeExcalidrawSentry
PlatformsWebWeb, iOS, Android, React Native, Desktop, 30+ frameworks and languages
Founded20202011

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

Only in Sentry

  • Error tracking
  • Performance monitoring
  • Release tracking
  • Real user monitoring
  • Alerting
  • Issue assignment
  • Breadcrumbs
  • Source maps

Both cover

  • GitHub

What people use each for

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

Excalidraw

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

Sentry

  • Error monitoringnot Excalidraw
  • Performance trackingnot Excalidraw
  • Debug production issuesnot Excalidraw
  • Release managementnot Excalidraw
  • User monitoringnot 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

Sentry

  • Spending caps stop event ingestion when reached, eliminating visibility during critical moments
  • Complex configuration required for filters, sampling rules, issue grouping, and alert policies
  • Difficult to configure custom alerts and alert content without creating email inbox bloat
  • Error grouping is imperfect with noise and filtering issues causing incorrect error prioritization
  • Weak for distributed tracing across microservices compared to dedicated APM tools
  • UI dashboard is less customizable than alternatives like Datadog APM for complex monitoring needs

Pricing, plan by plan

Excalidraw

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

Sentry

Free
  • Developer (Free)Free
    • 5K errors per month
    • 1 user seat
    • 30-day data retention
  • Team$26/month
    • 50K errors per month
    • 5M transaction spans
    • 90-day data retention
  • Business$80/month
    • Higher quotas
    • Extended retention
    • Advanced filtering
  • Organization$199/month
    • SSO integration
    • Audit logs
    • Advanced security

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 Sentry if

  • You need error tracking.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, React Native, Desktop, 30+ frameworks and languages.
  • You also want performance monitoring.
Sentry review

Questions people ask

Is Excalidraw or Sentry better?
Neither clearly leads. Excalidraw starts at Free and Sentry at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Excalidraw or Sentry?
Excalidraw starts at Free and Sentry at Free.
Does Excalidraw or Sentry run on more platforms?
Excalidraw runs on Web. Sentry runs on Web, iOS, Android, React Native, Desktop, 30+ frameworks and languages.
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 Sentry is typically brought in for.
What can Excalidraw do that Sentry cannot?
Excalidraw covers Hand-drawn style diagrams, Real-time collaboration, Infinite canvas, Shape libraries. Sentry covers Error tracking, Performance monitoring, Release tracking, Real user monitoring. Both handle GitHub.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Sentry: Does Sentry have a free tier?

Yes. The free Developer tier includes 5,000 errors per month, one user seat, 30-day retention, and 50 session replays per month.

Source
Sentry: How much do Sentry's paid plans cost?

Team plan starts at $26/month (annual) or $29/month (monthly) with 50K errors and 5M spans included. Business plan is $80-89/month. Organization plans start at $199/month with SSO and advanced compliance features.

Source
Sentry: What programming languages does Sentry support?

Sentry supports over 30 languages and frameworks including JavaScript, Python, Go, Ruby, Java, .NET, PHP, Node.js, and mobile platforms including iOS, Android, and React Native.

Source
Sentry: Does Sentry support self-hosting?

Yes. Sentry can be self-hosted, and the open-source version is available for deployment in on-premises environments.

Source
Sentry: How does Sentry billing work if I exceed my quota?

Sentry offers spending caps that stop ingestion when reached, meaning you lose visibility exactly when you need it most. You can pre-purchase reserved capacity at 20% discount or pay per event on-demand when exceeding included allotment.

Source
Sentry: What integrations does Sentry support?

Sentry integrates with GitHub, GitLab, Jira, Slack, PagerDuty, most CI/CD pipelines, and many other developer tools.

Source
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Related pages

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