⭐Drawnix: The Only Free Open-Source Tool That Integrates Mind Maps, Flowcharts, and Freehand Drawing

One-sentence positioning: An integrated open-source whiteboard tool that combines mind maps, flowcharts, and freehand drawing on a single infinite canvas, ready to use out of the box and completely free.

Why is this tool needed?

Have you ever encountered this situation in your daily work:

You want to draw a mind map to organize your thoughts, so you open one tool; you want to draw a flowchart to explain logic, so you open another tool; you want to sketch a few ideas freely, so you need to find yet another drawing board. Switching between three tools, canvases that don't connect, and different export formats.

This "fragmented" drawing experience is a pain point for many people. Drawnix was created to solve this problem—putting all drawing needs into a single whiteboard.

Github:

https://github.com/plait-board/drawnix

How big is it? Core Data

• GitHub Stars: 14,578
• Forks: 1,254
• Created: June 2024
• Primary Language: TypeScript
• License: MIT (fully open-source and free)
• Official Website: drawnix.com

The project is backed by PingCode (a domestic project management tool company). Drawnix is the productized result of their open-source drawing framework Plait. Simply put: Plait is the underlying engine, and Drawnix is the finished tool built on top of this engine.

Core Features: One Whiteboard, Multiple Drawing Methods

Mind Maps

Drawnix has a built-in mind map feature that allows you to quickly create nodes, branches, and hierarchical structures. It supports automatically generating mind maps from Markdown text—you just need to write a piece of Markdown-formatted text, and the tool automatically converts it into a visual mind map.

This feature is particularly suitable for reading notes, project planning, and knowledge organization.

Flowcharts

Flowcharts are another core capability. Drawnix supports automatically generating flowcharts from Mermaid syntax—you only need to write a few lines of simple text description to get a standard flowchart.

There is also a manual drawing mode: drag and drop nodes, connections, and annotations, with what-you-see-is-what-you-get.

Freehand Drawing

In addition to structured diagrams, Drawnix also provides a freehand drawing function. You can doodle, annotate, and sketch as freely as on paper. This is very useful in brainstorming and idea-capturing scenarios.

Image Insertion

You can insert images directly onto the canvas and use them together with other elements. For example, paste a reference screenshot next to a flowchart, or embed a photo in a mind map.

Infinite Canvas

All content is placed on an infinitely large canvas, supporting zoom and scroll. You don't need to worry about canvas size limitations; you can draw as much content as you want.

Export Capabilities

Supports two export formats:

• PNG Image: Export directly as an image, convenient for sharing on social media or in documents
• JSON Data File (.drawnix format): Save complete canvas data, which can be opened for continued editing next time

Auto-Save

Edited content is automatically saved to the browser cache. Even if you accidentally close the page, data will not be lost.

Theme Modes

Supports both light and dark themes, switchable according to your preference or usage environment.

Mobile Device Adaptation

Although it is a web tool, it has been adapted for phones and tablets and can be used on mobile devices.

Technical Architecture: Plugin-Based Design

One of Drawnix's most noteworthy technical features is its plugin architecture. It is not a monolithic application but a system composed of multiple reusable plugins.

The benefits of this architecture are:

• Strong extensibility: Want to add a new feature? Just write a plugin, no need to modify the core code
• Supports multiple UI frameworks: Theoretically adaptable to different front-end frameworks like Angular and React
• Fine-grained reusability: Each plugin is responsible for only one thing and can be reused in different projects

Drawnix relies on three core libraries at the bottom layer:

• Plait: Open-source drawing framework, the engine of the entire project
• Slate: Rich text editor framework, responsible for text rendering
• Floating UI: Popup layer base library, responsible for UI components like menus and toolbars

This layered design allows Drawnix to maintain a clear code structure while being feature-rich.

Competitive Comparison

Dimension	Drawnix	Excalidraw	tldraw	Whimsical	ProcessOn
GitHub Stars	14,578	130,167	49,896	N/A (closed source)	N/A (closed source)
Mind Maps	✅ Built-in	❌	❌	✅	✅
Flowcharts	✅ Built-in	❌	❌	✅	✅
Freehand Drawing	✅	✅ (core feature)	✅ (core feature)	✅	✅
Infinite Canvas	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
Plugin Architecture	✅	✅	✅	❌	❌
Mermaid Syntax	✅	❌	❌	❌	❌
Markdown to Mind Map	✅	❌	❌	❌	❌
Export Formats	PNG, JSON	PNG, SVG, JSON	Multiple	PNG, SVG, PDF	PNG, PDF
Free & Open Source	✅ Completely free	✅ Freemium	✅ Open source	❌ Mainly paid	❌ Mainly paid
License	MIT	MIT	Custom	Commercial	Commercial
Chinese Support	✅ Native	✅	Limited	✅	✅

Key Differences Summary

vs Excalidraw: Excalidraw is the absolute king of whiteboard tools (130k+ stars), but its core positioning is "hand-drawn style diagrams" without built-in mind map and flowchart features. Drawnix's differentiation lies in integration—one tool covering multiple drawing needs.

vs tldraw: tldraw is a whiteboard SDK, more oriented towards developers building their own drawing applications. Drawnix is an out-of-the-box product aimed at ordinary users.

vs Whimsical/ProcessOn: These are commercial products with mature features but require payment. Drawnix's advantage lies in being completely free and open-source, with data not locked onto a specific platform.

Why is it worth paying attention to?

Reason 1: Clear differentiated positioning

Among open-source whiteboard tools, most projects either focus on hand-drawing (Excalidraw) or whiteboard SDKs (tldraw). Drawnix chose a different path: integration. Combining mind maps, flowcharts, and freehand drawing together, this "has-it-all" positioning is relatively rare in the open-source field.

Reason 2: Domestic open-source, Chinese ecosystem friendly

Drawnix is developed by a domestic team, naturally friendly to Chinese users. Official documentation, interface, and community discussions are all in Chinese, which is a significant advantage for users not accustomed to English documentation.

Reason 3: Plugin architecture implies long-term vitality

The plugin-based design means Drawnix is not a "done when finished" project. The community can continuously develop new plugins and expand new drawing scenarios. This architecture is easier to maintain and evolve long-term than a "feature stacking" approach.

Reason 4: Backed by a commercial company

PingCode, as the commercial company behind it, provides continuous resource support for Drawnix. This means the project won't suddenly stop maintenance due to personal reasons of the developer.

How to use?

Online Use

The simplest way is to directly visit drawnix.com, open it in a browser and start using, no software installation required.

Local Development

git clone https://github.com/plait-board/drawnix.git
cd drawnix
npm install
npm run start

Docker Deployment

docker pull pubuzhixing/drawnix:latest
docker run -p 3000:3000 pubuzhixing/drawnix:latest

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Who is this project suitable for?

Individual users—need a simple and easy-to-use whiteboard tool to organize thoughts, sketch, and take notes.

Product managers—need to quickly draw prototypes, flowcharts, and mind maps without paying for each tool separately.

Developers—interested in the technical implementation of whiteboard applications, or want to build their own drawing tools based on the Plait framework.

Team collaboration—need an open-source whiteboard solution where data is not locked by a third-party platform.

Github:

https://github.com/plait-board/drawnix

Summary

Drawnix solves a seemingly simple but real problem: Why do you need three different tools to draw mind maps, flowcharts, and freehand drawings?

14,578 stars prove that enough people have already felt this need. The plugin-based design gives it a foundation for long-term evolution, and the backing of a commercial company ensures it won't easily become abandoned.

In the open-source whiteboard tool track, Drawnix is not the most famous (Excalidraw is more famous), nor the most foundational (tldraw is more foundational), but it might be the most "practical"—one tool covering the most common drawing needs, free, open-source, and ready to use out of the box.

My Understanding

What touches me most about Drawnix is the meaning of its name: Draw + Phoenix.

The project README writes: "Every creation is an artistic nirvana, every stroke is the rebirth of inspiration." Although this sentence is a bit literary, it expresses Drawnix's core philosophy—creation should be free and should not be limited by the boundaries of tools.

In an era where tools are becoming increasingly vertical and specialized, Drawnix chose a path in the opposite direction: integrating multiple tools together so that creators don't need to switch back and forth between different tools.

This "integrated" approach might be exactly what many ordinary users truly need.

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