# 4 Best Open Source Alternatives for InVision

Canonical: https://caniforkit.com/invision
Last updated: 2026-11-07

Looking for the best open source alternative for InVision? Compare 4 verified free and open source alternatives to InVision (Excalidraw, Penpot, Tldraw) with license details, self-hosting requirements, and practical trade-offs.

## InVision Overview & Subscription Cost
- **Product**: InVision
- **Category**: [design](https://caniforkit.com/category/design)
- **Paid Subscription Price**: $20/month per seat
- **1-Seat Annualized Cost**: $240/year
- **5-Person Team Annualized Cost**: $1,200/year
- **10-Person Team Annualized Cost**: $2,400/year
- **Can I Vibe-Code / Rebuild It Myself?**: NO (use a free alternative, save the tokens)
- **Rebuild Verdict**: Instead of paying recurring SaaS fees for InVision or rebuilding it from scratch, deploy one of the 4 battle-tested open-source alternatives like Excalidraw.

## Verified Free & Open Source Alternatives

| Alternative | Type | License | Runs On | GitHub Stars | Head-to-Head |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Excalidraw](https://caniforkit.com/fork/excalidraw) | Open Source | MIT | Self-host | ★ 135.3k | [Compare vs InVision](https://caniforkit.com/vs/invision-vs-excalidraw) |
| [Penpot](https://caniforkit.com/fork/penpot) | Open Source | MPL-2.0 | Self-host | ★ 62.1k | [Compare vs InVision](https://caniforkit.com/vs/invision-vs-penpot) |
| [Tldraw](https://caniforkit.com/fork/tldraw) | Free | tldraw | Hosted | ★ 51.4k | [Compare vs InVision](https://caniforkit.com/vs/invision-vs-tldraw) |
| [Quant-UX](https://caniforkit.com/fork/quant-ux) | Open Source | GPL-3.0 | Self-host | ★ 2.8k | [Compare vs InVision](https://caniforkit.com/vs/invision-vs-quant-ux) |

## In-Depth Alternative Profiles

### Excalidraw
- **Fork Page**: [Excalidraw Profile](https://caniforkit.com/fork/excalidraw)
- **Head-to-Head Comparison**: [InVision vs Excalidraw](https://caniforkit.com/vs/invision-vs-excalidraw)
- **Official Website**: https://excalidraw.com/
- **Source Code Repository**: https://github.com/excalidraw/excalidraw
- **License**: MIT
- **Runs On**: Self-host
- **GitHub Stars**: 135.3k
- **Maintenance Activity**: nov 2026
- **Supported Platforms**: web, self-hosted, they host it
- **Summary**: Virtual whiteboard for sketching diagrams, flowcharts, and wireframes with a distinctive hand-drawn look. Real-time collaboration built in.
- **The Catch vs InVision**: The free app has the same drawing engine but lacks Excalidraw+'s persistent managed workspace, team administration, organized files, and richer collaboration history.
- **Installation**: Open the hosted web app/PWA, or deploy the static app and optional collaboration server
- **Setup**: None for the hosted app; the trade-off appears later because durable workspace organization, centralized team administration, and managed version history are deliberately minimal
- **Data Storage**: Solo drawings are stored in browser storage or explicit .excalidraw JSON files; exports include PNG and SVG; multiplayer room data is end-to-end encrypted and the decryption key is carried in the share URL

### Penpot
- **Fork Page**: [Penpot Profile](https://caniforkit.com/fork/penpot)
- **Head-to-Head Comparison**: [InVision vs Penpot](https://caniforkit.com/vs/invision-vs-penpot)
- **Official Website**: https://penpot.app/
- **Source Code Repository**: https://github.com/penpot/penpot
- **License**: MPL-2.0
- **Runs On**: Self-host
- **GitHub Stars**: 62.1k
- **Maintenance Activity**: nov 2026
- **Supported Platforms**: web, self-hosted, they host it
- **Summary**: Design, prototype, and hand off to developers in one platform. Supports design systems, tokens, flexible layouts, and AI workflows with real CSS/HTML output.
- **The Catch vs InVision**: Its plugin ecosystem, Figma-file fidelity and hosted free-team/history limits are still behind Figma's mature collaborative platform.
- **Installation**: Use the hosted signup, or download the official Docker Compose file and run docker compose up -d
- **Setup**: Self-hosting requires Docker Compose, DNS and reverse-proxy/TLS knowledge; hosted signup has no setup blocker
- **Data Storage**: Hosted files in Penpot Cloud; self-hosted data in Docker volumes for PostgreSQL and uploaded assets, with exports based on SVG/CSS/HTML/JSON and open standards

### Tldraw
- **Fork Page**: [Tldraw Profile](https://caniforkit.com/fork/tldraw)
- **Head-to-Head Comparison**: [InVision vs Tldraw](https://caniforkit.com/vs/invision-vs-tldraw)
- **Official Website**: https://www.tldraw.com/
- **Source Code Repository**: https://github.com/tldraw/tldraw
- **License**: tldraw
- **Runs On**: Hosted
- **GitHub Stars**: 51.4k
- **Maintenance Activity**: nov 2026
- **Supported Platforms**: web, they host it
- **Summary**: Virtual whiteboard that works instantly on any device, no signup required, with real-time multiplayer collaboration built in.
- **The Catch vs InVision**: tldraw is a different canvas ecosystem with no Excalidraw library compatibility and much less team-workspace administration than Excalidraw+.
- **Installation**: Open tldraw.com in a browser; no account is required for a quick canvas
- **Setup**: Download the native package or installer for your operating system.
- **Data Storage**: Hosted shared canvases live in tldraw's cloud; local/offline documents use browser IndexedDB, and snapshots or .tldr JSON files can be exported

### Quant-UX
- **Fork Page**: [Quant-UX Profile](https://caniforkit.com/fork/quant-ux)
- **Head-to-Head Comparison**: [InVision vs Quant-UX](https://caniforkit.com/vs/invision-vs-quant-ux)
- **Official Website**: https://quant-ux.com
- **Source Code Repository**: https://github.com/KlausSchaefers/quant-ux
- **License**: GPL-3.0
- **Runs On**: Self-host
- **GitHub Stars**: 2.8k
- **Maintenance Activity**: nov 2026
- **Supported Platforms**: web, self-hosted, they host it
- **Summary**: Quant-UX is an open-source tool for creating interactive prototypes, conducting user tests, and analyzing results to improve UX design.
- **The Catch vs InVision**: It is primarily a prototyping and user-testing tool, not a production-grade vector editor and design-system workspace on Figma's level.
- **Installation**: Use the hosted Quant-UX signup, or run its multi-container Docker Compose stack
- **Setup**: Self-hosting needs several containers plus MongoDB, SMTP, a JWT secret, WebSocket URL and reverse-proxy/TLS configuration
- **Data Storage**: Hosted projects in Quant-UX's service; self-hosted prototypes and tests in MongoDB with uploaded images in mapped data directories

## Frequently Asked Questions

### What is the best free alternative to InVision?
The top free alternative to InVision is Excalidraw (open source, MIT). Virtual whiteboard for sketching diagrams, flowcharts, and wireframes with a distinctive hand-drawn look. Real-time collaboration built in. Other popular InVision replacements include Penpot, Tldraw, Quant-UX.

### How much does switching from InVision to a free alternative save?
InVision starts at $20/month per seat ($240/year). Switching a 5-person team to a free alternative like Excalidraw saves $1,200 per year in software subscription fees.

### What is the catch when switching away from InVision?
While Excalidraw replaces core InVision features without subscription fees, the real-world trade-off is: The free app has the same drawing engine but lacks Excalidraw+'s persistent managed workspace, team administration, organized files, and richer collaboration history.

## Related

- [design Software Category Hub](https://caniforkit.com/category/design)
- [All Paid SaaS Alternatives Index](https://caniforkit.com/alternatives)
- [Self-Hosted Software Directory](https://caniforkit.com/self-hosted)
- [Homepage](https://caniforkit.com)