Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Excalidraw VS AppWrite

Compare Excalidraw VS AppWrite and see what are their differences

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Excalidraw logo Excalidraw

Excalidraw is a whiteboard tool that lets you easily sketch diagrams that have a hand-drawn feel to them.

AppWrite logo AppWrite

Appwrite provides web and mobile developers with a set of easy-to-use and integrate REST APIs to manage their core backend needs.
  • Excalidraw Excalidraw - collaborative whiteboard infinite canvas
    Excalidraw - collaborative whiteboard infinite canvas //
    2024-11-13

Excalidraw is an open-source virtual whiteboard focused on simplicity and collaboration. It provides a hand-drawn, sketch-style interface for brainstorming and visualizing ideas. Ideal for remote teams, educators, and developers, Excalidraw supports real-time collaboration and integrates with other tools through its open API. With a privacy-first design and intuitive layout, it enables users to create and share diagrams, workflows, and visual notes efficiently. Powered by a strong community, Excalidraw is designed to fit into diverse workflows with minimal setup.

  • AppWrite Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-28

Excalidraw features and specs

  • User-Friendly Interface
    Excalidraw features a simple and intuitive interface that makes it easy for users to create diagrams and sketches without a steep learning curve.
  • Real-Time Collaboration
    Allows multiple users to collaborate on the same canvas in real-time, making it a great tool for team projects and discussions.
  • Free to Use
    Excalidraw is completely free to use, and offers all of its features without a subscription or one-time payment.
  • Open Source
    Being open source, it allows developers to contribute to its codebase, customize it for their needs, and potentially add new features.
  • Offline Capability
    Offers offline support, enabling users to continue working on their diagrams without an internet connection.

Possible disadvantages of Excalidraw

  • Limited Advanced Features
    While perfect for basic sketches and diagrams, Excalidraw lacks some advanced features found in other professional-grade diagramming tools.
  • Basic Styling Options
    The tool offers limited styling options, which may not be sufficient for users looking for more sophisticated design and customization capabilities.
  • No Integration with Other Tools
    Currently, Excalidraw does not offer integration with other popular productivity or design tools, which might be a limitation for some users.
  • Scalability Issues
    As the number of elements on the canvas increases, performance can degrade, potentially making the tool less responsive.
  • Limited Export Options
    Supports limited export formats, which can be inconvenient for users needing to integrate their visuals into other applications or media.

AppWrite features and specs

  • Open Source
    AppWrite is an open-source platform, allowing developers to inspect, modify, and contribute to the code base, ensuring transparency and flexibility.
  • Self-Hosted
    Being self-hosted, AppWrite gives developers complete control over their data and server environment, enhancing security and customization options.
  • Comprehensive Backend
    AppWrite offers a wide range of backend services out-of-the-box, including authentication, database management, storage, and serverless functions, reducing the need for additional third-party services.
  • Multi-Language Support
    AppWrite supports various programming languages, which makes it versatile and developer-friendly, allowing the integration with different tech stacks.
  • Community and Documentation
    AppWrite has an active community and well-documented guides, tutorials, and API references, which are essential for learning and troubleshooting.

Possible disadvantages of AppWrite

  • Resource Intensive
    Being a self-hosted solution, AppWrite may require significant server resources for optimal performance, which can be costly.
  • Initial Setup Complexity
    The initial setup and configuration can be complex and time-consuming, particularly for those less experienced with server management.
  • Limited Third-Party Integrations
    As compared to some other backend-as-a-service (BaaS) platforms, AppWrite has fewer pre-built third-party integrations, which might limit its extensibility.
  • Newer and Evolving
    AppWrite is relatively new and still evolving, which can mean fewer features compared to more mature platforms and the potential for more bugs.
  • Maintenance Responsibility
    Since it is self-hosted, the responsibility for server maintenance, updates, and security falls solely on the user, which can be a drawback for smaller teams or solo developers.

Analysis of Excalidraw

Overall verdict

  • Excalidraw is an excellent tool, especially for those looking for a straightforward and efficient online whiteboard solution. Its user-friendly design, combined with robust collaboration features, makes it a strong choice for both individuals and teams.

Why this product is good

  • Excalidraw is highly regarded due to its simplicity and effectiveness as a digital whiteboard tool. It offers a clean, intuitive interface that's easy to use for quick sketches and brainstorming sessions. The collaboration features, which allow multiple users to work together in real-time, make it ideal for teams. Its open-source nature also adds a level of flexibility and customization for users with specific needs.

Recommended for

  • Designers needing a quick sketch tool.
  • Teams requiring real-time collaboration on visual ideas.
  • Individuals who appreciate open-source software.
  • Educators and students for simple diagrams or brainstorming.
  • Remote teams looking for a lightweight yet powerful whiteboarding tool.

Analysis of AppWrite

Overall verdict

  • AppWrite is a solid option for developers looking for an open-source backend solution with robust features. Its well-documented APIs and active community support make it a viable choice for both small projects and growing applications.

Why this product is good

  • AppWrite is considered a good choice, particularly for its comprehensive backend-as-a-service (BaaS) features that cater to web and mobile developers. It provides a suite of services such as user authentication, databases, file storage, and serverless functions, allowing developers to streamline their development process. Its open-source nature means developers have access to the full code base and the community-drive contributions, ensuring transparency and continuous improvements. AppWrite also emphasizes developer experience, offering easy integration with client-side SDKs and providing extensive documentation.

Recommended for

    AppWrite is recommended for developers building applications who require a scalable backend solution without the overhead of managing infrastructure. It is particularly suited for developers who prefer open-source platforms and those who want to avoid vendor lock-in. AppWrite's features make it a good fit for startups, hobby projects, and even educational purposes where full control over the backend is desirable.

Excalidraw videos

Rapid Mockup Creation Using Excalidraw

AppWrite videos

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Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Excalidraw and AppWrite)
Digital Whiteboard
100 100%
0% 0
Developer Tools
0 0%
100% 100
Diagrams
100 100%
0% 0
Backend As A Service
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Excalidraw and AppWrite

Excalidraw Reviews

The 5 Best Open Source Miro Alternatives in 2024
Looking at open source alternatives to Miro will give you powerful and flexible tools that can cater to different collaboration needs without the limitations of propietary software. In 2024,the best open source Miro alternative will be AFFiNE, Obsidian, Excalidraw,Appflowy,and Logseq. Each of these has unique features, community driven improvements, and the ability to...
Source: affine.pro
5 great diagramming tools for enterprise and software architects
As your system evolves, you must update your diagrams to reflect those changes. Because Excalidraw is a browser-based tool, you have to open a browser tab and make changes visually, which can be inconvenient. You also can't easily see your history of changes. While Excalidraw has fans, I prefer a text-based diagram tool.
Source: www.redhat.com

AppWrite Reviews

  1. Appwrite is awesome, free and open-source!

    I've use it instead of Firebase on a 15$ DigitalOcean droplet and saved around ~$150 a month. Managing my own infra does take some extra time, but definitely worth it. The APIs and SDK are also surprisingly much easier to consume than Firebase. Waiting for the cloud version.

    ๐Ÿ Competitors: Firebase
    ๐Ÿ‘ Pros:    Easy to use|Cost effective|Open-source|Great user experience|Super simple|Self hosted
    ๐Ÿ‘Ž Cons:    Self hosted

10 Top Firebase Alternatives to Ignite Your Development in 2024
Appwriteโ€™s self-hosted nature gives you complete control over your data and infrastructure, great for those who are security-conscious. It also offers a comprehensive set of features, including user authentication, database management, storage, cloud functions, and more. Itโ€™s like having your very own Firebase, but on your terms.
Source: genezio.com
Top 7 Firebase Alternatives for App Development in 2024
Appwrite is an open-source backend-as-a-service platform that provides a comprehensive set of tools and APIs to help developers build modern applications. It focuses on simplicity and developer experience.
Source: signoz.io
Best Serverless Backend Tools of 2023: Pros & Cons, Features & Code Examples
Appwrite is a self-hosted BaaS platform giving you all the tools you need to build all sorts of application.
Source: www.rowy.io
2023 Firebase Alternatives: Top 10 Open-Source & Free
Appwrite permits the development to benefit from its open-source version without paying anything. However, its official website also declares that it will share the pricing details for Appwrite Cloud soon.
12 Best Open-source Database Backend Server and Google Firebase Alternatives
Appwrite is a self-hosted backend server for building web, mobile and desktop apps. It supports multiple applications natively without hacks or workarounds.It features a dashboard for apps, database, user, functions and storage management, real-time analytics per project, live connections monitor, background tasks and webhooks.Appwrite also is suitable for creating Geo-data...
Source: medevel.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Excalidraw should be more popular than AppWrite. It has been mentiond 267 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Excalidraw mentions (267)

  • Your Architecture Diagram Is a Screenshot. Your AI Agent Can't Read It.
    The format idea costs you nothing to adopt today: export from excalidraw.com with "Embed scene" on, commit the .excalidraw.png, reference it as a normal image. It renders everywhere and stays editable. - Source: dev.to / about 1 month ago
  • The Interview Prep Stack I Used as a Senior Software Engineer Targeting Big Tech
    Category Tool URL How I used it General AI assistant ChatGPT Https://chatgpt.com Breaking down concepts, simulating interviewers, reviewing answers AI writing / reasoning Claude Https://claude.ai Refining behavioral stories and system design explanations Coding practice LeetCode Https://leetcode.com Core DSA practice and timed coding drills Coding explanations NeetCode Https://neetcode.io Pattern-based... - Source: dev.to / about 1 month ago
  • Master the in demand of salary negotiation and system design: What Fails
    Most system design interviews fail because candidates draw perfect whiteboard diagrams but canโ€™t explain the tradeoffs of their choices, or canโ€™t write code to implement a core component. By 2025, 60% of FAANG system design interviews will require live coding of at least one component, per internal hiring data. Instead of practicing whiteboard diagrams with Excalidraw, practice coding core components: rate... - Source: dev.to / about 2 months ago
  • ๐Ÿ“ Documentation-as-Code Has Silently Won For Tech Content
    Excalidraw โ€” Hand-drawn style diagrams; stores as JSON that AI can read and tweak (still early days). - Source: dev.to / 5 months ago
  • A Map for the First-Time Software Creator
    Excalidraw is free and feels like drawing with a fat marker. - Source: dev.to / 2 months ago
View more

AppWrite mentions (178)

  • Creating a Chatbot that actually Stands Out! (vibe coded version)๐Ÿฆ–
    Initially, I was using the Supabase free tier, but I was hitting the limits, and my app was becoming stale. Then I switched to Appwrite. Both are totally different; one is SQL, while the latter one is NoSQL. Although use node-appwrite package to skip the manual schema add-ons. - Source: dev.to / 5 months ago
  • The future of coding: Cursor, AI, and the rise of backend automation with Appwrite
    Appwrite is an open-source platform that simplifies backend setup by providing authentication, databases, storage, functions, and hosting all in one place. - Source: dev.to / 8 months ago
  • How to Use Appwrite in Android Jetpack Compose
    I love Appwrite. My first hackathon was actually from Appwrite (using Appwrite) 2 years ago, and I've been using it ever since. - Source: dev.to / 12 months ago
  • Ask HN: Who is hiring? (July 2025)
    Appwrite | Remote | Platform Engineers, AI, Interns | https://www.appwrite.careers Appwrite (https://appwrite.io) is an open-source backend platform that helps developers build secure web and mobile apps faster. Weโ€™re hiring engineers across multiple teams to improve infrastructure, expand developer tooling, and scale our platform. Open roles: โ€“ Platform Engineer. - Source: Hacker News / about 1 year ago
  • Build a React File Sharing App with Granular Access Controls (ReBAC)
    Appwrite is a backend-as-a-service platform that provides authentication, storage, and database. Appwrite is used for authentication and storage. - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Excalidraw and AppWrite, you can also consider the following products

Miro - Join Millions of users that collaborate from all over the planet using Miro. Experience the power of the #1 visual workspace for innovation. More than 100M users and 250,000 companies are collaborating on the canvas.

Supabase - An open source Firebase alternative

draw.io - Online diagramming application

Firebase - Firebase is a cloud service designed to power real-time, collaborative applications for mobile and web.

Obsidian.md - A second brain, for you, forever. Obsidian is a powerful knowledge base that works on top of a local folder of plain text Markdown files.

Clerk - Clerk.io, the artificial intelligence for e-commerce that knows your customers interests.