draw.io vs IcePanel (2026): which should you pick?

Pick draw.io if

• Fits if you want UML, ER or network diagrams without paying or signing up
• Makes sense if your data rules say files must stay in your own storage

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you want one hosted workspace for the team, as every diagram is just a file in your storage
• Watch out: live co-editing only works with files in Google Drive, OneDrive or Dropbox, or inside Confluence
• Not for you if you diagram on a phone, since no native mobile apps are listed
• Watch out: the Confluence and Jira apps are licensed separately through the Atlassian Marketplace, unlike the free editor

Pick IcePanel if

• Fits if your engineers document architecture in the C4 style
• Works for teams where product and engineering read the same diagrams

Look elsewhere if

• Pricey if you have several editors: $40 each a month, and $80 each on Scale
• Tight if you stay free: 1 editor and 100 model objects
• Skip it if you want a freeform whiteboard
• Watch out: the monthly-billing price couldn't be read, and Scale is listed for 20 or more editors

draw.io

• There is no hosted workspace or account: every diagram is a file kept in the storage you pick, so sharing depends on that storage.
• Real-time co-editing needs the file to be in Google Drive, OneDrive or Dropbox, or the diagram to be in draw.io for Confluence.
• No native mobile apps are listed; the docs suggest adding the web editor to a phone's home screen instead.
• Using draw.io inside Confluence or Jira needs the vendor's Atlassian Marketplace apps, which are licensed separately from the free editor.

IcePanel

• The free plan stops at 100 model objects and 1 editor.
• Pricing is per editor; the pricing page shows the annual-billing figure, and the monthly-billing price could not be read.
• Scale is listed for 20 or more editors and Enterprise for 50 or more.
• It is an architecture-modeling tool, not a freeform whiteboard.

draw.io

Shape libraries for technical diagrams

Libraries and templates cover process flows, org charts, floor plans, network infrastructure, UML, entity relationship models, circuit and rack diagrams, and infographics.

Storage you choose

Diagrams are saved to Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, GitHub, GitLab, the browser or the local device. The online editor does not store diagram data on the vendor's servers.

Offline desktop app and self-hosting

A stand-alone desktop app for Windows, macOS and Linux works with no internet connection, and the editor can be deployed in a self-hosted Docker container.

Co-editing with shared cursors

People editing the same diagram see each other's changes in real time when the file is stored in Google Drive, OneDrive or Dropbox, or in draw.io for Confluence.

Diagrams generated from text

The editor builds diagrams from Mermaid code, CSV spreadsheet data or SQL code, and an AI tool can generate a diagram from a written description.

Import, export and embedding

Files from other diagramming tools can be dropped in and edited, and diagrams export to SVG, PNG or PDF or embed as interactive viewers in docs, wikis and web pages.

IcePanel

Shared architecture model

Systems, domains and connections are modeled once and reused across diagrams, so a change in the model shows up everywhere.

C4 model diagrams

The product is built around the C4 model for zooming from system context down to components.

Flows

Step-by-step flows between objects show how requests move through a system; the free plan allows 1 flow per diagram.

Draft future designs

Growth and above can draft future-state designs next to the current model, and record decision records.

API and webhooks

Growth has basic API usage; Scale adds advanced API usage and webhooks for syncing the model with other systems.

Sharing and access

Viewers are unlimited on every plan, and Growth adds protected share links and one SSO domain.

draw.io

• Free$0

  The full editor online at app.diagrams.net, as a desktop app for Windows, macOS and Linux, or self-hosted in a container. No sign-up is needed.

IcePanel

• Free$0

  1 editor, unlimited viewers and diagrams, up to 100 model objects, 2 tag groups and 1 flow per diagram.

• Growth$40

  per editor / month, billed annually

  Unlimited objects, overlays and flows, domains, draft future designs, basic API, decision records and 1 SSO domain.

• Scale$80

  per editor / month, billed annually

  For 20 or more editors: audit logs, advanced API, webhooks, priority support and unlimited SSO domains.

• EnterpriseCustom

  For 50 or more editors: single-tenant environment, custom data residency, customer encryption keys and a custom domain.

draw.io

• Nonprofit

  Free Confluence and Jira Cloud license for charities

  draw.io's licensing docs say charitable organizations and partners are eligible for a free license for its Confluence or Jira Cloud apps.

IcePanel

No public discounts listed.