Excalidraw+
Hosted Excalidraw workspaces with collaboration, libraries, and sharing
Excalidraw+'s solo core is compact: build a browser-based collaborative whiteboard editor with drag, resize, connect, keyboard shortcuts, autosave, and SVG or PNG export. A competent builder can reach a useful personal version in one sitting, while the paid product mainly wins on interaction polish, collaboration.
Build verification: not recorded. How we judge buildability
What you give up
- large template libraries
- high-fidelity import and export
- presentation and enterprise controls
- multiplayer cursors and comments
Why people still pay
Excalidraw+: The shapes are easy; customers pay for low-friction editing, reliable exports, collaboration, and a canvas that never fights them.
Your build guide
The stack, security requirements, and agent rules for a focused replacement.
Before you start
- A supported Node release for development and a modern browser. Ship a static bundle that can work locally without an account.
- Implementation components: Vite, React and the maintained @excalidraw/excalidraw component with its upstream scene/file format. IndexedDB autosave snapshots and a portable scene-plus-assets export; no multiplayer server in this scope.
- Scope boundary: Multiplayer sync, access sharing and end-to-end encryption require separate protocols and security review.
Use these project rules and optional skill references alongside the prompt. Review each skill before adding it to your agent; the AGENTS.md export includes the same guidance.
Optional external skill: vercel-composition-patterns — Design reusable React components with composition, context and explicit component variants. Review its instructions and compatibility before use; it does not grant deployment, data-access or publication permission.
Optional external skill: web-design-guidelines — Review web interfaces for accessibility, keyboard focus, forms, navigation and interaction quality. Review its instructions and compatibility before use; it does not grant deployment, data-access or publication permission.
Project rule — data model: Excalidraw scenes, element IDs, files, board revisions, reusable libraries and presentation frames
Project rule — preserve this invariant: Use the upstream scene format and licensing requirements; appending Yjs to the UI alone does not create correct collaborative editing or encryption.
Project rule — acceptance evidence: Export a scene with an embedded image, reopen it offline and retain editable elements; autosave failure keeps the previous complete scene.
Implementation plan
Phase 1
Scope and fixtures. Implement this bounded workflow: Embed the maintained Excalidraw component, save complete scene/file snapshots and organize boards locally. Add reusable symbols, frames and editable scene export before considering collaboration. Record prerequisites, select representative user-owned fixtures and document the unsupported features: Multiplayer sync, access sharing and end-to-end encryption require separate protocols and security review.
Phase 2
Durable model. Model Excalidraw scenes, element IDs, files, board revisions, reusable libraries and presentation frames Add migrations or a versioned document format, explicit validation, stable IDs and a visible import-error report. Preserve this rule: Use the upstream scene format and licensing requirements; appending Yjs to the UI alone does not create correct collaborative editing or encryption.
Phase 3
Complete the first useful path. Implement the workflow's input, review and output interface, with clear controls and explicit empty/error states. Represent edits as reversible commands, debounce autosave, and persist a complete project snapshot before destructive structural changes.
Phase 4
Permissions and integration failure. Sanitize imported SVG, reject external scripts and oversized assets, and require user selection before reading local files. Keep document contents out of telemetry. Request integration credentials and permissions only for the enabled feature; show a disconnected state instead of mock results.
Phase 5
Portable handoff. Export editable JSON with assets and an SVG or PNG rendering. Reopen the editable export to retain layers, relationships and IDs; image exports alone are not backups. Include setup, operating limits, fixture walkthrough and shutdown/restart instructions in the README.
Phase 6
Acceptance scenarios. Export a scene with an embedded image, reopen it offline and retain editable elements; autosave failure keeps the previous complete scene. Repeat the workflow after restart and with a denied permission or unavailable dependency; show recoverable failure rather than a success placeholder.
WORKING SLICE Embed the maintained Excalidraw component, save complete scene/file snapshots and organize boards locally. Add reusable symbols, frames and editable scene export before considering collaboration. Build this scoped Excalidraw+-inspired workflow with a documented data model and visible failure states. Architecture - Vite, React and the maintained @excalidraw/excalidraw component with its upstream scene/file format. - IndexedDB autosave snapshots and a portable scene-plus-assets export; no multiplayer server in this scope. Prerequisites and limits A supported Node release for development and a modern browser. Ship a static bundle that can work locally without an account. Outside this release: Multiplayer sync, access sharing and end-to-end encryption require separate protocols and security review. Data model and correctness Excalidraw scenes, element IDs, files, board revisions, reusable libraries and presentation frames Invariant: Use the upstream scene format and licensing requirements; appending Yjs to the UI alone does not create correct collaborative editing or encryption. Represent edits as reversible commands, debounce autosave, and persist a complete project snapshot before destructive structural changes. Security and privacy Sanitize imported SVG, reject external scripts and oversized assets, and require user selection before reading local files. Keep document contents out of telemetry. Recovery and export Export editable JSON with assets and an SVG or PNG rendering. Reopen the editable export to retain layers, relationships and IDs; image exports alone are not backups. Implementation order 1. Phase 1 — Scope and fixtures. Implement this bounded workflow: Embed the maintained Excalidraw component, save complete scene/file snapshots and organize boards locally. Add reusable symbols, frames and editable scene export before considering collaboration. Record prerequisites, select representative user-owned fixtures and document the unsupported features: Multiplayer sync, access sharing and end-to-end encryption require separate protocols and security review. 2. Phase 2 — Durable model. Model Excalidraw scenes, element IDs, files, board revisions, reusable libraries and presentation frames Add migrations or a versioned document format, explicit validation, stable IDs and a visible import-error report. Preserve this rule: Use the upstream scene format and licensing requirements; appending Yjs to the UI alone does not create correct collaborative editing or encryption. 3. Phase 3 — Complete the first useful path. Implement the workflow's input, review and output interface, with clear controls and explicit empty/error states. Represent edits as reversible commands, debounce autosave, and persist a complete project snapshot before destructive structural changes. 4. Phase 4 — Permissions and integration failure. Sanitize imported SVG, reject external scripts and oversized assets, and require user selection before reading local files. Keep document contents out of telemetry. Request integration credentials and permissions only for the enabled feature; show a disconnected state instead of mock results. 5. Phase 5 — Portable handoff. Export editable JSON with assets and an SVG or PNG rendering. Reopen the editable export to retain layers, relationships and IDs; image exports alone are not backups. Include setup, operating limits, fixture walkthrough and shutdown/restart instructions in the README. 6. Phase 6 — Acceptance scenarios. Export a scene with an embedded image, reopen it offline and retain editable elements; autosave failure keeps the previous complete scene. Repeat the workflow after restart and with a denied permission or unavailable dependency; show recoverable failure rather than a success placeholder. Acceptance Export a scene with an embedded image, reopen it offline and retain editable elements; autosave failure keeps the previous complete scene. Use real source data or clearly labeled fixtures. Explain unsupported input and provider failures; do not fabricate analytics, delivery receipts, accuracy claims or security guarantees. Optional agent guidance Optional external skill: [vercel-composition-patterns](https://github.com/vercel-labs/agent-skills/blob/main/skills/composition-patterns/SKILL.md) — Design reusable React components with composition, context and explicit component variants. Review its instructions and compatibility before use; it does not grant deployment, data-access or publication permission. Optional external skill: [web-design-guidelines](https://github.com/vercel-labs/agent-skills/blob/main/skills/web-design-guidelines/SKILL.md) — Review web interfaces for accessibility, keyboard focus, forms, navigation and interaction quality. Review its instructions and compatibility before use; it does not grant deployment, data-access or publication permission. Project rule — data model: Excalidraw scenes, element IDs, files, board revisions, reusable libraries and presentation frames Project rule — preserve this invariant: Use the upstream scene format and licensing requirements; appending Yjs to the UI alone does not create correct collaborative editing or encryption. Project rule — acceptance evidence: Export a scene with an embedded image, reopen it offline and retain editable elements; autosave failure keeps the previous complete scene.
$ open in your agent (prompt prefilled, you press enter), copy the prompt or copy or download AGENTS.md
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Excalidraw+ pricing
| plan | monthly | annual (per mo) | what you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| free | $0/user | $0/user | 1 infinite browser-local scene; unlimited link collaborators; PNG, SVG and Excalidraw-file export; browser-local E2EE; limited generative AINo cloud account storage, folders, access management or server sync. |
| plus | $6/user | — | Unlimited cloud-synced scenes and folders; access controls, comments, presentations, voice/screen sharing, extended AI and team managementThe page exposes an annual billing toggle but did not expose the annual amount in accessible first-party markup. |
free tier1 browser-local infinite scene, unlimited collaborators, exports and libraries; no cloud storage, folders, account workspace or server sync
billingfree + $6/user monthly; annual billing is offered but its current effective monthly price was not exposed; card payment only
hidden costsEvery paid workspace member is billable, although link guests are free; purchases are non-refundable and tax may be added
pricing sources checked 2026-08-14 · pricing source ↗
Questions about Excalidraw+
Can you build your own Excalidraw+ with AI?
The verdict is yes for the scoped workflow. Excalidraw+'s solo core is compact: build a browser-based collaborative whiteboard editor with drag, resize, connect, keyboard shortcuts, autosave, and SVG or PNG export. A competent builder can reach a useful personal version in one sitting, while the paid product mainly wins on interaction polish, collaboration.
What does the Excalidraw+ build prompt cover?
The prompt starts with this scope: Embed the maintained Excalidraw component, save complete scene/file snapshots and organize boards locally. Add reusable symbols, frames and editable scene export before considering collaboration. Full-product capabilities excluded from the comparison include: large template libraries; high-fidelity import and export; presentation and enterprise controls. Follow the implementation plan and its prerequisites before expanding the build.
How do I use the prompt, AGENTS.md and agent skills?
Start with the Excalidraw+ prerequisites and stack, then copy the prompt into your coding agent. Save the project rules as AGENTS.md in the project root. Linked skills are optional packages or source instructions for specific tasks; review their current contents and install only those matching the chosen stack. A skill does not supply API credentials or verify the finished app.
How long will this Excalidraw+ project take?
The catalogue estimate is one sitting for the limited scope. Setup, integration approvals, debugging, deployment and ongoing maintenance can add time. This is an estimate, not a delivery guarantee.
What would I give up by replacing Excalidraw+?
large template libraries; high-fidelity import and export; presentation and enterprise controls; multiplayer cursors and comments. Excalidraw+: The shapes are easy; customers pay for low-friction editing, reliable exports, collaboration, and a canvas that never fights them.
What can I use instead of building Excalidraw+?
Excalidraw: The same drawing engine, free: multiplayer, share links, libraries, local-first files, and end-to-end encrypted collaboration; cloud workspace management is leaner. AFFiNE: Persistent team workspaces, an infinite canvas, diagrams, comments, docs, and databases; heavier than Excalidraw and heavier to self-host. CryptPad: A persistent encrypted drive with collaborative whiteboards, folders, sharing, and access controls; less delightful drawing, stronger workspace bones. Compare all listed options at https://howtovibecodeit.dev/excalidraw-plus/alternatives. Check each option's license, hosting needs and feature limits.