What is the best online whiteboard tool right now?

Miro leads this list — we have mapped more alternatives to it than to anything else here — it is best for running live workshops and planning sessions (retros, journey maps, roadmaps) with distributed teams on a shared board. Novastart is the strongest runner-up.

Which online whiteboards are free?

5 of the 6 tools here have a usable free tier or are fully free: Miro, Novastart, Excalidraw, Mural, tldraw.

Are there open-source online whiteboards?

Yes — Excalidraw is open source.

6 Best Online whiteboards tools in 2026

Online whiteboards give teams and individuals an infinite canvas for sticky notes, diagrams, and research, used for workshops, brainstorming, and planning.

Top online whiteboards

Ranked by alternatives mapped, then most recently verified

Miro
Best for running live workshops and planning sessions (retros, journey maps, roadmaps) with distributed teams on a shared board
Online whiteboardsFreemium
Web · Windows · macOS · iOS · Android
Free tier · paid from $8/mo
6 alternatives
Novastart
Best for small teams that work across many apps and files at once and want to share one live canvas instead of sharing screens
Online whiteboardsFreemium
Windows · macOS · Linux
Free tier · paid from $10/mo
5 alternatives
Excalidraw
Best for sketching informal system diagrams and wireframes live with others during a meeting or interview
Online whiteboardsOpen core
Web
Free tier · paid from $6/mo
4 alternatives
Heptabase
Best for turning PDFs, papers and video lectures into connected note cards laid out on whiteboards for a research or study project
Online whiteboardsNotes & PKMPaid
Web · Windows · macOS · Linux · iOS · Android
From $8.99/mo
4 alternatives
Mural
Best for running facilitated workshops and design-thinking sessions with large groups, including outside participants who join free as visitors
Online whiteboardsFreemium
Web · Windows · macOS · iOS · Android
Free tier · paid from $9.99/mo
4 alternatives
tldraw
Best for sketching quick diagrams and flows with collaborators on a free shared board
Online whiteboardsFreemium
Web · macOS · Windows · Linux
Free
4 alternatives

Find alternatives to a specific tool

Alternatives to Miro6 Alternatives to Novastart5 Alternatives to Excalidraw4 Alternatives to Heptabase4 Alternatives to Mural4 Alternatives to tldraw4

Frequently asked questions

What is the best online whiteboard tool right now?: Miro leads this list — we have mapped more alternatives to it than to anything else here — it is best for running live workshops and planning sessions (retros, journey maps, roadmaps) with distributed teams on a shared board. Novastart is the strongest runner-up.
Which online whiteboards are free?: 5 of the 6 tools here have a usable free tier or are fully free: Miro, Novastart, Excalidraw, Mural, tldraw.
Are there open-source online whiteboards?: Yes — Excalidraw is open source.