tldraw is a whiteboard SDK whose source is available to read and fork, but it isn't fully open source in the permissive sense — production use of the SDK requires a commercial or hobby license key beyond local development and non-commercial projects.
Excalidraw is the fully MIT-licensed alternative if you want a whiteboard you can embed or self-host in a commercial product without a separate license key.
FAQ
Is there a free, open-source alternative to tldraw?
Yes. Excalidraw is MIT licensed with no production license requirement, unlike tldraw's SDK which requires a commercial license for production use.
What's the best open-source alternative to tldraw?
Excalidraw is the closest match — an embeddable, collaborative whiteboard canvas free to use in commercial products without licensing fees.
What are the top open-source alternatives to tldraw?
Browse all open-source alternatives to tldraw above, or explore the full Collaboration category for more options.