Excalidraw
Open-source · self-hostable · replaces 2 SaaS tools on os-alt
excalidraw/excalidraw · alive · ★ 123.2k · last commit 1d ago · 3047 open issues
License: MIT
Good fit for Engineering teams that want quick whiteboards inside conversations — architecture sketches, retro boards, ad-hoc diagrams.
Weak at Templates and pre-built frameworks are minimal compared to Miro's library.
In a terminal? npx -y github:SolvoHQ/os-alt-cli figma prints
the Figma comparison table including Excalidraw.
how the CLI works →
Replaces these SaaS
- Figma · Design / collaborative vector editor
Different category — sketches and diagrams, not high-fidelity UI design. Use it where Figma was overkill (whiteboarding, system diagrams). No Figma importer, by design.
- Miro · Online whiteboard / visual collaboration
Pull `excalidraw/excalidraw:latest` from Docker Hub for the standalone frontend; pair with `excalidraw/excalidraw-room` for the WebRTC collab server. Drop the URL on a subdomain. Miro export: each board → Export → CSV (sticky notes only) or PDF/PNG; for shapes, recreate manually. Excalidraw's signature aesthetic is hand-drawn — best for whiteboards that read as casual diagrams rather than slide-deck-quality artifacts.
README badges for the SaaS this replaces
Maintainers and forks: drop a badge in your README to link readers from the SaaS-comparison page back to your repo.
FAQ
Is Excalidraw actively maintained?
Yes — last commit 1d ago. The repository is alive (commit activity within the past 90 days).
What does Excalidraw cost to self-host?
Excalidraw is free and open source under MIT. Typical self-host VPS cost: $5 VPS for the collab/sync backend.
Which SaaS does Excalidraw replace?
Excalidraw is listed as an open-source self-host alternative to: Figma, Miro.