Conversations, meetings, project management… almost everything is digitized now.
Naturally, whiteboards joined the club too, and now we have digital whiteboard apps like Miro. They allow you to brainstorm and collaborate with your team in real-time using visuals on a blank canvas.
But is Miro giving you a hard time?
Or are you simply testing out the market and looking for Miro alternatives?
Either way, you’ll find your answer today.
In this article, we’ll discuss the top 5 Miro alternatives you can use!
Let’s go.
Why Look for a Miro Alternative?
Miro is an online whiteboard app used for visual collaboration.
Perfect for remote work, the platform offers various features for solid brainstorming sessions. For example, it lets you create simple wireframes without any design experience, something you can’t do on a physical whiteboard.
And while that sounds cool, Miro has some striking drawbacks.
Here’s a look at some of the major issues you’ll face on this virtual whiteboard platform:
1. Doesn’t support all platforms
Miro supports Windows and Mac platforms.
Yay, no space for the infamous Windows vs. Mac debate!
But why are we not including Linux, Miro?
If you work in software development, where Linux systems are all the rage, you’d feel left out.
2. No task time tracking
Miro has a countdown timer that helps you cap the time limits for your whiteboarding sessions.
But they didn’t take the time to add a regular time tracker.
You know, the one that counts minutes and hours for specific tasks or activities. ⏰
How else would you track where people are spending their work time, especially in a remote team? After all, that’s how you can bill clients and pay people accurately!
3. Limited free version
Miro is a free tool, and that’s great news.
But their list of free features is very limited.
For example, you only get three editable boards at a time.
This means you’ll have to wait your turn while three others finish their brainstorming.
And don’t even get us started on what’s missing in the free plan.
No countdown timer. No video chat. No custom template sharing.
The bottom line is that Miro isn’t the best free whiteboard or collaboration tool out there.
And that’s why we’re moving on to a list of programs like Miro…
Bonus: Check out our guide on using whiteboards in ClickUp!
Top 5 Miro Alternatives In 2021
Here are the top five alternatives that can offer you what Miro can and more. Be sure to check out what makes them great Miro competitors.
1. ClickUp
ClickUp is the world’s highest-rated productivity and project management tool, used by tons of small startups and large companies alike.
And what makes it the best free Miro alternative is its Mind Maps.
This is where you can visually plan and organize ideas, tasks, workflows, and more, with the simple drag and drop functionality.
Check out our mind map guide to learn more about it.
With Mind Maps in ClickUp, you can use the Tasks mode to create, delete, and edit tasks or draw relationships between them.
Drag branches to adjust the nodes’ locations and organize accordingly to rearrange your workspace.
Don’t want your mind map to be task-related?
Use the Blank mode instead. Here the nodes don’t connect to any task structure, letting you get as creative as you want!
But that isn’t all.
ClickUp can do so much more:
ClickUp key features
A. Share your beautiful Mind Maps
Visuals are a great way to get your messages across.
So why not share your Mind Maps with your teammates?
With ClickUp, you can share them with anyone, even people outside your Workspace, thanks to Public Sharing.
B. Plan and schedule with the Gantt Chart view
Apart from Mind Maps, there are other ways to visualize your plans in ClickUp.
The Gantt Chart view helps you:
- Plan projects
- Schedule tasks
- Track project progress percentage
- Manage Dependencies
C. Jot down ideas using Notepad
Sometimes you need to quickly note down your idea before you forget it.
That’s when you need the Notepad.
And who said texts need to be boring?
Use /Slash Commands to add Rich Text Editing like headers, fonts, etc.
You can even instantly convert your notes into tasks to ensure you don’t forget to take action on something important.
D. Employ the Kanban approach using the Board view
Here’s an Agile team favorite.
Love moving tasks from ‘to-do’ to ‘done’ in Kanban boards?
The Board view lets you do this with its drag and drop functionality.
You can easily enjoy watching your tasks progress through different task statuses.
Oh, and you’ll never exhaust your team thanks to the Work in Progress Limits!
E. Record your screens with Clip
Maybe you want to show a new employee how to use your remote collaboration tool.
Or show your work bestie how to create a meme on this new app you stumbled upon.
How?
Just screen record using Clip and share it right on ClickUp.
You don’t even have to download the recording if you don’t need it.
F. Take it easy with Templates
At ClickUp, we’re all about saving time.
And that’s why we bring you Templates.
Start using any of the pre-built workflow templates designed for event planning, marketing, CRM, etc., and skip the tiring process of always starting from blank.
G. Manage capacity with the Workload view
A properly distributed team workload can add to the success of your project.
And for that, you’re going to need ClickUp’s Workload view.
Use it to visualize work capacities and manage resources.
Adios overtime, hello productivity.
ClickUp pros
- Feature-rich free version for all users
- PDF and image annotation features
- Automations to save your precious time
- Send and receive emails without leaving your project management platform using the Email ClickApp
- Set Reminders for yourself and others on your team
- Integrate with Zoom for video conferencing right here on ClickUp
- Real-time editing for easy team collaboration
- Embed other platforms and apps like YouTube, Google Doc, Sheets, etc. on ClickUp
- Work even without an internet connection using Offline Mode
- Integrate with tons of apps, including Microsoft Teams, Slack, etc.
- Carry your work anywhere on your mobile device using ClickUp mobile apps
ClickUp limitations
- No Table view in the mobile app (yet)
No worries. Our team is always working to ensure that your suggestions are always heard, and your issues are addressed.
Check out our development roadmap to see what’s in store.
ClickUp pricing
ClickUp has three pricing options:
- Free Forever
- Over 50 native integrations
- Unlimited tasks
- Unlimited users
- Unlimited ($5/user per month)
- Real-time collaboration
- Sprints
- Unlimited file storage
- Business ($9/user per month)
- Goals
- Unlimited Spaces
- Custom views
ClickUp user ratings
- Capterra: 4.7/5 (2100+ reviews)
- g2: 4.7/5 (2500+ reviews)
2. Microsoft Whiteboard
Microsoft Whiteboard is a digital canvas or whiteboard app that’s part of the Microsoft suite.
To access the web version on Windows, Mac, and mobile devices (iOS & Android), all you need is a free Microsoft account or a Microsoft 365 account.
However, as this is Microsoft, it’s not the same deal for iOS and Mac platforms.
For example, the Bing image search feature is missing in the iOS app.
There’s also no desktop app for Mac users, which is pretty much a deal-breaker.
Bonus: Check out our ultimate guide to Microsoft project management.
Microsoft Whiteboard key features
- Add and edit sticky notes
- Add documents to your whiteboard
- Offers an ‘infinite’ or never-ending canvas
Microsoft Whiteboard pros
- Supports Android and iOS devices (iPad & iPhone)
- You can access the whiteboard in a Microsoft Teams meeting
- Supports multiple whiteboards
Microsoft Whiteboard limitations
- No integration with non-Microsoft apps
- Can’t create tasks using the whiteboard
- Whiteboard templates aren’t available for the web browser users
Microsoft Whiteboard pricing
If you have a Microsoft account, Microsoft Whiteboard for Windows, Android, and iOS will be free.
You can also buy it as part of one of the three Microsoft 365 plans:
- Business Basic ($5/user per month)
- Microsoft Teams
- Exchange
- SharePoint
- Business Standard ($12.5/user per month)
- Outlook
- Word
- Excel
- Business Premium ($20/user per month):
- PowerPoint
- Publisher
- Azure Information Protection
Microsoft Whiteboard user ratings
- Capterra: 3.9/5 (10+ reviews)
- g2: 4.3/5 (10+ reviews)
3. Conceptboard
Conceptboard is an easy-to-use whiteboard app that’s great for sharing ideas with a remote team.
With its infinite canvas, your creativity and imagination will have no limits. ✨
But then it bursts your bubble with the fact that it’s got no time tracker or calendar functionality.
Time is money, people!
Guess Conceptboard couldn’t grasp this concept.
Conceptboard key features
- Supports comments for communication feedback
- Different levels of access for various users
- Shows a complete overview of all activity
Conceptboard pros
- Add and annotate PDFs, images, videos, etc. on the whiteboard
- Share whiteboards using password-protected links
- Use customizable templates for Gantt chart, Kanban board, etc.
Conceptboard limitations
- Only supports a few integrations
- No calendar feature
- Lacks automations
Conceptboard pricing
Conceptboard has three pricing options:
- Free
- 500MB file storage
- Live moderation
- Unlimited boards
- Premium ($6/user per month)
- 20GB file storage
- Unlimited board objects
- Standard support
- Business ($9.5/user per month)
- 1TB file storage
- Unlimited boards
- Unlimited projects
Conceptboard user ratings
- Capterra: 4.5/5 (5+ reviews)
- g2: 4.3/5 (10+ reviews)
4. Mural
Mural is another great contender on this list of Miro alternatives.
It’s a collaboration platform where your team can work in real-time and enjoy multiple communication options, including sharing, commenting, text chat, etc.
However, if you’re looking for a Miro free alternative, Mural isn’t it.
It’s kind of a bummer that the pricing is higher than several project management software, especially when some of the free tools we mentioned earlier can do a lot more than Mural.
Mural key features
- Supports freehand drawing and writing
- Access a library full of icons
- Super lock to keep objects on your whiteboard in place as you move things around
Mural pros
- Tons of pre-built templates for Agile and design teams
- Make quick voice calls for team collaboration
- Integrates with Azure DevOps, Microsoft Teams, and Asana
Mural limitations
- UI that can be difficult to navigate
- No workflow management
- Can be expensive for small businesses
Mural pricing
Mural has two pricing options:
- Starter ($12/user per month)
- Unlimited collaborators
- Remote meetings
- All integrations
- Plus ($20/user per month)
- Unlimited guests
- Priority support
- Template library
Mural user ratings
- Capterra: 4.6/5 (50+ reviews)
- g2: 4.7/5 (450+ reviews)
5. Explain Everything
Explain Everything really stands by their name.
Whether you want to use a whiteboard to hold a project planning session, teach courses, discuss designs, Explain Everything can help you.
So it’s perfect?
No.
Maybe it can explain everything, but it certainly can’t do everything.
It’s a whiteboard tool with nothing more to offer.
Sooner or later, you’ll feel the need for a project management or time tracking tool.
And then you’ll end up with a bunch of separate tools for different purposes.
Explain Everything key features
- Video record your whiteboard discussions
- Create custom clipart
- Add narration to the screencasts
Explain Everything pros
- Download whiteboard video recordings in MP4 format
- Share using a web link or access code
- The free plan has 500MB of storage
Explain Everything limitations
- No time tracker
- No workflow management
- No activity dashboard
Explain Everything pricing
Explain Everything has three pricing plans:
- Free
- One user
- Three projects
- Video chat
- Individuals ($6.99/month)
- Unlimited recording
- Standard clipart
- Cloud security
- Teams ($11.99/user per month)
- Premium support
- Advanced reporting
- Global collaboration
Explain Everything user ratings
- Capterra: 5/5 (2 reviews)
- g2: 4.5/5 (10+ reviews)
Get on (White)board with ClickUp!
Miro is definitely good at what it does but has some major issues.
Instead of waiting for them to be fixed, you can get ahead using ClickUp—a tool that compensates for Miro’s flaws and does so much more.
ClickUp is the ultimate project management tool that can help you with task management, setting up Agile workflows, note-taking, screen recording, and even be your online whiteboard.
All at the same time.
How cool is that?
So get ClickUp for free today and visualize all your wonderful ideas.
Questions? Comments? We're here for you 24/7 at help@clickup.com!