# Alternatives to Freeform Apple's free infinite canvas. Freeform ranks #5 of 6 in Online whiteboards, with an Alt Score of 55. It is free from Free and available on macOS and iOS. 10 of 10 checklist rows are verified against a public source. Source: https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/freeform/ Category: Online whiteboards ## Where Freeform stands out - **Video chat built in** — 1 of 6 apps with a verified answer have this ## Overview - **Who it's for**: Freeform is for individuals, teams, or students who need a flexible space to brainstorm, plan projects, or organize visual ideas together, on iPhone, iPad, or Mac. - **What you get**: An infinite canvas for sketching, sticky notes, shapes, diagrams, and freeform layout without fixed pages or slides. You can drop in photos, videos, audio, PDFs, documents, web links, and map locations, then draw or annotate with Apple Pencil or your finger. Boards support up to 100 collaborators editing at once, with real-time updates and optional FaceTime integration. - **How it works**: You start a new board and add content by placing text boxes, sticky notes, files, or sketches anywhere on the canvas, arranging and resizing freely. Boards sync automatically via iCloud across your devices, and you invite others to collaborate through Messages, a shareable link, or email. ## Profile - **License**: ? - **Pricing model**: Free (verified 2026-07-09) - **Starts at**: Free (verified 2026-07-09) - **Platforms**: macOS, iOS - **Status**: active (verified 2026-07-09) ## Ranked alternatives | # | App | Alt Score | Licence | Platforms | |---|-----|-----------|---------|-----------| | 1 | [Excalidraw](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/excalidraw.md) | 82 | MIT | ? | | 2 | [tldraw](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/tldraw.md) | 73 | tldraw license (source-available; commercial license required for production) | ? | | 3 | [Mural](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/mural.md) | 68 | Proprietary | Web, iOS, Android, Windows | | 4 | [FigJam](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/figjam.md) | 64 | ? | Web, Windows, macOS, iOS | | 5 | [Miro](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/miro.md) | 55 | ? | Web, Windows, macOS, iOS | Alt Score = Verified coverage (90%) + Visibility (10%). See https://altcatalog.com/how-alt-score-works/ ## Feature comparison Legend: Yes / No / Partial / ? (not verified). | Online whiteboards checklist | Freeform | Excalidraw | tldraw | Mural | FigJam | Miro | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | Pricing model | Free | OSS + paid hosting | OSS + paid hosting | Freemium | Freemium | Freemium | | Starts at | Free | $6/user/month | Free | $9.99/month | Free | $8/member/month | | License | ? | MIT | tldraw license (source-available; commercial license required for production) | Proprietary | ? | ? | | Platforms | macOS, iOS | ? | ? | Web, iOS, Android, Windows, macOS | Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android | Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android | | Infinite canvas | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? | | Real-time collaboration | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Templates library | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Diagramming shapes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Video chat built in | Yes | Partial | No | No | No | No | | Open source | No | Yes | Partial | No | No | No | | Self-hostable | No | Partial | Yes | No | No | No | | Free tier limits | No | Yes | Partial | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Hand-drawn style | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial | ? | No | | Embeds in docs | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ## Sources Sources for Freeform. Each alternative is sourced on its own page. - **Pricing model**: Free — (verified 2026-07-09) - Note: price":0,"priceCurrency":"USD","category":"free"" — Free app; in-app purchases are for a separate Apple subscription, not Freeform features. - **Platforms**: macOS, iOS — (verified 2026-07-09) - Note: Mac + iPhone/iPad; no Windows/Android/Web. - Quote: “And with iCloud, all your boards stay in sync, whether you're on your Mac, your iPad or your iPhone.” - **Status**: active — (verified 2026-07-09) - Note: Guide covers the latest macOS versions. - Quote: “macOS Tahoe 26 macOS Sequoia 15 macOS Sonoma 14 macOS Ventura 13” - **Starts at**: Free — (verified 2026-07-09) - Note: price":0,"priceCurrency":"USD","category":"free"" - **Infinite canvas**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-09) - Note: Apple calls it a 'flexible canvas' with no stated size limit. - Quote: “The flexible canvas can include text, media, files, and more.” - **Real-time collaboration**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-09) - Quote: “All participants who have the board open can see the changes you and others make in real time.” - **Templates library**: No — (verified 2026-07-09) - Note: No templates mentioned. - Quote: “Sketch out a project, design a mood board or start a brainstorming session on a flexible canvas that supports almost any kind of file.” - **Diagramming shapes**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-09) - Quote: “Create beautiful diagrams with a library of over 700 shapes and alignment guides to help make your document look just the way you'd like.” - **Video chat built in**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-09) - Note: FaceTime video launchable from within a shared board. - Quote: “Click the Audio button (for an audio call) or the Video button (for a video call).” - **Open source**: No — (verified 2026-07-09) - Note: author":"Apple"" — Proprietary Apple app. - **Self-hostable**: No — (verified 2026-07-09) - Note: iCloud-only sync. - Quote: “Changes are saved in iCloud, so everyone with access to the board sees the latest version whenever they open it.” - **Free tier limits**: No — (verified 2026-07-09) - Note: price":0,"priceCurrency":"USD","category":"free"" — Entirely free, no tier limits. - **Hand-drawn style**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-09) - Quote: “Use your finger, or Apple Pencil on a compatible iPad, to draw anywhere on the canvas. Choose from a variety of brush styles and colours.” - **Embeds in docs**: No — (verified 2026-07-09) - Note: No embedding of boards in other documents mentioned. - Quote: “Freeform is a great place to bring your ideas to life.” --- Ranked by verified data, never by who paid. https://altcatalog.com/trust/