Excalidraw vs Ian Xiaohei Illustrations
Which should you use? A side-by-side look at what each one does, who it suits, what it costs, how hard it is to set up, and where each falls short.
Open source · MIT
Open-source virtual whiteboard for sketching hand-drawn style diagrams in your browser.
Open source · MIT
A Codex Skill that guides AI agents to draw white-background hand-drawn Chinese article illustrations.
The short answer
Choose Excalidraw if you need…
- Teams sketching diagrams or wireframes together in a shared canvas
- People who want a casual, informal look for explanatory drawings
- Developers who want to embed a whiteboard editor in their own React app
- Users who care about end-to-end encryption for shared drawings
Choose Ian Xiaohei Illustrations if you need…
- Chinese-language writers who need body illustrations for articles or posts
- Knowledge and methodology content creators who want abstract ideas drawn as metaphors
- People using Codex who want a consistent visual style across many images
Side-by-side
| Excalidraw | Ian Xiaohei Illustrations | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | App | AI model / agent |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 135k | 13k |
| Setup difficulty | Beginner | Intermediate |
| How you get it | Use it in the browser (or self-host) | Clone and build from source |
| Main language | TypeScript | — |
| Last code update | 4 days ago | 10 days ago |
What each one is
Excalidraw
Excalidraw is an open-source whiteboard where you draw diagrams, wireframes and sketches in a deliberately hand-drawn style. The hosted app at excalidraw.com adds real-time collaboration, end-to-end encryption and autosave to the browser. The same editor is also published as an npm package that developers can embed in their own apps.
Ian Xiaohei Illustrations
This is a Codex Skill, a set of instructions that tells an AI agent how to make 16:9 hand-drawn illustrations for Chinese articles, posts, and blogs. It follows a fixed visual style: white background, black line art, a small black character called Xiaohei, and a few red, orange, or blue Chinese handwritten notes. It is meant for article body images, not general illustration or slide-style infographics.
Best for
Excalidraw
- Teams sketching diagrams or wireframes together in a shared canvas
- People who want a casual, informal look for explanatory drawings
- Developers who want to embed a whiteboard editor in their own React app
- Users who care about end-to-end encryption for shared drawings
- Anyone who wants drawings saved in an open .excalidraw JSON format
Ian Xiaohei Illustrations
- Chinese-language writers who need body illustrations for articles or posts
- Knowledge and methodology content creators who want abstract ideas drawn as metaphors
- People using Codex who want a consistent visual style across many images
Strengths
Excalidraw
- Free and open source under the MIT license
- Simple, approachable drawing tools with a distinctive hand-drawn look
- Open .excalidraw JSON format and export to PNG, SVG and clipboard
Ian Xiaohei Illustrations
- Clear, narrow visual style that the README describes in concrete terms
- Includes guidance on planning shots before generating images
- Installs by copying a folder into the Codex skills directory
Not ideal for
Excalidraw
- Users who need precise, pixel-perfect vector design; the hand-drawn style is the default look and the README does not describe precision tools
- People wanting to self-host the collaboration service; the README only links to the hosted app for real-time collaboration and does not describe a self-hosting setup
- Non-developers who only want the hosted app and have no need for the code; the npm and development sections are aimed at developers
Ian Xiaohei Illustrations
- Anyone wanting commercial illustration, brand artwork, or polished flat design, since the style is intentionally sketchy and quirky
- Anyone needing PPT-style flowcharts or architecture diagrams, since the README says it is not an infographic template
- Anyone needing editable vector source files, since the default output is PNG only
Trade-offs
Excalidraw
- Collaboration and encryption are features of the hosted app; the README does not detail how to run them yourself
- Development setup is covered only by a linked guide, so the README alone gives limited build detail
- No downloadable binaries in the latest release; use the web app or the npm package
Ian Xiaohei Illustrations
- Chinese text in generated images can contain typos, so the README advises short labels and regeneration
- Output depends on an external image model, which the README says may drift in style or add unwanted titles
- The README does not specify which image model is required or how it is accessed
Getting started
Ian Xiaohei Illustrations
Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/helloianneo/ian-xiaohei-illustrations.gitCopy the skill into the Codex skills directory
mkdir -p "${CODEX_HOME:-$HOME/.codex}/skills" && cp -R ./ian-xiaohei-illustrations "${CODEX_HOME:-$HOME/.codex}/skills/"Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Excalidraw and Ian Xiaohei Illustrations?
Excalidraw: Open-source virtual whiteboard for sketching hand-drawn style diagrams in your browser. Ian Xiaohei Illustrations: A Codex Skill that guides AI agents to draw white-background hand-drawn Chinese article illustrations. Excalidraw suits teams sketching diagrams or wireframes together in a shared canvas, while Ian Xiaohei Illustrations suits chinese-language writers who need body illustrations for articles or posts.
Are Excalidraw and Ian Xiaohei Illustrations free?
Excalidraw: Free and open source. Ian Xiaohei Illustrations: Free and open source.
Which is easier to set up, Excalidraw or Ian Xiaohei Illustrations?
Excalidraw is easier to get started with (rated beginner); Ian Xiaohei Illustrations is rated intermediate and usually needs more setup.
Is Excalidraw or Ian Xiaohei Illustrations more popular?
Excalidraw has more GitHub stars (135k) than Ian Xiaohei Illustrations (13k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
What are other alternatives to Excalidraw and Ian Xiaohei Illustrations?
Other options people compare them with include Drawnix, Mermaid.
Keep comparing
Built from our catalogue entries for both products: open-source details come from each project's README (AI-assisted, refreshed weekly) and GitHub data; AI-tool details are editorial. Spotted something wrong? Let us know from either product's page.