Microsoft Whiteboard vs SMART Notebook (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Microsoft Whiteboard grades higher than SMART Notebook: 3.4 against 1.8 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 value for money, the free plan, ease of use and platforms. They get the same grade on features.
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
SMART Notebook
Lesson-building software for SMART Board classroom displays
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 SMART Notebook if
- Fits if your classroom already has a SMART Board
- Works for teachers moving PDF and PowerPoint lessons onto an interactive board
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you don't own a SMART Board, as the pages frame it as free with one
- Not for you if you want a web or tablet version, since only Windows and macOS are named
- Too light for live work on student devices, which is the separate Lumio product
- Watch out: no price is given for the software on its own
How we grade them
| 3.4GPAMicrosoft WhiteboardVery good | 1.8GPASMART NotebookWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | CThe vendor says it's free with a SMART Board and needs no subscription, but gives no price for the software alone. The board is the real cost. |
| 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. | DNo standalone free plan or trial is stated. The software is free only as part of a SMART Board purchase. |
| 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. | CLesson building, PDF and PowerPoint import and a document camera link. Student-device collaboration is a separate product, Lumio. |
| 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. | CNo store rating on record, and it's lesson-building software tied to a board, which takes some getting used to. |
| 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 and macOS desktop only. No web or tablet version is listed. |
| Best for | sketching together in a Teams meeting | lessons on a SMART Board |
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 SMART Notebook. 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. SMART Notebook has no paid plan and scores 2.0.
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 SMART Notebook 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
- Microsoft Whiteboard also covers templates.
- SMART Notebook also covers presentations.
At a glance
| Microsoft Whiteboard | SMART Notebook | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | Described by the vendor as free with a SMART Board, with no subscription required. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Microsoft Corporation | SMART Technologies |
| Price read from | microsoft.com | smarttech.com |
| 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.
SMART Notebook
- The vendor frames it as free with a SMART Board; the pages read do not give a price for the software on its own.
- Desktop only: Windows and macOS are the platforms named, with no web or tablet version listed.
- Collaboration across student devices is a separate product, Lumio.
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.
SMART Notebook
- Lesson creation
- Teachers build and deliver lessons on a SMART Board from desktop software.
- Object awareness
- The software is designed so a teacher can pick up a pen or eraser and start writing without changing a tool on screen.
- Content import
- PDF and PPT files and other curriculum content can be imported into lessons.
- Document camera link
- A SMART Document Camera can be connected to bring physical material into a lesson.
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.
SMART Notebook
With a SMART Board$0
Free with the purchase of a SMART Board; the vendor states no subscription is required.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Microsoft Whiteboard or SMART Notebook?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Microsoft Whiteboard and SMART Notebook are free to use.
Which has a free plan, Microsoft Whiteboard or SMART Notebook?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Microsoft Whiteboard and SMART Notebook have a free plan.
Which platforms do Microsoft Whiteboard and SMART Notebook run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Microsoft Whiteboard lists a web app and iOS and Android apps and only SMART Notebook lists a macOS app. 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.