The Mural Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Mural in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
Mural
The Insider’s Guide
Online whiteboard with built-in facilitation tools for workshops
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among whiteboard and mind map tools, read from Mural’s own pages.
Made by Mural · checked Oct 5, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from Mural’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Mural’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 5, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.6
GPA, above 13 of the 30 other whiteboard and mind map tools we grade
Mural is an online whiteboard for team workshops, brainstorming and planning. Every plan, including the free one, comes with its facilitation features: a timer, anonymous voting, private mode, an outline, and a way to summon everyone to one part of the canvas. Paid plans lift the cap on editable murals and add Mural AI, which generates mind maps, clusters sticky notes and summarizes content.
To get you started, here are 9 things to know about Mural, taken from its own pages and our grades.
One-time visitors can at least join without a paid seat.
- 1
Best for facilitated workshops and retros
Mural is a whiteboard built around running workshops: a timer, anonymous voting, private mode and a summon button come with every plan, the free one included.
- 2
Paid plans start at $9.99 a month for each person
As its pricing page puts it: $9.99 per member / month, billed annually.
- 3
There is a 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.
- 4
It runs on 5 platforms
Web, macOS, Windows, iOS and Android.
- 5
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.
- 6
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.
- 7
Templates
More than 250 Mural-made templates are included, and teams can create their own. The Business plan adds LUMA frameworks.
- 8
A 2.6 GPA, above 13 of 30
That is against the other whiteboard and mind map tools we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 9
Keep it
The plain part of Mural you could make: mind mapping and templates. What surrounds it you could not. The 8 things listed below take a company, not a weekend.
Mural at a glance
- Pricing
- Free plan, from $9.99 per member / month, billed annually
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- None stated
- Runs on
- Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android
- Made by
- Mural
- Category
- Whiteboards & Mind Maps
- Our grade
- 2.6 GPA, good
The report card
Best for facilitated workshops and retros
Mural is a whiteboard built around running workshops: a timer, anonymous voting, private mode and a summon button come with every plan, the free one included. On Free only 3 murals stay editable at a time and visitors can only view. Mural AI needs Team+ at $9.99 a member a month, and SSO and guests need Business at $17.99, billed annually only.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C | Team+ 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. |
| Free plan and trial | C | Free 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. |
| Features | B | Sticky 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. |
| Ease of use | C | No 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. |
| Platforms and integrations | A | Web, 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. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who Mural is for
- 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
Who it is not for
- 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
Good to know
Good for
- Facilitated workshops, retrospectives and design-thinking sessions
- Large groups on a budget: the Free plan has no member limit
- Organizations that work in Microsoft 365 and Teams
- Consultants who bring outside clients into a session
Worth knowing
- 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.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
$9.99
A month to start, for each person. There is a free plan too
Mural has a free plan. Paid plans start at $9.99 per member / month, billed annually.
Free has unlimited members and every facilitation tool.
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.
Enterprise
Custom
Multiple workspaces, confidential rooms, SCIM, audit logs and reporting APIs, required 2FA, data residency, BYOK and premier support.
The 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.
Read from mural.co on Oct 5, 2026.
Ways to pay less
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.
Stated on mural.co
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
5
Places it runs: Web, macOS, Windows, iOS and Android
Online whiteboard with built-in facilitation tools for workshops. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: AI features, real-time collaboration, whiteboard, templates, mind mapping, diagrams.
Mural AI clusters stickies and draws mind maps.
- 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.
Where it runs
- Web
- macOS
- Windows
- iOS
- Android
What it works with
- Microsoft Teams
- Zoom
- Webex
- Jira
- Asana
- Slack
- Google Workspace
- Confluence
Mural is made by Mural.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
13/30
Other whiteboard and mind map tools it is graded above
Mural's GPA of 2.6 is higher than 13 of the 30 other whiteboard and mind map tools we grade, and level with 7.
It stands best on platforms and integrations (A, above 24 of 30) and worst on ease of use (C, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $9.99 a month for each person, against a middle price of $8.29 for the category: 17 of the 23 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 3.0 out of 4. 2 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 31 whiteboard and mind map tools we grade, cut by the letter each got. Mural’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 4 of 30
- CFree plan and trialAbove 1 of 30
- BFeaturesAbove 15 of 30
- CEase of useAbove 0 of 30
- APlatforms and integrationsAbove 24 of 30
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 28 whiteboard and mind map tools. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Mural is the marked dot.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
The plain part of Mural you could make: mind mapping and templates. What surrounds it you could not. The 8 things listed below take a company, not a weekend.
It costs $119.88 a year.
What you could make
- Mind mapping and templates: an app builder makes these well.
What you could not
- An endless canvas that stays smooth with hundreds of things on it.
- A diagram editor.
- Apps for macOS, Windows, iOS and Android that stay in step with each other.
- Several people working in it at the same moment.
- It plugs into other products, Microsoft Teams, Zoom and Webex among them.
- AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself.
- People on the other end: facilitators. No app builder makes those.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. Mural’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
Miro, FigJam, Lucidspark, Microsoft Whiteboard and Stormboard
The 5 tools Mural is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 3.0GPA
Miro
Free plan · from $8/mo
- 3.0GPA
FigJam
Free plan · from $3/mo
Online whiteboard from Figma for brainstorms, diagrams and meetings.
- Mural also covers mind mapping.
- 2.4GPA
Lucidspark
Free plan · from $9/mo
Virtual whiteboard for team brainstorming and workshops.
- Only Mural lists macOS and Windows apps.
- Mural also covers diagrams.
- 3.4GPA
Microsoft Whiteboard
Free
Free collaborative canvas built into Microsoft 365 and Teams.
- Only Mural lists a macOS app.
- Mural also covers mind mapping and diagrams.
- 2.6GPA
Stormboard
Free plan · from $8.33/mo
Sticky-note digital whiteboard with built-in reports.
- Only Mural lists a macOS app.
- Mural also covers mind mapping and diagrams.
- Stormboard also covers tasks and reports.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
12
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is Mural free?
Mural has a free plan. Unlimited members and unlimited murals, but only 3 editable at a time.
How much does Mural cost?
Mural lists 4 plans. Free: $0.
What platforms does Mural work on?
Mural is available on Web, macOS, Windows, iOS and Android.
Does Mural offer any discounts?
Mural publicly lists the following: About 17% lower on Team+ with annual billing.
Does Mural have a Linux app?
No Linux app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 5, 2026. Mural is listed for Web, macOS, Windows, iOS and Android.
Is Mural open source?
Mural is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 5, 2026.
What does Mural integrate with?
Mural's listing names Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Webex, Jira, Asana, Slack, Google Workspace and Confluence.
Who makes Mural?
Mural is made by a company of the same name.
What are the alternatives to Mural?
The closest alternatives to Mural in our directory are Miro, FigJam, Lucidspark, Microsoft Whiteboard and Stormboard.
How does Mural compare with other whiteboard and mind map tools?
Mural's GPA of 2.6 is higher than 13 of the 30 other whiteboard and mind map tools we grade, and level with 7.
Is Mural good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Mural C for value for money. Its paid plans start at $9.99 a month for each person, against a middle price of $8.29 for the category: 17 of the 23 others that charge start lower.
Could I make my own version of Mural?
The plain part of Mural you could make: mind mapping and templates. What surrounds it you could not.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Mural’s own pages on Oct 5, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 10, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Mural's own pages on 5 October 2026. Also tested with a demo account on 2026-05-14.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Mural. Prices change, so check mural.co before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
3,189
Tools graded, in 94 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
3,189
tools graded
94
categories
426
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Mural, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/mural
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "Mural: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 5, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/mural
Know someone choosing between whiteboard and mind map tools?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/mural/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded whiteboard and mind map tools after Mural, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Whiteboards & Mind Maps Insider's GuideEvery one of the 31 whiteboard and mind map tools we grade, compared
- Microsoft Whiteboard Insider's GuideFree collaborative canvas built into Microsoft 365 and Teams3.4 GPA
- draw.io Insider's GuideFree diagram editor that saves files to storage you choose3.2 GPA
- tldraw Insider's GuideFree online whiteboard with a local desktop app3.2 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Mural’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Mural is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Mural. Prices and plans change: check mural.co before you buy.