Many organizations and companies are embracing remote working in the aftermath of Covid-19. This has necessitated the need for online collaboration, and as a result, whiteboards have taken a big digital leap.
Virtual whiteboards provide intuitive and user-friendly content-sharing space, allowing teams to interact smoothly and seamlessly online. Even so, not all virtual whiteboards are created equal, and the best one for your team depends on a number of factors. Different whiteboards are designed with varied collaboration features to suit different needs.
Whatever your reasons, if you are looking for a way to brainstorm ideas and collaborate with colleagues efficiently, this post will cover the top 10 virtual whiteboards to consider.
The best 10 virtual whiteboards in the world
The best digital whiteboard should have features to take your real-time collaboration to the next level. Here are whiteboards that offer a nice blend of elements you need for online collaboration:
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Miro
Designed to unlock creativity and accelerate innovation among teams, Miro is an online real-time collaboration platform with everything you need to engage with colleagues. It is available on all major operating systems — Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS — and on the web.
The platform offers an infinite canvas, enabling teams to have engaging workshops and meetings, brainstorm ideas virtually, design products, and more. You can add as many templates as you want and navigate through them while adding shapes, images, texts, and sticky notes as needed. You just need to choose from the long list of pre-made templates, or you can start with a blank whiteboard.
With Miro, you can as well co-create organizational charts from exported data without ever running out of space.
In need of more features? Miro seamlessly integrates with a host of other apps to allow you to bring every nitty-gritty detail onto the whiteboard. Beyond being great for brainstorming, it is great for team leaders who have to guide processes from ideation through implementation.
Miro whiteboard key features include built-in video and chat features, pre-made and customizable templates, external editors/collaborator access, anonymous users, screen sharing mode, group polling, PDF, JPG, and CSV board exports, and more. The tons of features make it versatile and ideal for organizations of all sizes. Moreover, white is easy to use.
Cost-wise, Miro is free for up to three editable whiteboards. Paid plans start from $8/month and offer unlimited boards and access to a host of features.
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Mural
Mural is a powerful collaboration tool designed to help teams interact and brainstorm online. It is centered around an intuitive whiteboard collaboration space and, with features that inspire innovation, it allows teams to work asynchronously to unlock their potential.
Users can draw shapes, sketch, create digital sticky notes, design mockups, pin images, create to-do lists, attach mind maps, and more, and share with colleagues in real time.
With infinite and resizable canvas options, you get to enjoy flexibility without limits. To get started, choose from a variety of pre-made templates or go with the standard blank whiteboard.
Mural whiteboard is particularly ideal for companies within the design and development industries but still works great for remote teams across other industries. It stands out with its numerous team collaboration tools, plus it seamlessly integrates with other apps and platforms, like Zoom, Airtable, Microsoft Teams, Adobe, Dropbox, and Github, to allow for improved workflow. It also offers the ability to share, export, and import files.
On top of the awesome collaboration features, Mural is complete with an anonymous voting system that allows users to provide feedback without fear of vengeance. Interestingly, Mural whiteboard software is available on the web and for major operating systems.
You can start unleashing your team’s imagination for free with 3 murals and unlimited members. For advanced features, Mural’s premium plans start from $9.99 per member per month billed annually.
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Microsoft Whiteboard
Ever imagined utilizing a high-end virtual whiteboard without spending a dime? The Microsoft Whiteboard allows teams to run more effective meetings, brainstorm ideas, and work creatively for free in an intuitive online space.
Microsoft Whiteboard, part of Microsoft 365, is an infinite cloud-based virtual whiteboard offering a range of awesome collaboration features. Being part of Microsoft’s suite of products, it seamlessly integrates with other Microsoft apps to take your real-time collaboration to the next level.
You can create and add sticky notes, shapes, images, and more, or switch to screen-sharing mode. The platform works with a stylus, allowing those with a Microsoft surface stylus to sketch or make flow diagrams on the whiteboard easily.
Although you may need other products to get the most out of the whiteboard, it is well worth it considering that it is utterly free for Microsoft 365 users.
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Conceptboard
Conceptboard is arguably the most secure collaborative virtual whiteboard. With a host of features to allow for easy board management and seamless collaboration, Conceptboard is a workspace where teams from all can get together in real time and asynchronously.
Whether you are hosting a digital brainstorm, documenting a meeting, teaching a class, or managing an agile workflow, Conceptboard offers an infinite canvas, giving you the virtual space you need to work and collaborate with teams. Inside the whiteboard, users can add files, images, and shapes, import documents, pin stickers, embed audio and video files, and work in real time to get things done.
One of the exciting features of Conceptboard is the ability to assign each user a labeled, color-coded live cursor and drawing board. Interestingly, once you are done with your work, you can safely share the link to your whiteboard with teammates and even those outside your organization.
Overall, Conceptboard is a great choice for those looking for a secure solution that can streamline online collaboration and drive innovations. There are plans to suit the needs of varied team sizes.
You can get started for free or go for the paid plans for better features. Paid plans start from $6.00 per user per month, billed annually, but you can still pay monthly.
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Witeboard
If you are looking for a quick and easy-to-use virtual whiteboard, Witeboard has it down. At its core, Witeboard is a web-based virtual whiteboard with a clean UX design. Its “shape detection” feature automatically turns messy sketches into perfect rectangles and circles, partly solving the problem of drawing using a mouse or trackpad.
Of significance, Witeboard doesn’t offer native audio, video, and chat messaging features. However, it integrates with Slack and screen-sharing apps, breaking the gap between brainstorming and presenting. You can toggle between whiteboard and blackboard.
Overall, Witeboard is ideal for small teams looking to share basic concepts online that they will never return to. Best of all, it is completely free.
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Limnu
Are you a teacher looking for a virtual whiteboard that feels like a real whiteboard? Limnu is the online whiteboard you have been looking for.
Essentially, Limnu is a no-frills virtual whiteboard designed to deliver the experience of a traditional whiteboard, especially when it comes to sketching and drawing. It comes complete with the features you need to collaborate and brainstorm with a team or clients. The whiteboard does not have edge boundaries, meaning the space is big enough for your biggest ideas. Even better, it is fast enough to feel tactile and fast enough for real-time collaborations.
Whether you are reviewing storyboards with clients, teaching mathematics, or brainstorming on process flows with stakeholders, Limnu allows you to collaborate like never before. Click on the share icon and copy-paste the link to invite others to view your board.
Limnu is best suited for remote teams dealing with product design, but there is a dedicated plan for educators. You can give the whiteboard a test drive for 14 days before going for the paid plans, which start from as little as $5/month.
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InVision Freehand
Truly designed for everyone, InVision Freehand is the platform powering some of the world’s smartest companies.
InVision Freehand is a powerful virtual whiteboard that allows teams to visually express their ideas through diagrams, charts, drawings, and more. It allows users to add text, upload files, sync their Sketch and Photoshop files, create mockups, and get real-time feedback from stakeholders and teammates.
To bring a new layer of power and connectivity to your workflow, choose from a variety of powerful templates and run brainstorms in a space where everyone has equal input.
InVision is available on the web and for iOS. Get to enjoy all key features and integrations for free for up to 100 users, or get the most out of InVision with paid plans starting from $4 per user per month.
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Whiteboard Fox
For easy worker/team collaboration software, this whiteboard can save you in unexpected ways. It is a quick, no-frills whiteboard that offers you a quick virtual board. The Whiteboard Fox is easy to use and can be started by simply clicking on the button labeled “start drawing” and setting up all permissions necessary, and it will be ready for use.
Enjoy the convenience of using grids to draw some illustrations while presenting to your colleagues and friends some important ideas. With the Whiteboard Fox, drawing is made easier with operational features like draw, zoom, erase, move, and the ability to manage old text and images.
You can simply use the stylus pen or pinch to zoom gestures on the screen and relay the intended information to other participants in real time. Whenever you want to take some important notes down but you can’t type each word, you can use the “copy all” button and get everything added to the new page. Any changes you make on a document displayed on this whiteboard are quickly synced and promptly reflected on the other participants’ boards.
If you are the host of a Whiteboard Fox software presentation, you have all powers to control and manage user access of others and also restrictions on who can view what, and also give or deny others editorial roles. The Whiteboard Fox is an impressive solution that you can embrace and organize learning or sharing sessions supported by live picture illustrations.
You can start using Whiteboard Fox for free or go for paid plans that start at $7 per month.
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Explain Everything
At its core, Explain Everything whiteboard software offers you a generic experience. With this virtual whiteboard, you can record everything you have done in one session and share it with those who missed it.
This whiteboard is fully integrated with the best tools for teaching, making your sessions more successful. You can as well have a repository where you create assignments, digitize papers and books, and even use pre-prepared learning templates.
Another super benefit of using this whiteboard is that you can edit and segment your recordings. However, you will need more time to get used to this software and become conversant with all the aspects and features of the whiteboard. All in all, you can be assured of top-notch video presentations no matter the Explain Everything plan you use.
Get started with all creative features for free, or get better with premium plans starting from $34.99 per year.
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Stormboard
Are you dealing with a sparsely distributed workforce but need continued communication with each individual? If yes, Stormboard can be of great benefit to you. This whiteboard pitches itself as a classic/high-end app that focuses more on facilitating group tasks for remotely distributed workforces.
The Stormboard canvas is unlimited in size, enabling you to add free drawings, text, videos, images, and other files. You will have access to plenty of templates that you can use for presentations, daily stand-ups, brainstorming sessions, agile scrum, affinity mapping, and so much more.
You can also get a Stormboard mobile app to be able to access the virtual whiteboard and share your share anytime. Your team can get started collaborating online with the paid plans that start from as little as $10 per user per month.
Final thoughts
The best visual whiteboard for your team comes down to the features your team wants the most. Definitely, you will benefit most if you go for a dedicated whiteboard software that offers advanced features, customizable templates, and useful integrations. All the above virtual whiteboards offer great collaborative experiences in their own ways.