head to head · open source
Excalidraw vs Organic Maps
Excalidraw has 135,053 GitHub stars, 15,973 forks, 3,445 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Organic Maps has 15,860 stars, 1,676 forks, 3,510 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Excalidraw leads on adoption by 752% (135,053 vs 15,860 stars). Excalidraw is written in TypeScript under MIT; Organic Maps is written in C++ under a custom or non-standard licence. Excalidraw has attracted 12% as many forks as stars, Organic Maps 11%. Organic Maps was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (hacktoberfest), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| Excalidraw | Organic Maps | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 135K | ★ 16K |
| License | MIT | Custom / other |
| Written in | TypeScript | C++ |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 16K | ⑂ 1.7K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Excalidraw if
- You weight community size — 135K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Organic Maps if
- You want the Organic Maps feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches C++
- You evaluated both and Organic Maps fits your workflow better
About Excalidraw
Excalidraw Editor Blog Documentation Excalidraw+ An open source virtual hand drawn style whiteboard. Collaborative and end to end encrypted. Create beautiful hand drawn like diagrams, wireframes, or whatever you like. Features The Excalidraw editor (npm package) supports: 💯 Free & open source. 🎨 Infinite, canvas based whiteboard. ✍️ Hand drawn like style. 🌓 Dark mode. 🏗️ Customizable. 📷 Image support. 😀 Shape libraries support. 🌐 Localization (i18n) support. 🖼️ Export to PNG, SVG & clipboard. 💾 Open format export drawings as an .excalidraw json file. ⚒️ Wide range of tools rectangle, circle, diamond…
read the full Excalidraw overview →
About Organic Maps
Organic Maps Organic Maps is a privacy first offline maps & GPS app for hiking, cycling, biking, and driving. Absolutely free. No ads. No tracking. Created and maintained by MapsWithMe (MAPS.ME) founders, developed with love by the open source community. Powered by OpenStreetMap data. Installed by over 6 million users worldwide. Features Organic Maps is the ultimate companion app for travellers, tourists, hikers, and cyclists: Detailed offline maps with places that don't exist on other maps, thanks to OpenStreetMap Cycling routes, hiking trails, and walking paths Contour lines, elevation profiles, peaks, and…
read the full Organic Maps overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Excalidraw or Organic Maps more popular?
Excalidraw has 135,053 GitHub stars and Organic Maps has 15,860. Excalidraw has the larger community by that measure.
Are Excalidraw and Organic Maps free?
Both are open source. Excalidraw is licensed under MIT, and Organic Maps has no licence declared in this registry. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between Excalidraw and Organic Maps?
Excalidraw is written in TypeScript and Organic Maps in C++. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, Excalidraw or Organic Maps?
Choose Excalidraw if you want the larger community (135,053 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose Organic Maps if its feature set, stack or Custom / other licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.