The free whiteboard rule is three: Miro, Mural, Zoom Whiteboard and Lucidchart each allow three editable boards or documents, FigJam three team files. The tools without that rule are open source: draw.io is Apache 2.0 with no account, no card and no caps; Excalidraw is MIT with a free-forever hosted scene; Mermaid, PlantUML and Kroki draw diagrams from text; Penpot is MPL-2.0 and fully featured free. Whimsical caps objects a month, Creately shapes a diagram with no export, Milanote 100 items. Apple’s Freeform is free on every Apple device. Google Jamboard shut down in October 2024, tldraw’s SDK is not free for commercial production, and Lucidspark could not be verified. Prices are USD and were checked on 29 October 2026. How we score · All Kurums Free lists
TL;DR — the free whiteboard tool that fits
- Flowcharts, architecture and network diagrams, no account: draw.io — Apache 2.0, free forever, saves to your disk or cloud, desktop app.
- A team whiteboard with unlimited members: Miro Free — three editable boards, unlimited members and templates; Starter $8 a member.
- Hand-drawn sketches in a meeting: Excalidraw — open the site, draw, share a link; Excalidraw+ free for one scene.
- Diagrams in documentation and GitHub: Mermaid — MIT, renders from text in Markdown; Kroki renders 30 text formats via one API.
- Apple-only team: Freeform — free on every iPhone, iPad and Mac, 100 collaborators.
Which whiteboard & diagramming tools tools have a free plan in 2026?
Everything below draws or whiteboards free with no end date within its caps. The hosted caps are editable boards (Miro, Mural, Zoom three; Lucidchart three documents; FigJam three team files; Excalidraw+ one scene), objects (Lucidchart 60 shapes a document, Creately 45, Whimsical 50 new objects a month, Milanote 100 items) and export (Creately none on free, Whimsical and Miro watermarked or low-resolution). The text-based and open-source tools — draw.io, Excalidraw’s editor, Mermaid, PlantUML, Kroki, Penpot — have no caps.
What to know: Google Jamboard reached end of life on 1 October 2024 and is excluded; tldraw.com is free to use but the SDK is licensed for development and hobby use only, with commercial embedding by sales; Microsoft Whiteboard’s page describes it as included with Microsoft 365 and does not state free personal-account availability; FigJam’s seat price and Canva’s whiteboard details come from third parties; Lucidspark could not be verified and it is not scored. Creately’s and Lucid’s paid prices beyond Individual could not be confirmed.
The table shows the cap, the kind of tool and the Free Score; Core job weights real-time editing, enough objects for a real diagram and export. Open a row for members, history, licence, the paid step and the page we checked.
| Company | Free as | Key limit | Card | Free Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D |
Open source | Apache 2.0 · no account · no limits · desktop app | No | 94 | Scorecard ↓ |
| E |
Open source | MIT editor · Plus free: 1 scene, unlimited collaborators | No | 88 | Scorecard ↓ |
| M |
Open source | MIT · diagrams from text · free live editor · hosted free 3 diagrams | No | 80 | Scorecard ↓ |
| M |
Free forever | 3 editable boards · unlimited members · 7,000+ templates | No | 80 | Scorecard ↓ |
| P |
Open source | MPL-2.0 · hosted $0 fully featured · up to 8 members, 10 GB | No | 78 | Scorecard ↓ |
| F |
Free forever | Starter: 3 team files · 30-day history · $3/user (third-party) | No | 70 | Scorecard ↓ |
| M |
Free forever | 3 editable murals · unlimited members · 1 workspace | No | 70 | Scorecard ↓ |
| F |
Free tools | Free on iPhone, iPad, Mac · 100 collaborators · PDF export | No | 66 | Scorecard ↓ |
| K |
Open source | MIT · HTTP API · 30 text diagram formats · self-hostable | No | 64 | Scorecard ↓ |
| P |
Open source | GPL (plus LGPL/Apache/MIT builds) · UML from text · Java | No | 62 | Scorecard ↓ |
| Z |
Free forever | 3 editable whiteboards · Basic plan | No | 60 | Scorecard ↓ |
| M |
Startup program | Included with Microsoft 365 · Teams · 60+ templates | No | 58 | Scorecard ↓ |
| W |
Free forever | 50 board objects/month · unlimited boards · watermark | No | 56 | Scorecard ↓ |
| L |
Free forever | 3 editable documents · 60 shapes each · Individual $9 | No | 54 | Scorecard ↓ |
| M |
Free forever | 100 notes, images or links · 10 uploads · no time limit | No | 52 | Scorecard ↓ |
| G |
Free forever | Free in Confluence for up to 10 users · no time limit | No | 50 | Scorecard ↓ |
| C |
Free forever | 45 shapes/diagram · no export · Pro price not confirmed | No | 46 | Scorecard ↓ |
| T |
Startup program | tldraw.com free to use · SDK dev & hobby only · watermark | No | 44 | Scorecard ↓ |
Free tiers verified 29 October 2026 on each vendor’s pricing page (third-party sources named in the Scorecard where the vendor page was silent). Order is by Free Score only; sponsorship never changes it.
What do the free whiteboard tool plans actually include?
Open any row for the eight-field Scorecard. The “Why it ranks here” note under each row explains the score in plain terms.
1D
draw.io / diagrams.netUK/Germany (JGraph) · free forever with no sign-up, no card and no lock-in; Apache 2.0 source, a desktop app, and saving to local disk, Google Drive, OneDrive or GitHub; the vendor’s only paid products are Confluence and Jira appsOpen sourceApache 2.0 · no account · no limits · desktop appNo card94⌄
- What’s free
- Flowcharts, UML, network, ER and more; no account; Apache 2.0; desktop and web; cloud or local save
- Hard limits
- None — ‘no artificial scarcity, no Enterprise tier for SSO’
- Time limit
- None
- Card required
- No.
- Upgrade trigger
- Atlassian marketplace apps
- Cheapest paid step
- None for web and desktop
- Best free for
- Every technical diagram a business will ever draw
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · drawio.com
2E
ExcalidrawUS/Czechia · the excalidraw.com editor is released under MIT and needs no account; Excalidraw+ Free is free forever with one infinite scene, unlimited collaborators and 10 AI requests a day; Plus is $6 a user annualOpen sourceMIT editor · Plus free: 1 scene, unlimited collaboratorsNo card88⌄
- What’s free
- Hand-drawn style infinite canvas; live collaboration by link; MIT editor; Plus Free with one scene
- Hard limits
- Plus Free one scene · the open editor stores locally and by shareable link
- Time limit
- None
- Card required
- Not stated.
- Upgrade trigger
- Multiple saved scenes and workspaces
- Cheapest paid step
- Plus $6/user/month annual; $7 monthly
- Best free for
- Sketching an idea in a call and sharing it ten seconds later
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · plus.excalidraw.com/pricing and github.com/excalidraw/excalidraw
Why it ranks here. The fastest whiteboard there is, open source, with a hosted free tier for one persistent scene.
3M
MermaidSweden (origin) · MIT-licensed diagrams-as-code rendered natively in GitHub and most documentation tools, with a free live editor; the hosted Mermaid Chart, now mermaid.ai, gives three diagrams free (its table says six) and Plus at $10Open sourceMIT · diagrams from text · free live editor · hosted free 3 diagramsNo card80⌄
- What’s free
- Flowcharts, sequence, class, Gantt, ER and more from text; MIT; live editor
- Hard limits
- Hosted free 3–6 diagrams · no freehand
- Time limit
- None
- Card required
- No.
- Upgrade trigger
- Hosted collaboration and AI
- Cheapest paid step
- Plus $10/user/month annual
- Best free for
- Diagrams that live in a repository and change with the code
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · github.com/mermaid-js/mermaid and mermaid.ai/pricing
Why it ranks here. The diagram format that version control understands; not a whiteboard.
4M
MiroUS/Netherlands · $0 with unlimited boards of which the three most recent stay editable, unlimited team members, 7,000-plus templates, limited AI and 250-plus integrations; every board is visible to the whole team, and exports are low resolutionFree forever3 editable boards · unlimited members · 7,000+ templatesNo card80⌄
- What’s free
- Unlimited boards, 3 editable; unlimited members; templates; integrations; limited AI
- Hard limits
- 3 editable boards · no private boards · no board history or video calls · low-res exports
- Time limit
- Not stated
- Card required
- Not stated.
- Upgrade trigger
- A fourth active board or a private one
- Cheapest paid step
- Starter $8/member/month yearly
- Best free for
- A team’s workshop and brainstorm space
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · miro.com/pricing (page inconsistent on guest roles)
Why it ranks here. The richest whiteboard with the most members free; three boards is tight and the price per member is fair.
5P
PenpotSpain · open source under MPL-2.0 with a hosted Professional plan at $0 described as fully featured with no limits, a table showing up to eight team members and 10 GB, and self-hosting; a design tool with boards rather than a whiteboardOpen sourceMPL-2.0 · hosted $0 fully featured · up to 8 members, 10 GBNo card78⌄
- What’s free
- Design and prototyping on an infinite canvas; hosted free; self-host
- Hard limits
- Hosted table shows 8 members and 10 GB (column alignment unclear) · design-first, not a whiteboard
- Time limit
- None
- Card required
- No.
- Upgrade trigger
- Unlimited editors
- Cheapest paid step
- Unlimited $7/editor/month, capped at $175
- Best free for
- Wireframes and UI mockups for a team that wants an open-source Figma
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · penpot.app/pricing and github.com/penpot/penpot
Why it ranks here. Figma’s open-source rival; whiteboarding is incidental.
6F
FigJamUS · Figma is always free for individuals; the Starter team gets one folder with three files and 30-day version history; FigJam’s Professional price of $3 a user comes from a third partyFree foreverStarter: 3 team files · 30-day history · $3/user (third-party)No card70⌄
- What’s free
- 3 team files; unlimited personal files; live collaboration
- Hard limits
- 3 team files · 30-day history
- Time limit
- None
- Card required
- No.
- Upgrade trigger
- More team files
- Cheapest paid step
- FigJam Professional $3/user/month (third-party)
- Best free for
- Designers who already live in Figma
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · figma.com/pricing and help.figma.com; seat price from costbench, 16 Jun 2026 — third-party
Why it ranks here. The whiteboard designers already have open; three team files and a paid seat that is almost free.
7M
MuralUS · $0 with unlimited members and murals of which three are editable at a time, unlimited view-only visitors and one workspace; Team+ is $9.99 a member annualFree forever3 editable murals · unlimited members · 1 workspaceNo card70⌄
- What’s free
- Unlimited members; 3 editable murals; unlimited viewers; templates
- Hard limits
- 3 editable murals · open rooms only · no guest access
- Time limit
- Not stated
- Card required
- Not stated.
- Upgrade trigger
- A fourth active mural or a private room
- Cheapest paid step
- Team+ $9.99/member/month annual; $12 monthly
- Best free for
- Facilitated workshops with Mural’s method templates
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · mural.co/pricing
Why it ranks here. Miro’s workshop-focused rival with the same three-board rule.
8F
Freeform (Apple)US · free on every iPhone, iPad and Mac from iOS 16.2 and macOS 13.1, with an infinite canvas, 700-plus shapes, up to 100 collaborators, iCloud sync and PDF export; Apple devices onlyFree toolsFree on iPhone, iPad, Mac · 100 collaborators · PDF exportNo card66⌄
- What’s free
- Infinite canvas; 700+ shapes; 100 collaborators; iCloud; PDF export
- Hard limits
- Apple devices only
- Time limit
- None
- Card required
- No.
- Upgrade trigger
- None
- Cheapest paid step
- None
- Best free for
- A team that is all on Apple
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · apple.com newsroom, Dec 2022
Why it ranks here. Excellent and free, for half the world’s laptops.
9K
KrokiFrance · a free service and MIT-licensed server rendering 30 diagram libraries — PlantUML, Mermaid, Graphviz and more — from text through one HTTP API; self-hosting needs Linux experienceOpen sourceMIT · HTTP API · 30 text diagram formats · self-hostableNo card64⌄
- What’s free
- One API for 30 text-to-diagram libraries; free public service; MIT
- Hard limits
- Public service sponsor-funded · self-host on Linux
- Time limit
- None
- Card required
- No.
- Upgrade trigger
- None
- Cheapest paid step
- None
- Best free for
- Rendering diagrams inside wikis, CI and tools that cannot run PlantUML
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · kroki.io
Why it ranks here. Plumbing, not a canvas; the free service that makes text diagrams work everywhere.
10P
PlantUMLFrance · UML and more from text, distributed under GPL with alternative LGPL, Apache, EPL and MIT builds that miss a few features; needs Java and GraphvizOpen sourceGPL (plus LGPL/Apache/MIT builds) · UML from text · JavaNo card62⌄
- What’s free
- Sequence, class, component, deployment and many other diagrams from text
- Hard limits
- Java and Graphviz · multiple licence variants
- Time limit
- None
- Card required
- No.
- Upgrade trigger
- None — donations
- Cheapest paid step
- None
- Best free for
- Software architects who want diagrams generated from models
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · plantuml.com/faq
Why it ranks here. The engineer’s diagram language; Mermaid is the friendlier cousin.
11Z
Zoom WhiteboardUS · the free Basic plan includes three editable whiteboards; Pro at $14.16 a user annual makes them unlimitedFree forever3 editable whiteboards · Basic planNo card60⌄
- What’s free
- 3 editable whiteboards inside Zoom
- Hard limits
- 3 whiteboards
- Time limit
- None
- Card required
- No.
- Upgrade trigger
- A fourth board
- Cheapest paid step
- Pro $14.16/user/month annual; $16.99 monthly
- Best free for
- Sketching during a Zoom call
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · zoom.us/pricing
Why it ranks here. Convenient inside the call and nowhere else.
12M
Microsoft WhiteboardUS · included with Microsoft 365 and free for education, with 60-plus templates on Windows, iOS, Android, web and Teams, content stored in OneDrive for Business; the page does not state availability with a free personal accountStartup programIncluded with Microsoft 365 · Teams · 60+ templatesNo card58⌄
- What’s free
- Whiteboard in Teams and standalone apps; templates; OneDrive storage
- Hard limits
- Standalone free use not stated · tied to Microsoft 365
- Time limit
- None
- Card required
- Not applicable.
- Upgrade trigger
- None
- Cheapest paid step
- Microsoft 365 plans
- Best free for
- Teams meetings in a Microsoft shop
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · microsoft.com
Why it ranks here. Free if you already pay Microsoft; otherwise unconfirmed.
13W
WhimsicalUS · unlimited boards and viewers with 50 new board objects and 50 doc blocks a month, 10 AI credits, two workspaces and 1 GB; exports carry a watermark and history is seven days; Pro is $10 an editor annualFree forever50 board objects/month · unlimited boards · watermarkNo card56⌄
- What’s free
- Unlimited boards; 50 board objects a month; 50 doc blocks; 10 AI credits; unlimited viewers; 2 workspaces
- Hard limits
- 50 objects a month — a monthly cap, not a total · watermark on export · 7-day history
- Time limit
- None
- Card required
- Not stated.
- Upgrade trigger
- The 51st object this month
- Cheapest paid step
- Pro $10/editor/month annual
- Best free for
- One small wireframe or mind map a month
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · whimsical.com/pricing
Why it ranks here. The nicest wireframing tool here, metered by the shape; fifty a month is one diagram.
14L
LucidchartUS · the free plan allows three editable documents of 60 shapes each, with lines and text boxes counting as shapes per Lucid’s community staff; Individual is $9 a month plus taxFree forever3 editable documents · 60 shapes each · Individual $9No card54⌄
- What’s free
- 3 editable documents; 60 shapes a document
- Hard limits
- 60 objects including lines and text · 3 documents
- Time limit
- None
- Card required
- Not stated.
- Upgrade trigger
- The 61st shape
- Cheapest paid step
- Individual $9/month monthly
- Best free for
- A diagram small enough to count the boxes
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · lucid.co/lucidchart/trial
Why it ranks here. The polished diagramming tool with a free tier sized to make you leave; draw.io does the same job uncapped.
15M
MilanoteAustralia · free with no time limit for 100 notes, images or links and 10 file uploads; paid is $9.99 a person annualFree forever100 notes, images or links · 10 uploads · no time limitNo card52⌄
- What’s free
- 100 items; 10 uploads; visual boards
- Hard limits
- 100 items total · 10 uploads
- Time limit
- None
- Card required
- Not stated.
- Upgrade trigger
- The 101st item
- Cheapest paid step
- $9.99/person/month annual; $12.50 monthly
- Best free for
- A moodboard for one project
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · milanote.com/plans
Why it ranks here. Creative planning, not diagramming; a hundred items is one board.
16G
GliffyUS · Gliffy Diagrams for Confluence is free for up to 10 users with no time limit under Atlassian’s marketplace rule; $3.80 a user annual from 11 to 100 usersFree foreverFree in Confluence for up to 10 users · no time limitNo card50⌄
- What’s free
- Diagramming inside Confluence for up to 10 users
- Hard limits
- 10 users · Confluence only
- Time limit
- None
- Card required
- Not stated.
- Upgrade trigger
- An 11th Confluence user
- Cheapest paid step
- $3.80/user/month annual (11–100 users)
- Best free for
- A ten-person Confluence site
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · gliffy.com/pricing
Why it ranks here. Free because Atlassian’s marketplace is free under ten users; draw.io’s Confluence app works the same way.
17C
CreatelyAustralia/Sri Lanka · free forever with every diagram type, real-time collaboration and 45 shapes a diagram, but no PNG, JPEG, PDF or SVG export and no private links; the Pro price could not be confirmedFree forever45 shapes/diagram · no export · Pro price not confirmedNo card46⌄
- What’s free
- All diagram types; 45 shapes a diagram; collaboration; link sharing
- Hard limits
- No export of any kind · 45 shapes · no private links
- Time limit
- None
- Card required
- Not stated.
- Upgrade trigger
- Exporting anything
- Cheapest paid step
- Pro — not confirmed
- Best free for
- Looking at Creately
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · creately.com/plans (Pro price not confirmed)
Why it ranks here. A diagram you cannot export is a demo.
18T
tldrawUK · tldraw.com is a free collaborative canvas; the SDK is free in development and for hobby projects with a ‘made with tldraw’ watermark, with a 100-day commercial trial and a business licence by sales; the licence is source-available, not open sourceStartup programtldraw.com free to use · SDK dev & hobby only · watermarkNo card44⌄
- What’s free
- Free app at tldraw.com; SDK free for development and hobby use
- Hard limits
- SDK not free for commercial production · watermark on hobby · not OSI
- Time limit
- 100-day commercial trial for the SDK
- Card required
- No.
- Upgrade trigger
- Commercial embedding
- Cheapest paid step
- Business licence — not published
- Best free for
- Developers prototyping a canvas; casual users on tldraw.com
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · tldraw.dev/community/license and /pricing
Why it ranks here. The app is free; the thing developers want — the SDK — is not, for a business.
Which free whiteboard tool has no credit-card requirement?
draw.io, Excalidraw’s editor, Mermaid, PlantUML, Kroki, Penpot, Freeform, Zoom and FigJam need no card; Miro, Mural, Whimsical, Lucidchart, Milanote, Creately and Gliffy do not state it. Nothing converts on its own; the three-board tools simply lock older boards read-only.
The exclusions: Google Jamboard reached end of life on 1 October 2024 and Google pointed users to FigJam, Lucidspark and Miro; tldraw’s SDK is excluded as a free commercial tool while the tldraw.com app is kept; Lucidspark is unverified; Canva Whiteboard could not be verified and it is not scored.
When does the free plan stop being enough?
Kurums Match: which free whiteboard tool fits your situation?
Technical diagrams
draw.io.
Live team brainstorm
Miro Free.
Quick sketch in a call
Excalidraw.
Docs and GitHub
Mermaid.
Designers’ team
FigJam.
All-Apple team
Freeform.
Wireframes, open source
Penpot.
How we score free tiers
Duration (30): free forever scores 30, a 30-day-plus trial 15, a trial of 14 days or less 8, credit-based tiers 12. Capacity (30): whether the limits carry a team of three for twelve months. Core job (25): whether the free tier does the category’s main work — here, drawing a process, architecture or plan that a team can edit together and export. Friction (15): no card 15; card but no auto-charge 8; auto-charge 0; self-hosting deducts for setup and maintenance.
Each free tier was checked on the vendor’s pricing page on 29 October 2026; where the vendor page was silent, the Scorecard names the third-party source used. Free tiers change, so this list is re-verified every quarter and a discontinued free plan stays listed for one month with a notice. Order is by Free Score only. Kurums Free sells no placement; sponsorship, affiliate links and vendor requests never change a score, a rank or a label. Vendors can submit corrections to the Kurums editorial team.
How did we verify these free tiers?
We opened each vendor’s pricing page and, for open-source projects, the repository or licence page, and recorded board and object caps, member limits, export rules, licence and the paid step. FigJam’s seat price is from a third party dated June 2026; Lucid’s row uses its trial page and a 2023 community post; Lucidspark is unverified; Canva’s whiteboard could not be verified; Creately’s Pro price could not be confirmed; Milanote’s row uses its plans page; Zoom’s row uses its pricing page; Freeform is cited from Apple’s December 2022 announcement. Google Jamboard’s shutdown was verified on Google’s support page.
Prices are USD.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best free alternative to Lucidchart?
draw.io (diagrams.net) — Apache 2.0, no account, no shape or document limits, exports to every format, with a desktop app. Lucidchart’s free plan allows three documents of 60 shapes.
How many boards can I edit on Miro’s free plan?
Three — the three most recent boards stay editable and older ones become view-only. Members are unlimited. Starter is $8 a member a month billed yearly.
Is Google Jamboard still available?
No. The Jamboard device reached end of life on 1 October 2024 and the service shut down; Google pointed users to FigJam, Lucidspark and Miro.
Is tldraw free for commercial use?
The tldraw.com app is free to use. The SDK is free only in development and for hobby projects with a watermark; commercial production needs a business licence from sales, after a 100-day trial.
Is Excalidraw free?
The excalidraw.com editor is MIT-licensed and free with no account. Excalidraw+ Free adds one saved scene with unlimited collaborators; Plus is $6 a user a month annual.
Which diagram tools work from text?
Mermaid (MIT, native in GitHub), PlantUML (GPL, needs Java) and Kroki, a free MIT service that renders 30 text formats through one API.
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