tldraw is an infinite-canvas SDK for building whiteboard apps in React. tldraw is an infinite-canvas SDK that gives any React app a whiteboard: install the tldraw npm package, render the Tldraw component, and you get drawing, shapes, rich text, and collaboration primitives to build on.[1][2]
Quick verdict
Source-available canvas SDK with paid production licensing. tldraw is an infinite-canvas SDK that embeds a whiteboard in any React app, with self-hostable multiplayer sync and a runtime API for custom tools. The code is source-available under a custom license, and production deployment requires a trial or commercial key.[1][2][3]
Key features
One npm package renders a full canvas. The homepage and README show the same adoption path: npm create tldraw or npm i tldraw, then render the Tldraw component with its default whiteboarding tool set.[1][2]
Drawing, shapes, text, and media support. Documented capabilities include pressure-sensitive drawing, geometric shapes, rich text, arrows, snapping to shapes, edge scrolling, image and video support, image export, and embedded websites.[1]
Self-hostable real-time multiplayer. Multiplayer collaboration ships as a self-hostable sync package with dedicated sync documentation, alongside persistence and commenting coverage.[1][2]
Extensible shapes, tools, and runtime API. Teams can build custom shapes, tools, bindings, and UI components, and drive the canvas at runtime through the documented Editor API.[1][2]
AI integration primitives included. The SDK documents canvas primitives for building with large language models, which is how teams add AI-assisted drawing and canvas features.[1]
Who will love it
Product teams embedding a whiteboard. If your React product needs whiteboards, diagrams, or canvas tools without building a canvas engine, the drop-in component plus starter kits fit. This fit is inferred from the SDK positioning and examples, not stated by the vendor.[1][2]
Developers building custom canvas workflows. Custom shapes, tools, bindings, and event hooks suit developers whose canvas needs go beyond a fixed whiteboard feature list. This fit is inferred from the documented extension points.[1]
Teams prototyping AI-assisted canvas features. Documented LLM primitives plus adoption by AI product companies suit teams experimenting with agent-built or AI-driven canvas experiences. This fit is inferred, not a vendor promise of results.[1][2]
Who should avoid it
Production use requires a paid license. The license forbids production deployment without a trial or commercial key, enforces watermarks and usage reporting, and terminates on breach, so shipping teams must budget for value-based licensing.[1][2]
Not open source in the OSI sense. The custom license restricts production use and standalone redistribution, so organizations with an OSI-only procurement policy cannot adopt it as open source.[1]
Teams needing SSO, SLAs, or data-region answers. No SSO documentation, support SLA tier, or hosting-region statement was found in the inspected pages; the pricing page mentions support availability only. Regulated teams should confirm these before committing.[1][2]
What the reports suggest
Inspected sample: tldraw.dev homepage, pricing page, quick-start docs, and sync docs; the tldraw/tldraw repository README and LICENSE text; and the published OpenAlternative Excalidraw catalogue record used for the competitor edge. No community review sources were inspected.
1 cited community source. No Reddit originals or G2 reports about tldraw were inspected during intake research, so no testimonial-grade community quotes are included. The homepage trusted-by logos are vendor-selected and are not quoted as independent reports. Star counts below are October 2026 observations, not live values.
No independent community reports inspected. Intake research inspected official pages and repository text only; no Reddit originals or G2 reports were reviewed, so this assessment carries no community experience quotes.[1][2]
Vendor customer logos are marketing, not evidence. The homepage names companies such as Google, Replit, ClickUp, and Autodesk as users, but those are vendor-selected logos and are not treated as independent reports here.[1]
High repository traction at observation time. At observation in October 2026 the homepage linked the repository with a 50.9K star badge, which signals attention but says nothing about quality or fit.[1]
Where it runs
Web platform across devices. The canvas works in any browser across desktop, touch screens, tablets, and mobile devices; distribution is a web SDK, so Web is the supported platform.[1]
Runs in your hosting, not a vendor cloud. The SDK embeds in the adopter's own React app and hosting, and the multiplayer sync server is self-hostable; no mandatory vendor-operated cloud tier was documented.[1][2]
Documented docs, examples, and LLM reference. The docs site covers installation, the Editor API reference, examples, starter kits, and dedicated LLM documentation for agent-assisted integration.[1]
Questions worth asking
How much does tldraw cost per month?
Can you self-host tldraw?
Is tldraw open source?
No. The repository carries a custom tldraw License, not an OSI-approved license: you may use and modify the software in development, but production use, watermark removal, and standalone redistribution require a separate license key. Teams that require OSI-approved licensing should look elsewhere.[1]
How is tldraw different from Excalidraw?
tldraw positions itself as an SDK for building canvas apps, with custom shapes, tools, bindings, and a runtime Editor API, while Excalidraw is a whiteboard app that can also be embedded as a React component. Both can be embedded in a React product with multiplayer collaboration. This comparison is editorial and not endorsed by either vendor.[1][2]
Sources and editorial review
Source research. Reviewed on October 13, 2026. Written by Sanjib Sah. AI assisted; reviewed by a human editor.
We have not run or tested this product.
Inspected sample: tldraw.dev homepage, pricing page, quick-start docs, and sync docs; the tldraw/tldraw repository README and LICENSE text; and the published OpenAlternative Excalidraw catalogue record used for the competitor edge. No community review sources were inspected. No Reddit originals or G2 reports about tldraw were inspected during intake research, so no testimonial-grade community quotes are included. The homepage trusted-by logos are vendor-selected and are not quoted as independent reports. Star counts below are October 2026 observations, not live values.
- tldraw: Infinite Canvas SDK for React
official · Observed October 13, 2026
Official tldraw.dev homepage: infinite canvas SDK for React; npm create tldraw quick start with Tldraw component; 50.9K GitHub star badge; trusted-by company list; starter kits and showcase.
- tldraw/tldraw repository README
official · Observed October 13, 2026
Repository README at tldraw/tldraw: infinite canvas engine; self-hostable multiplayer via @tldraw/sync; drawing, shapes, rich text, arrows, snapping, image/video, export; runtime Editor API; custom shapes/tools/bindings/UI; AI integrations; DOM embeds; any-browser device support; npm quick start.
- tldraw repository LICENSE
official · Observed October 13, 2026
LICENSE text at main branch: custom tldraw License; dev use and modification allowed; production use forbidden without trial/commercial key; watermark and usage-data enforcement; AS-IS disclaimer. Not OSI-approved.
- tldraw SDK pricing and licensing
official · Observed October 13, 2026
Pricing page: commercial SDK license for production with value-based pricing; 100-day free trial without credit card; startup discounts; free hobby license; support available.
- tldraw quick-start documentation
official · Observed October 13, 2026
Quick-start docs: installation guide, Editor API reference, examples, starter kits, and LLM documentation; confirms npm-based adoption and a programmatic API surface.
- tldraw sync documentation
official · Observed October 13, 2026
Sync documentation section covering tldraw sync multiplayer and collaboration alongside persistence and commenting docs.
- Excalidraw published catalogue record
official · Observed October 13, 2026
Published OpenAlternative Excalidraw catalogue record: collaborative whiteboard with live multiplayer cursors and embedding as a React component; used as the competitor edge target.
- tldraw Discord community
community · Observed October 13, 2026
Community Discord linked from the repository README badges. No individual community report was inspected or quoted; listed only to record the community support surface.
Compared with these products
No explicit proprietary baseline is recorded.