# Canvas: a free online whiteboard, a free Miro alternative

Canvas is a free alternative to Miro: an online whiteboard for brainstorming, diagrams and planning. Make as many boards as you like, share a link, and draw together live with everyone's pointer on screen. Nobody needs an account, and there is no paid plan.

Open it: https://canvas-free.openapps.xyz/

- Unlimited boards, every one editable
- Shapes, arrows that stay attached, lines, text, sticky notes, frames and freehand drawing
- Images: PNG, JPEG or WebP up to 2 MB each (bigger ones are shrunk to fit)
- An edit link and a view-only link, both free
- Everyone's pointer, name and selection on screen; changes show up for everyone right away
- Export PNG or SVG, copy as an image, or save an .excalidraw file
- Works with a mouse, a finger or a pen, on a laptop, a tablet or a phone

## How it works

1. **Start a board.** Start blank or from a template. It takes one click and no account.
2. **Share a link.** Send the edit link to people who should draw, or the view link to people who should only look.
3. **Work together live.** See everyone's pointer and changes as they happen.

Whoever makes a board also gets a private admin link to rename it, turn the edit or view link off, make a new edit link (the old one stops working) or delete the board.

## Templates

- [Brainstorm](https://canvas-free.openapps.xyz/templates/brainstorm): ideas on sticky notes, then themes, top picks and next steps.
- [Retro](https://canvas-free.openapps.xyz/templates/retro): went well, could be better, ideas to try and action items.
- [User flow](https://canvas-free.openapps.xyz/templates/user-flow): a sign-up flowchart with a decision and arrows that stay attached.
- [Weekly plan](https://canvas-free.openapps.xyz/templates/weekly-plan): goals for the week and a column for each day.

## Like Miro, without the board limit

Updated October 2026. Other apps' free plans as reported in 2026 on their pricing pages; they change, so check their sites.

| | Canvas | Miro Free | FigJam Starter | Mural Free |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free, no paid plan | Free; Starter $8 per member a month, billed yearly | Free; Professional Collab seat $3 a month | Free; Team+ $9.99 per member a month, billed yearly |
| Editable boards | No limit | 3; older boards turn view-only | 3 files in the team folder, plus drafts | 3 murals |
| Who can edit | Anyone with the edit link, no account | Members; visitors can only view | Inviting editors to drafts needs a paid plan | Members; visitors can only view |
| API for AI assistants | Yes, no key | MCP, 100 calls a day | Not compared | Not compared |
| Comments, voting, timers, AI | No | Not compared | Not compared | Not compared |

Pricing pages: https://miro.com/pricing/, https://www.figma.com/pricing/, https://www.mural.co/pricing

Canvas is built on Excalidraw's open-source editor (MIT license). Excalidraw's own site is free too; saved cloud boards and read-only links are part of its paid Excalidraw+ plan, as reported in 2026 (https://plus.excalidraw.com/pricing). Canvas gives you saved boards, edit and view links, templates and an API for free.

## What Canvas does not do

- No comments, voting, timers or presentation mode.
- No AI features, video or voice calls, or web embeds.
- No offline editing: changes save while you are online.
- Images up to 2 MB each (PNG, JPEG or WebP).
- Boards are stored on OpenApps servers and are not end-to-end encrypted. Do not put passwords or other secrets on a board.

## For AI assistants

Canvas has a public HTTP API with no account and no key. An assistant can start a board from a flowchart, a mind map, columns of sticky notes or a template; Canvas lays it out and returns the board's edit, view and admin links.

- Full reference: https://canvas-free.openapps.xyz/llms.txt
- OpenAPI 3.1: https://canvas-free.openapps.xyz/openapi.json
- Base URL: https://functions.bounded.sh/apps/788ba0fa01083b300ad50913/api

```
curl -X POST https://functions.bounded.sh/apps/788ba0fa01083b300ad50913/api/boards \
  -H 'content-type: application/json' \
  -d '{"title": "Checkout flow",
       "nodes": [{"id": "cart", "label": "Cart"},
                 {"id": "pay", "label": "Paid?", "shape": "diamond"},
                 {"id": "done", "label": "Order placed", "shape": "ellipse"}],
       "edges": [{"from": "cart", "to": "pay"},
                 {"from": "pay", "to": "done", "label": "Yes"}]}'

curl -X POST https://functions.bounded.sh/apps/788ba0fa01083b300ad50913/api/boards \
  -H 'content-type: application/json' \
  -d '{"title": "Sprint 12 retro",
       "columns": [{"name": "Went well", "color": "green", "notes": ["Shipped search"]},
                   {"name": "To improve", "color": "red", "notes": ["Flaky tests"]}]}'

curl https://functions.bounded.sh/apps/788ba0fa01083b300ad50913/api/boards/BOARD_ID
```

## Questions

**Is there a free alternative to Miro?**
Yes. Canvas is a free alternative to Miro: an online whiteboard with shapes, arrows, sticky notes, frames and freehand drawing that you share with a link and edit together live. It has no sign-up and no limit on boards. Miro's free plan keeps only 3 boards editable, as reported in 2026. Canvas has no comments, voting, timers or AI features.

**Is there a free online whiteboard with no sign-up?**
Yes. Canvas makes a board in one click with no account, and everyone you send the edit link to can draw on it right away, also without an account.

**Does Miro's free plan limit boards?**
Yes. As reported on Miro's pricing page in October 2026, you can make as many boards as you like on the free plan, but only the 3 most recent stay editable; older ones turn view-only. Canvas keeps every board editable, with no limit.

**Is Canvas really free?**
Yes. There is no paid plan and no limit on boards or people. There are no ads and no third-party trackers, nothing is sold, and the hosting counts visits. Each change is a tiny write and images are capped at 2 MB, so a board costs almost nothing to keep, and OpenApps pays for it.

**How do I share a whiteboard so others can edit it?**
Press Share. The edit link lets people draw and change the board; the view link lets them look and export without changing anything. Whoever made the board also gets a private admin link to rename it, turn either link off, make a new edit link or delete the board.

**Can several people draw on one board at the same time?**
Yes. Everyone on a board sees the others' pointers, names and selections, and changes show up for everyone right away. There is no limit on how many people can open a board.

**What can I put on a board?**
Rectangles, ellipses and diamonds, arrows that stay attached when you move shapes, lines, text, sticky notes, frames to group things, freehand drawing, and images (PNG, JPEG or WebP up to 2 MB each).

**Can I export my whiteboard?**
Yes. Export the board or a selection as PNG or SVG, copy it to the clipboard as an image, or save an .excalidraw file as a backup.

**Does Canvas work on an iPad or a phone?**
Yes. Draw with a finger or a pen such as an Apple Pencil, pinch to zoom and drag to move around. It works in any modern browser, with nothing to install.

**Is Canvas the same as Excalidraw?**
Canvas is built on Excalidraw's open-source editor (MIT license), so drawing feels the same. Excalidraw's own site is free too; saved cloud boards and read-only links are part of its paid Excalidraw+ plan, as reported in 2026. Canvas gives you saved boards, edit and view links, an admin link, templates and an API for free.

**Who can see my board?**
Only people with one of its links. Board links are long and random, so they cannot be guessed. Boards are stored on OpenApps servers so they are there when you come back; they are not end-to-end encrypted, so do not put passwords or other secrets on a board.

**Can my AI assistant draw a diagram on Canvas?**
Yes. Canvas has a public API with no key. An assistant can send steps and arrows (a flowchart or a mind map) or columns of sticky notes, and gets back a link to a board that is laid out automatically and ready to edit.

**Is Canvas a free alternative to FigJam or Mural?**
For shared whiteboards, yes. FigJam's free plan keeps 3 FigJam files in a team folder and Mural's free plan has 3 editable murals, as reported in 2026. Canvas has no board limit, but it has no comments, voting, timers, stamps or AI.

**What does Canvas not do?**
It has no comments, voting, timers or presentation mode, no AI features, no video or voice calls, no web embeds and no offline editing. Images are limited to 2 MB each, and boards are not end-to-end encrypted.

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Canvas by OpenApps is an OpenApp: free, with public source and its own agent. More free apps: https://free-apps.openapps.xyz/