Excalidraw
Open-source hand-drawn style whiteboard with shared sessions.
Alternatives · 2026
Alternatives to Mural
Visual collaboration whiteboard for distributed teams.
4 hand-curated alternatives from MintedSaaS's directory. See the Mural listing →
Mural is a visual collaboration whiteboard built for distributed teams. It combines infinite canvas drawing, sticky notes, templates, and real-time presence so teams can ideate, design, and plan together without being in the same room. The platform targets product teams, design studios, and workshop facilitators who need structured space for brainstorming, user research synthesis, and agile ceremonies. Mural sits in the middle of the spectrum between simple drawing tools and full design suites — it's focused on collaboration workflows rather than pixel-perfect production assets.
Teams typically use Mural for design sprints, customer journey mapping, retrospectives, and cross-functional planning sessions. A product manager might run a discovery workshop where stakeholders sketch flows and vote on ideas in real time. A design team might use it to annotate research findings or create wireframe flows. Unlike specialized tools for wireframing or diagramming, Mural doesn't enforce structure — it's a blank canvas with just enough scaffolding (templates, voting, timer widgets) to guide group thinking. Buyers who switch tools are usually looking for cheaper options, better offline support, or different collaboration models.
What we offer that competes
Lucidspark
Virtual whiteboard from the makers of Lucidchart.
FigJam
Figma's collaborative whiteboard for brainstorming.
Miro
Collaborative online whiteboard for distributed teams.
What to look for
- Whether the tool allows offline editing and automatically syncs when internet reconnects
- Whether the platform offers native mobile apps or relies entirely on mobile browser access
- Whether you can export or download your boards in standard formats like PNG, SVG, or PDF
- Whether the tool supports scheduled access expiration or automatic archive for old projects
- Whether video chat and screen sharing are built in or require third-party integration
- Whether you can restrict board visibility by role, set edit vs. view-only permissions, or control guest access per board
FAQ
What are the best free alternatives to Mural?
Excalidraw is completely free and open-source, with no paid tier or session limits. Lucidspark and FigJam both offer free plans that include unlimited frames and real-time collaboration, though they cap the number of guest collaborators or require paid tiers for advanced features like video chat.
Are there free whiteboard tools for design collaboration?
Yes. Excalidraw is free forever. FigJam (part of Figma) includes a free tier. Miro offers a free plan with limited frames. The free tiers vary in guest limits, storage, and whether you can save multiple boards.
Which whiteboard tool is best for remote design sprints?
Miro and Lucidspark are purpose-built for facilitated workshops, with built-in timers, voting, and breakout rooms. FigJam integrates directly into Figma, so it's ideal if your team already uses Figma for design. Excalidraw works well for quick sketches and simple diagramming but lacks built-in facilitation features.
Can I use these tools offline or for asynchronous collaboration?
Excalidraw works entirely offline and syncs when you reconnect. Miro, Lucidspark, and FigJam require internet but allow asynchronous commenting and updates — team members can add notes and feedback without being in the session at the same time.
What platforms do Mural alternatives support?
Miro, Lucidspark, and FigJam are web-first and work on any browser; Miro and Lucidspark also have native iOS and Android apps. Excalidraw runs in the browser and has community-built mobile apps, but there's no official native client.
Can I embed or export whiteboards from these tools?
Miro and FigJam allow embedding via iframe and exporting to PNG or PDF. Lucidspark supports exporting to PNG and PowerPoint. Excalidraw exports as PNG, SVG, or JSON, and can be embedded, but has no built-in PowerPoint export.
How do I choose between Mural alternatives for my team size?
For small teams or solo use, Excalidraw is free with no limits. For mid-size teams running workshops, Miro and Lucidspark scale well and include facilitation features. FigJam is best if your team uses Figma and wants tight design-to-whiteboard workflow integration.
Do any of these tools integrate with other software?
Miro integrates with Slack, Jira, Asana, and Figma. Lucidspark connects to Slack and Microsoft Teams. FigJam lives inside Figma and syncs with Slack. Excalidraw has limited integrations but can be embedded in other tools via iframe or API.