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Milanote has a free plan and starts at $9.99, but one Reddit thread describes hitting a 100-note limit and raises concerns about subscription costs and storing ideas in someone else’s cloud. If you’re leaving, choose based on what you need next: solo sketching, shared diagrams, workshops or team planning. Miro, Excalidraw and the other options below have different strengths—and different caps or pricing models. Check the current plan details before moving a whole team.
01Why people leave Milanote
The free plan feels too limited
A Reddit user cited a 100-note limit; the post also says free tiers can cap users just as the tools become useful.
Subscriptions feel like a long commitment
One Reddit thread calls out being tied to a product through a subscription. Compare starting prices and team billing before switching.
You want more control over storage
A Reddit poster disliked keeping personal work in someone else’s database. The alternatives listed here don’t all promise local or user-owned files.
02The alternatives, ranked by fit
- Best for team canvases
MiroMiroMiro is a better fit if Milanote’s visual boards need to support team planning, research synthesis, diagrams or roadmaps. It starts at $8 and has a free plan. That free plan is capped at three editable boards, so check whether your team will outgrow it. Paid pricing is per member, which can change the total quickly.
Trade-off: Three editable boards on the free plan; paid pricing is per member.
7.2/10from
$8/mofree plan - Best for free sketching
ExcalidrawExcalidrawSwitch to Excalidraw if you mostly need a simple canvas for diagrams, wireframes or workflows, rather than a broader space for mixed-media creative planning. It has a free plan and starts at $6. The listed fit includes solo diagramming on a budget and encrypted collaboration for teams, making it a practical option when Milanote’s free limit is the sticking point.
Trade-off: Teams need Plus for unlimited scenes and folders.
7.6/10from
$6/mofree plan - Best for shared diagrams
WhimsicalWhimsicalWhimsical suits product teams that want to map ideas together or make quick wireframes and shared diagrams. It has a free plan and starts at $10. Compared with Milanote’s creative-project focus, Whimsical is a more direct fit for structured team work. Its price is per editor, so calculate the cost using the number of people who need to create.
Trade-off: Per-editor pricing can add up as more people create.
7.2/10from
$10/mofree plan - Best for Figma teams
FigJamFigJamFigJam is worth considering if your team already works in Figma and wants a visual space for product workshops and planning. It offers free entry and starts at $3, the lowest listed starting price among these picks. That makes it a lower-cost way to try shared visual planning, but check seat costs and the listed Miro feature gaps before choosing it for a wider rollout.
Trade-off: Check seat costs and Miro feature gaps before switching.
6.7/10from
$3/mofree plan - Best for brainstorms
LucidsparkLucidsparkLucidspark is aimed at collaborative brainstorms, planning workshops and project work. It starts at $9 and has a free plan, making it a reasonable shortlist option if Milanote’s solo-friendly visual planning no longer fits a group workflow. It may also suit teams already using Lucid products, with the listed fit including connections between ideas and tasks.
Trade-off: Less compelling if free-plan limits or price increases are your main concern.
7.5/10from
$9/mofree plan - Best for visual workshops
MuralMuralMural fits teams that run visual workshops and need frequent collaboration, private rooms or SAML SSO. It starts at $9.99 and has a free plan. That makes it more relevant than Milanote when the job is organized group facilitation, rather than a personal board for creative projects. Check the free-plan cap and full team cost before moving everyone over.
Trade-off: The cap amount and full team cost are not specified here.
6.6/10from
$9.99/mofree plan - Best for tasks on boards
ConceptboardConceptboardConceptboard is a fit if you want workshop planning and task tracking on one board, or need access controls for a small team. It starts at $5 and has a free plan, with the listed fit also calling out unlimited boards for small teams. That can suit a team moving from Milanote’s visual planning toward boards that include task work.
Trade-off: Less appealing if you need flexible pricing.
6.8/10from
€5/mofree plan
03Side by side
| Tool | Score | From | Free plan | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7.0 | $9.99/mo | Yes | Creative projects with mixed media | |
| 7.2 | $8/mo | Yes | Teams planning work on shared canvases | |
| 7.6 | $6/mo | Yes | Solo diagramming on a budget | |
| 7.2 | $10/mo | Yes | Product teams mapping ideas together | |
| 6.7 | $3/mo | Yes | Teams already working in Figma | |
| 7.5 | $9/mo | Yes | Teams running collaborative brainstorms | |
| 6.6 | $9.99/mo | Yes | Teams running visual workshops | |
| 6.8 | €5/mo | Yes | Teams combining workshops and task tracking |
Questions people ask
Is Milanote actually free?
Milanote has a free plan, and the published pricing information lists paid plans from $9.99. One Reddit thread describes a 100-note limit, but the published pricing details do not specify the current free-plan cap. Check Milanote’s pricing page for the latest limit before deciding whether it works for your workload.
Is Notion better than Milanote?
We can’t make a grounded feature or price comparison from the information available here: it includes Milanote and visual-canvas alternatives, but no Notion plan details. If you’re comparing them, first decide whether you need visual boards or another kind of workspace, then compare current pricing and limits directly.
Is there an app for Milanote?
The source information here doesn’t specify Milanote’s app availability or supported devices, so we can’t confirm that. Check Milanote’s own product or app-store listings for current platform details. If device support is a reason you’re switching, confirm it for any alternative before moving your boards.
