An Excalidraw alternative when you need the board to connect to the work
Excalidraw is a lovely, minimal, open-source sketching tool. Planloom keeps the fast editing feel and adds what a team needs around it: persistent shared boards, roles, tasks, GitHub cards and AI on the selection.
Planloom and Excalidraw, side by side
| Topic | Planloom | Excalidraw |
|---|---|---|
| Simplicity | Fast shortcuts and double-click to type, with more surface area | Deliberately minimal and very quick to start |
| Open source | Closed source; export to PNG, SVG, PDF and editable JSON | Open source and self-hostable |
| Team spaces and roles | Co-Spaces with owner, editor and viewer roles | Check their current collaboration options |
| Tasks and GitHub | Linked tasks, kanban and GitHub cards on the board | Not a task or project tool |
| AI on the board | Preview-first generation and selection actions | Check their current AI features |
Competitor details are general and based on public information; confirm current features on their site before deciding.
Where Excalidraw is the better choice
- Free, open source and self-hostable.
- Minimal interface with almost no setup.
- Great for quick sketches and embedding in docs.
Why teams choose Planloom
Same feel, more connected
Shortcuts like R, O, D, A and T plus double-click to type, with tasks and GitHub in reach.
Boards that persist for teams
Shared Co-Space canvases with roles and comment pins.
Works offline
Edits save locally first and sync when you reconnect.
How it works
- 1Open a canvas without an account.
- 2Draw something you would sketch in Excalidraw.
- 3Add a task or a GitHub card to see what changes.
Questions
Can I import an Excalidraw file?
Not yet. You can recreate the diagram quickly; Excalidraw import is on our list.
Is Planloom open source?
No. If open source or self-hosting is a hard requirement, Excalidraw is the better fit.
Keep exploring
Compare
Eraser alternative
Planloom vs Eraser for technical diagrams: diagram-as-code and AI diagrams versus a broader collaborative canvas with tasks and GitHub cards.
Read moreCompare
Miro alternative
Planloom vs Miro for software teams: an honest comparison of focus, GitHub context, tasks, AI and privacy, including where Miro is the better fit.
Read moreUse case
Software architecture canvas
Draw architecture diagrams with shapes, connectors and icons, import Mermaid, work live with your team, and put GitHub pull requests beside the design.
Read morePlan software visually. Ship it from GitHub.
Open a canvas in seconds. No account, no credit card.