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Excalidraw vs Zed

Excalidraw logo

Excalidraw

Technology

Virtual whiteboard for sketching hand-drawn like diagrams

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Zed logo

Zed

Software Development

Code at the speed of thought

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+; Zed newer product with smaller ecosystem than established editors
  • They diverge on capability: Excalidraw covers Hand-drawn style diagrams, Zed covers AI code completion.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Excalidraw and Zed actually diverge.

Attributes where Excalidraw and Zed differ
AttributeExcalidrawZed
Pricing modelUnknownfreemium
PlatformsWebmacOS, Linux, Windows
CategoryTechnologySoftware Development
Founded20202023

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

Only in Zed

  • AI code completion
  • Lightning-fast performance
  • Rust-based architecture
  • Multi-language support
  • Integrated terminal
  • Git integration
  • Vim keybindings
  • Git

Both cover

  • Real-time collaboration
  • GitHub
  • End-to-end encryption

What people use each for

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

Excalidraw

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

Zed

  • Collaborative codingnot Excalidraw
  • High-performance editingnot Excalidraw
  • Real-time pair programmingnot Excalidraw
  • Systems programmingnot Excalidraw
  • Web developmentnot 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

Zed

  • Newer product with smaller ecosystem than established editors
  • Limited extensions and plugin marketplace compared to VSCode or Sublime Text

Pricing, plan by plan

Excalidraw

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

Zed

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Single-player editing
    • Local AI assistance
    • Fast performance
  • Plus$10/month
    • Multiplayer collaboration
    • Cloud AI assistance
    • Advanced features

Which should you pick?

Choose Excalidraw if

  • You need hand-drawn style diagrams.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want infinite canvas.
Excalidraw review

Choose Zed if

  • You need ai code completion.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on macOS, Linux, Windows.
  • You also want lightning-fast performance.
Zed review

Questions people ask

Is Excalidraw or Zed better?
Neither clearly leads. Excalidraw starts at Free and Zed at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Excalidraw or Zed?
Excalidraw starts at Free and Zed at Free.
Does Excalidraw or Zed run on more platforms?
Excalidraw runs on Web. Zed runs on macOS, Linux, Windows.
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 Zed is typically brought in for.
What can Excalidraw do that Zed cannot?
Excalidraw covers Hand-drawn style diagrams, Infinite canvas, Shape libraries, Text support. Zed covers AI code completion, Lightning-fast performance, Rust-based architecture, Multi-language support. Both handle Real-time collaboration, GitHub, End-to-end encryption.

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
Zed: What platforms does Zed support?

Zed is available for macOS, Linux, and Windows, providing cross-platform support for developers.

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
Zed: Is Zed free to use?

Yes. Zed is open-source software available free to download and use. The editor and GPUI framework are available under open-source licenses (GPL for editor, Apache/MIT for GPUI).

Source
Zed: What makes Zed fast compared to other editors?

Zed is written in Rust and uses GPU-accelerated rendering to achieve startup times under 500ms and keystroke latency below 2ms.

Source
Zed: Does Zed support real-time collaboration?

Yes. Zed provides real-time collaborative editing and screen sharing capabilities, enabling multiple developers to work on the same code simultaneously.

Source
Zed: What AI models does Zed support?

Zed supports multiple AI models and agents for agentic editing, enabling human-AI collaboration during development.

Source
Zed: When was Zed 1.0 released?

Zed 1.0 was officially released on April 29, 2026, marking the stable production release.

Source
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