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Excalidraw vs Trello

Excalidraw logo

Excalidraw

Technology

Virtual whiteboard for sketching hand-drawn like diagrams

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Trello logo

Trello

Project Management

Organize anything, together

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+; Trello free tier limited to 10 boards and 10 collaborators per workspace
  • They diverge on capability: Excalidraw covers Hand-drawn style diagrams, Trello covers Kanban boards.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Excalidraw and Trello actually diverge.

Attributes where Excalidraw and Trello differ
AttributeExcalidrawTrello
PlatformsWebWeb, Ios, Android, Windows, Macos
CategoryTechnologyProject Management
Founded20202011

Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (Unknown), free tier (Yes), 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 Trello

  • Kanban boards
  • Cards & lists
  • Drag-and-drop interface
  • Activity feed
  • Due dates & reminders
  • File attachments
  • Comments & mentions
  • Power-Ups ecosystem

Both cover

  • GitHub

What people use each for

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

Excalidraw

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

Trello

  • Project trackingnot Excalidraw
  • Content calendarsnot Excalidraw
  • Sales pipelinesnot Excalidraw
  • Onboarding processesnot Excalidraw
  • Personal task 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

Trello

  • Free tier limited to 10 boards and 10 collaborators per workspace
  • Free tier automation capped at 250 monthly Butler runs
  • No offline access; web-based platform requires internet connection
  • Advanced views (timeline, table, dashboard) not available on Standard plan
  • SSO only available on Enterprise plan

Pricing, plan by plan

Excalidraw

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

Trello

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Up to 10 boards/workspace
    • Up to 10 collaborators
    • 250 monthly Butler automation runs
  • Standard$5/user/month
    • Unlimited boards
    • Unlimited Power-Ups
    • 1,000 monthly Butler runs
  • Premium$10/user/month
    • All Standard features
    • Timeline, table, dashboard, calendar views
    • Unlimited automation
  • Enterprise$17.5/user/month
    • All Premium features
    • Unlimited workspaces
    • SSO and user provisioning

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 Trello if

  • You need kanban boards.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android, Windows, Macos.
  • You also want cards & lists.
Trello review

Questions people ask

Is Excalidraw or Trello better?
Neither clearly leads. Excalidraw starts at Free and Trello at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Excalidraw or Trello?
Excalidraw starts at Free and Trello at Free.
Does Excalidraw or Trello run on more platforms?
Excalidraw runs on Web. Trello runs on Web, Ios, Android, Windows, Macos.
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 Trello is typically brought in for.
What can Excalidraw do that Trello cannot?
Excalidraw covers Hand-drawn style diagrams, Real-time collaboration, Infinite canvas, Shape libraries. Trello covers Kanban boards, Cards & lists, Drag-and-drop interface, Activity feed. Both handle 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
Trello: What are the free tier limitations for Trello?

Trello Free supports up to 10 boards per workspace, unlimited cards, 250 monthly Butler automation runs, and up to 10 Power-Up attachments. Limited to 10 collaborators per workspace.

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
Trello: What features are included in the Standard plan?

Standard ($5-6/user/month) adds unlimited boards, custom fields, advanced checklists, 1,000 monthly automation runs, list colors, and calendar view access.

Source
Trello: Does Trello offer SSO and on which plan?

SSO through Atlassian Guard is included only on the Enterprise plan ($17.50/user/month or $210/year per user).

Source
Trello: How many file attachment options are available?

Free tier includes 2 Power-Ups per board, Standard adds unlimited Power-Ups, and Premium and above offer full Power-Up marketplace access with custom integration options.

Source
Trello: Is there offline access to Trello boards?

Trello is a web-based application requiring internet connection. Mobile apps are available for iOS and Android but do not support true offline editing.

Source
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