Plane
tldraw
| Feature | Plane | tldraw |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $7/mo | Free / from $0/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.2 / 5 | 4.5 / 5 |
| Best For | developers, open-source-advocates, startups, engineering-teams | developers, quick-sketches, embedded-canvas-apps, open-source-projects |
| Founded | 2022 | 2021 |
| Cycles | ✓ | ✗ |
| Modules | ✓ | ✗ |
| Views | ✓ | ✗ |
| Pages | ✓ | ✗ |
| Self Hostable | ✓ | ✗ |
| Analytics | ✓ | ✗ |
| Infinite Canvas | ✗ | ✓ |
| Drawing Tools | ✗ | ✓ |
| Real Time Collaboration | ✗ | ✓ |
| Embeddable Sdk | ✗ | ✓ |
| Export | ✗ | ✓ |
| Ai Features | ✗ | ✓ |
| Multiplayer | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Plane Pros
- Open source and self-hostable
- Modern clean interface
- Jira-like power without complexity
- Active community
✗ Plane Cons
- Relatively new
- Smaller integration ecosystem
- Documentation still maturing
✓ tldraw Pros
- Completely free and open-source
- Incredibly fast and responsive canvas
- Embeddable SDK for building custom apps
- AI-powered features (make real, draw-to-code)
✗ tldraw Cons
- Fewer built-in shapes than enterprise whiteboards
- No built-in templates or frameworks
- Collaboration requires self-hosting or tldraw.com
The Verdict
Plane is built for developers and open source advocates, with a focus on cycles and modules. tldraw targets developers and quick sketches and leads with infinite-canvas and drawing-tools.
On pricing, tldraw is the clear winner for budget-conscious users — starting at $0/mo compared to $7/mo for Plane. That $7/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.
Feature-wise, tldraw offers broader built-in capabilities (7 features vs 6), while Plane takes a more focused approach — which can mean a simpler, faster onboarding experience.
Both tools are a solid fit for developers — in those cases, the decision often comes down to workflow style and how your team prefers to organize work.
Bottom line: tldraw has a slight overall edge — but if open source and self-hostable matters most to you, Plane may still be the right call.