Excalidraw Whiteboard Office vs WBO
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted office suites options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Excalidraw Whiteboard Office | WBO |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 56 · Fair | 84 · Excellent |
| Category | Office Suites | Office Suites |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | docker, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 39 | ★ 2,658 |
| First released | 2021 | 2013 |
| Replaces | Miro, FigJam | Miro, Microsoft Whiteboard |
What are Excalidraw Whiteboard Office and WBO?
Excalidraw Whiteboard Office
This open-source workspace combines collaborative diagrams, sticky notes, and documents on an infinite canvas. Teams brainstorm and plan together in real time on a self-hosted server.
- Infinite canvas
- Collaborative diagrams
- Sticky notes
- Real-time editing
WBO
WBO is an open-source online collaborative whiteboard that allows multiple users to draw together in real time. It is simple to self-host with no account required.
- Real-time shared whiteboard
- No account required
- Lightweight Node.js server
- Multiple drawing tools
Excalidraw Whiteboard Office vs WBO: key differences
Excalidraw Whiteboard Office is written in TypeScript, while WBO is built with JavaScript. Licensing differs — MIT for Excalidraw Whiteboard Office versus AGPL-3.0 for WBO. WBO is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Excalidraw Whiteboard Office. WBO is the more established project (first released 2013), while Excalidraw Whiteboard Office arrived in 2021. WBO has the considerably larger community, at 2,658 GitHub stars versus 39.
Why pick each one
Choose Excalidraw Whiteboard Office if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in TypeScript
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Choose WBO if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (2.7k GitHub stars)
Frequently asked questions
Is Excalidraw Whiteboard Office or WBO better?
WBO is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Excalidraw Whiteboard Office if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Excalidraw Whiteboard Office and WBO free and open-source?
Yes. Excalidraw Whiteboard Office is licensed under MIT and WBO under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Excalidraw Whiteboard Office and WBO with Docker?
Excalidraw Whiteboard Office: yes. WBO: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Excalidraw Whiteboard Office or WBO?
WBO has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Excalidraw Whiteboard Office. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.