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Draft Canvas vs Gitea
Gitea is a self-hosted Git service, not a visual architecture canvas.
Draft CanvasA local-first canvas for turning software architecture into a clear visual story.
GiteaPainless self-hosted Git serviceWhich to pick
Pick Draft Canvas if you want…
- Local-first architecture sketching
- A free, open-source tool
- Integrations with Next.js, TypeScript or Go (on Draft Canvas' list, not Gitea's)
Pick Gitea if you want…
- All-in-one self-hosted Git and CI/CD platform
- Self-hosted Git hosting
- Integrations with Slack, Discord or MS Teams (on Gitea's list, not Draft Canvas')
Side by side
- What it is
- Draft Canvas:Draft Canvas is a local-first, open-source visual canvas for mapping software architecture.
- Gitea:Self-hosted Git service with code hosting, code review, issue tracking, packages and built-in CI/CD.
- Best for
- Draft Canvas:Local-first architecture sketching
- Gitea:All-in-one self-hosted Git and CI/CD platform
- Who it’s for
- Draft Canvas:Developers and teams who need to create and share architecture diagrams offline.
- Gitea:Developers and teams needing a self-hosted Git platform with CI/CD and package registry.
- Pricing
- Draft Canvas:Free
- Gitea:Freemium
- Plans
- Draft Canvas:—
- Gitea:Open Source Free
- Open source
- Draft Canvas:Yes, 5 GitHub stars
- Gitea:Yes, 58,252 GitHub stars
- Works with
- Draft Canvas:Next.js, TypeScript, Go, Mermaid, C4-PlantUML, draw.io, Claude, Codex
- Gitea:Slack, Discord, MS Teams, Lark, GitHub Actions, Drone, Woodpecker, Argo CD
Draft Canvas features
- Offline desktop app. Runs on macOS and Windows without an account and stores diagrams locally.
- AI agent integration. Connect Claude, Codex, Cursor, Gemini CLI, Junie to generate diagrams from code.
- Pattern library. Insert common architectures (CQRS, Saga, Event-Driven) with a quick shortcut.
- Step-by-step flow presentation. Walk the room through request flows, showing notes and code per step.
- Export options. Export as image, Mermaid, C4-PlantUML, Structurizr, draw.io or share a link.
- Deep dive view. Press ⌘↓ to zoom into a shape for C4-depth details without leaving the canvas.
Gitea features
- Code hosting & review. Create, manage and review Git repositories with pull requests and branch protection.
- Integrated CI/CD. Gitea Actions runs workflows using GitHub-compatible YAML syntax and over 20 K plugins.
- Project management. Issue tracking, kanban boards, milestones, time tracking and dependencies.
- Package registry. Supports more than 20 public or private package types such as NPM, Maven, PyPI and Docker.
- Multi-platform deployment. Runs on Linux, Windows, macOS, FreeBSD and Kubernetes with x86 and arm64 support.
- Enterprise features. SAML SSO, audit logs, Kubernetes auto-scaling runners and priority support in Enterprise plan.
Draft Canvas vs Gitea FAQ
Is Draft Canvas or Gitea free?+
Draft Canvas is free. Gitea has a free plan (Open Source) and paid plans.
Is Draft Canvas or Gitea open source?+
Yes, both are open source: Draft Canvas (acltabontabon/draft-canvas on GitHub, Apache-2.0 license) and Gitea (go-gitea/gitea on GitHub, MIT license).
Do Draft Canvas and Gitea integrate with the same tools?+
Their integration lists don't overlap: Draft Canvas lists Next.js, TypeScript, Go, Mermaid and 7 more; Gitea lists Slack, Discord, MS Teams, Lark and 7 more.
On DevHunt
Based on each tool's website and DevHunt data. Details may change; check the official sites.