Excalidraw

Overview

A quick, easy to learn, extremely flexible and intuitive digital whiteboard application.

Review

What I use it for: Excalidraw is frequently critical to my creative process, from diagramming concepts and software architectures to creating art assets. If I need to think something through visually or sketch and communicate a visual idea to someone else, Excalidraw is usually the first application I turn to. Well worth the subscription.

Pros:

• Great UI, extremely low friction and easy to learn
• Flexible for numerous use cases
• Data can be exported in SVG, PNG, or Excalidraw formats
• Local-first and Progressive Web App for offline functionality
• Encrypted
• Collaborative features
• Dark mode

Cons:

• SVG output code can sometimes be a bit rough

Buy/Try if:

• You need a way to sketch things visually but don't like the limitations of things like Paint or the complexity of tools like Draw.io. or Miro
• You need a digital whiteboard to sketch out your ideas
• You're looking for a cheaper, better, open-source, and streamlined alternative to draw.io, miro, viseo, jamboard, etc

Other Recommended Options:

• Tldraw: https://www.tldraw.com/