Excalidraw vs Excaliself
Pros and cons
Each app's own strengths and weaknesses, plus the specs where Excalidraw and Excaliself differ.
Excalidraw
Pros
- Hand-drawn style diagrams
- Open JSON drawing format
- Works offline as a PWA
- Exports PNG and SVG
Cons
- Saves drawings in browser only
- Private collaboration needs own backend
- No folders or team space
Excaliself
Pros
- Full Excalidraw editor
- Live collaboration with cursors
- Team space and shared library
- Searches text inside drawings
- MCP server for AI clients
Cons
- Excalidraw+ import is beta
- Pre-1.0 release
- Invite-only accounts
Excalidraw vs Excaliself: specs side by side
Every spec for both apps in one table. Values in bold are where one app has the edge, and amber ones are worth a second look before you install.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| Install options | Docker only | Docker + Coolify |
| Web UI | Yes | Yes |
| Architecture | x86 + ARM | x86 + ARM |
| Containers | 1The app alone | 2Plus Postgres |
| Database | none | Postgres |
| Runtime | nginx | Node |
Updated