Choose a Stormboard replacement by the kind of session you run most. Workshops need facilitation features, product teams need diagrams and wireframes, and classrooms need boards anyone can join. Then check how well people edit the same board at once, which templates come included and how easily the finished board can be exported and shared afterwards.
A brainstorm can go two ways. Either everyone piles sticky notes onto a board and the ideas turn into a plan, or the board becomes a colourful mess that nobody opens again. Stormboard leans hard on the first outcome, describing itself as a data-first platform that turns loose team conversations into structured information. If you want something different, here are seven online whiteboards, in no particular order, sorted by the sessions they suit.
Workshops, design sprints and classrooms
Most whiteboards can do the basics: sticky notes, shapes, arrows and a cursor for everyone in the room. Where they part ways is the kind of session they're designed around.
Running workshops
Klaxoon is built for facilitators. Its interactive tools sit alongside the whiteboard, so you can run votes and activities without leaving the board. Conceptboard also covers ideas, tasks and projects, with a strong focus on privacy that matters to public sector and education teams.
Planning products and processes
Whimsical is about diagrams and wireframes, so product teams can sketch a flow or a screen together. Lucidspark sits inside a wider set of Lucid tools, which suits companies already mapping their processes there.
Brainstorming and creative work
Boardmix covers brainstorming, mind maps and flowcharts with AI help. Milanote is aimed at creative people who collect images, notes and links into visual boards, and Padlet keeps things simple enough for classrooms and visual learners.
All seven whiteboards, alphabetical
Listed A to Z and in no particular order. Each line describes what the vendor says about its own tool.
Boardmix
Best for: Teams brainstorming, mind mapping and drawing flowcharts together live, with AI help and a free plan named on the vendor's site.
Conceptboard
Best for: Government, education and business teams wanting a whiteboard for ideas, tasks and projects that the vendor describes as GDPR-compliant.
Klaxoon
Best for: Facilitators who want a whiteboard plus interactive tools to keep a workshop lively, which is the vendor's main pitch.
Lucidspark
Best for: Organisations already using Lucid that want to document how the business runs now and keep people aligned, per the vendor.
Milanote
Best for: Creative people collecting notes, images, links and files on visual boards and sharing them with a team, as the vendor describes.
Padlet
Best for: Educators, learners and creative teams who like simple boards and canvases; the vendor says you can get started for free.
Whimsical
Best for: Product builders sketching diagrams and wireframes together, with AI in the mix, which the vendor positions as a whiteboard for product work.
Whiteboards in a table
| Tool | Main focus | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Boardmix | AI whiteboard | Brainstorms, mind maps and flowcharts in real time |
| Conceptboard | Secure whiteboard | Public sector, education and privacy-minded teams |
| Klaxoon | Workshop whiteboard | Interactive workshops that keep people engaged |
| Lucidspark | Whiteboard in the Lucid suite | Mapping how the business works today |
| Milanote | Visual boards for creatives | Organising creative ideas and projects visually |
| Padlet | Boards for learning | Classrooms and visual thinkers |
| Whimsical | Diagrams and wireframes | Product builders mapping flows and screens |
Live editing, templates and getting work out
The thing to test in any replacement is how teams work on the same board live, and what templates and exports are included. A whiteboard feels fine when two people use it. It's a different story when twelve people join a workshop at once, half of them on slow connections, and everyone's dragging notes around. Lag, notes landing on top of each other and confusing cursors are what make people give up on a tool.
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Templates matter more than they look. A good retrospective, roadmap or brainstorm template saves the facilitator a lot of setup and makes sessions feel familiar. Then there's the end of the session. Stormboard's whole pitch is turning conversations into structured data, so if you've relied on that, check how each replacement lets you export the board, whether as an image, a PDF or a list you can paste into your project tool. A board you can't get the work out of becomes a dead end.
Advice for whoever runs the session
Pick the tool your facilitator will enjoy using, because they'll set the tone for everyone else. If they run a lot of structured workshops, look at the options with voting and timers. If they mostly sketch flows with a product team, a diagram-first board will feel more natural. And if your sessions include clients or students who won't create an account, test how easily guests can join.
Don't forget the work after the session. Decide where actions will live once the board is closed, so the plan doesn't stay stuck on a canvas. For a wider view of the software small teams lean on, see my list of essential tools for an online business, and if your sessions mix languages, my roundup of translation services for small businesses can help keep everyone on the same page.
Run one workshop on two boards
- Choose a real session you'd run anyway, such as a retrospective or a planning meeting.
- Set it up on two shortlisted whiteboards, using a built-in template on each where one exists.
- Invite the same group to both, including at least one guest without an account.
- Afterwards, export each board and see how much tidying the output needs.
- Ask the group which board they'd happily open again, and go with that one.
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Related: writing for us on teaching.
Frequently asked questions
What should I look for in a Stormboard alternative?
Look at how many people can work on a board at once without lag, which templates are included, how guests join and how you export the finished board. Match the tool to the sessions you run most.
Can I move my Stormboard boards to another whiteboard?
Usually not directly. Export your boards as images, PDFs or lists before you leave, then rebuild the ones you still use with the new tool's templates.
Do online whiteboards work for workshops with clients?
Yes, as long as guests can join easily. Check whether clients need an account, what they can edit and whether you can lock parts of the board during the session.
Are online whiteboards good for teaching?
Many are. Simple boards that students can join with a link work well in classrooms. Check the vendor's settings for student privacy and who can see what.
What's the difference between a whiteboard and a diagram tool?
A whiteboard is a free-form space for sticky notes, sketches and ideas. A diagram tool is more structured, built for flowcharts, wireframes and process maps. Some products blend the two.
Is my whiteboard data stored securely?
It depends on the vendor. Data protection rules vary by country and sector, so check where each vendor stores data and ask your regulator or data protection lead what applies to you.
