🩺 Vitals
- 📦 Version: v0.18.0 (Released 2025-03-11)
- 🚀 Velocity: Active (Last commit 2026-01-28)
- 🌟 Community: 115.7k Stars · 12.3k Forks
- 🐞 Backlog: 2764 Open Issues
🏗️ Profile
- Official: excalidraw.com
- Source: github.com/excalidraw/excalidraw
- License: MIT
- Deployment: Static Web App (PWA)
- Data Model: Local Storage / E2EE Server
- Jurisdiction: Czech Republic 🇨🇿, EU 🇪🇺
- Compliance: SOC 2 Type I (Excalidraw+), GDPR
- Complexity: Low (1/5) - Instant Use
- Maintenance: Low (1/5) - Stateless Frontend
- Enterprise Ready: Moderate (3/5) - Excellent Privacy, Limited Org Management
1. The Executive Summary
What is it? Excalidraw is a virtual whiteboard tool that lets you easily sketch diagrams that have a hand-drawn feel. It is designed for speed and simplicity, making it the go-to tool for rapid prototyping and architectural brainstorming.
The Strategic Verdict:
- 🔴 For Strict Modeling: Caution. Not a UML/BPMN tool.
- 🟢 For Ideation: Strong Buy. Zero friction, end-to-end encrypted, and instant.
2. The "Hidden" Costs (TCO Analysis)
| Cost Component | Proprietary (Miro) | Excalidraw (Self-Hosted) |
|---|---|---|
| License Fee | ~$15/user/mo | $0 (MIT) |
| Infrastructure | $0 | ~$5/mo (Static Host) |
| Data Privacy | Vendor Cloud | 100% Owned |
3. The "Day 2" Reality Check
🚀 Deployment & Operations
- Installation: Trivial. It's a React app. Can be hosted on S3, Netlify, or internal Nginx.
- Storage: Drawings are stored locally or E2EE on a collab server. No heavy database required.
🛡️ Security & Governance
- Compliance: SOC 2 Type I (Excalidraw+), GDPR
- Identity: Minimal. Collaboration via shareable links.
4. Market Landscape
🏢 Proprietary Incumbents
- Miro
- Lucidchart
🤝 Open Source Ecosystem
- tldraw
4. Market Landscape
🏢 Proprietary Incumbents
- Miro: The proprietary market leader..
- Lucidchart: The proprietary market leader..
🤝 Open Source Ecosystem
- tldraw: A notable open source alternative in this space.