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Comparison · Collab

Excalidraw vs Wiki.js

A side-by-side editorial comparison of Excalidraw and Wiki.js — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.

Excalidraw vs Wiki.js: at a glance

FeatureExcalidrawWiki.js
SectorCollabCollab
Velocity score0.06.3
Sparks · 30d01
Top themeswhiteboard, embeddable-library, esm-migration, canvas-apiwiki, self-hosted, enterprise-auth, sso
Last editorial update1mo ago4d ago
WebsiteVisit →Visit →

What is Excalidraw?

Excalidraw's package went ESM-only in 0.18 — a big release, then 16 months of silence on this feed.

This feed tracks the embeddable @excalidraw/excalidraw package rather than the hosted app, so every entry is a library release aimed at developers integrating the canvas. Version 0.18.0 in March 2025 was the large one: command palette, multiplayer undo and redo, flowcharts, elbow arrows, scene search, image cropping, element linking, CJK fonts, and a move from UMD to ES modules that broke existing consumers. Earlier releases are smaller, mostly programmatic API surface and rendering fixes. Nothing has been captured since.

Read the full Excalidraw trajectory →

What is Wiki.js?

Wiki.js 3.0 beta closes enterprise auth and SEO gaps at sprint pace

Wiki.js is running a dual-track strategy: v2.5.x is in maintenance, collecting only security and bug fixes, while v3.0.0 moves through beta weekly with substantial new features. The v3 beta has concentrated recent drops on two converging pillars — enterprise authentication (Entra ID, LDAP, SAML, Discord with group-to-role mapping) and operations infrastructure (Audit Log, admin metrics, sitemap serving, prerendering for anonymous requests). All active development runs through a single committer, shipping multiple named features per weekly beta build.

Read the full Wiki.js trajectory →

Excalidraw vs Wiki.js: editorial side-by-side

Excalidraw logo0.0

Excalidraw's package went ESM-only in 0.18 — a big release, then 16 months of silence on this feed.

◆ Current state

This feed tracks the embeddable @excalidraw/excalidraw package rather than the hosted app, so every entry is a library release aimed at developers integrating the canvas. Version 0.18.0 in March 2025 was the large one: command palette, multiplayer undo and redo, flowcharts, elbow arrows, scene search, image cropping, element linking, CJK fonts, and a move from UMD to ES modules that broke existing consumers. Earlier releases are smaller, mostly programmatic API surface and rendering fixes. Nothing has been captured since.

◆ Where it's heading

The package's direction has been to expose more of the editor to host applications — API subscribers, programmatic element creation, viewport control, sidebar tabs — so Excalidraw can be embedded as a component rather than only used as a site. The ESM transition fits that: tree-shakable output matters to the teams shipping it inside their own products. With no releases captured in over a year, this source no longer says anything about current activity, which more likely reflects the crawl target than the project.

◆ Prediction

Insufficient data for a forward call from this feed: the last captured release predates the window by more than a year, so any prediction would be about the package's dormancy rather than Excalidraw's actual roadmap.

W
Wiki.js
COLLAB
6.3

Wiki.js 3.0 beta closes enterprise auth and SEO gaps at sprint pace

◆ Current state

Wiki.js is running a dual-track strategy: v2.5.x is in maintenance, collecting only security and bug fixes, while v3.0.0 moves through beta weekly with substantial new features. The v3 beta has concentrated recent drops on two converging pillars — enterprise authentication (Entra ID, LDAP, SAML, Discord with group-to-role mapping) and operations infrastructure (Audit Log, admin metrics, sitemap serving, prerendering for anonymous requests). All active development runs through a single committer, shipping multiple named features per weekly beta build.

◆ Where it's heading

The v3 beta is systematically filling the gaps that have kept Wiki.js out of enterprise environments: SSO across major identity providers, compliance tooling, SEO readiness, and theme customization for whitelabeled deployments. Each week's build adds a category that a production deployment actually requires. The remaining areas not yet visible in the beta changelog are storage/sync providers and full editor-module parity with v2 — those gaps are the logical preconditions for an RC.

◆ Prediction

The next beta cycle will likely address storage backends and remaining editor modules. A release candidate becomes the natural next step once those surface areas are covered.

Alternatives to Excalidraw and Wiki.js

Other Collab products tracked by Sparkpulse, ranked by recent ship velocity. Each card links to a full editorial trajectory and lets you pivot into a head-to-head comparison with either Excalidraw or Wiki.js.

See all Excalidraw alternatives → · See all Wiki.js alternatives →

Recent activity from Excalidraw and Wiki.js

Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.

  1. 4d agoWiki.js3.0.0-beta.561
  2. 8d agoWiki.js3.0.0-beta.554
  3. 9d agoWiki.js3.0.0-beta.550
  4. 10d agoWiki.js3.0.0-beta.543
  5. 14d agoWiki.js3.0.0-beta.537
  6. 17d agoWiki.js3.0.0-alpha.530
  7. 1y agoExcalidrawExcalidraw 0.18 drops UMD for ESM and adds flowcharts
  8. 1y agoExcalidrawDuplicate capture of the 0.18.0 release
  9. 2y agoExcalidrawPatch release fixes UMD build and arrow label bounds
  10. 2y agoExcalidrawDuplicate capture of the 0.17.3 patch
  11. 2y agoExcalidrawRelease 0.17 expands the programmatic canvas API
  12. 2y agoExcalidrawDuplicate capture of the 0.17 release

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between Excalidraw and Wiki.js?

They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. Wiki.js is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 vs 0.0), with 1 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.

Is Excalidraw better than Wiki.js?

Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. Wiki.js is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 vs 0.0), with 1 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other Collab products to evaluate alongside.

What are the best alternatives to Excalidraw?

Top Excalidraw alternatives in Collab are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Excalidraw alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/excalidraw for the full list with editorial commentary on each.

What are the best alternatives to Wiki.js?

Top Wiki.js alternatives in Collab are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Wiki.js alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/wiki-js for the full list with editorial commentary on each.