Google introduced final 12 months that assist for Jamboard gadgets and apps will finish as of October 1, 2024, with entry to the app and all Jamboard information ending on the finish of 2024. Google Jamboard delivers easy-to-use collaborative drawing capabilities to individuals who use Google Workspace by way of a mix of Jamboard apps and a Jamboard machine. The Jamboard apps can be utilized with out shopping for a Jamboard machine and work on the net, iOS, iPadOS and Android gadgets and in Google Meet.
Individuals who use Jamboard gadgets or apps might want to search options. For {hardware} choices, Google’s announcement advisable both the Collection One Board 65 (priced round $9,000) or the Collection One Desk 27 (priced round $2,000), each by Avocor. Google introduced that three software program options — FigJam by Figma, Lucidspark by Lucid Software program and Miro — could be built-in to work with Collection One gadgets, with import choices for Jamboard content material accessible by March 2024.
Prime Jamboard opponents and options: Comparability desk
Individuals who use the Jamboard apps, impartial of the Jamboard machine, could think about a variety of software program options. The next six choices all assist visible collaboration and may function appropriate replacements for Jamboard.
FigJam by Figma: Finest for pleasant design
Figma, a collaborative interface design software firm, launched FigJam (Determine A) in 2021. FigJam helps drawing instruments, shapes, stickers, notes, textual content, connectors and stamps, together with part and desk administration options. You may additionally import pictures or insert hyperlinks to internet assets, together with shared Google Drive information. Cursor chat permits an ephemeral dialog with collaborators that disappears once you exit the mode, whereas the remark system permits standard feedback on content material anyplace on the board. FigJam gives just a few extra options than Jamboard, delivered with a cleanly designed person interface, as you may count on.
Figma’s possession deserves point out since Adobe, a artistic content material large, introduced an settlement to amass Figma in September 2022; nevertheless, the deal was terminated in December 2023. Whereas possession doesn’t immediately have an effect on product options, the truth that Figma as soon as sought to merge with a bigger firm could sign a long run potential for acquisition.
| Execs | Cons |
|---|---|
| FigJam app is on the market on the net (and Google Workspace Market) and iPad. |
No devoted FigJam iPhone or Android app. |
| Clear design. | No offline mode. |
| Extra options than Google Jamboard. | |
| Free version is on the market to college students and educators. |
Pricing
Figma gives 4 FigJam pricing plans: Starter, Skilled, Group and Enterprise.
- Starter, which is free and allows you to create as much as three Figma and three FigJam information, with limitless private information and limitless collaborators, amongst different options.
- Skilled, $3 per editor/month billed yearly ($36/12 months per person), consists of all Starter options and provides limitless FigJam information, open classes, sharing permissions, group libraries, voting and extra. College students and educators could entry this version totally free.
- Group, $60 per editor per 12 months, consists of all Profesional options plus organization-wide libraries, centralized content material administration, unified admin and billing choices, and extra.
- Enterprise, $60 per editor per 12 months, consists of all Group options, plus devoted workspaces, superior design methods and visitor entry controls, together with many different person administration and safety features.
Miro: Finest for enterprise integrations
Miro (Determine B), previously often known as RealtimeBoard, supplies a strong set of options all centered round visible collaboration. Commonplace drawing instruments can be found to attract, add shapes (together with flowchart and Unified Modeling Language symbols), sticky notes and textual content, together with many templates. Miro additionally allows you to add an enormous number of content material varieties, together with pictures, spreadsheets, tables, kanban, code blocks, charts, diagrams and extra. Timer, voting, chat, video chat and notes allow you to collaborate with others in numerous methods in your board content material.
Miro allows you to current your board to different individuals a number of methods. The Talktrack function allows you to file a video together with your webcam (inset in a circle on the display) as you navigate and focus on the board. The ensuing video is saved and could also be shared. Alternatively, chances are you’ll current both the complete board, which hides many menus to emphasise your content material or current frames, which lets you outline and navigate chosen sections of content material so as. Enterprise and Enterprise editions provide entry to facilitation instruments to assist actions equivalent to voting and including sticky notes or reactions.
| Execs | Cons |
|---|---|
| Miro app is on the market on the net (and Google Workspace Market), macOS, Home windows, iPhone, iPad and Android. |
No offline mode. |
| Very full-featured. | |
| Numerous kinds of content material will be added. | |
| Helpful number of presentation choices. |
Pricing
Miro gives 4 pricing plans for skilled use: Free, Starter, Enterprise and Enterprise.
- Free, which incorporates one workspace with three editable boards, 5 Talktracks, entry to templates and assist for integrations.
- Starter, $96 per member per 12 months paid yearly. This plan provides limitless boards, high-resolution exports, collaboration with limitless guests on public boards, limitless Talktracks, limitless undertaking folders, Non-public Mode sticky notes, model historical past, assembly options (e.g., timers, voting and video chat) and personal boards.
- Enterprise, $192 per member per 12 months paid yearly. This plan consists of all Starter options, plus limitless boards for each group and shopper, safe collaboration with limitless company on non-public and group boards, superior form entry, enhanced assembly options (e.g., breakouts and voting) and extra.
- Enterprise, which requires contacting gross sales for pricing. This plan consists of all Enterprise options plus added safety, compliance, administration and reporting capabilities, together with premium assist.
College students, educators and academic establishments could entry completely different Miro pricing plans.
- Scholar accounts are free and assist as much as 10 group members, availability for 2 years, limitless boards, one workspace with limitless initiatives, limitless exterior guests, amongst different options.
- Educator accounts are free perpetually and assist all pupil options, plus assist for as much as 100 group members, together with entry to coaching and discussion board assets.
- Establishment accounts can be found at a 50% low cost from normal pricing and embody all pupil and educator options, plus extra administrative and person administration options, together with assist.
SEE: Easy methods to use Miro as your whiteboard in a digital assembly
Lucidspark by Lucid Software program: Finest for experimental AI
Lucidspark (Determine C) supplies a board on which you will draw and add pictures, shapes, sticky notes, textual content and features. The feedback and process system lets board collaborators not solely touch upon particular board content material but additionally assign work to a colleague. To help clarification, chances are you’ll outline body areas and designate paths, in order to point out sections of the board in sequence. Visible actions templates assist numerous kinds of sorting, ranking and board engagement, together with extra timer and voting instruments.
Lucidspark additionally gives menu customization and an experimental AI function. Customise the left-side on-screen menu with a Instrument pinning function to point out solely the choices you choose. For instance, when you hardly ever want Jira integration, chances are you’ll unpin that possibility and it’ll not show on-screen, though you should still entry it from the Extra menu. And a Collaborative AI possibility generates concepts from an entered immediate. For instance, a immediate of “Finest options of Lucidspark” created a 3×3 set of sticky notes, every stuffed with two or three phrases describing options equivalent to “Built-in Video Chat,” “Seamless Integrations” and “Presentation mode.”
| Execs | Cons |
|---|---|
| Lucidspark app is on the market on the net (and Google Workspace Market) and Android. | Workforce or Enterprise version accounts are required to make use of cell app on iOS or iPadOS. |
| Customizable menu for quick entry to most-used choices. | No offline mode. |
| Collaborative AI to generate concepts. | |
| Important variety of supported app integrations. |
Pricing
There are 4 Lucidspark plans: Free, Particular person, Workforce and Enterprise.
- Free, which incorporates three editable boards, limitless shapes, drawing, emoji reactions, commenting, presentation mode, primary visible actions to assemble suggestions and mixture outcomes, amongst different options.
- Particular person, $7.95 per person per thirty days billed yearly ($95.40/yearly per person). This plan provides limitless editable boards, 1 GB of storage, premium visible actions to assemble suggestions and mixture outcomes, and extra.
- Workforce, three group person licenses for $27 per thirty days billed yearly ($324/yearly for the three licenses, which is $108/person per 12 months). This plan provides superior controls for visible actions, chat, revision historical past and versioning, voting, a timer and facilitator instruments, amongst different options.
- Enterprise licenses require contacting gross sales. This plan gives entry to Lucidchart for diagramming and provides Workforce Areas, many app integrations and entry to numerous person administration and safety features.
Educators could entry a variant of the Workforce plan totally free; this supplies academics and college students entry to the cell app and plenty of Workforce options at no cost. An non-obligatory improve to a paid group plan for schooling provides centralized account administration, audit logs and entry to precedence assist.
Microsoft Whiteboard: Finest totally free use
Microsoft Whiteboard (Determine D) is free, nevertheless it does require a Microsoft account to view, create or collaborate on boards; subsequently, this selection could take advantage of sense for people or organizations who already use different Microsoft providers, equivalent to Microsoft 365.
Microsoft Whiteboard gives a typical set of instruments that features a pen, highlighter, ruler, notes, emoji-style reactions, textual content and shapes. You may additionally add pictures to a board. Plus, Microsoft Whiteboard gives a lot of templates for all types of brainstorming, planning, assembly and studying actions. You might customise the board background coloration and choose from a set of 9 background grid designs. And there’s an included timer. Share the hyperlink to offer collaborators entry to all of those instruments, too.
| Execs | Cons |
|---|---|
| Microsoft Whiteboard is on the market on the net, iPhone, iPad and Android, in addition to for Microsoft Floor Hub and Microsoft Groups Rooms gadgets. |
Not accessible within the Google Workspace Market. |
| Free. | Should check in with a Microsoft account. |
| Important number of templates for enterprise makes use of, equivalent to brainstorming, undertaking planning and assembly actions. |
No offline mode. |
| Centered set of instruments. |
Pricing
Microsoft Whiteboard is free, though you will need to check in with a Microsoft account to make use of it. A Microsoft account could also be obtained totally free.
Zoom Whiteboard: Finest for Zoom conferences
The Zoom conferencing platform gives Zoom Whiteboard (Determine E), which can be used both with an internet assembly or individually. For anybody with an present Zoom account, Zoom Whiteboard deserves consideration.
Zoom Whiteboard gives a lot of templates for brainstorming, diagramming, assembly, schooling or leisure; or, chances are you’ll merely create a brand new clean board. The system consists of instruments equivalent to pens, shapes, traces, textual content, sticky notes and feedback. You might add pictures and PDFs to your board or add a thoughts map, desk, kanban board or playing cards. Particularly, playing cards allow you to assign duties and monitor each dates and process standing. Zoom boards additionally allow you to create a number of pages. As a presentation help, chances are you’ll add frames round your board content material, then manage and current the frames in sequence. The timer and laser pointer could also be helpful throughout displays or collaborations as nicely.
| Execs | Cons |
|---|---|
| Obtainable as a part of Zoom on the net (and Google Workspace Market), macOS, Home windows, Linux, iPhone, iPad and Android. | Zoom Whiteboard gives secondary performance to internet conferences. |
| Giant variety of templates for enterprise makes use of, equivalent to brainstorming and diagramming. | No offline mode |
| Help for a number of pages inside a board. | |
| Frames to order presentation sequence. |
Pricing
Three Zoom Whiteboard editions can be found: Whiteboard Fundamental, Whiteboard and Whiteboard Plus.
- Whiteboard Fundamental, which is included with Zoom One Fundamental and Zoom One Professional, consists of three concurrent editable boards owned and 25 MB of storage, together with all core drawing, annotation, picture and collaboration options.
- Whiteboard, $24.90 per person per 12 months, and could also be added to both the Zoom One Fundamental or Zoom One Professional plan. This plan provides limitless concurrent editable boards owned and 1 GB of storage, together with model historical past and short-term lock options plus shared folders and private labels.
- Whiteboard Plus, $70 per person per 12 months and could also be added to both Zoom One Fundamental or Zoom One Professional plans, provides limitless storage and assist for private and organizational templates. Additionally, Zoom Whiteboard Plus is included as a part of Zoom Rooms plans.
SEE: Easy methods to use the brand new Zoom Whiteboard for hybrid conferences
Apple Freeform: Finest for Apple machine customers
Freeform (Determine F), a visible collaboration instrument by Apple, is included with present gadgets that run iOS, iPadOS and macOS. The app is free, though solely individuals who use Apple gadgets could use it. For instance, Freeform could be a superb possibility for a classroom the place a trainer and college students all use iPadOS or macOS gadgets, however wouldn’t be appropriate for a scenario the place collaborators may use Home windows, ChromeOS or Android gadgets.
Freeform gives quite a few writing and drawing types, together with a pen, pencil, highlighter, crayon, ink and watercolor choices. On gadgets that assist an Apple pencil, chances are you’ll leverage the system’s built-in handwriting recognition system, Scribble, to transform pencil strokes into textual content. Freeform allows you to add notes, hyperlinks, shapes and typed textual content. You might use a digital camera to seize a photograph or add a picture, video, audio file or PDF to a board. Freeform works offline, so you need to use it to seize concepts nearly anyplace. Freeform permits as much as 100 individuals to collaborate on a board, and it could be used with Messages or FaceTime.
| Execs | Cons |
|---|---|
| Obtainable on present iPhone, iPad and macOS gadgets. | Obtainable solely on Apple gadgets. |
| Can create and work offline. | |
| Works nicely with Apple Pencil, Messages and FaceTime. | |
| Wider vary of drawing instrument types (e.g., watercolor, ink and crayon) in comparison with lots of the different options on this article. |
Pricing
Freeform is on the market as one of many default apps on all trendy Apple gadgets, together with iPhone, iPad and macOS methods.
Extra Jamboard options to contemplate
Past the six providers lined above, many different collaborative drawing choices exist. Google suggests Google Drawings or Google Slides may meet some wants. Different providers that will benefit consideration embody Canva Whiteboard, Conceptboard, Excalidraw, Clarify The whole lot, Inko, Pear Deck, Pencil Areas, Sketchboard or Whiteboard.chat.
Methodology
The primary three providers — FigJam by Figma, Miro and Lucidspark by Lucid Software program — are included as a result of Google particularly recommends these as options to Google Jamboard. All three will provide some kind of import instrument to help you protect present Jamboard content material.
The remaining three choices have been chosen due to the widespread use of Microsoft, Zoom and Apple instruments within the schooling group — a major person of Jamboard apps. Should you and your collaborators use Apple {hardware}, Freeform is sensible as a substitute for Jamboard. Should you and your collaborators have present Microsoft or Zoom accounts, then both of these respective providers may serve you nicely.
The writer signed and actively examined every of the providers for testing functions, and has actively used and lined Google Jamboard since its inception. Every of the screenshots was taken throughout this experimentation. We depend on vendor web sites for pricing.