Categories / Collaborative design / whiteboard
4 · Crowded WatersCollaborative design / whiteboard
Browser-based, real-time multiplayer canvas tools where distributed teams design interfaces or brainstorm visually at the same time.
Last updated October 23, 2026
Our read
Collaborative design and whiteboarding grew out of a simple frustration: desktop design tools were single-player and file-based, and they cut designers off from the rest of the team. The first browser-based entrants showed up in 2011, and the term went mainstream in 2016 as Figma pushed 'multiplayer design' and Miro and Mural pushed the online whiteboard. We count three unicorns and about 150 active companies. The name is contested between visual collaboration, online whiteboard and infinite canvas. The pressure now comes from AI tools that generate designs straight from prompts, which could make the canvas itself less central. We've audited eight companies here.
Open question for foundersIf AI lets your customers skip the interface where your product lives, which part of the job do you still own?
By the numbers
- 2011First company in the category
- 2018First $100M round
- 2022First acquisition
The first $100M round came 7 years after the first company.
How they talk about AI
How we classify
We read each company's homepage headline and subheadline against a fixed word list; the most explicit match wins. Not mentioned: no AI language at all. Implied: automated, intelligent, smart or autopilot, without saying AI. AI: AI, machine learning, LLM or generative. AI agents: agents, agentic, autonomous or digital workers.This reads positioning, not product: a company with a strong AI product counts as "not mentioned" if its homepage doesn't say so. Homepages are re-read every month.
In their own words
- Conceptboard
“The online whiteboard for ideas, tasks, and projects”
From idea to execution, Conceptboard combines visual collaboration with digital task management in one space.
- Excalidraw
“Collaborative whiteboarding made easy”
Ideate, Collaborate, Share. Simply with Excalidraw.
- Figma
“The full-stack creative canvas”
One workspace for your entire product development process.
- Lucidspark
“Transform your business with AI”
Use powerful capabilities in Lucid to document the current state of your business. Identify new opportunities, and design your future state.
- Miro
“Human collaboration at the speed of AI”
The Intelligent Canvas where your team and agents think, plan, and build together
- Mural
“Sync up. Speed up. Stand out.”
Mural is the visual AI platform that turns alignment into an ongoing way of working, connecting strategy to execution and driving results in one shared workspace.
- tldraw
“Build infinite canvas apps in React with the tldraw SDK”
Make whiteboards, diagrams, and canvas tools with tldraw's high-performance web canvas.
Stage history
- Crowded Watersrecorded September 26, 2026
Companies we track
Challengers
Also tracked
Fossils (acquired or shut down)
- InVision
FAQ
What is Collaborative design / whiteboard?
Browser-based, real-time multiplayer canvas tools where distributed teams design interfaces or brainstorm visually at the same time.
How mature is the Collaborative design / whiteboard category?
We place it in stage 4, Crowded Waters. Mature category with established leaders. You're fighting for share against incumbents everyone already knows.
How big is the Collaborative design / whiteboard market?
Estimates put it at ~$3.2B (2025). Market sizes vary widely by how analysts draw the category's edges.
How do Collaborative design / whiteboard companies usually price?
Most price per seat: 57% of the 7 tracked companies with a public pricing model.
When did the Collaborative design / whiteboard category start?
The first company we count in the category dates to 2011. The first $100M round came in 2018. The first acquisition was in 2022.
How do Collaborative design / whiteboard companies talk about AI?
Of the 7 we track, by the language in their homepage headline and subheadline as of September 26, 2026: AI agents 1, AI 2, Implied 0, Not mentioned 4.
Which Collaborative design / whiteboard companies does First to Market track?
Excalidraw, tldraw, Conceptboard, Figma, Lucidspark, Miro, Mural.
Building in Collaborative design / whiteboard?
Ten questions, about 90 seconds. Benchmark your category against our library of 238 companies across 27 categories, or find the categories that have already been where you are.