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Software · head to head

Netlify vs Whimsical

Netlify logo

Netlify

Software

The fastest way to build the fastest sites

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Whimsical logo

Whimsical

Software

Where great ideas take shape

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Netlify the free tier is an individual account with 300 credits; team members require the Pro plan at $20 a month; Whimsical the free plan is capped at 3 team boards, 3 teams and 10 guest seats
  • They diverge on capability: Netlify covers Continuous deployment, Whimsical covers Flowcharts.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Netlify and Whimsical actually diverge.

Attributes where Netlify and Whimsical differ
AttributeNetlifyWhimsical
Pricing modelfreemiumsubscription
Founded20142017

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), platforms (Web), 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 Netlify

  • Continuous deployment
  • Instant rollbacks
  • Deploy previews
  • Split testing
  • Forms handling
  • Identity/Auth
  • Serverless functions
  • Edge handlers

Only in Whimsical

  • Flowcharts
  • Wireframes
  • Mind maps
  • Sticky notes
  • Docs
  • Real-time collaboration
  • Templates
  • Keyboard shortcuts

Both cover

  • GitHub
  • SSL

What people use each for

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

Netlify

  • Hosting static sites and frontend frameworks with global CDN deliverynot Whimsical
  • Deploy previews on every pull requestnot Whimsical
  • Serverless functions alongside a static sitenot Whimsical
  • Netlify Database and Blob storage for small application statenot Whimsical

Whimsical

  • Product planningnot Netlify
  • UI/UX designnot Netlify
  • Brainstormingnot Netlify
  • Process documentationnot Netlify
  • Project visualizationnot Netlify

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Netlify

  • The free tier is an individual account with 300 credits; team members require the Pro plan at $20 a month
  • Everything is metered in credits, so bandwidth at 20 credits per GB and production deploys at 15 credits each consume the allowance in ways a bandwidth figure alone would not show
  • Compute is billed at 10 credits per GB-hour, so server-rendered work costs more than static hosting
  • Running past the allowance means buying credit packs, at $5 for 500 on Personal and $10 for 1,500 on Pro
  • AI inference is priced by model rather than at a flat credit rate

Whimsical

  • The free plan is capped at 3 team boards, 3 teams and 10 guest seats
  • File uploads are limited to 5MB per file and 1GB in total on the free plan
  • Version history on the free plan goes back 7 days
  • Voting, the timer, private teams, the GitHub integration, password-protected files and watermark removal all need Pro at $10 per editor per month
  • SSO and SAML are Business tier only at $20 per editor per month

Pricing, plan by plan

Netlify

Free
  • StarterFree
    • 100GB bandwidth
    • 300 build minutes
    • 1 concurrent build
  • Pro$19/month
    • 400GB bandwidth
    • 25,000 build minutes
    • 3 concurrent builds
  • Business$99/month
    • 600GB bandwidth
    • 35,000 build minutes
    • 5 concurrent builds
  • Enterprise$undefined/month
    • Custom bandwidth
    • Custom build minutes
    • Unlimited concurrent builds

Whimsical

Free
  • StarterFree
    • Up to 4 boards
    • Unlimited viewers
    • 7-day version history
  • Pro$10/month
    • Unlimited boards
    • Unlimited version history
    • Advanced permissions
  • Org$20/month
    • Everything in Pro
    • SSO
    • User management

Which should you pick?

Choose Netlify if

  • You need continuous deployment.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want instant rollbacks.
Netlify review

Choose Whimsical if

  • You need flowcharts.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want wireframes.
Whimsical review

Questions people ask

Is Netlify or Whimsical better?
Neither clearly leads. Netlify starts at Free and Whimsical at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Netlify or Whimsical?
Netlify starts at Free and Whimsical at Free.
Does Netlify or Whimsical run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Netlify for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Netlify best used for?
Netlify is most often used for hosting static sites and frontend frameworks with global cdn delivery, deploy previews on every pull request, serverless functions alongside a static site, netlify database and blob storage for small application state. Of those, hosting static sites and frontend frameworks with global cdn delivery and deploy previews on every pull request are not what Whimsical is typically brought in for.
What can Netlify do that Whimsical cannot?
Netlify covers Continuous deployment, Instant rollbacks, Deploy previews, Split testing. Whimsical covers Flowcharts, Wireframes, Mind maps, Sticky notes. Both handle GitHub, SSL.
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