# excalidraw vs Polis

> Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.

| | excalidraw | Polis |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 91/100 ✓ | 54/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 9 in Whiteboarding | #1 of 2 in Surveys |
| GitHub stars | 134 768 ✓ | 1 221 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +1 935 ✓ | +0 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 1 | 1 |
| Latest release | v0.18.1 · 21 Apr 2026 | v2.42.2 · 25 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Moderate ✓ | Advanced |
| Official Docker image | Yes ✓ | No |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Main language | Typescript | Python |

## Which one should you pick?

excalidraw scores 91/100 against 54/100 for Polis, so it is the safer default.

If you want the quickest setup, excalidraw is easier to run; Polis needs more configuration.

excalidraw is growing faster right now (+1 935 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [excalidraw](https://selfhost.directory/project/excalidraw) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/excalidraw.md)
- [Polis](https://selfhost.directory/project/polis) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/polis.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/excalidraw-vs-polis