OpenBoard vs Ziteboard (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, OpenBoard grades higher than Ziteboard: 3.0 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
OpenBoard grades higher on value for money, the free plan and ease of use. Ziteboard grades higher on 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.
OpenBoard
Free open-source interactive whiteboard software for classrooms
Ziteboard
Lightweight online whiteboard for tutoring and live teamwork
Which one is for you
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
Pick Ziteboard if
- Fits if you run live lessons and need math tools on the board
- Works for tutors who share a board link
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stay free, with 3 owned boards and public boards only
- Pricey if you pay monthly, at $9 against $85 for the year
- Watch out: letting people in without registration needs a paid add-on on top of Pro
- Watch out: payment is through PayPal, with bank transfer only on request
How we grade them
| 3.0GPAOpenBoardVery good | 2.2GPAZiteboardFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AFree to download and use under the GPLv3 licence, with no registration. | CMonthly Pro is $9, or $85 a year, which is about $7.08 a month. That's around the middle of what whiteboards charge. |
| Free plan and trial | AFree outright, with no cap a normal person would reach. | CA free Starter plan with 3 owned boards, public boards only and limited data traffic. |
| Features | 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. | CFreehand drawing, shape recognition, math tools, import and live chat. Private boards, full PDF import and backup export are Pro. |
| Ease of use | BNo store rating on record, but you install it and start writing with nothing to set up. | CNo store rating on record. The homepage and the FAQ disagree about whether there are native apps. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWindows, macOS and Linux programs only. No web, iOS or Android version is listed. | BWeb, iOS and Android plus a Chrome extension, WordPress and an enterprise API. No desktop app is listed. |
| Best for | a free classroom whiteboard on your own computer | a simple tutoring whiteboard |
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: OpenBoard and Ziteboard. How we grade
Price against what you get
OpenBoard has no paid plan and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Ziteboard starts at $9 a month and scores 2.3.
They score the same, and OpenBoard starts $9 a month lower. Of the other whiteboard and mind map tools on the chart, none scores higher than OpenBoard for less, and 16 score higher than Ziteboard 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.
At a glance
| OpenBoard | Ziteboard | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free plan |
| Starts at | Free | $9 per month, billed monthly ($85 billed yearly) |
| Free plan | Free and open source under the GPLv3 license, with no registration needed. | Starter plan: 3 boards owned, unlimited shared boards and collaborators, 3 basic colors, low-resolution images and first-page PDF import. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | OpenBoard | Ziteboard |
| Price read from | openboard.ch | ziteboard.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
Ziteboard
- The Starter plan allows 3 owned boards, public boards only, and limits data traffic unless a Pro user is on the board.
- Inviting people to a board without registration needs a paid anonymous whiteboard add-on on top of a Pro plan.
- The homepage mentions apps for iPad and Android, while the FAQ says no native app is needed; the Android listing is on Google Play.
- Payment is currently through PayPal, with bank transfer available on request.
Key features
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.
Ziteboard
- Realtime collaboration
- Unlimited people can share a board live. An integrated chat adds text, audio and video, and the video runs peer to peer.
- Math tools
- A formula editor takes LaTeX or a virtual keyboard, and a graph plotter and interactive compass cover functions and geometry.
- Drawing helpers
- Freehand strokes are smoothed, and rough circles and other shapes are recognized and redrawn. Sticky notes are included.
- Image and PDF import
- Images can be dragged in, and PDF pages or page ranges imported. Free accounts get lower-resolution images and the first PDF page.
- Export
- Boards export as PNG, SVG or PDF; a backup export is a paid feature.
Plans
OpenBoard
Free$0
The full software, free to download and use under GPLv3.
Ziteboard
Starter$0
3 owned boards, unlimited collaborators, public boards only, limited data traffic, low-resolution image import.
One Week Pro$5
one-time payment for one week
All Pro features for a week: unlimited boards, private boards, audio and video chat, custom colors.
Monthly Pro$9
per month, billed monthly
Unlimited boards, private boards, custom colors, highlighter pens, HQ images, full PDF import, backup export and audio and video chat.
Annual Pro$85
per year
The Monthly Pro features, billed once a year.
Teams$8
per user / month for 2-5 users, billed monthly
Pro features for the whole team. Per-user price falls with team size and period: $4.50 at 21-100 users billed yearly.
EnterpriseCustom
Quoted by email: REST API, white label license, single sign-on, encryption and a dedicated server.
Ways to pay less
OpenBoard
No public discounts listed.
Ziteboard
- Other savings
Team discounts for longer periods
The team price per user drops with team size and with 6-month, 1-year or 2-year periods, from $8 to $4.50 per user a month on the page's table.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, OpenBoard or Ziteboard?
As of Nov 12, 2026, OpenBoard is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $9 a month for Ziteboard. OpenBoard is free, and Ziteboard starts at $9 per month, billed monthly ($85 billed yearly).
Which has a free plan, OpenBoard or Ziteboard?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both OpenBoard and Ziteboard have a free plan.
Which platforms do OpenBoard and Ziteboard run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only OpenBoard lists macOS, Windows and Linux apps and only Ziteboard lists a web app, iOS and Android apps and a browser extension. 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.