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Excalidraw vs draw.io for Confluence: Which Should You Use?

· 11 min read
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When teams need to add diagrams to Confluence pages, two names come up again and again: Excalidraw and draw.io (also known as diagrams.net). Both are popular diagramming tools with Confluence integrations available on the Atlassian Marketplace, but they take fundamentally different approaches to visual communication.

Excalidraw is built around a freeform, hand-drawn aesthetic that encourages brainstorming and rapid ideation. Its sketch-like style signals that ideas are works in progress, which makes it perfect for whiteboarding sessions, architecture discussions, and early-stage planning. Excalidraw Plus for Confluence brings this experience directly into your Confluence pages with a full visual editor and 220+ shape libraries.

draw.io, on the other hand, is a structured diagramming tool focused on precision and formality. It uses clean, geometric shapes with snap-to-grid alignment and automatic layout engines, making it a strong choice for UML diagrams, network topologies, BPMN workflows, and org charts. The draw.io app for Confluence embeds a full-featured editor as a macro on any page.

Choosing between them is not a matter of one being universally better -- it is about matching the tool to your team's workflow. This FAQ answers the most common questions teams ask when comparing Excalidraw and draw.io for Confluence, with detailed feature analysis and recommendations for different use cases.

Is Excalidraw or draw.io better for Confluence?​

The honest answer is that neither tool is objectively better -- they serve different purposes, and the right choice depends on what your team needs to accomplish. Excalidraw excels at freeform sketching, whiteboarding, and any situation where you want to quickly capture ideas without worrying about pixel-perfect alignment. Its hand-drawn visual style makes diagrams feel approachable and invites collaboration from team members who might be intimidated by rigid, formal tools. If your team frequently holds architecture whiteboard sessions, brainstorms on Confluence pages, or needs to sketch wireframes and rough flows, Excalidraw is the stronger fit.

draw.io is better suited for structured, precise diagrams that need to follow formal notation standards. If your organization requires UML class diagrams, BPMN process models, detailed network topologies with exact IP addressing, or compliance-ready flowcharts, draw.io's grid-based editor and auto-layout features will save you time. The tool enforces visual consistency through its stencil system, which is valuable when multiple people are producing diagrams that need to look uniform. For teams that produce technical documentation destined for external stakeholders or auditors, draw.io's polished output is often preferred.

The best approach for many teams is to evaluate what types of diagrams you create most often and match the tool to the dominant use case. You can also run both side by side -- more on that later.

Does draw.io support Mermaid diagrams in Confluence?​

No, draw.io for Confluence does not support Mermaid syntax. Mermaid is a text-based diagram language that lets you define flowcharts, sequence diagrams, class diagrams, and other diagram types using simple code statements. Many developer teams prefer Mermaid because diagrams can be version-controlled, reviewed in pull requests, and generated programmatically.

If Mermaid support is important to your workflow, you have two strong alternatives. Excalidraw Plus for Confluence supports Mermaid syntax input alongside its freeform drawing canvas, so you can type Mermaid code and render it as a visual diagram. This is particularly useful for engineering teams that already write Mermaid in their documentation and want the same capability inside Confluence. Additionally, Mermaid Plus for Confluence is a dedicated Mermaid editor with support for 26+ diagram types, live preview, and template libraries built specifically for the Mermaid ecosystem.

The lack of Mermaid support in draw.io is a notable gap for teams that have invested in text-based diagramming workflows. While draw.io has its own XML-based format for programmatic diagram generation, it is not interchangeable with the widely adopted Mermaid syntax.

Which has more shape libraries: Excalidraw or draw.io?​

Both tools offer extensive shape libraries, though they differ in how those libraries are accessed and organized. Excalidraw Plus for Confluence includes 220+ built-in shape packs that cover a wide range of categories: cloud architecture (AWS, Azure, GCP), software design (UML, entity-relationship), networking, databases, user interface wireframes, and general business diagrams. The shape browser is fully searchable and sortable, so you can quickly find the stencil you need without scrolling through long nested menus.

draw.io also provides a large collection of shape libraries -- its stencil collection is one of the most comprehensive among diagramming tools, with hundreds of shape sets organized by category. However, the browsing experience in draw.io tends to require more clicks to navigate through hierarchical menus, and the search functionality is less streamlined than Excalidraw's dedicated shape browser panel. Some users report that finding specific shapes in draw.io can feel slower, especially when you are working across multiple cloud provider icon sets.

For teams that frequently switch between different diagram types -- say, sketching a cloud architecture in the morning and a UML sequence diagram in the afternoon -- Excalidraw's searchable shape library makes it faster to find and place the right elements. For teams that primarily use one or two diagram types and have memorized where those shapes live, draw.io's library depth is perfectly adequate.

Is Excalidraw free for Confluence?​

The pricing models for the two tools differ significantly, and understanding the distinction is important for budget planning. Excalidraw Plus for Confluence is a paid app available on the Atlassian Marketplace. It offers a free trial period so your team can evaluate whether it fits your workflow before committing to a subscription. The open-source Excalidraw project at excalidraw.com is free to use, but it does not integrate with Confluence -- it is a standalone web application that runs separately from your Atlassian instance.

draw.io for Confluence offers a free tier with basic diagramming capabilities. The free version includes core shapes and editing features, but advanced features such as custom templates, certain shape libraries, and priority support may require a paid license. For small teams with simple diagramming needs, the draw.io free tier can be sufficient. For larger organizations or teams that need advanced shape libraries, template management, and dedicated support, the paid tier is the practical choice.

When comparing costs, factor in the total value each tool delivers. Excalidraw Plus includes 220+ shape libraries, Mermaid support, template management, and collaborative editing as part of its subscription. If your team would otherwise need separate tools for whiteboarding and structured diagramming, Excalidraw Plus can consolidate those costs into a single app.

Which is faster for quick diagrams in Confluence?​

Speed depends entirely on the type of diagram you are creating and your preferred working style. For quick sketches, brainstorming sessions, and architecture whiteboarding, Excalidraw is significantly faster. Its freeform canvas means you can draw, connect, and label elements without worrying about snap-to-grid alignment or precise positioning. The hand-drawn style is forgiving by nature -- a slightly crooked line or off-center label does not look out of place. This makes Excalidraw the tool of choice for live whiteboarding sessions where you need to capture ideas as they flow.

For formal, structured diagrams, draw.io can be faster because of its automatic layout engine and snap-to-grid system. When you need a clean UML class diagram or a network topology with precise spacing, draw.io's alignment features save you the manual effort of positioning every element. The auto-layout function can arrange complex diagrams in seconds, which would take much longer to do by hand on a freeform canvas.

In practice, the speed difference is most pronounced during the early stages of a project when ideas are fluid and diagrams change frequently. Excalidraw's low-friction drawing experience means you can iterate quickly without getting bogged down in formatting. As a project matures and diagrams need to become more polished, draw.io's structure-oriented features help maintain consistency and professionalism across many pages of documentation.

Can I use both Excalidraw and draw.io in Confluence?​

Yes, absolutely. Both apps run independently as separate macros in Confluence, and there is no conflict between them. You can install both from the Atlassian Marketplace and use them on different pages -- or even on the same page -- without any issues. Many teams adopt exactly this strategy: Excalidraw Plus for brainstorming, whiteboarding, and early-stage ideation, and draw.io for formal technical diagrams, process documentation, and compliance artifacts.

This dual-tool approach works well because each tool's strengths complement the other's weaknesses. When a new feature is being designed, the team can use Excalidraw to sketch out ideas on a Confluence page during a planning session. Once the design is finalized and needs to be documented as a formal architecture diagram for stakeholders, the same content can be recreated in draw.io with precise layout and standardized notation.

The overhead of maintaining two diagramming tools is minimal. Both store their diagrams as page attachments, both integrate with Confluence's permission system, and both provide export options (PNG, SVG) for sharing diagrams outside Confluence. The main consideration is licensing cost -- you will need active subscriptions for both apps if you are using paid tiers. For teams that create a high volume of diverse diagram types, the investment is typically worthwhile.

Feature comparison: Excalidraw Plus vs draw.io for Confluence​

FeatureExcalidraw Plusdraw.io
Drawing styleFreeform, hand-drawn aestheticStructured, geometric precision
Editor typeVisual drag-and-drop canvasVisual drag-and-drop canvas with grid
Shape libraries220+ searchable shape packsExtensive stencil library (hierarchical menus)
Mermaid supportYes -- Mermaid syntax inputNo
Auto-layoutManual positioningAutomatic layout engine
CollaborationReal-time multi-user editingReal-time multi-user editing
Export formatsPNG, SVG, JSONPNG, SVG, PDF, XML
Template libraryBuilt-in, team-shareableBuilt-in with custom templates
Snap-to-gridOptional grid alignmentDefault grid with snapping
Pricing modelPaid subscription with free trialFree tier + paid license for advanced features
Data storageJSON attachment on Confluence pageEmbedded content on Confluence page
Best forBrainstorming, whiteboarding, sketchesUML, BPMN, network diagrams, formal docs

When to choose Excalidraw​

Choose Excalidraw Plus for Confluence when your team's primary needs align with any of the following:

  • Brainstorming and ideation sessions where you need to capture ideas quickly without formatting overhead
  • Architecture discussions where the hand-drawn style keeps conversations focused on concepts rather than visual polish
  • Wireframing and early-stage design where a sketch-like aesthetic signals that the design is preliminary
  • Team whiteboarding where multiple collaborators need to contribute simultaneously on a shared canvas
  • Developer workflows that rely on Mermaid syntax for text-based diagram generation alongside visual editing
  • Rapid iteration where diagrams change frequently and you need a low-friction editing experience

Excalidraw's strength is its accessibility. Team members who are not diagramming experts can jump in and create meaningful visuals without learning a complex tool. The hand-drawn style removes the pressure to produce pixel-perfect output, which encourages more people to participate in visual communication.

When to choose draw.io​

Choose draw.io for Confluence when your requirements lean toward structure and formality:

  • UML diagrams (class, sequence, activity, use case) that need to follow strict notation standards
  • BPMN process models for business process documentation and compliance
  • Network diagrams with precise topology layouts, IP addressing, and equipment labels
  • Org charts and hierarchy diagrams where automatic layout and consistent spacing matter
  • Cross-functional flowcharts (swimlane diagrams) that require aligned lanes and standardized symbols
  • Compliance and audit documentation where diagrams need to look polished and follow organizational standards

draw.io's strength is its rigor. The tool enforces visual consistency through grid alignment, snapping, and structured shape libraries, which produces diagrams that look professional and standardized. For teams producing documentation that will be reviewed by external stakeholders, regulators, or auditors, this consistency is valuable.