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Technology · head to head

Excalidraw vs Userpilot

Excalidraw logo

Excalidraw

Technology

Virtual whiteboard for sketching hand-drawn like diagrams

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Userpilot logo

Userpilot

Technology

Product analytics and in-app onboarding platform.

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+; Userpilot starter tier limited to 2,000 monthly active users; even small-to-medium products may require Growth tier
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Excalidraw and Userpilot actually diverge.

Attributes where Excalidraw and Userpilot differ
AttributeExcalidrawUserpilot
Pricing modelUnknownsubscription
PlatformsWebWeb, iOS, Android, API
Founded2020Unknown

Identical on both: starting price (Free), 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
  • Real-time collaboration
  • Infinite canvas
  • Shape libraries
  • Text support
  • Image import
  • Export options
  • Keyboard shortcuts

Only in Userpilot

Nothing recorded that Excalidraw does not also cover.

What people use each for

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

Excalidraw

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

Userpilot

  • SaaS companies optimising user onboarding and activationnot Excalidraw
  • Product teams collecting user feedback and identifying churn drivers via session replaynot Excalidraw
  • Customer success teams using in-app guides and contextual helpnot Excalidraw
  • Growth teams orchestrating multi-channel campaigns across email and in-appnot Excalidraw
  • Product managers measuring adoption and engagement across user cohortsnot 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

Userpilot

  • Starter tier limited to 2,000 monthly active users; even small-to-medium products may require Growth tier
  • Large price jump from Starter ($299/mo) to Growth ($849/mo), nearly 3x increase
  • Growth tier scales to 100,000 MAU but does not publish pricing for higher volumes, requiring Enterprise negotiation
  • Session replay and mobile engagement are optional add-ons in Growth tier, not included in base pricing
  • Enterprise pricing not published; custom negotiations required for large-scale deployments

Pricing, plan by plan

Excalidraw

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

Userpilot

Free
  • Starter$299/month
    • Up to 2,000 monthly active users
    • In-app engagement
    • User segmentation
  • Growth$849/month (marked 'Most Popular')
    • 2,000 to 100,000 monthly active users
    • All Starter features
    • Advanced product analytics
  • Enterprise$undefined/variable
    • Custom monthly active user levels
    • All Growth features
    • Premium integrations

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 Userpilot if

  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, API.
Userpilot review

Questions people ask

Is Excalidraw or Userpilot better?
Neither clearly leads. Excalidraw starts at Free and Userpilot at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Excalidraw or Userpilot?
Excalidraw starts at Free and Userpilot at Free.
Does Excalidraw or Userpilot run on more platforms?
Excalidraw runs on Web. Userpilot 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 Userpilot is typically brought in for.
What can Excalidraw do that Userpilot cannot?
Excalidraw covers Hand-drawn style diagrams, Real-time collaboration, Infinite canvas, Shape libraries.

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
Userpilot: What is included in the free trial?

Userpilot offers a free 14-day trial without requiring a credit card, providing full access to the Starter tier features.

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
Userpilot: Does Userpilot include session replay?

Session replay is available in the Growth tier as an optional add-on for watching real user sessions and identifying friction points.

Source
Userpilot: What integrations does Userpilot support?

Userpilot integrates with HubSpot, Salesforce, Segment, Google Analytics, Amplitude, Mixpanel, Heap, Zendesk, Intercom and Google Tag Manager. Additional integrations can be requested.

Source
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