AI Tool Guides
Best for
Quick hand-drawn-style diagrams
Works on
Browser
Alternatives
Miro, draw.io
Watch out
No AI features; value is simplicity and speed
What It Does
Excalidraw is a free, open-source virtual whiteboard for sketching diagrams that look hand-drawn. Its deliberately informal aesthetic makes it perfect for architecture diagrams, system maps, wireframes, and brainstorming where polish would be premature. Real-time collaboration, a library of reusable components, and end-to-end encryption for shared sessions are all included. Excalidraw Plus adds AI features like text-to-diagram generation.
Setup in 5 Minutes
—no account needed.
- Start drawing immediately.
- Share a live collaboration link with others.
- Export as PNG, SVG, or the native .excalidraw format.
- For offline use, install the Progressive Web App. Obsidian users
can install the Excalidraw plugin for embedded diagrams.
Try This
Sketch a system architecture diagram for any application (a social media
app, a school timetable system, a weather station). Use rectangles for
components, arrows for data flow, and text labels for descriptions. Share
the collaboration link with a friend and edit simultaneously. Export as
SVG and embed it in a document.
Follow Along
Follow Along — Diagram a System.
, API Server, Database, and Auth Service.
- Connect them with arrows showing data flow (e.g. Frontend $$ API $$ Database) and label each arrow ("REST calls", "SQL queries", "JWT tokens").
- Add a cloud shape around the backend components to indicate they run on a server.
- Share the live collaboration link with a friend and ask them to add a Cache layer to the diagram.
- Export the final diagram as SVG and embed it in a Google Doc or Notion page.
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