What is the difference between InVision and Excalidraw?

InVision is best for Teams needing design feedback workflows, while Excalidraw is best for Anyone wanting quick hand-drawn diagrams. InVision starts at $7.95/mo and Excalidraw starts at Free.

Is InVision or Excalidraw cheaper?

InVision starts at $7.95/mo with a free tier. Excalidraw starts at Free and is free.

Is there a free alternative to Excalidraw?

Both InVision and Excalidraw offer free tiers.

InVision vs Excalidraw

InVision is digital product design platform for prototyping, collaboration, and design system management, while Excalidraw is virtual whiteboard with a hand-drawn aesthetic for diagrams, sketches, and brainstorming. The biggest difference up front: Excalidraw is free, while InVision starts at $7.95/mo. InVision is built for teams needing design feedback workflows, whereas Excalidraw targets anyone wanting quick hand-drawn diagrams.

At a glance

	InVision	Excalidraw
Best for	Teams needing design feedback workflows	Anyone wanting quick hand-drawn diagrams
Starting price	$7.95/mo	Free
Free tier	✓	✓
Open source	—	✓
Free tier available	✓	✓
Open source	—	✓
Design Systems	✓	—
Embeddable	—	✓
Freehand	✓	—
Hand-Drawn Style	—	✓
Inspect	✓	—
Open Source	—	✓
Prototyping	✓	—
Real-Time Collab	—	✓

InVision

Strengths

Interactive prototyping with transitions so stakeholders can click through realistic mockups
Includes Design Systems as a core feature, purpose-built for design workflows
Free for 1 prototype — generous enough for most small teams to get real work done
Established product with 15+ years on the market and a mature ecosystem

Weaknesses

Free plan exists but key features are locked behind the paid upgrade
Fewer built-in features means you may need additional tools to cover gaps
Output quality depends on your design skills — templates only go so far
Mobile experience lags behind the desktop version in features and polish

Try InVision → Full review

Excalidraw

Strengths

Open source and transparent
Hand-drawn aesthetic makes diagrams feel informal and approachable — great for early ideas
Fully open-source — you can self-host, audit the code, and avoid vendor lock-in
The core product is free with no paywalled essentials

Weaknesses

May lack some advanced features
Self-hosting is free but requires server maintenance and DevOps knowledge
Fewer built-in features means you may need additional tools to cover gaps
Output quality depends on your design skills — templates only go so far

Try Excalidraw → Full review

The bottom line

Pricing: Excalidraw is completely free, which makes it the obvious pick if budget is the top concern. InVision starts at $7.95/mo, but Free for 1 prototype. That cost buys you a more polished or feature-rich experience, so it comes down to whether the extras justify the spend.

Feature gaps: InVision offers Design Systems, Freehand and Inspect that Excalidraw lacks. Excalidraw brings Embeddable, Hand-Drawn Style and Open Source that InVision does not have.

Team fit: InVision is geared toward mid-size teams teams, while Excalidraw is aimed at any size teams. Pick the one that matches where your team is today and where it is headed — migrating tools later is always painful.

Open source: Excalidraw is open source, meaning you can self-host, audit the code, and avoid vendor lock-in. InVision is proprietary — you are trusting the vendor with your data and uptime.

Where each tool shines: InVision's biggest strengths are: interactive prototyping with transitions so stakeholders can click through realistic mockups. includes design systems as a core feature, purpose-built for design workflows. Excalidraw's biggest strengths are: open source and transparent. hand-drawn aesthetic makes diagrams feel informal and approachable — great for early ideas.

Watch out for: With InVision, users commonly note that free plan exists but key features are locked behind the paid upgrade. With Excalidraw, the main complaint is that may lack some advanced features.

Choose InVision if...

Your profile matches its sweet spot: teams needing design feedback workflows
You specifically need Design Systems and Freehand
You care about includes design systems as a core feature, purpose-built for design workflows
Your team size fits the mid-size teams profile InVision is designed for
The free tier works for you: free for 1 prototype

Choose Excalidraw if...

You need a tool built for anyone wanting quick hand-drawn diagrams
Budget is a hard constraint — Excalidraw is free, InVision is not
You need self-hosting, data sovereignty, or the ability to audit source code
You specifically need Embeddable and Hand-Drawn Style
You care about hand-drawn aesthetic makes diagrams feel informal and approachable — great for early ideas