Quick comparison
Onlineboard is an online whiteboard that focuses on real-time collaboration between users who want to draw or sketch. It tries to replicate the feeling and ease of organizing brainstorming sessions in real-life and bring that to the online space.
Miro, on the other hand, is a shared canvas that focuses on synchronous and asynchronous collaboration in a work environment.
Miro works in a way a shared desk would work. Everyone can put stuff on it, and anyone can find that stuff. It has many features and provides a complex system of plugins that solves many different problems.
The tool that is best suited for your case depends on your requirements. If you want to manage a team using a shared online “workspace” Miro might be the better choice. It focuses on integrating different applications and web pages you already use to a single “point of access”.
However, If you need to hold an online brainstorming session or a meeting, Onlineboard is the best choice. If you expect to draw a lot, sketch, or move sticky notes it provides you with the best experience.
😊 Ease of use
Miro is a complex application that includes many functionalities. With different bells and whistles, it becomes more difficult to use. You also need to create an account before you can create a whiteboard. On top of that, other people also need to register to join your whiteboard.
Onlineboard focuses on creating the best virtual whiteboard. It tries to create a user interface that anyone can use without reading a manual first. You also do not need to log in or register to create a whiteboard and share it with your teammates.
🔀 Functionalities
Miro has many different functionalities. On top of that, it has integrations with third-party services. It has an eraser that is only object-based (it removes the whole drawing instead of erasing a part of it).
It can detect commonly drawn shapes and correct them. You can create and move sticky notes. It has a library of different templates. The big downside is that it is not interactive. You also have to create an account before even trying the product.
Onlineboard is free to use and requires no registration or login for multi-user collaboration. It has support for different colored brushes and different brush widths. It has a cut-out eraser tool that removes the part of your drawing (also with configurable size). Thebackground of the whiteboard is configurable to a set of available colors.
Both applications support multiplayer drawing, have pens of multiple colors, and support zooming and panning of the canvas.
🌙 Dark mode
This section has a clear winner. Miro completely lacks the support of dark mode.
On the other hand, Onlineboard has native support for dark UI and dark whiteboards. If this is a priority for you, choose Onlineboard straight away!
💨 Optimization and Performance
Both applications are performant and optimized quite well. Miro, however, is a larger application, so it needs to download a lot more data when loading.
The code size difference between Onlineboard and Miro is a staggering 23x. While Onlineboard needs to download about 260kb of data when opening a single whiteboard, Miro needs about 8300kb of data. It can be a problem with slower internet connections (such as airports, wifi connections, and so on).
The synchronization of Miro is not as quick as Onlineboard. Notice how the shape on Miro boardappears only after is was fully drawn by the user. Also pay attention to shared cursor - it is lagging behind quite a lot.
In Onlineboard both of the issues are mitigated with real-time synchronization.
❓ Conclusion
Both tools are great but for different purposes.
Choose Miro if you:
- need to integrate multiple different applications to a single “workspace”
- want to hold meetings with a lot of people where most of them are passive audience
- do not need to draw and sketch and do not need the interactivity
- can afford the pricing for the whole team
- have the time to learn the application
- benefit from additional functionalities and complexity
Miro is best for:
- large enterprises which have a lot of different requirements
- big teams looking to augment their WFH (work-from-home) environment
Choose Onlineboard if you:
- want to get one's point across and visually explain stuff
- quickly draw and sketch with few people
- need to closely collaborate in real-time
- looking for a simple yet powerful online whiteboard
- you are happy to have your drawing saved on a cloud or exported and stored elsewhere
- do not need to integrate different applications into your drawings
Onlineboard is best for:
- teams of few people
- visual explanation
- teaching and tutoring
- planning and brainstorming sessions
Notes
Below (or on the right side) you can find a table with a detailed comparison of different functionalities the products provide. You can read about our methodology if you are interested in how we compare products.
Do not forget to check our comparisons with other products such as Microsoft Whiteboard, Whiteboard FI, Explain Everything, and Jamboard.