Save 45 minutes/week by keeping all diagrams and notes in one place with zero manual exporting.
~45 min
Saved / wk
Easy
Setup
No AI
AI
Excalidraw has a built-in plugin for Obsidian (a note-taking app that stores everything on your computer). You can draw a diagram inside Obsidian and it saves as a file you can link to any note. This means your brainstorm visuals live right next to your written notes — no extra exports needed.
~45 min
Saved / Week
Easy to set up
Setup Complexity
No AI involved
AI Status
Step 1: Open Obsidian and go to Settings > Community Plugins
Step 2: Search for 'Excalidraw' and install the plugin by Zsolt Viczian
Step 3: Enable the plugin and set your default folder for Excalidraw files
Step 4: Create a new Excalidraw drawing from inside any Obsidian note using the command palette
Step 5: Your diagram saves automatically as a file you can link and search inside Obsidian
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See PlansExcalidraw is a free, open-source virtual whiteboard with hand-drawn-style diagrams. Lo-fi aesthetic encourages quick brainstorming. Library feature for reusable components. Integrates with VS Code, Obsidian, and Notion. Real-time collaboration with end-to-end encryption. Completely free. Excalidraw+ (hosted collaboration) from $7/month per editor.
Markdown knowledge base — write notes, link ideas, and build a personal knowledge graph as plain files on your computer. Free for personal use. Graph view shows connections. 800+ community plugins. Personal: free forever. Sync: $4/month. Publish: $8/month. Commercial: $50/user/year.
