Microsoft Whiteboard vs OpenBoard (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Microsoft Whiteboard grades higher than OpenBoard: 3.4 against 3.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Microsoft Whiteboard 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.
Microsoft Whiteboard
Free collaborative canvas built into Microsoft 365 and Teams
OpenBoard
Free open-source interactive whiteboard software for classrooms
Which one is for you
Pick Microsoft Whiteboard if
- Fits if your meetings are in Teams and you want everyone drawing on one board
- Works for pen users on a Surface Hub or an iPad
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if your team isn't on Microsoft 365, because a personal account loses cursors and the recycle bin
- Not for you if you want a desktop app on a Mac or Linux, as Microsoft lists neither
- Too light for detailed diagrams and big workshops, with no voting, no timer and image-only export
- Watch out: at work an admin can switch it off, and Copilot features need a separate license
Pick OpenBoard if
- Fits if you teach with an interactive whiteboard or a pen tablet and want free software
- Works for a school that wants open-source tools
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want live online collaboration, as none is listed
- Skip it if you want a web or phone version, since only Windows, macOS and Linux are listed
- Not for you if you need paid support, as none is offered
- Watch out: it is community maintained, by the Geneva education department
- Watch out: it is aimed at classrooms, not at office whiteboarding
How we grade them
| 3.4GPAMicrosoft WhiteboardVery good | 3.0GPAOpenBoardVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AFree, where the rest of this category wants about $8.33 a month. There's nothing to buy with a personal Microsoft account, and at work or school it arrives with your organization's Microsoft 365 tenant. It isn't sold on its own at any price. | AFree to download and use under the GPLv3 licence, with no registration. |
| Free plan and trial | AThe web, Windows, iPhone and Android apps are all free with a Microsoft account, and so are the 60-plus templates, with no cap on boards to walk into. Copilot is the one thing that costs extra, needing its own license. | AFree outright, with no cap a normal person would reach. |
| Features | CThe basics of a board: pens, a highlighter, sticky notes, shapes, 60-odd templates and Loop components that stay in sync elsewhere. The listing's gaps are plain, though. Personal-account boards lose collaborative cursors, the laser pointer and the recycle bin, export is an image, and there's no voting or timer. | CHandwriting, annotation and classroom hardware support. It covers the classroom job fully, which is a smaller job than a shared whiteboard, and the site lists no online collaboration. |
| Ease of use | B4.6 from 12,309 App Store ratings. It takes a mouse, a finger or a pen, there are templates to start from, and in Teams it's one click to put a board in front of the whole meeting. | BNo store rating on record, but you install it and start writing with nothing to set up. |
| Platforms and integrations | ABrowser, Windows, iPhone, iPad, Android and Surface Hub, tied into Teams, Loop, OneNote and OneDrive. The hole is Apple and Linux desktops: Microsoft lists no Mac app, so there it runs in a browser or inside Teams. | CWindows, macOS and Linux programs only. No web, iOS or Android version is listed. |
| Best for | sketching together in a Teams meeting | a free classroom whiteboard on your own computer |
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: Microsoft Whiteboard and OpenBoard. How we grade
Price against what you get
Microsoft Whiteboard has no paid plan and scores 3.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. OpenBoard has no paid plan and scores 2.3.
Microsoft Whiteboard scores higher for the same starting price. Of the other whiteboard and mind map tools on the chart, none scores higher than Microsoft Whiteboard for less, and none scores higher than OpenBoard 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
- OpenBoard is open source, according to its own site.
- Microsoft Whiteboard also covers templates.
At a glance
| Microsoft Whiteboard | OpenBoard | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| Starts at | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Free with a personal Microsoft account or a Microsoft 365 work or school account. Boards made with a personal account lack collaborative cursors, the laser pointer and a recycle bin. | Free and open source under the GPLv3 license, with no registration needed. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Microsoft Corporation | OpenBoard |
| Price read from | microsoft.com | openboard.ch |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Microsoft Whiteboard
- Microsoft lists apps for Windows, iOS, Android and Surface Hub but none for Mac or Linux, where Whiteboard runs in a browser or in Teams.
- Boards made with a personal account are stored in Azure and lack collaborative cursors, the laser pointer, the roster, a recycle bin and retention policies.
- Whiteboard is not sold on its own: work and school use depends on the organization's Microsoft 365 tenant, where an admin can turn it off.
- Copilot features need a separate Microsoft Copilot license.
OpenBoard
- Desktop only: the site lists Windows, macOS and Linux and no web, iOS or Android version.
- Built around classroom teaching; there is no real-time online collaboration listed on the site.
- Community-maintained with no paid support plan listed.
Key features
Microsoft Whiteboard
- Infinite canvas with ink and sticky notes
- Pens, a highlighter, an eraser and a lasso sit alongside sticky notes, text, images and shapes, and the canvas works with a mouse, a touchscreen or a pen.
- Whiteboard in Microsoft Teams
- A board can be shared in a Teams meeting, chat or channel and stays available afterwards. The meeting organizer can put other participants in read-only mode.
- Templates
- More than 60 free templates give a starting structure for exercises such as brainstorming, sprint planning and project development.
- Loop components
- Microsoft Loop components can be placed on a board and stay in sync with the same component in chats, meetings, emails and documents.
- Copilot in Whiteboard
- Copilot suggests ideas as sticky notes, sorts notes into categories and summarizes a board. It requires a Microsoft Copilot license.
- Automatic saving and share links
- Boards save to the Microsoft cloud automatically, a share link invites others to collaborate, and a board can be exported as an image or sent to a OneNote class notebook.
OpenBoard
- Works with classroom hardware
- Can be used with an interactive whiteboard, in a dual-screen setup with a pen-tablet display and projector, or on a computer alone.
- Handwriting and annotation
- Teachers can write and annotate a course with a pen tablet, an interactive whiteboard or a mouse.
- Windows, macOS and Linux
- The project lists all three desktop systems as supported.
- Community maintained
- Code is on GitHub; the site says the Education Department of the canton of Geneva currently maintains it.
Plans
Microsoft Whiteboard
Free$0
The web, Windows, iOS and Android apps with a free Microsoft account. Work and school access comes with an organization's Microsoft 365 tenant, not as a separate purchase.
OpenBoard
Free$0
The full software, free to download and use under GPLv3.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Microsoft Whiteboard or OpenBoard?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Microsoft Whiteboard and OpenBoard are free to use.
Which has a free plan, Microsoft Whiteboard or OpenBoard?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Microsoft Whiteboard and OpenBoard have a free plan.
Which platforms do Microsoft Whiteboard and OpenBoard run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Microsoft Whiteboard lists a web app and iOS and Android apps and only OpenBoard lists macOS and Linux apps. Both list a Windows app. 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.