livediagram vs FigJam
The free, open-source FigJam alternative
FigJam is a polished, playful whiteboard that lives inside Figma. livediagram covers the same ground, brainstorms, workshops and diagrams with your team in real time, as free, open-source software that anyone can open from a link, no account or Figma seat needed.
At a glance
| Feature | livediagram | FigJam |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free, every feature | Free Starter plan with limits, then paid Figma seats |
| Open source | Yes, MIT-licensed | No, proprietary |
| Self-hostable | Yes, on your own Cloudflare account | No |
| Start without an account | Yes, create and edit as a guest | An account to create files |
| Real-time multiplayer | Yes | Yes |
| Focus | Diagrams first, plus whiteboards and workshop tools | Whiteboarding for teams that design in Figma |
| Import + export | Excalidraw, draw.io, Microsoft Whiteboard, Mermaid + Markdown in; PNG, SVG, PDF, JSON, Mermaid + Excalidraw out | Its own files; image and PDF export |
| Programmatic access | REST API and an MCP server for AI tools, both free | A plugin and widget platform, and the Figma API |
Which to pick
Why pick livediagram
- Free with no file limits and no seats: every feature, for everyone.
- Open a link and start, no account needed, even to create a document.
- Structured diagrams that stay tidy: shapes and arrows that stay attached, alignment guides, 26 one-click themes and 91 templates.
- Four ways to work one tab: Diagram for structure, Draw for freehand whiteboarding, Illustrate for designed pages, and Plan for boards of cards.
- Workshop tools built in: a facilitator role, a shared timer, dot-voting, live polls, a Q&A board and hidden-then-revealed responses.
- Diagrams as code: Mermaid flowcharts import as editable diagrams and export back out.
- A free REST API and an MCP server, so scripts and AI assistants can read and edit your documents.
- MIT-licensed and self-hostable, so your boards never depend on one vendor.
Where FigJam is the better pick
- Your team designs in Figma, and you want boards that sit beside your design files and copy across into them.
- A playful, polished feel: stamps, stickers, emotes, cursor chat and widgets.
- A large community of plugins, widgets and templates.
- AI features built into the board for generating and summarising content.
A whiteboard without the seat
FigJam is part of Figma, and that is its great strength for design teams: boards and design files share one home. For everyone else, it means accounts, a free plan with limits on shared files, and paid seats as the team grows. livediagram has none of that. Anyone can open the editor and create a document without signing up, share a link, and work together in real time. There is no paid tier and no plan to introduce one.
Diagrams that stay tidy
FigJam is excellent for loose, freeform boards. livediagram starts from the diagram: shapes and arrows that stay attached and re-route as you move things, alignment guides and snapping, a format painter, and themes that restyle the whole canvas in one click. Start from one of 91 templates, from flowcharts and org charts to retrospectives and system architecture, and split larger work across tabs, folders and layers.
When a session needs freehand, the same tab switches to Draw mode, a plain whiteboard with pressure-sensitive markers.
Workshops built in
Running a session needs more than sticky notes. livediagram gives one person the facilitator role, and with it a shared timer, dot-voting, live polls, a Q&A board and responses kept hidden until the reveal. There are templates for retrospectives in five formats, Lean Coffee, town hall Q&A and event storming, and comments and assigned actions keep the follow-ups with the board.
Open at the edges
livediagram imports Mermaid, Markdown, Excalidraw, draw.io and Microsoft Whiteboard boards, and exports PNG, SVG, PDF, Mermaid, Markdown, Excalidraw or portable JSON. Any share link embeds as a read-only, live-updating iframe in a wiki or doc.
For automation there is a free REST API with personal tokens and an MCP server that lets AI assistants read and edit your documents directly, with their changes shown live and undoable as one unit.
FigJam alternative FAQ
Is livediagram really free compared with FigJam?
Can I import my FigJam boards?
Does livediagram work with Figma?
Can my team join without accounts?
See how it feels
No sign-up, nothing to install, free forever. Open a canvas and judge for yourself.
Comparisons reflect each product’s general positioning and may change. Check FigJam’s own site for current details. Last reviewed 7 October 2026.