Sketchboard vs Whimsical (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Sketchboard grades higher than Whimsical: 2.6 against 2.4 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Sketchboard grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Sketchboard
Online whiteboard for diagrams, sketches and team planning
Whimsical
Whiteboard for flowcharts, wireframes, mind maps and docs
Which one is for you
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
Pick Whimsical if
- Fits if you're a product team keeping flows, wireframes and specs in one place
- Works for teams where many people only look, since viewers and guests are free
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you're staying free, with 50 new board objects a month, watermarked exports and 7-day history
- Skip it if you want to edit on your phone, as there's no dedicated mobile app
- Pricey if you lean on the AI, as every plan gets 10 one-off credits and bundles start at 250 for $25
- Watch out: private teams, SAML SSO and SCIM need Business, at $20 an editor a month billed annually
How we grade them
| 2.6GPASketchboardGood | 2.4GPAWhimsicalFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 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. | CPro is $10 an editor a month billed annually, or $12 monthly, right at the dear end of this category's usual range, where the middle is $8.33. Only editors are billed, so viewers cost nothing. AI is extra after 10 one-off credits, and SSO needs Business at $20. |
| Free plan and trial | CThe free plan has 3 editable boards and up to 5 users. You'll hit the board cap. | CFree has unlimited boards, docs, teams and guests, with voting and a timer. But 50 new board objects and 50 doc blocks a month is a cap you'll hit in an afternoon, exports carry a watermark and version history is 7 days. |
| Features | BInfinite canvas, shape libraries, real-time collaboration, templates and sharing controls. Nothing in the listing shows a gap in the core whiteboard job. | BOne board type does flowcharts, mind maps, sequence diagrams, sticky notes and freehand sketches, with voting, a timer, comments and multiplayer editing. Wireframes go together from drag-and-drop components, docs sit beside boards for specs, and AI drafts from a prompt. The job covered. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. It's a web app where the work is drawing the board. | CNo store rating on record, and it's a browser tool where the work is building the board. One board type does cover every kind of diagram and wireframes come from drag-and-drop components, so there's less to learn than in most of this category. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, but it connects to Teams, Slack, GitHub, Webex and Google Drive. | 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 | diagrams and retros on an infinite canvas | 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: Sketchboard and Whimsical. How we grade
Price against what you get
Sketchboard starts at $6 a month and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Whimsical starts at $10 a month for each person and scores 2.7.
They score the same, and Sketchboard starts $4 a month lower. Of the other whiteboard and mind map tools on the chart, 5 score higher than Sketchboard for less, and 11 score higher than Whimsical 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
- Whimsical also covers templates and documents.
At a glance
| Sketchboard | Whimsical | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $6 per month for 1 editor, billed monthly ($60 billed yearly) | $10 per editor / month, billed annually ($120 a year) |
| Free plan | Free plan with 3 editable boards and up to 5 users; boards are backed up daily on every plan. | 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 | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| Made by | Sketchboard | Whimsical, Inc. |
| Price read from | sketchboard.io | whimsical.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Oct 5, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Sketchboard or Whimsical?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Sketchboard starts at $6 per month for 1 editor, billed monthly ($60 billed yearly), and Whimsical starts at $10 per editor / month, billed annually ($120 a year). 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, Sketchboard or Whimsical?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Sketchboard and Whimsical have a free plan.
Which platforms do Sketchboard and Whimsical run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Whimsical lists macOS, Windows and Linux 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.