head to head · open source
Excalidraw vs ShareX
Excalidraw has 135,053 GitHub stars, 15,973 forks, 3,445 open issues and last shipped yesterday. ShareX has 40,589 stars, 4,023 forks, 646 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Excalidraw leads on adoption by 233% (135,053 vs 40,589 stars). Excalidraw is written in TypeScript under MIT; ShareX is written in C# under GPL-3.0. Excalidraw has attracted 12% as many forks as stars, ShareX 10%. ShareX was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
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 | ShareX | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 135K | ★ 41K |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | C# |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 16K | ⑂ 4.0K |
| 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 ShareX if
- You want the ShareX feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches C#
- You evaluated both and ShareX 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 ShareX
Screen capture, file sharing and productivity tool For further information please check our website ShareX Free Screen Capture, Screenshot, File Sharing and Productivity Tool ShareX is a free and open source screenshot tool, screen recorder, file sharing tool and productivity application for Windows. It is designed for users who need fast screen capture, powerful screenshot editing, automated sharing, custom upload destinations and practical utilities in one lightweight desktop app. With ShareX, you can capture any area of your screen, record video or GIFs, annotate screenshots, upload files, copy shareable…
read the full ShareX overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Excalidraw or ShareX more popular?
Excalidraw has 135,053 GitHub stars and ShareX has 40,589. Excalidraw has the larger community by that measure.
Are Excalidraw and ShareX free?
Both are open source. Excalidraw is licensed under MIT and ShareX under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Excalidraw and ShareX?
Excalidraw is written in TypeScript and ShareX 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 ShareX?
Choose Excalidraw if you want the larger community (135,053 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose ShareX if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.