Miro vs Excalidraw

by Gralio Feb 03, 2025

Miro and Excalidraw are both valuable visual collaboration tools, but cater to different needs. Miro is a powerful platform for comprehensive project management, while Excalidraw prioritizes simplicity and ease of use for quick diagramming and brainstorming.

At Gralio.ai we help to simplify your decision-making process by offering detailed, side-by-side software comparisons like this one, to help you confidently choose the tool that aligns with your business goals.

This comparison was created by analysing 4100 reviews and 50 websites, saving 23 hours, 11 minutes of reading.

Logo of Miro
Miro
Logo of Excalidraw
Excalidraw

About

Miro is an online visual workspace designed to help teams collaborate on projects from beginning to end. Think of it as a giant digital whiteboard where your team can brainstorm, plan, and create together, even if you're in different locations. Miro offers tools like virtual sticky notes, templates for different workflows, and integrations with other software you may already be using. This helps teams stay organized, communicate more effectively, and move projects forward efficiently.
Excalidraw is a user-friendly, web-based drawing tool that mimics the look and feel of hand-drawn visuals. It's free to use and requires no signup, offering a simple and direct platform for brainstorming and diagramming. Excalidraw is known for its collaborative features, allowing real-time teamwork on a shared digital whiteboard. For advanced features like cloud storage, presentation mode, and administrative controls, a paid “Plus” version is available.

Summary

Main difference
Miro is a comprehensive visual workspace best suited for teams needing robust project management and diverse integrations. Excalidraw excels in quick, intuitive diagramming and brainstorming, ideal for smaller teams prioritizing simplicity and ease of use.

Relative strengths of Miro (compared to Excalidraw)

  • Extensive integrations with other popular work tools, enhancing workflow connectivity.

  • Large template library and advanced features cater to complex projects and diverse use cases.

  • Built-in meeting tools facilitate real-time collaboration within the platform.

Relative weaknesses of Miro (compared to Excalidraw)

  • Can be complex to navigate and experience performance issues with larger projects.

  • Mobile app functionality is limited compared to its desktop counterpart.

  • Pricing can be higher for smaller teams or individuals with basic needs.

Who should use Miro VS. Excalidraw

Miro is a versatile online whiteboard for teams of all sizes, especially those working remotely or in hybrid environments. Users praise its infinite canvas and real-time collaboration tools, which are great for brainstorming and enhancing teamwork. However, some users have reported performance issues with large boards and difficulties navigating complex projects. Miro offers a free plan and paid options to suit different needs.

Excalidraw is a collaborative digital whiteboard perfect for teams who value a simple, hand-drawn aesthetic. Users love its intuitive interface and real-time collaboration, ideal for brainstorming and quick sketches. However, some find the limited design tools and lack of a native iOS app to be drawbacks. If you need a quick and easy way to visualize ideas, Excalidraw might be the right fit.

  • Best for small, medium, and large businesses.

  • Ideal for various industries, including Healthcare, Finance, E-commerce, and more.

  • Best for small to medium-sized businesses.

  • A versatile tool suitable for various industries.

Miro and Excalidraw features

Supported
Partially supported
Not supported
Type in the name of the feature or in your own words tell us what you need
  • Diagramming
    Supported

    Miro supports creating and editing various diagrams, including flowcharts and mind maps.

    Supported

    Excalidraw supports creating and editing diagrams, including software architecture diagrams, flowcharts, and mind maps.

  • Centralized workspace
    Supported

    Miro provides a centralized workspace accessible from anywhere, facilitating team collaboration, communication, and project management.

    Partially supported

    Excalidraw supports team collaboration and communication through a centralized workspace, accessible anywhere via a web browser. It integrates with other tools for project management.

  • Visual collaboration tools
    Supported

    Miro supports visual collaboration with virtual sticky notes, diagrams, and multimedia.

    Supported

    Excalidraw facilitates team brainstorming with diagrams and real-time collaboration features.

  • Open platform
    Supported

    Miro provides a developer platform, APIs, and SDKs for integrations.

    Supported

    Excalidraw is open-source and provides an API for integrations.

  • Integrated meeting tools
    Supported

    Miro offers built-in video chat, a collaborative workspace, and real-time interaction tools.

    Partially supported

    Excalidraw supports integrated meeting tools through its integration with Webex Meetings.

Qualities

  • Value and Pricing Transparency
    -0.34
    Rather negative sentiment
    +1
    Strongly positive sentiment
  • Customer Service
    +0.64
    Rather positive sentiment
    +0
    Neutral sentiment
  • Ease of Use
    +0.86
    Strongly positive sentiment
    +0.9
    Strongly positive sentiment
  • Reliability and Performance
    +0.02
    Neutral sentiment
    +0
    Neutral sentiment
  • Ease of Implementation
    +0.49
    Rather positive sentiment
    +0.67
    Rather positive sentiment
  • Scalability
    -0.01
    Neutral sentiment
    +1
    Strongly positive sentiment
Miro and Excalidraw Pricing
Miro offers a Free plan and three paid plans: Starter, Business, and Enterprise (custom priced). The Starter and Business plans are billed monthly or annually, with annual billing offering discounts.
Plans

User sentiment

Rather negative
-0.34

See full Pricing page

No data

User sentiment

Strongly positive
+1
We couldn't find a pricing page for Excalidraw.

Miro and Excalidraw review insights

4100 reviews analysed from and

Users love

  • The infinite canvas provides ample space for brainstorming.
  • Real-time collaboration tools enhance teamwork and communication.
  • The vast collection of pre-built templates is incredibly useful.
  • Miro integrates seamlessly with other popular tools.
  • Intuitive and user-friendly interface, making it easy to create diagrams.
  • Real-time collaboration features enhance teamwork and idea sharing.
  • Hand-drawn aesthetic provides a unique and engaging visual style.
  • Wide range of export options for easy integration.
  • Minimalist design minimizes distractions and promotes focus.

Users dislike

  • Navigating large boards can be cumbersome.
  • Performance issues with large boards, especially with inserted images.
  • The mobile app is underwhelming.
  • Tables can be difficult to handle.
  • Limited advanced design tools, caters mostly to quick sketches and diagrams.
  • Default handwriting font is not universally loved.
  • No native app for iOS/iPad.
  • External images and SVGs cannot be edited within the tool.
  • Subscription cost for Excalidraw+ is considered expensive by some.

Miro and Excalidraw Ratings

  • G2
    4.8/5
    (2604)
  • Capterra
    4.7/5
    (1471)
  • Glassdoor
    3.9/5
    (536)
  • G2
    4.4/5
    (25)

Company health

Employee growth

8% increase in the last year
27% increase in the last year

Web traffic

5% increase in the last quarter
4% increase in the last quarter

Financing

September 2021 - $476M
No data

How important is a robust template library for your team's workflows?

A robust template library is moderately important for our team. While Miro's extensive template library offers ready-made workflows, Excalidraw's simplicity and focus on hand-drawn visuals suggest a different approach, potentially less reliant on pre-built structures. The ultimate decision hinges on whether our team prefers the efficiency of starting with templates or values the flexibility of building diagrams from scratch.

Which product's "hand-drawn" aesthetic better suits your visual communication needs?

Excalidraw's hand-drawn aesthetic is better suited for my visual communication needs if the goal is to create quick, informal diagrams and sketches that have a more personal and engaging feel. Miro, while offering a broader range of features and integrations, has a cleaner, more polished look that might be better for formal presentations or projects requiring a higher degree of visual precision.

What are the advantages of Miro?

Miro offers a broader range of features, including pre-built templates, integrated meeting tools, and a centralized workspace for project management, making it a more comprehensive solution for team collaboration compared to Excalidraw's focus on diagramming. Miro also boasts wider industry applicability and better integrations with other popular tools. While Excalidraw is praised for its simplicity and ease of use, Miro's robust feature set caters to more complex projects and larger teams, especially those needing structured workflows and project management capabilities.

What are the disadvantages of Miro?

Users dislike Miro's cumbersome navigation and performance issues, especially with large boards and many images. The mobile app is considered underwhelming, and tables are reportedly difficult to manage.

Alternatives to Miro and Excalidraw

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Constant Contact
Constant Contact is a digital marketing platform designed to help small and midsize businesses grow. It offers tools to build email lists, create and send marketing emails, manage social media, and track results. Constant Contact aims to simplify digital marketing with easy-to-use features and integrations with popular business tools. It stands out with its focus on small businesses, providing affordable plans and award-winning customer support.
Logo of Draw.io
Draw.io
Draw.io is a free and accessible diagramming tool that allows you and your team to create and share visual representations of information. It works in your web browser or as a desktop app and integrates seamlessly with popular platforms like Google Drive and Dropbox. Whether you need to map out processes, create organizational charts, or visualize data, Draw.io provides a straightforward and collaborative way to do so.
Logo of Trello
Trello
Trello is a visual project management tool that helps teams organize tasks and collaborate more effectively. Using boards, lists, and cards, teams can easily track progress on projects, from simple to-do lists to complex workflows. Trello offers a high level of customization with features like templates, integrations with other popular apps, and no-code automation. Its intuitive interface makes it easy for anyone to use, regardless of technical skill. Trello offers various pricing plans to suit different team sizes and needs, including a free plan for small teams.
Logo of Weje.io
Weje.io is a free online whiteboard designed for teams to collaborate on projects visually. It allows users to brainstorm ideas, organize tasks, and track progress using virtual sticky notes, lists, and connectors, all within a flexible digital workspace. This simple, intuitive approach aims to improve team communication and workflow efficiency.
Logo of Visio
Visio
Visio, by Microsoft, simplifies the creation of professional diagrams and charts. From flowcharts and organizational structures to IT networks and floor plans, Visio offers various templates and tools to present complex information clearly. Its collaborative features and ability to connect with real-time data make it suitable for teams who need to visualize and share data-driven insights.
Logo of Creately
Creately
Creately is a visual collaboration and diagramming platform designed for teams of all sizes. It offers a digital whiteboard, over 1,000 templates, and integrations to streamline work management and improve cross-functional team collaboration. With Creately, teams can visually brainstorm, plan projects, map processes, create diagrams, and manage workflows. It aims to be a single visual workspace for teams to go from idea to execution while keeping everyone on the same page.

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