Drawnix
Open-source whiteboard for mind maps, flowcharts and freehand drawing, runs in the browser.
- Stars
- 15k
- Forks
- 1.3k
- Licence
- MIT
- Language
- TypeScript
- Last update
- 2 months ago
- Type
- App
What it is
Drawnix is a free, open-source whiteboard tool that combines mind maps, flowcharts and freehand drawing on one infinite canvas. It can export to PNG and JSON, auto-saves to browser storage, and can turn Markdown text into a mind map or Mermaid syntax into a flowchart. It is built on the Plait diagramming framework and is also available as a hosted site at drawnix.com.
- Sketch a flowchart and export it as PNG
- Turn a Markdown outline into a mind map
- Draw a diagram from Mermaid syntax
- Brainstorm freehand on an infinite canvas and keep drafts in the browser
Great for
- People who want a simple free whiteboard for brainstorming and diagrams
- Users who prefer to draw mind maps or flowcharts from Markdown or Mermaid text
- Teams or individuals who want to self-host a whiteboard via Docker
- Developers interested in a plugin-based canvas built on Plait
Not ideal for
- Users who need real-time multi-user collaboration, since the README does not describe it (the topics list mentions it, but the README does not document it)
- People who need a polished, fully documented product, because the README is short and the app is described as still iterating toward a 'Dawn' release
How to get it
- 1
Use it in the browser (or self-host)
Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/plait-board/drawnix.git - 2
Run it
- Open https://drawnix.com in your browser to use the hosted version without installing anything
- Start drawing, or insert a mind map or flowchart from the toolbar
- Export your work as PNG or JSON (.drawnix) when you are done
- 3
Get the most out of it
- Use Markdown-to-mind-map conversion to build outlines quickly (listed as a feature)
- Use Mermaid syntax to generate flowcharts from text (listed as a feature)
- If you want to host it yourself, the README shows a Docker image: pubuzhixing/drawnix:latest
Downloads
Strengths
- Free and MIT-licensed, with the source code publicly available
- Covers several diagram types (mind map, flowchart, freehand) in one tool
- Auto-saves locally in the browser and exports to PNG and JSON
Trade-offs
- The README is in Chinese, with a short English version linked separately, and documents little detail
- The README says the hosted app is a minimal version and will iterate frequently, so features may change
- Collaboration is not clearly described in the README
How it compares
| Project | Stars | Type | Level | Updated | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| drawnix (this) | 15k | App | beginner | 2 months ago | People who want a simple free whiteboard for brainstorming and diagrams |
| excalidraw | 135k | App | beginner | 4 days ago | Teams sketching diagrams or wireframes together in a shared canvas |
| mind-map | 12.9k | Library | intermediate | 3 months ago | Developers who want to add mind map editing to their own web product |
| mermaid | 91k | Dev tool | beginner | 4 days ago | Developers who want diagrams stored as text alongside their code and docs |
| dashy | 26.9k | App | beginner | 5 days ago | People running a homelab or home server who want one page for all their services |
| nylas-mail | 24.7k | App | advanced | 4 months ago | Developers curious about how an extensible Electron and React desktop app is structured |
Stats synced from GitHub. The assessment above was drafted with AI from the project's README on 2026-10-29 and may miss recent changes — check the README before relying on a command. MIT licence: free to use, modify and distribute, including commercially, as long as you keep the copyright notice.