Excalidraw vs Pencil Project (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Pencil Project grades higher than Excalidraw: 3.0 against 2.6 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Excalidraw grades higher on platforms. Pencil Project grades higher on value for money and the free plan. They get the same grade on features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Excalidraw
Open-source whiteboard for hand-drawn style sketches and diagrams
Pencil Project
Free open-source desktop tool for GUI mockups and diagrams
Which one is for you
Pick Excalidraw if
- Fits if you want to sketch an idea in a meeting without anyone signing up
- Works for developers who want an open-source editor to embed or self-host
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you're staying free and keep many boards, with 1 scene and no cloud saving
- Skip it if you want comments, view-only sharing or presentations for free, as those need Excalidraw+
- Not for you if you want a desktop or phone app, as it only runs in a browser
- Watch out: Excalidraw+ bills every seat in every workspace, takes credit cards only and won't refund
Pick Pencil Project if
- Fits if you sketch app or website mockups offline
- Works for people who want a free desktop alternative to subscription whiteboards
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you need real-time collaboration, because it's single-user
- Not for you if you want a web or phone version, as none is listed
- Too light for an infinite freehand whiteboard: it's for mockups and diagrams
- Watch out: it's offered as standalone packages, so sharing means exporting files
How we grade them
| 2.6GPAExcalidrawGood | 3.0GPAPencil ProjectVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CExcalidraw+ is $6 a user a month billed annually, or $7 monthly, which sits in the middle of this category rather than under it. It bills every seat in every workspace, takes credit cards only, and its terms make charges non-refundable. Students and teachers pay $4. | AFree to download and use, and open source. The category's middle for paid plans is $8. |
| Free plan and trial | BThe full editor is free with no account at all: every drawing tool, unlimited collaborators by link, libraries and PNG or SVG export. The cap is 1 scene and no cloud saving, so you keep your boards as files. | AFree outright with no account or cap; the project accepts voluntary support. |
| Features | CIt does sketchy diagrams completely, and that's a smaller job than this category's: an infinite canvas, deliberately elementary drawing tools, ready-made libraries, live link sessions and AI that turns a prompt into a diagram. Cloud scenes, comments, access control, presentations and voice all need Plus. | CShape collections, connectors, page links and export to PNG, PDF and SVG. It does the mockup job fully, but it's a smaller job, and it has no collaboration. |
| Ease of use | BNo rating on record, but there is nothing to set up: open excalidraw.com and draw, no account, no plan, no template to pick. Guests join from a link, and the toolset is kept small on purpose. | BNo store rating on record, but you install it and start drawing with nothing to set up. |
| Platforms and integrations | BA web app, with no desktop or mobile apps on the vendor's pages. Being open source it can be embedded or self-hosted, it shows up in Notion and Obsidian, and Plus runs an MCP server so AI agents can draw into a workspace. | CPrograms for Mac, Windows and Linux only. No web, iPhone or Android version, and OpenClipart is the one connection named. |
| Best for | quick hand-drawn sketches and diagrams | free offline mockups and diagrams on a desktop |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Excalidraw and Pencil Project. How we grade
Price against what you get
Excalidraw starts at $6 a month for each person and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Pencil Project has no paid plan and scores 2.3.
Excalidraw scores higher, and starts $6 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other whiteboard and mind map tools on the chart, 5 score higher than Excalidraw for less, and none scores higher than Pencil Project for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Excalidraw is self-hostable and end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
- Excalidraw also covers whiteboard.
- Pencil Project also covers templates.
At a glance
| Excalidraw | Pencil Project | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free |
| Starts at | $6 per user / month, billed annually | Free |
| Free plan | Free editor: full drawing tools on 1 infinite scene, unlimited collaborators, export to PNG, SVG or a file, libraries and limited generative AI. No account and no cloud saving. | Free to download and use; the project accepts voluntary support. |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial of Excalidraw+ | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| Made by | Excalidraw | Evolus |
| Price read from | plus.excalidraw.com | pencil.evolus.vn |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Excalidraw
- The free editor has 1 scene and no accounts or cloud saving; anything else has to be exported or saved to a file.
- Unlimited scenes, comments, access management, presentations and voice hangouts all need Excalidraw+.
- The vendor's pages list no desktop or mobile apps; Excalidraw runs in a web browser.
- Excalidraw+ bills every seat in every workspace, accepts credit cards only, and its terms make charges non-refundable.
Pencil Project
- It is a single-user desktop app; the pages read describe no real-time collaboration or hosted version.
- It is a mockup and diagram tool, not an infinite freehand whiteboard.
- The Linux, macOS and Windows builds are standalone packages; no web, iOS or Android version is listed.
Key features
Excalidraw
- Hand-drawn style canvas
- An infinite canvas with elementary drawing tools and a sketched, hand-drawn look. Keyboard shortcuts and a command palette speed up drawing.
- Collaboration by link
- Sharing a link starts a live session that anyone can join without an account. Excalidraw+ adds read-only links, edit or view rights, comments and embeds.
- Libraries
- Public libraries supply ready-made sketches to drop into a scene. A personal library is kept in the browser on the free editor and on the server with Excalidraw+.
- Generative AI
- Text to diagram builds and edits diagrams from a prompt, and wireframe to code turns a sketch into an interactive mockup. AI use is limited on Free and extended on Plus.
- Excalidraw+ workspace
- Scenes sync to the cloud and are organized into collections, with user accounts, team management and access control. An MCP server lets AI agents draw into a workspace.
- Presentations and voice
- With Plus, frames become slides for live presentations, scenes export to PDF and PPTX, and collaborators can talk over voice hangouts with screen sharing.
Pencil Project
- GUI prototyping shapes
- Built-in collections cover general shapes, flowchart elements, desktop and web UI parts, and Android and iOS interface elements.
- Diagrams with connectors
- Connectors wire shapes together, and the flowchart shape collection supports basic diagram drawing.
- Inter-page linking
- Elements can link to another page in the same document, which helps define the flow of an app or website mockup.
- Export formats
- Documents export as PNG files, a web page, OpenOffice or LibreOffice text documents, Inkscape SVG and PDF.
- AI assistants through MCP
- Since version 4.0.0 a built-in Model Context Protocol server lets AI assistants insert and edit shapes in open documents.
Plans
Excalidraw
Free$0
Full editor with 1 infinite scene, unlimited collaborators by link, PNG and SVG export, libraries, and end-to-end encryption in the browser.
Plus$6
per user / month, billed annually ($7 billed monthly)
Unlimited scenes and folders saved to the cloud, edit or view-only sharing, comments, team management, presentations, voice hangouts and extended AI.
Pencil Project
Free$0
The full application is free and open source, with no paid plans listed.
Ways to pay less
Excalidraw
- Annual discount
Save 14% with annual billing
Excalidraw+ is $6 per user a month when billed annually and $7 when billed monthly. The pricing page states the annual saving as 14%.
- Education
Excalidraw+ for $4 a month with a school email
Students and teachers with an educational email address can get Excalidraw+ for $4 monthly or $36 yearly, shown at checkout or after verification.
Pencil Project
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Excalidraw or Pencil Project?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Pencil Project is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $6 a month for each person for Excalidraw. Excalidraw starts at $6 per user / month, billed annually, and Pencil Project is free.
Which has a free plan, Excalidraw or Pencil Project?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Excalidraw and Pencil Project have a free plan.
Which platforms do Excalidraw and Pencil Project run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Excalidraw lists a web app and only Pencil Project lists macOS, Windows and Linux apps. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.