Lucidspark vs Whimsical
We give Lucidspark a 3.4 GPA and Whimsical a 3.2, out of 4.0. Lucidspark grades higher on platforms. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan, features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Lucidspark
Virtual whiteboard for team brainstorming and workshops
Whimsical
Whiteboard for flowcharts, wireframes, mind maps and docs
How we grade them
| 3.4GPALucidsparkVery good | 3.2GPAWhimsicalVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BIndividual is $9 a month billed annually and Team is $10 a user, about typical for a whiteboard. Mind which one you pick: voting, the timer, guests and revision history start at Team. The pricing page shows annual rates only, with no monthly price. | BPro is $10 an editor a month billed annually, or $12 monthly, the dear end of typical here. Only editors are billed, which helps if most of your team just looks. AI is extra: you get 10 one-off credits, then bundles start at 250 credits for $25. SSO needs Business at $20. |
| Free plan and trial | BThe Free plan has unlimited shapes per board, freehand drawing, commenting, presentation mode and Lucid AI. But you only get 3 editable boards. The 7-day trial of the paid plans asks for payment details at sign-up. | BFree has unlimited boards, docs, teams and guests, with voting and a timer. But you can only add 50 new board objects and 50 doc blocks a month, exports carry a watermark, and version history is 7 days. That's a few diagrams, not a workspace. |
| Features | ASticky notes, shapes, freehand drawing and mind maps on an infinite canvas, with Gather and Sort to tidy up after a brainstorm. Visual Activities collect a group's input, and AI sorts notes into themes and sums up a session. Team adds voting, a timer and facilitator controls. The whole whiteboard job. | AOne board type does flowcharts, mind maps, sequence diagrams, sticky notes and freehand sketches, with voting and a timer. Wireframes go together from drag-and-drop components, and docs sit beside boards for specs. AI drafts a flowchart, mind map or wireframe from a prompt. The whole job, with depth. |
| Ease of use | BWe have no App Store rating on record for it, so a B is as high as this goes. The template gallery covers retros, sprint planning and roadmaps, and a mind map drops onto any board in a few clicks. | BNo App Store rating on record, so a B is as high as this goes. One board type covers every kind of diagram, and wireframes are built from drag-and-drop components, so there's not much to learn. |
| Platforms and integrations | AWeb, iOS and Android, with Slack, Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Google Meet and Confluence hooked in, and a developer platform from Team up. One catch: the iOS app needs a Team or Enterprise subscription. | BWeb, Mac, Windows and Linux. Boards embed live in Notion and Obsidian and preview in Slack, Jira and Google Docs. There's no dedicated mobile app, though. On a phone you can only view and comment in a browser. |
| Best for | team brainstorms and workshops on a shared board | product teams sketching flows and wireframes |
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: Lucidspark and Whimsical. How we grade
Where they differ
- Lucidspark starts at $9 per month, billed annually. Whimsical starts at $10 per editor / month, billed annually ($120 a year).
- Only Lucidspark lists iOS and Android apps.
- Only Whimsical lists macOS, Windows and Linux apps.
- Whimsical also covers documents and diagrams.
At a glance
| Lucidspark | Whimsical | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $9 per month, billed annually | $10 per editor / month, billed annually ($120 a year) |
| Free plan | 3 editable Lucidspark boards with unlimited shapes per board, freehand drawing, emoji reactions, commenting, basic Visual Activities, presentation mode and Lucid AI. | Unlimited boards, docs, teams and guests, with a monthly allowance of 50 board objects and 50 doc blocks, watermarked exports, 7-day version history and 10 one-off AI credits. |
| Free trial | 7-day free trial of Individual or Team; payment details are required at sign-up | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Lucid Software Inc. | Whimsical, Inc. |
| Price read from | lucid.app | whimsical.com |
| Checked | Oct 6, 2026 | Oct 5, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Lucidspark
- Remote and hybrid teams running brainstorms and workshops
- Agile teams holding standups, sprint planning and retrospectives
- Organizations that already use Lucidchart for diagrams
- Teachers and students, who get a free upgrade with a school email
Whimsical
- Product teams sketching flows, wireframes and specs in one place
- Teams with many occasional viewers, since only editors are billed
- Linux users: the desktop app ships as DEB and RPM packages
- Students and teachers, who can apply for a free year
Worth knowing
Lucidspark
- The Free plan is limited to 3 editable boards.
- The iOS app requires a Team or Enterprise subscription; Free and Individual accounts are pointed to the browser version instead.
- Voting, timers, guest collaborators and revision history start at Team; breakout boards, SAML and the Jira and Azure DevOps integrations are Enterprise only.
- The pricing page shows only annual-billing rates. Its FAQ says monthly billing is available but gives no monthly price.
Whimsical
- The Free plan allows 50 new board objects and 50 doc blocks a month and puts a watermark on exports.
- There is no dedicated mobile app: on a phone, files can be viewed and commented on in a browser, and iPad use is browser-based.
- AI credits are a one-off 10 per account on every plan; more are sold in bundles starting at 250 credits for $25.
- Private teams, SAML single sign-on and SCIM are limited to Business, at $20 per editor / month billed annually.
Key features
Lucidspark
- Infinite canvas
- Boards hold sticky notes, shapes, freehand drawing, images and comments, with Gather and Sort tools to group notes after a brainstorm.
- Visual Activities
- Interactive exercises collect input from a group and turn it into results the team can act on. Basic activities are free; premium ones need a paid plan.
- Facilitation tools
- Team plans add voting, a timer, a laser pointer, facilitator controls and the option to call everyone to one spot. Breakout boards are Enterprise only.
- Lucid AI
- AI generates ideas, sorts notes into themes and summarizes a session. It is listed on every plan, with a note that it may move to a paid model later.
- Lucid Cards and Dynamic Table
- Lucid Cards work with task tools such as Jira and Azure DevOps to turn ideas into next steps, and Dynamic Table organizes ideas for visual planning.
- Mind maps and templates
- A mind map can be added to any board in a few clicks, and the template gallery covers retrospectives, sprint planning, roadmaps, SWOT analysis and more.
Whimsical
- Boards on an infinite canvas
- One board type covers flowcharts, mind maps, sequence diagrams, sticky notes and freehand sketches. Voting and a timer are included on every plan.
- Wireframes
- Wireframes are assembled from drag-and-drop components, as a quick way to explore product ideas and iterate on them.
- Whimsical AI
- A prompt generates a flowchart, a branched mind map or an editable wireframe. Each account gets 10 one-off AI credits; more are sold separately at $0.10 each.
- Docs
- Docs hold notes, project plans, briefs and specs next to the boards they describe, with Markdown support, toggles and embedded content.
- Multiplayer editing and comments
- Several people can edit a file at once and leave comments on it. Share links can grant view, comment or edit access on every plan.
- Embeds and AI tool connectors
- Boards embed live in Notion and Obsidian and preview in Slack, Jira and Google Docs. An MCP server and connectors let ChatGPT, Claude and Cursor create diagrams.
Plans
Lucidspark
Free$0
3 editable boards, unlimited shapes per board, freehand drawing, commenting, basic Visual Activities and Lucid AI.
Individual$9
per month, billed annually
Unlimited editable boards, premium Visual Activities and 1 GB of storage.
Team$10
per user / month, billed annually
Adds voting, timer, facilitator tools, guest collaborators, revision history with versioning and the developer platform.
EnterpriseCustom
Adds Lucidchart, breakout boards, team hubs, SAML authentication, sharing restrictions, and Jira, Smartsheet and Azure DevOps integrations.
Whimsical
Free$0
50 new board objects and 50 doc blocks a month, 5 MB uploads within 1 GB of storage, watermarked exports and 7-day version history.
Pro$10
per editor / month, billed annually ($12 billed monthly)
Unlimited board objects and doc blocks, exports without a watermark, 90-day version history, password-protected files and 100 GB of storage.
Business$20
per editor / month, billed annually ($24 billed monthly)
Private teams, SAML single sign-on, SCIM, content security lock, unlimited version history, invoicing, priority support and storage from 2 TB.
Ways to pay less
Lucidspark
- Annual discount
Lower price with annual billing
Lucid's pricing FAQ says paid plans can be paid monthly or, at a saving, annually. The listed rates are the annual ones and the page does not state the size of the saving.
- Education
Free upgrade for students and educators
Accounts registered with a valid educational email address are upgraded automatically at no charge. Schools can also request a quote for Education Premium.
Whimsical
- Annual discount
2 months free with annual billing
Pro is $120 per editor billed annually against $12 a month, and Business is $240 against $24. The pricing page shows this as a 17% saving.
- Education
Free for a year for students and teachers
Teachers and students can apply for the education plan, which provides the same features as Pro free of charge for a year.
- Nonprofit
20% off for nonprofits
Whimsical offers a 20% discount to non-profit organizations that apply through its form.
- Other savings
Free for life for YouTube creators
Creators with a public YouTube channel of at least 1,000 subscribers and a video published in the past 30 days can apply for a plan that is free for life.
