Google introduced final yr that assist for Jamboard units and apps will finish as of Oct. 1, 2024. Google Jamboard delivers easy-to-use collaborative drawing capabilities to individuals who use Google Workspace by means of a mix of Jamboard apps and a Jamboard system. The Jamboard apps can be utilized with out shopping for a Jamboard system and work on the net, iOS, iPadOS, and Android units and in Google Meet.
Individuals who use Jamboard units or apps might want to search options. For {hardware} choices, Google’s announcement really helpful both the Collection One Board 65 (priced round $9,000) or the Collection One Desk 27 (priced round $2,000), each by Avocor.
Three software program options — FigJam by Figma, Lucidspark by Lucid Software program, and Miro — have been built-in to work with Collection One units, and import choices for Jamboard content material can be found.
High Jamboard opponents and options: Comparability desk
Individuals who use the Jamboard apps, unbiased of the Jamboard system, 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: Greatest for pleasant design
Figma, a collaborative interface design utility 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 photos or insert hyperlinks to net sources, together with shared Google Drive information. Cursor chat permits an ephemeral dialog with collaborators that disappears whenever you exit the mode, whereas the remark system permits typical feedback on content material anyplace on the board. FigJam provides a number of extra options than Jamboard, delivered with a cleanly designed consumer interface, as you may anticipate. Included with these is FigJam AI, a brand new collaboration instrument that helps groups brainstorm with AI-generated options, text-to-image capabilities, and automations.
Determine A
Figma’s possession deserves point out since Adobe, a inventive content material big, introduced an settlement to amass Figma in September 2022; nonetheless, the deal was terminated in December 2023. Whereas possession doesn’t straight 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.
Professionals | Cons |
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FigJam app is out there 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 out there to college students and educators. |
Pricing
Figma provides 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, $5 per full seat per thirty days. Contains all Starter options and provides limitless FigJam information, open classes, password protections, voting, and extra. College students and educators could entry this version at no cost.
- Group, $5 per full seat per thirty days. Contains all Profesional options plus customized colours and templates, centralized administration, centralized content material administration, and extra.
- Enterprise, $5 per full seat per thirty days. Contains all Group options, plus devoted workspaces, visitor entry controls, together with many different consumer administration and safety features.
Miro: Greatest for enterprise integrations
Miro (Determine B), previously generally known as RealtimeBoard, gives 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 permits you to add an enormous number of content material sorts, together with photos, 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, whereas the brand new “Create with AI” function generates concepts from a immediate or gadgets on a board.
Determine B
Miro permits you to current your board to different individuals in a number of methods. The Talktrack function permits you to document a video along 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, it’s possible you’ll current both your entire 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 akin to voting and including sticky notes or reactions.
Professionals | Cons |
---|---|
Miro app is out there on the net (and Google Workspace Market), macOS, Home windows, iPhone, iPad and Android. |
No offline mode. |
Very full-featured. | |
Numerous forms of content material might be added. | |
Helpful number of presentation choices. |
Pricing
Miro provides 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, $8 per member per thirty days, paid yearly. This plan provides limitless boards, high-resolution exports, collaboration with limitless guests on public boards, limitless Talktracks, limitless challenge folders, Personal Mode sticky notes, model historical past, assembly options (e.g., timers, voting, and video chat), and personal boards.
- Enterprise, $16 per member per thirty days paid yearly. This plan consists of all Starter options, plus limitless boards for each group and shopper, safe collaboration with limitless visitors 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 non-profits could entry completely different Miro pricing plans.
- Educator plans are designed for workers members and college students of academic institutes. For educators, the plan is legitimate indefinitely, however for college students they’re legitimate for 2 years. They arrive with limitless lively boards, board viewers, and commenters, coaching and discussion board sources, and extra.
- Nonprofits can get a 30% low cost on paid Miros plans.
SEE: How one can use Miro as your whiteboard in a digital assembly
Lucidspark by Lucid Software program: Greatest for experimental AI
Lucidspark (Determine C) gives a board on which you’ll draw and add photos, shapes, sticky notes, textual content, and features. The feedback and activity system lets board collaborators not solely touch upon particular board content material but additionally assign work to a colleague. To help clarification, it’s possible you’ll outline body areas and designate paths in order to indicate sections of the board in sequence. Visible actions templates assist numerous forms of sorting, score, and board engagement, together with further timer and voting instruments.
Determine C
Lucidspark additionally provides menu customization and an experimental AI function. Customise the left-side on-screen menu with a Software pinning function to indicate solely the choices you choose. For instance, in case you hardly ever want Jira integration, it’s possible you’ll unpin that choice and it’ll not show on-screen, though you should still entry it from the Extra menu. And a Collaborative AI choice generates concepts from an entered immediate. For instance, a immediate of “Best features of Lucidspark” created a 3×3 set of sticky notes, every full of two or three phrases describing options akin to “Integrated Video Chat,” “Seamless Integrations,” and “Presentation mode.”
Professionals | Cons |
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Lucidspark app is out there on the net (and Google Workspace Market) and Android. | Workforce or Enterprise version accounts are required to make use of cellular app on iOS or iPadOS. |
Customizable menu for quick entry to most-used choices. | No offline mode. |
Collaborative AI to generate concepts. | |
Vital 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 combination outcomes, primary collaborative AI, and different options.
- Particular person, $7.95 per consumer per thirty days billed yearly ($95.40/yearly per consumer). This plan provides limitless editable boards, 1 GB of storage, premium visible actions to assemble suggestions, and combination outcomes, and extra.
- Workforce, three group consumer licenses for $27 per thirty days billed yearly ($324/yearly for the three licenses, which is $108/consumer per yr). This plan provides superior controls for visible actions, chat, revision historical past and versioning, voting, a timer and facilitator instruments, contact display whiteboards, developer platform, and extra.
- Enterprise licenses require contacting gross sales. This plan provides entry to Lucidchart for diagramming and provides Workforce folders, Common Canvas, many app integrations, and entry to varied consumer administration and safety features.
Educators could entry a variant of the Workforce plan at no cost; this gives academics and college students entry to the cellular 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: Greatest at no cost 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 companies, akin to Microsoft 365.
Determine D
Microsoft Whiteboard provides an ordinary set of instruments that features a pen, highlighter, ruler, notes, emoji-style reactions, textual content and shapes. You may additionally add photos to a board. Plus, Microsoft Whiteboard provides a lot of templates for all kinds of brainstorming, planning, assembly, and studying actions. Chances are you’ll 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.
Professionals | Cons |
---|---|
Microsoft Whiteboard is out there on the net, iPhone, iPad and Android, in addition to for Microsoft Floor Hub and Microsoft Groups Rooms units. |
Not obtainable within the Google Workspace Market. |
Free. | Should register with a Microsoft account. |
Vital number of templates for enterprise makes use of, akin to brainstorming, challenge planning and assembly actions. |
No offline mode. |
Centered set of instruments. |
Pricing
Microsoft Whiteboard is free, though it’s essential to register with a Microsoft account to make use of it. A Microsoft account could also be obtained at no cost.
Zoom Whiteboard: Greatest for Zoom conferences
The Zoom conferencing platform provides 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.
Determine E
Zoom Whiteboard provides a lot of templates for brainstorming, diagramming, assembly, schooling, or leisure; or it’s possible you’ll merely create a brand new clean board. The system consists of instruments akin to pens, shapes, strains, textual content, sticky notes, and feedback. Chances are you’ll add photos and PDFs to your board or add a thoughts map, desk, kanban board, or playing cards. Specifically, playing cards allow you to assign duties and monitor each dates and activity standing. Zoom boards additionally allow you to create a number of pages. As a presentation assist, it’s possible you’ll add frames round your board content material, then set up and current the frames in sequence. The timer and laser pointer could also be helpful throughout displays or collaborations as properly.
Professionals | Cons |
---|---|
Out there as a part of Zoom on the net (and Google Workspace Market), macOS, Home windows, Linux, iPhone, iPad and Android. | Zoom Whiteboard provides secondary performance to net conferences. |
Giant variety of templates for enterprise makes use of, akin 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 Primary, Whiteboard, and Whiteboard Plus.
- Whiteboard Primary, which is included with Zoom Office Primary and Zoom Office 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 consumer per yr, and could also be added to both the Zoom Office Primary or Zoom Office Professional plan. This plan provides limitless concurrent editable boards, customary options, and superior doc management. It is usually included in Zoom Office Enterprise, Zoom Office Enterprise Plus, and Zoom Office Enterprise.
- Whiteboard Plus, $70 per consumer per yr and could also be added to both Zoom Office Primary or Zoom Office Professional plans, provides superior whiteboard options and assist for customized and organizational templates. Additionally, Zoom Whiteboard Plus is included as a part of Zoom Rooms plans and Zoom Office Enterprise Plus.
SEE: How one can use the brand new Zoom Whiteboard for hybrid conferences
Apple Freeform: Greatest for Apple system customers
Freeform (Determine F), a visible collaboration instrument by Apple, is included with present units that run iOS, iPadOS, and macOS. The app is free, though solely individuals who use Apple units could use it. For instance, Freeform could be a superb choice for a classroom the place a trainer and college students all use iPadOS or macOS units, however wouldn’t be appropriate for a scenario the place collaborators may use Home windows, ChromeOS, or Android units.
Determine F
Freeform provides quite a few writing and drawing kinds, together with a pen, pencil, highlighter, crayon, ink, and watercolor choices. On units that assist an Apple pencil, it’s possible you’ll leverage the system’s built-in handwriting recognition system, Scribble, to transform pencil strokes into textual content. Freeform permits you to add notes, hyperlinks, shapes, and typed textual content. Chances are you’ll use a digicam to seize a photograph or add a picture, video, audio file, or PDF to a board. Freeform works offline, so you should utilize 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.
Professionals | Cons |
---|---|
Out there on present iPhone, iPad and macOS units. | Out there solely on Apple units. |
Can create and work offline. | |
Works properly with Apple Pencil, Messages and FaceTime. | |
Wider vary of drawing instrument kinds (e.g., watercolor, ink and crayon) in comparison with lots of the different options on this article. |
Pricing
Freeform is out there as one of many default apps on all fashionable Apple units, together with iPhone, iPad, and macOS programs.
Extra Jamboard options to contemplate
Past the six companies coated above, many different collaborative drawing choices exist. Google suggests Google Drawings or Google Slides may meet some wants. Different companies that will advantage consideration embrace Canva Whiteboard, Conceptboard, Excalidraw, Clarify Every part, Inko, Pear Deck, Pencil Areas, Sketchboard, or Whiteboard.chat.
Jamboard phase-out timeline: What you should do
- Sept. 30, 2024: By this date, it’s essential to have backed up any Jamboard system occasion logs that you simply need to preserve from the Admin console, as you’ll not be capable to do that afterwards and occasion log knowledge shall be deleted.
- Oct. 1, 2024: In the event you haven’t already, you should begin backing up the Jam information you need to retain and migrating them to different purposes. You can even save them as PDFs or PNG information.
Additionally, you will not be capable to create new or edit present Jam information on any platform, together with the online, iOS, and Android, whereas the 55-inch Jamboard system will not be part of Meet conferences or save to the cloud. - Dec. 31, 2024: The Jamboard utility shall be wound down, so you’ll not be capable to entry your Jam information, and they are going to be completely deleted.
Methodology
The primary three companies — 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 assist you to protect present Jamboard content material.
The remaining three choices had been chosen due to the widespread use of Microsoft, Zoom, and Apple instruments within the schooling neighborhood — a major consumer of Jamboard apps. In the event you and your collaborators use Apple {hardware}, Freeform is smart as an alternative choice to Jamboard. In the event you and your collaborators have present Microsoft or Zoom accounts, then both of these respective companies may serve you properly.
The writer signed and actively examined every of the companies for testing functions, and has actively used and coated Google Jamboard since its inception. Every of the screenshots was taken throughout this experimentation. We depend on vendor web sites for pricing.