Technology · head to head
Whimsical vs Apache Spark
A
Apache Spark
Technology
A multi-language engine for data engineering, data science, and machine learning
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Whimsical the free plan is capped at 3 team boards, 3 teams and 10 guest seats; Apache Spark licensed under Apache License 2.0 per spark.apache.org; as open source software it has no paid tier or vendor price to compare
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Whimsical and Apache Spark actually diverge.
| Attribute | Whimsical | Apache Spark |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | subscription | open-source |
| Founded | 2017 | Unknown |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), platforms (Web), 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 Whimsical
- Flowcharts
- Wireframes
- Mind maps
- Sticky notes
- Docs
- Real-time collaboration
- Templates
- Keyboard shortcuts
Only in Apache Spark
Nothing recorded that Whimsical does not also cover.
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Whimsical
- Product planningnot Apache Spark
- UI/UX designnot Apache Spark
- Brainstormingnot Apache Spark
- Process documentationnot Apache Spark
- Project visualizationnot Apache Spark
Apache Spark
No use cases recorded yet. See the Apache Spark review.
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
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
Apache Spark
- Licensed under Apache License 2.0 per spark.apache.org; as open source software it has no paid tier or vendor price to compare
- Installation on a laptop requires pip install pyspark or a Docker image per spark.apache.org; there is no hosted single-click deployment offered by the Apache project itself
Pricing, plan by plan
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
Apache Spark
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the Apache Spark review.
Which should you pick?
Choose Whimsical if
- You need flowcharts.
- You want to start without paying.
- You also want wireframes.
Questions people ask
- Is Whimsical or Apache Spark better?
- Neither clearly leads. Whimsical starts at Free and Apache Spark at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Whimsical or Apache Spark?
- Whimsical starts at Free and Apache Spark at Free.
- Does Whimsical or Apache Spark run on more platforms?
- Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
- Can I use Whimsical for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Whimsical best used for?
- Whimsical is most often used for product planning, ui/ux design, brainstorming, process documentation. Of those, product planning and ui/ux design are not what Apache Spark is typically brought in for.
- What can Whimsical do that Apache Spark cannot?
- Whimsical covers Flowcharts, Wireframes, Mind maps, Sticky notes.