excalidrawvspretalx
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| excalidraw | pretalx | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 91/100 | 62/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 9 in Whiteboarding | #2 of 3 in Conference Management |
| GitHub stars | 134 753 | 954 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +1 920 | +8 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 1 | 7 |
| Latest release | v0.18.1 · 21 Apr 2026 | v2026.2.1 · 8 Jul 2026 |
| Setup | Moderate | Advanced |
| Official Docker image | Yes | No |
| License | MIT | Other |
| Main language | Typescript | Python |
Which one should you pick?
excalidraw scores 91/100 against 62/100 for pretalx, so it is the safer default.
pretalx ships more often: 7 stable releases in the past year, against 1 for excalidraw.
If you want the quickest setup, excalidraw is easier to run; pretalx needs more configuration.
excalidraw is growing faster right now (+1 920 stars in 30 days).
excalidraw details →pretalx details →
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