Eraser vs Excalidraw Plus (2026): which should you pick?

Pick Eraser if

• Fits if you're an engineer who'd rather type a diagram than drag boxes around
• Works for teams whose diagrams have to follow the code, since it reads a connected Git repo

Look elsewhere if

• Pricey if you just want a team whiteboard, at $45 a member a month billed annually or $60 monthly
• Tight if you're staying free, with 3 files, 3 AI credits, 7 days of history, no private files and no GitHub integration
• Watch out: AI past your monthly credits is $60 per 100, and API calls are billed on top of the plan
• Skip it if you need SAML SSO for a small team, as it's on Business Plus, $42 a member a month and sold from 10 seats
• Not for you if you want a desktop or phone app, as Eraser only runs in a browser

Pick Excalidraw Plus if

• Fits if you already use the free Excalidraw and want scenes saved and shared
• Works for teams that want comments and presentations on a simple canvas

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you want a free plan for Plus, as there is only a 14-day trial
• Watch out: payment is by credit card only, and bank transfer is not supported
• Watch out: workspace libraries and library search are marked coming soon
• Watch out: the MCP server and REST API are in public beta

Eraser

• The Free plan stops at 3 files and 3 AI credits, keeps 7 days of version history and has no private files or GitHub integration.
• AI use beyond a plan's monthly credits costs $60 per 100 credits, and only on paid plans with usage-based pricing switched on.
• API calls are billed by usage on top of a paid plan: $80 per 100 prompt-to-diagram calls and $20 per 100 code-to-diagram calls.
• The vendor's site lists no desktop or mobile app; Eraser runs in a browser, and SAML SSO needs Business Plus, sold from 10 seats.

Excalidraw Plus

• Plus has no free plan; the free Excalidraw editor is a separate product with local, browser-based storage.
• Payment is by credit card only; the pricing FAQ says bank transfer is not supported.
• Workspace libraries and library search are marked as coming soon.
• The MCP server and REST API are in public beta.

Eraser

AI diagram generation

A prompt, an image or a file such as Terraform or a database schema is turned into an editable diagram, which can then be refined through AI chat or by hand in the visual editor.

Diagram-as-code

Architecture, sequence, flowchart, ERD and BPMN diagrams each have a text syntax, so a diagram can be read, compared and edited as code. It is included on every plan.

Canvas with Markdown notes

A file holds one infinite canvas and a note editor with Markdown support. Figures from the canvas can be embedded in the document, and files export to PDF, PNG, SVG or Markdown.

Codebase diagrams and Eraserbot

Diagrams can be generated from a connected Git repository. Eraserbot watches chosen files and comments on pull requests with updated diagrams when they change.

REST API and MCP server

The API renders a diagram from a prompt or from Eraser's diagram code. The MCP server lets Claude, Cursor or ChatGPT create, search, update and export diagrams.

Real-time collaboration and guests

Members edit together in real time and leave comments and mentions. Guests are free on every plan and can edit or comment only on files they are invited to.

Excalidraw Plus

Cloud scenes and folders

Scenes are saved to the vendor's cloud with no limit on their number and can be organized into folders and collections.

Access management

Share with edit or view rights, send read-only links and embeds, and manage team members in a workspace.

Presentations and export

Frames can be shown as slides, including live presentations, and exported to PDF and PPTX.

Voice hangouts and comments

Collaborators can talk and share screens on the canvas and leave comments on a scene.

AI requests

Text to diagram and wireframe to code run at 100 requests a day on Plus, or with your own API key.

MCP and REST API

A public beta MCP server lets an AI agent draw into a workspace, and a REST API is also in public beta.

Eraser

• Free$0

  3 files, 3 AI credits and 7-day version history, with unlimited guests, diagram-as-code and Markdown notes.

• Business$45

  per member / month, billed annually ($60 billed monthly)

  Unlimited files, 100 AI credits a month, unlimited version history, private files, 100 custom icons, 1 Git repo and 1 data source.

• Business Plus$42

  per member / month, billed annually, minimum 10 seats

  Everything in Business, plus 250 AI credits a month, 3 Git repos and 3 data sources, SAML SSO and unlimited custom icons. Sold from 10 seats.

• EnterpriseCustom

  Unlimited AI credits, Git repos and data sources, custom hosting, SCIM, SIEM logging, a customer success manager and payment by ACH or wire.

Excalidraw Plus

• Plus$6

  per user / month, billed annually ($7 billed monthly)

  Unlimited scenes and folders saved to the cloud, sharing with edit or view rights, comments, 100 AI requests a day.

Eraser

• Annual discount

  25% less with annual billing

  Business is $45 per member a month billed annually against $60 billed monthly, 25% cheaper. Business Plus is sold on annual billing only.

• Education

  Education discount on request

  Eraser's docs say discounts are available to education users, who request one by filling out a form. The size of the discount is not published.

• Nonprofit

  Nonprofit discount on request

  Non-profit users can request a discount through the same form linked from the pricing page FAQ and the docs. The size of the discount is not published.

Excalidraw Plus

• Annual discount

  Save 14% with annual billing

  The pricing page lists $6 per user a month billed annually against $7 billed monthly, and labels the annual option as a 14% saving.