Self-Hosted Alternatives to Miro
Why Replace Miro?
Miro costs $8–$16 per user per month, with free plans limited to 3 editable boards. For a team of 10, that’s $960–$1,920 per year. All your diagrams, wireframes, and brainstorming sessions live on Miro’s servers. If you cancel, you lose access to everything — there’s no simple “download all boards” export.
Updated March 2026: Verified with latest Docker images and configurations.
Self-hosted whiteboard tools give you permanent ownership of your visual content, zero per-seat costs, and the ability to keep sensitive design work internal.
Best Alternatives
Excalidraw — Best for Whiteboarding
Excalidraw provides a fast, minimal whiteboard with a hand-drawn aesthetic. It’s real-time collaborative, supports libraries of reusable components, and exports to PNG and SVG. The UI is deliberately simple — no feature overload, just draw. The self-hosted version includes collaboration via WebSocket.
[Read our full guide: How to Self-Host Excalidraw]
Penpot — Best for Design Work
Penpot is an open-source design platform that competes with Figma. While it goes beyond simple whiteboarding into full UI/UX design, its canvas-based interface works well for visual collaboration, wireframing, and prototyping. Real-time multi-user editing with SVG-native output.
[Read our full guide: How to Self-Host Penpot]
CryptPad Whiteboard — Best for Privacy
CryptPad includes a whiteboard module that’s end-to-end encrypted. The server never sees your drawings. It’s simpler than Excalidraw — basic shapes, freehand drawing, text — but the encryption guarantee is unmatched. Ideal for brainstorming sessions involving sensitive information.
[Read our full guide: How to Self-Host CryptPad]
draw.io (diagrams.net) — Best for Technical Diagrams
draw.io is the industry standard for technical diagramming — network topologies, flowcharts, ERDs, architecture diagrams. It’s more structured than a whiteboard but covers the diagramming use cases that many teams use Miro for. No server required — it can run as a static web app, though a self-hosted version with collaboration is available.
Migration Guide
Exporting from Miro
- Individual boards: Open board → Export → choose PNG, SVG, or PDF
- Backup all boards: Use the Miro API to programmatically export boards (requires a paid plan for API access)
- Sticky notes and text: No clean export path — take screenshots or manually recreate
Importing
Miro boards don’t have a standard import format that transfers to self-hosted tools. The practical migration path:
- Export high-value boards as SVG
- Import SVGs into Excalidraw or Penpot as background layers
- Recreate active boards using native tools
- Archive old boards as PDF/PNG exports
Cost Comparison
| Miro (10 users) | Self-Hosted (Excalidraw) | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost | $80–$160/month | $5–$15/month (VPS) |
| Annual cost | $960–$1,920/year | $60–$180/year |
| Board limit | Unlimited (paid) | Unlimited |
| Guest access | Paid feature | Free (configure access) |
| Data location | Miro datacenters | Your server |
| Real-time collaboration | Yes | Yes |
What You Give Up
- Templates library: Miro has hundreds of pre-built templates (retrospectives, user story maps, customer journey maps). Self-hosted tools have smaller or no template libraries.
- Sticky note voting: Miro’s voting and timer features for workshops aren’t available in most self-hosted alternatives.
- Integrations: Miro connects to Jira, Slack, Confluence, and dozens of other tools. Self-hosted whiteboard tools have minimal integrations.
- Video conferencing overlay: Miro’s built-in video chat during board sessions. Use Jitsi Meet separately.
- Mobile apps: Miro has polished iOS and Android apps. Excalidraw works well in mobile browsers but has no native app.
- Presentation mode: Miro can present boards as slides. Excalidraw has a basic presentation mode.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which alternative is closest to Miro’s experience?
Excalidraw. Its infinite canvas, real-time collaboration, and drawing tools make it the nearest self-hosted match for Miro’s whiteboarding workflow. The hand-drawn aesthetic is intentional — it encourages informal sketching. For more polished diagrams, draw.io is better. For full design work, Penpot goes beyond whiteboarding into Figma territory.
Can I do real-time collaboration with my team?
Yes. Excalidraw supports live multi-user editing through WebSocket connections — you see other cursors moving in real time, just like Miro. CryptPad’s whiteboard also supports real-time collaboration (with end-to-end encryption). Penpot supports multi-user editing for design files. The collaboration experience is comparable to Miro for small-to-medium teams.
How do I run remote workshops without Miro’s features?
Combine tools: Excalidraw for the whiteboard canvas, Jitsi Meet for video conferencing, and a shared timer (any browser-based timer works). You lose Miro’s integrated voting, timer, and presentation features, but the core workshop flow — collaborating on a visual canvas while talking — works well. Some teams find the simplicity is actually an advantage.
Can I create reusable templates?
Excalidraw supports component libraries — you can create reusable shapes, icons, and diagram elements and share them across your team. Save any board state as a template file (.excalidraw) and distribute it. Penpot has a full component system with design tokens. Neither has Miro’s marketplace of community templates, but creating your own templates for recurring workshop formats is straightforward.
How much server resources does Excalidraw need?
Excalidraw’s server is lightweight — the drawing engine runs in the browser, and the server only handles collaboration sync. A 1 vCPU / 1 GB RAM VPS handles 20+ concurrent users comfortably. Penpot is heavier (needs PostgreSQL + Redis), requiring 2-4 GB RAM. CryptPad needs 1-2 GB RAM for a small team.
Can I export boards to share with people outside my team?
Yes. Excalidraw exports to PNG, SVG, and its native .excalidraw format. You can also generate shareable links to live boards. Penpot exports to SVG, PNG, and PDF. For sharing with non-technical stakeholders, export as PNG/PDF and include in presentations or documents.
Is there a Miro plugin for self-hosted tools?
No direct integration exists. However, Excalidraw has a VS Code extension and can be embedded in other web apps via its React component. Penpot has an API for programmatic access. For connecting whiteboard tools to your workflow, use n8n webhooks to automate actions based on board changes.
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