tldraw

tldraw is a small, fast infinite canvas drawing app with smart features like perfect freehand drawing, sticky arrows, and seamless real-time multiplayer. The open-source tool combines the simplicity of quick sketching with intelligent behaviors like arrows that stick to shapes and text that auto-sizes, making it ideal for rapid visual thinking and collaboration.

Best For: Quick visual thinking, collaborative sketching sessions, and lightweight diagramming that needs to be fast and informal without heavy tool overhead.

Key Features

What makes tldraw's drawing experience special?
Perfect freehand algorithm smooths hand-drawn lines naturally without losing character. Smart arrows automatically attach to shapes and reroute when shapes move. Text boxes auto-resize and can have arrows. Shapes snap to grid optionally. Infinite canvas with smooth pan and zoom. Very fast performance even with complex drawings.

How does tldraw handle real-time collaboration?
Share link for instant multiplayer - no signup required. Live cursors show collaborators' positions and names. Changes sync in real-time. Presence indicators show who's viewing. No central servers - uses peer-to-peer for privacy. Export final result as SVG or PNG. Optional Cloudflare storage for persistence.

What drawing tools does tldraw provide?
Draw tool with perfect freehand smoothing. Rectangle, ellipse, triangle, polygon shapes. Arrows that stick to shapes intelligently. Text boxes with auto-sizing. Freehand highlighter for emphasis. Frame tool groups content. Colors, styles, and fills. Copy/paste, grouping, alignment tools.

Can tldraw be embedded or extended?
Fully open-source and embeddable in websites. React component for developers. Customizable with plugins. White-label for your own branding. API for programmatic drawing. Export to SVG maintains vector quality. GitHub for technical users and self-hosting.

Pricing & Plans

Free: All features, unlimited canvases, multiplayer, no account required, open-source

Completely free with no paid tier. Optional tldraw cloud storage coming for persistence, but core app will remain free.

Limitations

• Minimal features compared to comprehensive diagramming tools
• No cloud storage on free version (download files manually)
• Simple shape library (no extensive libraries like Lucidchart)
• Better for sketches than formal diagrams

Getting Started

1. Go to tldraw.com (no account required)
2. Start drawing or add shapes from toolbar
3. Share link with collaborators for multiplayer
4. Use draw tool for freehand, shapes for structure
5. Export as SVG or PNG when done

Learn More: tldraw.com