What is the main difference between Excalidraw and Tldraw?

Excalidraw and Tldraw are both collaborative workspaces but differ in their approach, features, and target audience. Compare their GitHub stats, technology stack, and community adoption to make the best choice.

Which is better: Excalidraw or Tldraw?

The choice between Excalidraw and Tldraw depends on your specific needs, technical requirements, and team preferences. Both are quality open source solutions with active communities.

Can I migrate from Excalidraw to Tldraw?

Migration between Excalidraw and Tldraw is possible but requires careful planning. Consider data export/import capabilities, feature parity, and potential workflow changes.

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Excalidraw vs Tldraw

Learn how Excalidraw and Tldraw differ in their key features, development activity, technology stack and community adoption, so you can decide which of these collaborative workspaces is best for you.

Excalidraw

Virtual whiteboard for sketching diagrams, flowcharts, and wireframes with a distinctive hand-drawn look. Real-time collaboration built in.

Visit Excalidraw Read more

130,027stars+2,087(+1.6%)

Last 30 days

Last commit
3 days ago
Repository age
7 years
Version
v0.18.1
License
MIT
Self-hosted
Yes
Repository
excalidraw/excalidraw

Sponsor Excalidraw onopencollective.com

Tldraw

Virtual whiteboard that works instantly on any device, no signup required, with real-time multiplayer collaboration built in.

Visit Tldraw Read more

49,863stars+800(+1.6%)

Last 30 days

Last commit
6 hours ago
Repository age
5 years
Version
v5.3.2
Repository
tldraw/tldraw

Detailed Comparison

Excalidraw appears to have several advantages over Tldraw, particularly in popularity, maturity, licensing and features. Consider your specific needs regarding popularity, growth, activity, technology, maturity, licensing and features when making your decision.

Excalidraw wins

Community & Popularity

Excalidraw leads in popularity with 130,027 stars vs 49,863 stars for Tldraw. The 161% higher star count indicates stronger community adoption. In terms of developer contributions, Excalidraw has 14,919 forks, indicating strong developer engagement.

Comparable

Growth Momentum

Excalidraw and Tldraw are moving at much the same rate, adding 2,087 stars and adding 800 stars respectively over the last 30 days (+1.6% vs +1.6%). Neither is pulling away from the other on momentum alone.

Comparable

Development Activity

Both projects show recent activity, with Excalidraw last updated 3 days ago and Tldraw 6 hours ago.

Comparable

Technology Stack

Both tools share common technology foundations, being built with JavaScript, CSS, Typescript, JSX, Next.js. However, they differ in their additional technology choices: Excalidraw uses SCSS while Tldraw leverages Bash, Vue, GLSL.

Excalidraw wins

Project Maturity

Excalidraw has been in development longer, starting 7 years ago, compared to Tldraw which began 5 years ago. This 1.4-year head start suggests Excalidraw may have more mature features and established processes.

Excalidraw wins

Licensing

Excalidraw is licensed under MIT, while Tldraw's license terms are not publicly specified.

Comparable

Use Cases & Features

Both tools serve similar use cases in Collaborative Workspaces, Online Design, Whiteboarding.

Excalidraw wins

Hosting & Deployment

Excalidraw provides self-hosting options for complete data control and customization, while Tldraw may be primarily cloud-based or require different deployment approaches.

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