Compare / Excalidraw vs tldraw
Excalidraw vs tldraw
Pick Excalidraw if you want the published self-hosted Miro / FigJam / Klaxoon stack. Pick tldraw if you are embedding a canvas SDK and accept the tldraw license (not OSI; production needs a trial or commercial key).
Facts checked 25 Oct 2026. License, language, and GitHub activity come from the catalog or the project's own repo. "Not in the catalog row" means the public catalog dump does not store that number.
Excalidraw in the catalog tldraw in the catalog Start on Railway
How they compare
| Excalidraw | tldraw | |
|---|---|---|
| License | MIT (catalog) source | tldraw license (not OSI; production needs a key) source |
| Language | TypeScript (catalog) | TypeScript (catalog) |
| GitHub activity | 134,530 stars in the catalog; last push 25 Oct 2026 source | 51,084 stars in the catalog; last push 25 Oct 2026 source |
| Self-host | Published as /stacks/excalidraw-whiteboard. Room server plus storage. | SDK you embed. Not a self-host you treat as a Miro clone. |
| Best for | The published Miro / FigJam replacement. | A canvas component if you accept that license. |
Self-hosting and resource needs
Excalidraw is the published lander — /stacks/excalidraw-whiteboard. tldraw is an SDK, not a drop-in Miro clone. Penpot is a design file, not this pair. diagrams.net is a formal diagram, not this pair. No one-click c17 Railway template.
FAQ
- Can I self-host tldraw as a Miro clone?
- tldraw's license permits development use and forbids production without a trial or commercial key. This site publishes Excalidraw — /replace/miro.
- FigJam or Klaxoon?
- Same published MIT board — /replace/figjam and /replace/klaxoon.
- Are these free?
- Excalidraw is MIT. You pay hosting. tldraw production use needs a tldraw license.
- How do I deploy Excalidraw?
- Open /stacks/excalidraw-whiteboard. Persist rooms. Disable public rooms if this is internal.
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