Miro vs Novastart (2026)
By Noahlast updated
Miro
MiroOnline whiteboard and visual workspace for teams running workshops, diagrams and planning on an infinite canvas, free for 3 editable boards or from $8/member/month.
- Pricing
- Free tier · paid from $8/mo
- License
- Freemium
Best for running live workshops and planning sessions (retros, journey maps, roadmaps) with distributed teams on a shared board
Novastart
NovastartInfinite-canvas operating system that brings apps and files onto one canvas where people and AI agents work together, free for 2 canvases or $10-$20/month.
- Pricing
- Free tier · paid from $10/mo
- License
- Freemium
Best for small teams that work across many apps and files at once and want to share one live canvas instead of sharing screens
Which should you choose?
Choose Miro if…
wins 3/6 use cases
- You need a whiteboard for workshops, retros, journey maps and roadmaps with sticky notes, diagrams, docs, tables and slides
- Participants should join from a browser, an iPhone or an Android phone without installing a virtual machine
- Your team uses Apple silicon Macs, which Novastart's virtual machine does not support
- You want 7,000+ templates and 250+ integrations, including two-way Jira, Asana and Linear sync on Miro Business
- You need SSO (Miro Business) or SCIM, audit trails and data residency (Miro Enterprise, from 30 members)
Choose Novastart if…
wins 3/6 use cases
- You want Gmail, Excel, Notion, ChatGPT and your files open as live windows on one canvas that reopens exactly as you left it
- You want teammates to click and type in the same app windows, streamed peer to peer, instead of sharing screens (Novastart Team, $20/month)
- You want AI agents that operate your apps with their own cursors, up to 10 per task, at $0.02 per use with a local log of every step
- You want canvas contents to stay on your own machine unless you share a canvas or hand a window to an agent
- You are a student or teacher at a Novastart partner university with a .edu email, which makes Novastart free to use
Miro vs Novastart: feature comparison
| Feature | Miro | Novastart |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Yesfree plan; paid from $8/member/month (Starter, billed annually) | Yesfree plan; Pro $10/month |
| Free tier | Partialunlimited members, 3 editable boards | Partial1 folder, 2 canvases, 4 windows per canvas |
| Shared team canvas | Yesshared boards on every plan; guests from $20/member/month (Business) | Yesshared canvases from $20/month (Team), peer to peer |
| Platforms | Yesweb, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android | PartialWindows 10/11 or Intel Mac (virtual machine), or its own OS on an x86 PC |
| Runs without a heavy install | Yesruns in the browser | Novirtual machine needs 8 GB RAM, about 32 GB disk, hardware virtualization |
| Mobile apps | Yes4.7/5 from 5,845 ratings (App Store); 4.4/5 from 20.2K reviews (Google Play) | Nodesktop only |
| License | Noproprietary, freemium | Noproprietary, freemium |
| Whiteboarding and diagramming | Yessticky notes, shapes, 4,700+ diagram shapes (Business) | Unknown |
| Live apps and files on the canvas | Partialdocuments and embeds on boards | Yes37 web apps signed in as you, any site in Chrome, local files |
| AI features | YesMiro AI drafts diagrams, tables, summaries, slides; MCP for Claude, Cursor, Copilot | Yesup to 10 computer-use agents per task, own cursors, local logs |
| AI pricing | Yescredits included: 10/month free, 25 or 50 per member on paid plans | Partial$0.02 per use on every plan, from $25 prepaid credits |
| Templates and integrations | Yes7,000+ templates, 250+ apps, two-way Jira, Asana, Linear sync (Business) | Unknown |
| Data stays on your machine | Nohosted boards; data residency choice on Enterprise | Yescanvas contents stay local unless shared or handed to an agent |
| Enterprise controls | YesSSO (Business); SCIM, audit trails (Enterprise, 30+ members) | Unknown |
| Track record | Yes100M+ people, by Miro's count | Partialpublic launch in September 2026 |
| Learning curve | Yeslow | Partialmoderate |
| Education pricing | Unknown | Yesfree for students and teachers at partner universities (.edu email) |
Miro vs Novastart: pricing
Every tier both tools publish, as we last checked them — not just the entry price.
Miro
- FreeUnlimited members, 3 editable boards (the three most recent stay editable), 7,000+ templates, Docs/Tables/Slides/Kanban formats, 10 AI credits per month, 250+ integrations; every board is visible to the whole team and there is no guest role.Free
- StarterPer member, billed annually ($10 billed monthly): unlimited private boards, visitor editing without sign-in, high-resolution exports, timer and voting, 25 AI credits per member per month, 500 MCP calls per day, custom fonts.$8/mo
- BusinessPer member, billed annually ($25 billed monthly): unlimited workspaces and signed-in guests, 4,700+ diagram shapes, data tables, polls, interactive prototypes, AI workflows, 50 AI credits per member, two-way Jira/Asana/Linear sync, SSO; 14-day free trial.$20/mo
- EnterpriseCustom pricing from 30 members: SCIM, audit trails, data residency in the EU, US, Australia or Japan, pooled AI credits from 2,500 per month, 10,000 MCP calls per day, customer success program.Custom
Novastart
- FreeAll apps; limited to 1 folder, 2 canvases and 4 windows per canvas. AI agents available at $0.02 per use from prepaid credits of $25 or more.Free
- ProUnlimited folders, canvases and windows. AI agents billed separately at $0.02 per use from credits of $25 or more.$10/mo
- TeamEverything in Pro plus Team Collaboration: shared canvases where teammates click and type in each other's windows, machine to machine. AI agents billed separately.$20/mo
Are Miro and Novastart the same kind of tool?
No, Miro is a collaborative whiteboard where teams add sticky notes, diagrams, docs and slides to shared boards, while Novastart is an operating system whose desktop is an infinite canvas of live app windows and files.
Miro runs in the browser and as desktop and mobile apps, and Miro boards hold Docs, Tables, Timelines, Kanban and Slides alongside whiteboard content, with 7,000+ templates. Novastart replaces stacks of overlapping windows and tabs: Gmail, Excel, Notion, ChatGPT and other web apps (Novastart counts 37) open as real windows signed in as you, any site runs in a bundled Chrome, and every app, position and tab is restored when you return. The overlap is the shared infinite canvas: Miro teams work on shared boards, and Novastart Team users share canvases streamed peer to peer.
Miro vs Novastart pricing: which costs less?
Miro's paid plans start lower, at $8/member/month billed annually against $10/month for Novastart Pro, though Novastart's listing does not say whether its prices are per user, and both offer free plans.
Miro Free covers unlimited members and 3 editable boards; Starter is $8/member/month billed annually ($10 monthly) with unlimited private boards and 25 AI credits per member, and Business is $20/member/month annually ($25 monthly) with guests, SSO and 50 AI credits. Novastart Free allows 1 folder, 2 canvases and 4 windows per canvas; Pro removes those limits for $10/month, and Team adds shared canvases for $20/month. Novastart's AI agents cost $0.02 per use on every plan, paid from credit packs of at least $25, while Miro includes AI credits in each plan. Students and teachers at Novastart partner universities with a .edu email use Novastart free.
Which handles AI agents better, Miro or Novastart?
Novastart gives AI agents a more direct role, running up to 10 computer-use agents per task with their own cursors inside your apps, while Miro AI generates diagrams, tables, summaries and slides from board content and connects boards to Claude, Cursor and Copilot through an MCP server.
Novastart's agents run on OpenAI's computer-use models, take one-off jobs or multi-step plans with sub-agents, and, with Observe turned on, offer to take over the window you are working in. You can pause or correct a Novastart agent mid-run, and every run is logged locally with steps, clicks and screenshots. Miro AI is metered in credits (10 a month on Free, 25 per member on Starter, 50 on Business), Miro Business adds AI workflows and agents on the canvas, and Miro's MCP server allows 500 calls per day on Starter.
Which is easier to adopt, Miro or Novastart?
Miro is easier to adopt, with a low learning curve, a browser version and iOS and Android apps, while Novastart has a moderate learning curve and runs as a virtual machine on Windows 10/11 or Intel Macs or as a full operating system on a dedicated x86 PC.
Novastart's app needs 8 GB of RAM, about 32 GB of disk and hardware virtualization, does not run on Apple silicon Macs, and Novastart itself warns of some lag; full speed means installing Novastart OS on an x86 PC, which replaces the existing operating system. Novastart launched publicly in September 2026. Miro says 100M+ people collaborate on it, and Miro's apps rate 4.7/5 from 5,845 App Store ratings and 4.4/5 from 20.2K Google Play reviews.
Strengths and weaknesses
Miro
Pros
- Free plan with unlimited members, 7,000+ templates and 250+ integrations.
- Docs, Tables, Timelines, Kanban and Slides live on the same canvas as the whiteboard.
- Visitor editing on Starter lets outsiders edit a public board without signing in.
- Native apps for Windows, Mac, iOS and Android; the iOS app rates 4.7/5 from 5,845 App Store ratings.
- An MCP server and two-way Jira, Asana, Linear and ClickUp sync (Business) connect board content to AI and delivery tools.
Cons
- The Free plan allows only 3 editable boards, and every board is visible to the whole team.
- Each workspace member takes a paid seat; signed-in guests require Business at $20/member/month billed annually.
- AI is credit-metered: 25 credits per member per month on Starter and 50 on Business.
- Enterprise features such as SCIM and data residency require at least 30 members.
Novastart
Pros
- Every app keeps a fixed place on a saved canvas, so a project's windows and tabs reopen exactly as you left them.
- Shared canvases on the Team plan let teammates click and type in each other's windows peer to peer, with no server in the middle.
- AI agents work in plain sight with their own cursors, can be paused or corrected mid-run, and log every step and screenshot locally.
- Canvas contents are not copied to a Novastart server; canvas data leaves the machine only when you share a canvas or run an agent.
- Free plan, $10 Pro and $20 Team pricing, plus free use for students and teachers at partner universities with a .edu email.
Cons
- Public launch was September 2026, so the product has a short track record.
- The app runs as a virtual machine only on Windows 10/11 and Intel Macs, needs 8 GB RAM and 32 GB disk, and lags compared with the full OS.
- Full performance requires dedicating an x86 PC to Novastart OS, which replaces the existing operating system.
- AI agents cost extra on every plan: $0.02 per use from credit packs of at least $25.
Which fits your use case?
| Use case | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Facilitator running a retro or journey-mapping workshop with a distributed team | Miro | Miro's boards, templates and facilitation tools (timer and voting from Starter) are built for live workshops, and participants join from a browser or phone. |
| Freelancer juggling Gmail, Excel, Notion and ChatGPT across several projects | Novastart | Novastart keeps each project's app windows on its own saved canvas that reopens exactly as you left it, with 100 undo steps per canvas. |
| Small team that wants AI agents to handle repetitive work inside web apps | Novastart | Novastart runs up to 10 computer-use agents per task at $0.02 per use, with a local log of every step and screenshot. |
| Design team working on Apple silicon MacBooks | Miro | Novastart's virtual machine needs Windows 10/11 or an Intel Mac, while Miro runs in the browser and as a Mac desktop app. |
| Product team turning workshop output into a Jira backlog | Miro | Miro Business syncs both ways with Jira, Asana and Linear; Novastart's listing names no such sync. |
| Privacy-minded small team that wants work to stay on its own machines | Novastart | Novastart keeps canvas contents on your machine unless you share a canvas or hand a window to an agent, and Team-plan sharing streams peer to peer with no server in the middle. |
Neither a match?
Both lists carry verified pricing and honest weaknesses for every option.
Popular comparisons
Miro vs Novastart: migration FAQ
Should I use Miro or Novastart?
- Use Miro if your team needs a shared whiteboard for workshops, diagrams and planning in any browser; use Novastart if you want your real apps and files arranged as live windows on saved canvases, with computer-use AI agents. Miro is a collaborative board, while Novastart is a canvas operating system.
Is Miro cheaper than Novastart?
- Yes at the entry paid tier: Miro Starter is $8/member/month billed annually against $10/month for Novastart Pro, and both have free plans. Novastart charges extra for AI agents at $0.02 per use, while Miro includes monthly AI credits in every plan.
Can Novastart replace Miro?
- Not as a whiteboard, because Novastart's canvas arranges app windows and files and its listing describes no sticky notes, diagram shapes or workshop templates. Novastart can replace screen sharing for small teams, since Team-plan canvases let teammates click and type in each other's windows.
Does Novastart work on a Mac?
- Only on Intel Macs: Novastart runs as a virtual machine on Windows 10/11 or Intel Macs and does not support Apple silicon. Novastart also needs 8 GB of RAM, about 32 GB of disk and hardware virtualization.
Is Novastart free?
- Yes — Novastart's Free plan includes all apps but limits you to 1 folder, 2 canvases and 4 windows per canvas, and AI agents cost $0.02 per use from prepaid credits of $25 or more. Students and teachers at Novastart partner universities with a .edu email can use Novastart free.