Excalidraw vs tldraw
Self-host pick — both replace Miro (Online whiteboard / visual collaboration).
Both Excalidraw and tldraw self-host as a replacement for Miro (Online whiteboard / visual collaboration). Pick Excalidraw if you want a MIT-licensed codebase (MIT); pick tldraw for Apache (Apache-2.0). Both run in roughly the same cost bracket — $3-5/mo vps for the static frontend; collab server adds light node footprint vs $5-10/mo vps for the sync server.
| Excalidrawopen-source | tldrawopen-source | |
|---|---|---|
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Setup time | 5min docker run | 10min — clone the example sync server + frontend |
| Monthly cost | $3-5/mo VPS for the static frontend; collab server adds light Node footprint. | $5-10/mo VPS for the sync server. |
| GitHub | excalidraw/excalidraw | tldraw/tldraw |
| Replaces | Miro + 1 other | Miro |
Good fit for
Excalidraw
Engineering teams that want quick whiteboards inside conversations — architecture sketches, retro boards, ad-hoc diagrams.
Weak at:Templates and pre-built frameworks are minimal compared to Miro's library.
tldraw
Product teams that want a polished whiteboard inside their own app — embed the component, not host a separate site.
Weak at:Standalone hosted-app story is thin; built more as an embeddable component than a Miro-shaped product.
In a terminal? npx -y github:SolvoHQ/os-alt-cli miro prints Miro's self-host options including both —
how the CLI works →
FAQ
Which is easier to self-host, Excalidraw or tldraw?
Excalidraw: 5min docker run. tldraw: 10min — clone the example sync server + frontend.
What does each cost to run?
Excalidraw: $3-5/mo VPS for the static frontend; collab server adds light Node footprint.. tldraw: $5-10/mo VPS for the sync server.. Both projects are free and open source.
Do Excalidraw and tldraw replace the same SaaS?
Yes — both are open-source alternatives to Miro.