Make ideas actionable with real wireframes
Excalidraw can help you sketch thoughts in the moment—but unless you’re into treasure hunts, digging through libraries to find a UI element gets old fast. Balsamiq captures those ideas faster and turns them into wireframes your team can build from.
- Create wireframes that follow real interface patterns.
- Show structure, flow, and interactions, not just rough outlines.
- Turn doodles into direction with wireframes that keep the project going.
Keep visuals clear, focused, and easy to act on
Excalidraw gives you total freedom, but that blank canvas can become distracting. Balsamiq keeps things simple and purposeful. Every UI component is designed to help you communicate structure.
- Pre-built UI elements reduce guesswork.
- Keep your team focused on layout, flow, and what matters most.
- Encourages healthy design debates so you can make the best tool or product possible.
Speed up decisions—no design experience necessary
With Balsamiq, anyone on the team can sketch clear, functional wireframes in minutes. No training sessions. No complicated tools. Just simple, intuitive features that let your ideas shine.
- Simple drag-and-drop interface.
- Hundreds of pre-built templates and components that are easy to find.
- Skip the polish and get to the point—structure, flow, and feedback.
From solo sketches to a shared understanding
Balsamiq helps product teams move faster by getting aligned earlier. No vague scribbles. No need to explain what a box represents. Just clear wireframes that everyone can understand and improve—together.
- Built-in commenting and annotations keep feedback focused and actionable.
- Stickies and notes let you capture team decisions right on the wireframe.
- Wireframes become the single source of truth—a tangible thing to build off of.
See how Balsamiq works
For product people who’d rather wireframe than wait
Still love Balsamiq for initial, lo-fi user interface designs. Any other app with more bells & whistles would distract me. Happy user since October 2008.
For over a decade, my favorite wireframing tool has been Balsamiq. It's easy to use and allows me to create wireframes really quickly.
I love Balsamiq because of the details. It focuses on one thing and doing it well. Really gets powerful once you learn the little shorthands.
Let's compare Balsamiq vs. Excalidraw
| Feature | Balsamiq | Excalidraw |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Per active project | Per user |
| Entry-level price | $12/mo for 1-2 projects Try it free for 30 days |
$6/mo per user Try it free for 14 days |
| Best for | Creating wireframes during product discovery | Jotting notes, whiteboarding, freeform sketching |
| Design philosophy | Low-fidelity by default, focused on clarity and speed | Open-ended, freehand-style thinking |
| Learning curve | Extremely low, non-designers welcome! | Takes time to pick up if you’re not designer-savvy |
| Collaboration style | Async-friendly, no seat limits, great for fast feedback | Files can be hard to reuse, review, or comment on |
| Output | Wireframes you can actually build from | Notes, whiteboards, and illustrations |
| Focus | UI flows, logic, UX structure | Visual exploration and sketching |
| For Enterprise/large teams | Flat-rate pricing (e.g. $139/mo for 51-100 projects, unlimited users). SSO, SLA, and legal review included | Not built for larger teams or enterprises |
Balsamiq and Excalidraw do different jobs on the same team. Use Excalidraw to explore early-stage ideas. Use Balsamiq to actually start building it.
Excalidraw + Balsamiq: From whiteboarding to wireframing
FAQs
Can Balsamiq and Excalidraw be used together?
They can be, but there’s really no need. You can just use Balsamiq!
Which tool is better for non-designers?
Balsamiq. It’s intentionally built to help non-designers wireframe quickly and effectively—with zero training required.
What kinds of teams typically use Balsamiq vs. Excalidraw?
Balsamiq is popular with lean product teams, startups, and folks without full-time designers. Excalidraw is used by anyone (typically educators and hobbyists) capturing early ideas, taking meeting notes, or sketching out concepts. Still, Balsamiq offers a free resource to educators.
Which tool is better for collaboration and feedback?
Balsamiq. With built-in commenting, annotations, and clear wireframe outputs, it’s a natural fit for teams who want to gather feedback and reach a final decision fast.
Which tool is better for fast, structured product work?
Balsamiq wins when structure, speed, and stakeholder clarity are your priorities. Excalidraw is great for general sketching, but Balsamiq is faster and clearer for real product work.
What if I start in Excalidraw—can I switch to Balsamiq later?
Absolutely. If you’ve already started sketching in Excalidraw, Balsamiq makes it easy to pick up where you left off. You can recreate your UI ideas quickly using our pre-built components, templates, and drag-and-drop interface. It’s a natural next step when you’re ready to move from unstructured notes to actionable wireframes.
