head to head · open source
Excalidraw vs Snapify
Excalidraw has 135,053 GitHub stars, 15,973 forks, 3,445 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Snapify has 1,016 stars, 137 forks, 23 open issues and last shipped 1.9 years ago. Excalidraw leads on adoption by 13,193% (135,053 vs 1,016 stars). Excalidraw is written in TypeScript under MIT; Snapify is written in TypeScript under AGPL-3.0. Excalidraw has attracted 12% as many forks as stars, Snapify 13%. Excalidraw 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 | Snapify | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 135K | ★ 1.0K |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2024-11-25 |
| Forks | ⑂ 16K | ⑂ 137 |
| 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 Snapify if
- You want the Snapify feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and Snapify 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 Snapify
Snapify The self hostable Loom alternative. Learn more » Website Issue Bug report Snapify allows you to record and share recordings asynchronously Make unlimited recordings of your tab, desktop, and any application Share recordings with anyone using a public link Delete or un list recordings after a specific timeframe Upload and share existing videos Development Setup 1. Clone the repo into a public GitHub repository (or fork If you plan to distribute the code, make sure to comply with our LICENSE.md . 2. Go to the project folder 3. Install packages with npm 4. Set up your .env file Duplicate .env.example to…
read the full Snapify overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Excalidraw or Snapify more popular?
Excalidraw has 135,053 GitHub stars and Snapify has 1,016. Excalidraw has the larger community by that measure.
Are Excalidraw and Snapify free?
Both are open source. Excalidraw is licensed under MIT and Snapify under AGPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Excalidraw and Snapify?
Excalidraw is written in TypeScript and Snapify in TypeScript. 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 Snapify?
Choose Excalidraw if you want the larger community (135,053 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose Snapify if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.