Figma is the dominant proprietary design and prototyping tool, run entirely in Figma's cloud. It's the industry standard for UI design, but files live on Figma's servers, seat-based pricing adds up for larger teams, and there's no self-hosted option.
Excalidraw isn't a full Figma replacement for high-fidelity UI design — it's a virtual whiteboard for hand-drawn-style diagrams and quick collaborative sketching. It's worth reaching for when what you actually need is fast, informal visual collaboration rather than pixel-precise interface design.
FAQ
Is there a free, open-source alternative to Figma?
Excalidraw is open source (MIT) and free to self-host, though it's built for whiteboarding and sketching rather than detailed UI design work.
What's the best open-source alternative to Figma?
For real-time collaborative sketching and diagramming, Excalidraw is a strong open-source pick. For full UI design fidelity matching Figma itself, open-source options remain limited.
What are the top open-source alternatives to Figma?
Browse all open-source alternatives to Figma above, or explore the full Collaboration category for more options.