Excalidraw VS Opal

Compare Excalidraw VS Opal and see what are their differences

Rating: 0 reviews
Pricing: Open source Freemium $7 / Monthly

Rating: 0 reviews
Pricing: Freemium Free trial $27 / Monthly (Core Essentials, 1,000 items, 5 GB storage, 25MB file uploads)

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Note: These products don't have any matching categories. If you think this is a mistake, please edit the details of one of the products and suggest appropriate categories.

Which is more popular?

Based on our record, Excalidraw seems to be more popular. It has been mentioned 268 times since March 2021.

social mentions: 268 vs 0
Digital Whiteboard popularity: 100% vs 0%
alternatives listed: 240+ vs 14

Base details

Website, pricing, platforms and company facts side by side.

	Excalidraw	Opal
Website	excalidraw.com	opalrecall.com
Pricing	Open source Freemium $7 / Monthly Official pricing	Freemium Free trial $27 / Monthly (Core Essentials, 1,000 items, 5 GB storage, 25MB file uploads) Official pricing
Company	Startup from the Czech Republic · 10 - 19 employees	Startup from the United States · 1 - 9 employees · 2025
Listed in	Digital Whiteboard Sketching Drawing Wireframing Mockups, Wireframing And Prototyping Diagrams Flow Charts And Diagrams Flowcharts UML Diagrams Online Education Game Development Storytelling +9	Knowledge Management Note Taking Productivity Knowledge Base Document Management Document Management System Task Management Todos Project Management Notes +7

About Excalidraw and Opal

In their own words, as submitted to SaaSHub.

Excalidraw

Opal

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...

Features and specs

What each product offers, as listed by its team.

Excalidraw 5 features

Opal 14 features

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

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.

Spatial Knowledge Management
Store your notes & documents, drag them around, and zoom and pan an infinite canvas, like a big desk, so you can see everything in context
Block Editor for Docs & Notes
Author content in a WYSIWYG block editor with markdown under the hood and copy-paste & drag and drop support for images, media, and files.
Internal Item Links
Build your knowledge base, cross-reference standard operating procedures (SOPs), or just connect ideas with clickable internal links that open your other docs & notes
Binders
Stack similar and repeating content in binders or use them to archive old content to keep your workspaces clutter-free
Fences
Spatially organize projects and similar content in draggable, resizable fences that provide unique work zones for different projects
Open Multiple Items
It's much easier to make comparisons, cross-reference information, and get a clearer picture of your work when you can see it all at once and drag and drop content from one open item to another.
Sharing
Share content with anyone, configure 4 levels of permissions (view, edit, share, delete shares), and collaborate in real-time on notes and documents
Opal API with AI Agent Skill
Programmatically manage your Opal content through the API or give your AI agents view or full access to create and manage content for you
AI Transcription Integration with CRUSH
Connect your [CrushTheMemory.com](http://CrushTheMemory.com) device to store your recordings and transcriptions as Opal notes or documents and map your CRUSH folders to fences, binders, and/or workspaces
Drag and Drop Files
Store PDFs, images, video, documents, or any file as File item types on your workspaces or as rich media embedded in notes and documents
Export Content
Export your content as HTML, markdown, or PDF
Publish to the Web
Publish content as external web pages for anyone to view without an Opal account
Bookmarks & iFrames
Bookmark links (that you can take notes on) and embed iframe content (like Google Docs) to view and edit while in Opal
Zero Nonsense Task List
Set the date (or default to "today") and create 10 tasks on the same day in seconds with zero clicks, sorted stalest first, that connect to your notes & docs. One-click dismissal.

Analysis

An editorial look at what each product does well and who it suits.

Excalidraw

Opal

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.

Overall verdict

Opal (opalrecall.com) is a solid choice for individuals and teams looking for a privacy-focused, AI-powered tool to capture, organize, and recall information such as meeting notes, screen activity, or personal knowledge, though it may still be maturing compared to more established competitors.

Why this product is good

Combines AI search with personal knowledge management to help users quickly retrieve past information
Offers privacy-conscious design, appealing to users cautious about data security
Simplifies capturing screen activity, notes, or meeting content in an organized, searchable format
Actively developed with a focus on productivity and reducing time spent searching for information
Provides a clean, user-friendly interface suited for both individuals and small teams

Recommended for

Professionals who need to quickly recall meeting details or research
Teams looking for lightweight knowledge management tools
Individuals concerned about data privacy in AI-driven apps
Remote workers who rely on digital notes and screen captures for productivity
Users seeking an alternative to bulkier enterprise knowledge management systems

Videos

Walkthroughs and reviews on video.

Excalidraw 1 video + Add

Opal 4 videos + Add

Rapid Mockup Creation Using Excalidraw

Introducing Opal

Category popularity

How often each product is chosen within a category, 0–100% relative to the other.

Score bands 0–20 21–40 41–50 51–60 61–100

Excalidraw

Opal

100% 100%

Digital Whiteboard

0% 0%

Project Management

100% 100%

Diagrams

0% 0%

96% 96%

Productivity

4% 4%

Questions & Answers

As answered by people managing Excalidraw and Opal.

What makes your product unique?

Opal's answer:

All your content is on a visual, infinite canvas desk. Notes, documents, files, etc. are draggable icons that you can organize spatially because we remember WHERE things are, not just what they're called. Opal keeps your work in sight so your brain never drops it.

Why should a person choose your product over its competitors?

Opal's answer:

When content is spatially organized, you stop losing content buried under folders, hierarchies, categories, and menus. Your brain begins to fire differently, sparking new ideas and spotting links, patterns, and opportunities it used to miss. - You connect ideas across clients, projects, and ideas - You Stay In Flow, No Context Lost, And No Rhythm Broken - You make faster, sharper decisions because every note and project is visible at once - You reuse your best work instead of rebuilding it from scratch - You eliminate the need for text-based searches and can find things even if you can't remember what you named them

How would you describe the primary audience of your product?

Opal's answer:

Solopreneurs, freelancers, people juggling multiple clients, visual thinkers, neurodivergent thinkers, and people who've quit productivity apps.

What's the story behind your product?

Opal's answer:

Something was lost when everything went digital. Having used various tools for years, I eventually discovered a fatal flaw that nearly all knowledge management tools suffer from: their attepts to organize content became the means by which content got buried. Over time as more content gets added, it became harder to find things, especially when you can't remember what you called it.

We remember things in physical space because we see them all the time and register their existence subconsciously, even if we don't need them in the moment. For example, if you asked where my keys were, I could tell you instantly. This spatial reasoning and thinking effect is severely hindered in the digital space.

After enough frustration, I decided to do something about it: build a spatial knowledge management tool that lets you see everything all at once. As you pan and zoom around your workspace, you are registering the existence of things even when you don't need them in that moment. That changes everything over time. Organizing becomes less about categorization, labeling, or hierarchy, and more about placement and "where I left it". Your brain remembers where far more easily than what. This is why I built Opal.

Which are the primary technologies used for building your product?

Opal's answer:

Web-based application built on NodeJS, Express, Form.io (MongoDB), and JavaScript.

User comments

Share your experience with using Excalidraw and Opal. For example, how are they different and which one is better?

Reviews and articles

External articles and on-site reviews we used to compare the two products.

Excalidraw no reviews yet

Opal no reviews yet

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5 great diagramming tools for enterprise and software architects
www.redhat.com · Nov 2022

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...

We have no reviews of Opal yet. Be the first one to post

Social recommendations and mentions

Recommendations tracked on public social media and blogs since March 2021.

Excalidraw 268 mentions

Opal 0 mentions

I Vibed a Proof of Conway's Conjecture
I made a picture, hope this helps: https://excalidraw.com/#json=zfKWWn1h7GzdFca6RDdXl,plr_WeaCtvFxbjULFjq6zw Sorry it was confusing. - Source: Hacker News / 1 day ago
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 / 4 months 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... - Source: dev.to / 4 months ago

Tracking Opal since Apr 2026.

Alternatives to Excalidraw and Opal

When comparing Excalidraw and Opal, 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.

Compare Miro to Excalidraw or Opal:

Miro vs Excalidraw Miro vs Opal
Notion
All-in-one workspace. One tool for your whole team. Write, plan, and get organized.

Compare Notion to Excalidraw or Opal:

Notion vs Excalidraw Notion vs Opal
draw.io
Online diagramming application

Compare draw.io to Excalidraw or Opal:

draw.io vs Excalidraw draw.io vs Opal
Google Docs
Create a new document and edit with others at the same time -- from your computer, phone or tablet. Get stuff done with or without an internet connection. Use Docs to edit Word files. Free from Google.

Compare Google Docs to Excalidraw or Opal:

Google Docs vs Excalidraw Google Docs vs Opal
Obsidian
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.

Compare Obsidian to Excalidraw or Opal:

Obsidian vs Excalidraw Obsidian vs Opal
xTiles App
A web note-taking app for creative people that combines the best from text editors and whiteboards. Think, write, and organize your thoughts based on cards and tabs. Structure and enrich all of your ideas in one place.

Compare xTiles App to Excalidraw or Opal:

xTiles App vs Excalidraw xTiles App vs Opal