livediagram vs Microsoft Whiteboard
The open-source Microsoft Whiteboard alternative
Microsoft is retiring Whiteboard for personal accounts: boards became read-only in September 2026, and the standalone apps and remaining legacy boards go on 16 October 2026. livediagram is a free, open-source home for that work: a real-time whiteboard with pressure-sensitive ink, no Microsoft account needed, and an import that brings your boards across with every stroke still editable.
At a glance
| Feature | livediagram | Microsoft Whiteboard |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free, every feature | Included with Microsoft 365 work and school plans |
| Open source | Yes, MIT-licensed | No, proprietary |
| Personal accounts | Yes, or no account at all | Retiring: read-only since September 2026 |
| Where it runs | Any modern browser, on any device | Teams and the web, for work and school accounts |
| Real-time multiplayer | Yes | Yes |
| Ink | Pressure-sensitive markers in Draw mode | Natural pen inking, strongest on Windows |
| Beyond the whiteboard | Structured diagrams, templates, tabs and folders, Presentation mode | A freeform board inside the Microsoft 365 suite |
| Self-hostable | Yes, on your own Cloudflare account | No |
Which to pick
Why pick livediagram
- Your boards outlive the retirement: import a board export and each board becomes a document of its own, named and dated as the board, with pen strokes, colours, sticky notes, text, shapes and images all editable.
- No Microsoft account, no sign-up, no install: open a link and start drawing.
- Draw mode is a plain whiteboard: three pressure-sensitive markers, text, an eraser and shapes on a plain, dotted or grid board, light or dark.
- Real-time multiplayer with live cursors, comments and a laser pointer, for anyone with the link.
- Switch the same tab to Diagram mode when a sketch needs to become a tidy flowchart, org chart or plan.
- 91 templates, including retrospectives, Lean Coffee, town hall Q&A and event storming boards.
- Free and MIT-licensed, so no future retirement can take your boards away: you can always run your own copy.
Where Microsoft Whiteboard is the better pick
- Your organisation already runs on Microsoft 365, and you want whiteboards inside Teams meetings.
- Admin control, compliance and data residency handled by your existing Microsoft tenant.
- Inking with a pen on a Windows device or a Surface Hub, which Whiteboard is built around.
What the retirement means
Microsoft Whiteboard is not going away for everyone. Work and school accounts keep it inside Teams and on the web. What is ending is Whiteboard for personal Microsoft accounts and the standalone apps: personal boards became read-only on 25 September 2026, and on 16 October 2026 the standalone Windows, iOS and Android apps retire and the remaining legacy boards are deleted for good.
If you used Whiteboard on a personal account, for teaching, family planning, tutoring or your own thinking, you need a new home for those boards and for the next ones. Check Microsoft’s own retirement notice for the details that apply to your account.
Bring your boards across, ink and all
Whiteboard’s own exports are a flat picture: nothing in them stays editable. livediagram imports a board export instead, the folder of the board’s own edit history, and replays it, so every stroke comes back as data. Each board becomes its own document with one whiteboard tab, named after the board and dated as the board, so your library keeps its history.
Pen strokes keep their pressure, so thick and thin stay as you drew them. Black ink on a light board, or white ink on a dark one, becomes the whiteboard’s own ink, so it reads in light and dark. Highlighter stays highlighter, and sticky notes, text, shapes and images keep their place. The import runs entirely in your browser: nothing is sent to a server, and it needs no Microsoft account. When it finishes, it says what changed on the way, such as rainbow ink drawn in pink.
A whiteboard that grows into more
Draw mode is a plain whiteboard, close to what Whiteboard users are used to: pick a marker, draw, erase, add text and shapes. But the same tab can switch to Diagram mode when a sketch needs structure, with shapes and arrows that stay attached as you move things. A document holds as many tabs as you need, grouped into folders, and Presentation mode turns elements from any tab into a slide deck.
For sessions, there are templates for retrospectives, Lean Coffee and town hall Q&A, and a facilitator can run a shared timer, votes and polls for the room.
Free, open, and yours to keep
A retirement like this is a reminder of what it means to rely on someone else’s product. livediagram is MIT-licensed and its whole codebase is public. The hosted version is free with no paid tier, and if you would rather not depend on it, you can deploy the same code to your own Cloudflare account.
You can also keep a document entirely in your browser with Offline Mode, or, once signed in, mirror your documents to your own Google Drive.
Microsoft Whiteboard alternative FAQ
Is Microsoft Whiteboard being discontinued?
Can I import my Microsoft Whiteboard boards?
Do I need a Microsoft account to use livediagram?
Does livediagram work with a pen or stylus?
When should I stay with Microsoft Whiteboard?
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 Microsoft Whiteboard’s own site for current details. Last reviewed 7 October 2026.