10 Best Infinite Canvas Apps 2026: Tested & Ranked

The 10 Best Infinite Canvas Apps in 2026, at a Glance

We tested 10 infinite canvas apps for notes, sketches, and visual thinking — here's how they stack up before the full breakdowns below.

In a hurry? Use our interactive Infinite Canvas App Finder to get a ranked recommendation matched to your device, budget, and must-haves in a few clicks. Looking for something specific? See the best picks for iPad, Android, note-taking, or the best free options. For broader roundups, see our 12 best free note-taking apps and the head-to-head OmniCanvas vs Obsidian Canvas comparison. Studying? Our free Cornell notes generator turns any of these into structured study notes.

What Is an Infinite Canvas App?

An infinite canvas app gives you a boundless two-dimensional surface where you can place text, images, drawings, and other content anywhere. Unlike a traditional document that scrolls vertically, an infinite canvas lets you pan and zoom freely in all directions.

These apps have grown significantly in popularity as more people discover the benefits of spatial notetaking for brainstorming, planning, and organizing complex information.

1. OmniCanvas

Best for: Personal and small-team spatial notetaking

OmniCanvas is purpose-built as a spatial second brain. It combines an infinite canvas with powerful note organization features including folders, tags, and full-text search. The drawing tools are powered by the Excalidraw engine, giving you a natural hand-drawn aesthetic, and real-time collaboration supports live cursors, email invite links, view-only/edit permissions, and up to 25 collaborators. What sets it apart from Miro, tldraw, and Excalidraw is its built-in AI meeting suite: it records any call straight from your browser's system audio with no bot joining, then drops live transcripts, recaps, and action items onto the canvas.

• Infinite canvas with pan and zoom
• Rich text notes and freehand drawing
• Folder and tag organization
• Real-time collaboration with live cursors and permissions
• Cloud sync across devices
• Dark mode
• Available as a macOS desktop app, web app, and installable PWA

Pricing: Free forever tier (unlimited notes, canvas, sync, collaboration up to 25). Pro $8/mo and Power $16/mo add higher AI meeting-transcription limits; every account starts with a 30-day Power trial, no card.

2. Miro

Best for: Team collaboration and workshops

Miro is the market leader in collaborative whiteboards. It excels at real-time team collaboration with features like voting, timers, and facilitation tools. However, it is designed more for team workshops than personal notetaking. If Miro feels too heavy for solo work, see our roundup of the best Miro alternatives.

• Real-time multi-user collaboration
• Templates for retrospectives, brainstorming, and mapping
• Integration with Jira, Slack, and other tools
• Video chat built in

Pricing: Free for 3 boards, paid plans from $8/user/month

3. Apple Freeform

Best for: Apple ecosystem users who want a simple canvas

Freeform is Apple's infinite canvas app, available on Mac, iPad, and iPhone. It is simple, fast, and integrates well with Apple Pencil on iPad. However, it lacks advanced organization features like folders or tags.

• Native on all Apple devices
• Apple Pencil support
• iCloud sync
• Simple and fast

Pricing: Free (included with Apple devices)

4. FigJam

Best for: Design teams already using Figma

FigJam is Figma's whiteboard tool. It has a playful, approachable interface and integrates tightly with Figma's design tool. Great for design teams, but limited for personal notetaking.

• Tight Figma integration
• Stamps, stickers, and reactions
• Widget ecosystem
• Real-time collaboration

Pricing: Free for 3 files, paid plans from $5/user/month

5. tldraw

Best for: Quick sketches and open-source enthusiasts

tldraw is an open-source drawing tool with an infinite canvas. It focuses on drawing and diagramming rather than notetaking. The hand-drawn style is charming and the tool is completely free.

• Open source
• Excellent drawing tools
• Multiplayer support
• Works in the browser

Pricing: Free

6. Excalidraw

Best for: Technical diagrams and architecture drawings

Excalidraw is another open-source infinite canvas focused on drawing. It has become the go-to tool for software architecture diagrams thanks to its hand-drawn aesthetic and extensive shape library. If you need more than diagramming, compare the top Excalidraw alternatives.

• Open source
• Hand-drawn style
• Extensive shape library
• Real-time collaboration
• Works in the browser

Pricing: Free (Excalidraw+ paid tier for extra features)

7. Heptabase

Best for: Researchers and heavy note-takers

Heptabase combines a card-based visual note system with an infinite canvas. It is designed for deep research and learning, with features like journals, tags, and bi-directional linking.

• Card-based visual notes
• Whiteboard canvas view
• Bi-directional linking
• PDF annotation

Pricing: From $9.99/month

8. Obsidian Canvas

Best for: Existing Obsidian users looking for an Obsidian Canvas alternative or extension

Obsidian's Canvas feature lets you arrange your Markdown notes on an infinite canvas. It is a natural extension of Obsidian's note-linking system, but the canvas experience is more basic than dedicated canvas apps. If you already have a large Obsidian vault, Canvas lets you visualize connections between notes spatially. However, users who want a richer canvas-first experience — with freehand drawing, better zoom controls, and a more visual interface — often look for an Obsidian Canvas alternative like OmniCanvas or Heptabase.

• Integrates with Obsidian vault
• Arranges existing Markdown notes on a spatial canvas
• Connections between cards
• Extensible via community plugins
• No freehand drawing or sketching tools
• Canvas is a secondary feature, not the core experience

Pricing: Free (Obsidian is free for personal use)

Looking for an Obsidian Canvas alternative? If you love the idea of spatial notes but want a dedicated canvas-first app with drawing tools, cloud sync, and a more visual experience, check out OmniCanvas or Heptabase.

9. Scrintal

Best for: Visual knowledge management

Scrintal positions itself as a visual-first knowledge management tool. It combines a canvas with linked notes and a graph view, similar to Obsidian but with a more visual approach.

• Visual knowledge management
• Linked notes
• Graph view
• Canvas-first design

Pricing: From $9/month

10. Microsoft Whiteboard

Best for: Microsoft 365 organizations

Microsoft Whiteboard is included with Microsoft 365 and integrates with Teams. It is functional but lacks the polish and features of dedicated canvas apps. Best if your organization already uses Microsoft tools.

• Included with Microsoft 365
• Teams integration
• Inking support
• Templates

Pricing: Included with Microsoft 365

How to Choose the Right Infinite Canvas App

Consider these factors:

• Personal vs. team use: If you need real-time collaboration with a searchable note system, OmniCanvas is a strong fit for individuals and small teams. For enterprise workshops with facilitation controls, Miro or FigJam are stronger choices.
• Note-taking vs. drawing: If you primarily want to draw diagrams, Excalidraw or tldraw are excellent. If you want to organize notes spatially, OmniCanvas or Heptabase are better.
• Ecosystem: If you are deep in the Apple ecosystem, Freeform is convenient. If you use Obsidian, its Canvas feature integrates seamlessly.
• Price: tldraw, Excalidraw, and Apple Freeform are free. OmniCanvas has a free-forever tier. Most others have free tiers with limitations.

The infinite canvas space is growing fast, with each app taking a slightly different approach. The best one for you depends on how you think and what you need to capture.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best infinite canvas app in 2026?

It depends on your use case. For spatial note-taking and building a second brain, OmniCanvas and Heptabase lead; OmniCanvas also supports real-time collaboration for small teams. For enterprise workshops and facilitation, Miro and FigJam are strongest. For free, open-source drawing and diagrams, Excalidraw and tldraw are excellent.

What is the best free infinite canvas app?

tldraw, Excalidraw, and Apple Freeform are completely free, and OmniCanvas has a free-forever tier (paid from $8/mo). Miro, FigJam, and Obsidian Canvas also have free tiers (Obsidian is free for personal use).

What is a good Obsidian Canvas alternative?

If you want a dedicated canvas-first app with freehand drawing, cloud sync, and a more visual experience than Obsidian's built-in Canvas, OmniCanvas and Heptabase are the most popular alternatives.

Is there an infinite canvas app for macOS?

Yes — OmniCanvas offers a native macOS desktop app alongside its web app, and Apple Freeform is built into macOS, iPadOS, and iOS. Miro and several others also ship macOS apps.