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.
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.
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.
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.
Where Freeform stands out
Verified capabilities most alternatives don't have.
Why people leave Freeform
Dashed reasons are sourced facts; the rest are opinions. Vendors can dispute.
Sign in to add a reason — new reasons go through moderation before appearing.
Ranked alternatives
Ordered by Alt Score. Click any score to see the breakdown.
Feature comparison
Rows come from the Online whiteboards checklist (14 rows). Human-verified cells only. ? means the value has not been verified.
| Online whiteboards checklist | Freeform | Excalidraw | tldraw | Mural | FigJam | Miro |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | ||||||
| Starts at | ||||||
| License | ||||||
| Platforms | ||||||
| Infinite canvas | ||||||
| Real-time collaboration | ||||||
| Templates library | ||||||
| Diagramming shapes | ||||||
| Video chat built in | ||||||
| Open source | ||||||
| Self-hostable | ||||||
| Free tier limits | ||||||
| Hand-drawn style | ||||||
| Embeds in docs |
Every fact and feature listed for Freeform is verified against its own pages. Each alternative is sourced on its own page.
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Pricing model Free verified 2026-07-09
price":0,"priceCurrency":"USD","category":"free"" — Free app; in-app purchases are for a separate Apple subscription, not Freeform features.
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/freeform/id6443742539 -
Platforms macOS, iOS verified 2026-07-09
Mac + iPhone/iPad; no Windows/Android/Web.
And with iCloud, all your boards stay in sync, whether you're on your Mac, your iPad or your iPhone.
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/freeform/id6443742539 -
Status active verified 2026-07-09
Guide covers the latest macOS versions.
macOS Tahoe 26 macOS Sequoia 15 macOS Sonoma 14 macOS Ventura 13
https://support.apple.com/guide/freeform/welcome/mac -
Starts at Free verified 2026-07-09
price":0,"priceCurrency":"USD","category":"free""
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/freeform/id6443742539 -
Infinite canvas Yes verified 2026-07-09
Apple calls it a 'flexible canvas' with no stated size limit.
The flexible canvas can include text, media, files, and more.
https://support.apple.com/guide/freeform/welcome/mac -
Real-time collaboration Yes verified 2026-07-09
All participants who have the board open can see the changes you and others make in real time.
https://support.apple.com/guide/freeform/collaborate-on-a-shared-board-frfm4e6e2c9a6/mac -
Templates library No verified 2026-07-09
No templates mentioned.
Sketch out a project, design a mood board or start a brainstorming session on a flexible canvas that supports almost any kind of file.
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/freeform/id6443742539 -
Diagramming shapes Yes verified 2026-07-09
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.
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/freeform/id6443742539 -
Video chat built in Yes verified 2026-07-09
FaceTime video launchable from within a shared board.
Click the Audio button (for an audio call) or the Video button (for a video call).
https://support.apple.com/guide/freeform/collaborate-on-a-shared-board-frfm4e6e2c9a6/mac -
Open source No verified 2026-07-09
author":"Apple"" — Proprietary Apple app.
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/freeform/id6443742539 -
Self-hostable No verified 2026-07-09
iCloud-only sync.
Changes are saved in iCloud, so everyone with access to the board sees the latest version whenever they open it.
https://support.apple.com/guide/freeform/welcome/mac -
Free tier limits No verified 2026-07-09
price":0,"priceCurrency":"USD","category":"free"" — Entirely free, no tier limits.
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/freeform/id6443742539 -
Hand-drawn style Yes verified 2026-07-09
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.
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/freeform/id6443742539 -
Embeds in docs No verified 2026-07-09
No embedding of boards in other documents mentioned.
Freeform is a great place to bring your ideas to life.
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/freeform/id6443742539
FAQ
Yes. Mural, FigJam and Miro have a free tier or are fully free. Free-tier limits in the comparison table are verified and dated.
Excalidraw and tldraw — every license claim links its source.