Mural vs Sketchboard (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Mural and Sketchboard share a 2.6 GPA, both have a free plan and their prices can't be set side by side, so the choice depends on whether you care more about platforms, where Mural grades higher, or value for money, where Sketchboard does.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
They get the same grade on 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.
Mural
Online whiteboard with built-in facilitation tools for workshops
Sketchboard
Online whiteboard for diagrams, sketches and team planning
Which one is for you
Pick Mural if
- Fits if you run workshops, retros or design-thinking sessions and need the group to follow you
- Works for large groups, as Free has no member limit, though only 3 murals stay editable
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you're staying free, with only 3 murals editable at a time and view-only visitors
- Skip it if you want the AI without paying, as Mural AI starts at Team+, $9.99 a member a month
- Pricey if you need SSO or ongoing guests, which start at Business, $17.99 a member a month billed annually only
- Watch out: SCIM, audit logs and data residency are Enterprise only, which has no public price
- Too light for docs, tables or slides on the board, which Miro has and Mural doesn't
Pick Sketchboard if
- Fits if your team draws system and UML diagrams together
- Works for small teams that want a cheap whiteboard with free viewers
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stay free: 3 editable boards and 5 users
- Skip it if you need SSO or team-level access rights, which are Business only
- Pricey if your team grows: extra editors cost $5 or $6 a month each
- Skip it if you want apps, as only the browser version is listed
How we grade them
| 2.6GPAMuralGood | 2.6GPASketchboardGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CTeam+ is $9.99 a member a month billed annually, $12 if you pay monthly, which is right at the dear end of normal here: this category's dearer quarter starts at $9.99. SSO and ongoing guests wait for Business at $17.99, annual billing only. | B$6 a month for 1 editor ($60 yearly), and $20 for 5 editors on Team, which is about $4 a head. The category's cheaper quarter starts at $5. |
| Free plan and trial | CFree has unlimited members and every facilitation tool. But only 3 murals are editable at a time, visitors can look and not edit, and Mural AI isn't in it at all. | CThe free plan has 3 editable boards and up to 5 users. You'll hit the board cap. |
| Features | BSticky notes, drawing and connected diagrams on an infinite or resizable canvas, 250-plus templates, and a facilitator kit on every plan: summon, timer, anonymous votes, private mode, hidden steps. Mural AI clusters stickies and draws mind maps. The whiteboard job covered, without Miro's docs, tables and slide formats. | BInfinite canvas, shape libraries, real-time collaboration, templates and sharing controls. Nothing in the listing shows a gap in the core whiteboard job. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record, and this is a web board where the work is building the board: you start from a blank canvas or pick through 250-plus templates and set the session up yourself. One-time visitors can at least join without a paid seat. | CNo store rating on record. It's a web app where the work is drawing the board. |
| Platforms and integrations | AWeb, Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android, so every device type. Murals open inside Microsoft Teams, Zoom and Webex meetings, and it ties into Jira, Slack, Google Workspace and Confluence, with Asana tasks syncing both ways. | BWeb only, but it connects to Teams, Slack, GitHub, Webex and Google Drive. |
| Best for | facilitated workshops and retros | diagrams and retros on an infinite canvas |
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: Mural and Sketchboard. How we grade
Price against what you get
Mural starts at $9.99 a month for each person and scores 3.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Sketchboard starts at $6 a month and scores 2.7.
Mural scores higher, and starts $3.99 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, 2 score higher than Mural for less, and 5 score higher than Sketchboard 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
- Mural also covers templates.
At a glance
| Mural | Sketchboard | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $9.99 per member / month, billed annually | $6 per month for 1 editor, billed monthly ($60 billed yearly) |
| Free plan | Unlimited members and unlimited murals, but only 3 editable at a time. Visitors are view-only, rooms are open to the whole workspace, and Mural AI is not included. | Free plan with 3 editable boards and up to 5 users; boards are backed up daily on every plan. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Mural | Sketchboard |
| Price read from | mural.co | sketchboard.io |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Mural
- The Free plan keeps only 3 murals editable at a time, and its visitors can view but not edit.
- Mural AI is not part of the Free plan; it is available on Team+, Business and Enterprise.
- SSO and guest access start at Business, which is listed with annual billing only; monthly billing is shown for Team+.
- SCIM, audit logs, data residency and multiple workspaces are limited to Enterprise, which has no public price.
Sketchboard
- The free plan stops at 3 editable boards and 5 users.
- Plans are priced by editor; extra editors cost $5 or $6 a month each.
- SSO and team-level access rights are on Business only.
- Yearly billing includes two months free compared with monthly billing.
Key features
Mural
- Facilitation features on every plan
- A facilitator can summon participants, run a timer, hold anonymous votes, switch on private mode, lock content, and hide steps in the outline until it is time to reveal them.
- Sticky notes, drawing and diagramming
- Boards take sticky notes, drawings, images, icons and connected diagrams, on either an infinite or a resizable canvas. A content library stores objects for reuse.
- Templates
- More than 250 Mural-made templates are included, and teams can create their own. The Business plan adds LUMA frameworks.
- Mural AI
- Generates mind maps, clusters sticky notes by topic, summarizes content and classifies stickies by sentiment. Available on Team+, Business and Enterprise.
- Rooms, visitors and guests
- Murals are organized into rooms: open on Free, private from Team+ and confidential on Enterprise. One-time visitors are free on every plan; ongoing guests need Business.
- Meeting and work-tracking integrations
- Murals can be worked on inside Microsoft Teams, Zoom and Webex meetings. Asana tasks import with two-way sync, and Azure DevOps work items can be laid out on a mural.
Sketchboard
- Infinite canvas
- A freeform board for sketching, notes and diagrams, with freehand drawing that can sit on top of pasted screenshots.
- Shape libraries
- Over 1,000 shapes on paid plans, including AWS and Google Cloud icons, with connectors that recalculate when shapes move.
- Real-time collaboration
- Edits and cursor movements show live, and a comment box doubles as a mini chat.
- Templates for common work
- The site describes boards for UML and flowcharts, retrospectives, UX flows, roadmaps and mind maps.
- Sharing controls
- Boards share by link; Team and Business add unlimited free viewers and board password sharing.
- Integrations
- Connects to Microsoft Teams, Slack, GitHub, Webex and Google Drive.
Plans
Mural
Free$0
Unlimited members, 3 editable murals at a time, view-only visitors, open rooms and all core collaboration and facilitation tools.
Team+$9.99
per member / month, billed annually ($12 billed monthly)
Unlimited editable murals, visitors with editing rights, private rooms, Mural AI and basic integrations such as Zoom and Webex.
Business$17.99
per member / month, billed annually
Adds SAML single sign-on, unlimited guests, advanced integrations such as Azure, GitHub and Okta, LUMA frameworks, invoicing and priority support.
EnterpriseCustom
Multiple workspaces, confidential rooms, SCIM, audit logs and reporting APIs, required 2FA, data residency, BYOK and premier support.
Sketchboard
Free$0
3 editable boards and up to 5 users.
Starter$6
per month for 1 editor, billed monthly ($60 billed yearly)
Unlimited boards, 1 private team, PDF and SVG export, 1 GB storage; extra editors are $6 each a month.
Team$20
per month for up to 5 editors, billed monthly ($200 billed yearly)
5 editors, unlimited free viewers, board password sharing, comments and Slack; extra editors $5 each a month.
Business$39
per month for up to 10 editors, billed monthly ($390 billed yearly)
10 editors, unlimited private teams, SSO, team-level access rights and business admin; extra editors $5 each.
Ways to pay less
Mural
- Annual discount
About 17% lower on Team+ with annual billing
Mural's pricing page lists Team+ at $9.99 per member a month when billed annually, against $12 per member a month when billed monthly.
Sketchboard
- Annual discount
Two months free with yearly billing
Yearly billing is $60 for Starter, $200 for Team and $390 for Business, which the page says includes two months free.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Mural or Sketchboard?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Mural starts at $9.99 per member / month, billed annually, and Sketchboard starts at $6 per month for 1 editor, billed monthly ($60 billed yearly). One is priced for each person and the other is not, so which costs less depends on how many of you use it.
Which has a free plan, Mural or Sketchboard?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Mural and Sketchboard have a free plan.
Which platforms do Mural and Sketchboard run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Mural lists macOS, Windows, iOS and Android apps. Both list a web 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.