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Excalidraw vs Lopaka
Excalidraw provides hand-drawn style diagrams, not structured graphics for microcontrollers.
ExcalidrawOpen-source virtual whiteboard for hand-drawn style diagrams
LopakaMake stunning graphics for embedded electronics displays with no codeWhich to pick
Pick Excalidraw if you want…
- Hand-drawn style collaborative whiteboarding
- Sketch-style whiteboarding
- A free, open-source tool
Pick Lopaka if you want…
- Code-generating graphics editor for MCU displays
Side by side
- What it is
- Excalidraw:Excalidraw is an open-source virtual whiteboard for creating hand-drawn style diagrams.
- Lopaka:Lopaka is an open-source visual editor that creates graphics for embedded displays and generates ready-to-use MCU code.
- Best for
- Excalidraw:Hand-drawn style collaborative whiteboarding
- Lopaka:Code-generating graphics editor for MCU displays
- Who it’s for
- Excalidraw:Designers, developers, and teams needing quick sketching and collaborative diagrams.
- Lopaka:Embedded developers building UI for microcontroller-driven screens.
- Pricing
- Excalidraw:Free
- Lopaka:Freemium
- Plans
- Excalidraw:—
- Lopaka:Basic Free · Plus – 7-Day Pass $5 one-time · Plus – Monthly $12 per month · Plus – Lifetime $67 one-time
- Open source
- Excalidraw:Yes, 133,502 GitHub stars
- Lopaka:Yes, 1,749 GitHub stars
- Works with
- Excalidraw:—
- Lopaka:C++, Python, MicroPython, Arduino, ESPHome, LVGL, U8g2, Adafruit GFX
Excalidraw features
- Hand-drawn style canvas. Create diagrams that look hand-sketched with a simple drawing interface.
- Live collaboration. Invite others to edit the same canvas in real time after signing up.
- Export options. Save your work to a file to avoid loss from browser storage clearing.
- Keyboard shortcuts. Quickly open files (Ctrl+O) and access help via the UI.
- Canvas navigation. Move the canvas using scroll wheel, space-drag, or the hand tool.
Lopaka features
- Visual editor & code generator. Design screens visually and export C/C++ or MicroPython drawing code for supported libraries.
- Multi-platform support. Works with TFT_eSPI, U8g2, Adafruit GFX, Arduino_GFX, LVGL, MicroPython, ESPHome and more.
- Custom font import. Convert TTF, BDF or .h fonts to the format required by the target graphics library.
- Icon & animation libraries. Access community icons and, on paid plans, 1,500+ extra icons and full animation packs.
- Asset storage & export. Store PNG, BMP, XBMP, and font files; export code, PNG or BMP directly from the editor.
- Project organization. Manage multiple displays, layers and screens within a single project.
- Presentation mode & private projects. Show fullscreen demos and keep projects private on Plus plan.
- Team & API features. Teams plan adds collaboration, API access, SSO and on-premise deployment.
Excalidraw vs Lopaka FAQ
Is Excalidraw or Lopaka free?+
Excalidraw is free. Lopaka has a free plan (Basic); paid plans start at $12/month (Plus – Monthly).
Which is cheaper, Excalidraw or Lopaka?+
Excalidraw is free, so it costs less. Lopaka starts at $12/month (Plus – Monthly).
Is Excalidraw or Lopaka open source?+
Yes, both are open source: Excalidraw (excalidraw/excalidraw on GitHub, MIT license) and Lopaka (sbrin/lopaka on GitHub, Apache-2.0 license).
On DevHunt
Based on each tool's website and DevHunt data. Details may change; check the official sites.