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Software · head to head

Sentry vs Excalidraw

Sentry logo

Sentry

Software

Application monitoring platform built by developers for developers

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Excalidraw logo

Excalidraw

Software

Virtual whiteboard for sketching hand-drawn like diagrams

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Sentry spending caps stop event ingestion when reached, eliminating visibility during critical moments; Excalidraw advanced features (unlimited private scenes/folders, cloud storage, access management, presentations, extended AI, team management) are gated behind Excalidraw+
  • They diverge on capability: Sentry covers Error tracking, Excalidraw covers Hand-drawn style diagrams.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Sentry and Excalidraw actually diverge.

Attributes where Sentry and Excalidraw differ
AttributeSentryExcalidraw
PlatformsWeb, iOS, Android, React Native, Desktop, 30+ frameworks and languagesWeb
Founded20112020

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 Sentry

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

Only in Excalidraw

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

Both cover

  • GitHub

What people use each for

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

Sentry

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

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

Where each one falls short

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

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

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

Pricing, plan by plan

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

Excalidraw

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

Which should you pick?

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

Choose Excalidraw if

  • You need hand-drawn style diagrams.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want real-time collaboration.
Excalidraw review

Questions people ask

Is Sentry or Excalidraw better?
Neither clearly leads. Sentry starts at Free and Excalidraw at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Sentry or Excalidraw?
Sentry starts at Free and Excalidraw at Free.
Does Sentry or Excalidraw run on more platforms?
Sentry runs on Web, iOS, Android, React Native, Desktop, 30+ frameworks and languages. Excalidraw runs on Web.
Can I use Sentry for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Sentry best used for?
Sentry is most often used for error monitoring, performance tracking, debug production issues, release management. Of those, error monitoring and performance tracking are not what Excalidraw is typically brought in for.
What can Sentry do that Excalidraw cannot?
Sentry covers Error tracking, Performance monitoring, Release tracking, Real user monitoring. Excalidraw covers Hand-drawn style diagrams, Real-time collaboration, Infinite canvas, Shape libraries. 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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