Excalidraw
Huly
| Feature | Excalidraw | Huly |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $7/mo | Free / from $15/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.7 / 5 | 4.1 / 5 |
| Best For | developers, product-teams, educators, brainstorming-sessions | startups, open-source-teams, small-companies, engineering-teams |
| Founded | 2020 | 2023 |
| Freehand Drawing | ✓ | ✗ |
| Real Time Collaboration | ✓ | ✗ |
| Component Library | ✓ | ✗ |
| Export Options | ✓ | ✗ |
| End To End Encryption | ✓ | ✗ |
| Embeddable | ✓ | ✗ |
| Shapes And Arrows | ✓ | ✗ |
| Issue Tracking | ✗ | ✓ |
| Team Planner | ✗ | ✓ |
| Virtual Office | ✗ | ✓ |
| Documents | ✗ | ✓ |
| Hr Module | ✗ | ✓ |
| Chat Collaboration | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Excalidraw Pros
- Beautiful hand-drawn sketch aesthetic
- Completely free and open source core
- Real-time collaboration with shared links
- Library of reusable components and templates
- Embeddable in other applications
✗ Excalidraw Cons
- Limited formatting compared to structured diagramming tools
- No presentation mode built-in
- File management basic without Excalidraw+
✓ Huly Pros
- Open-source with self-hosting option
- All-in-one platform reducing tool sprawl
- Fast and modern interface
- Built-in HR and recruitment features
✗ Huly Cons
- Smaller ecosystem than established tools
- Documentation still growing
- Fewer third-party integrations
The Verdict
Excalidraw is built for developers and product teams, with a focus on freehand-drawing and real-time-collaboration. Huly targets startups and open source teams and leads with issue-tracking and team-planner.
On pricing, Excalidraw is the clear winner for budget-conscious users — starting at $7/mo compared to $15/mo for Huly. That $8/mo difference adds up quickly for growing teams.
Both offer free plans, so you can test each with your real workflow before committing to a subscription.
Excalidraw edges out on user ratings (4.7 vs 4.1). While both are well-regarded, that gap reflects real differences in user satisfaction worth considering.
Feature-wise, Excalidraw offers broader built-in capabilities (7 features vs 6), while Huly takes a more focused approach — which can mean a simpler, faster onboarding experience.
Bottom line: Excalidraw has a slight overall edge — but if open-source with self-hosting option matters most to you, Huly may still be the right call.