Whimsical vs FigJam
Whimsical and FigJam are both online whiteboards for teams that build products. Whimsical is the whiteboard for product builders: flowcharts, wireframes, mind maps, sequence diagrams, sticky notes, tables and docs in one interface optimized for speed. FigJam is Figma's whiteboard: it is included with all seats on every Figma plan, and components made in Figma Design can be used on a board. Specs and slides are separate Figma products, Figma Specs (in beta) and Figma Slides.
Whimsical is made for people who design and ship products. Wireframes are low-fidelity, with components that have built-in states, and Whimsical Agent or an AI tool connected through MCP can generate and rework them. Docs hold boards: nest a board in a doc, paste part of a board into a doc as an embed that stays in sync, or keep boards and docs as pages of one file. Time machine records every change and plays it back. Dark mode covers boards, including the canvas, and docs on the web and desktop apps; Figma's plugin documentation says “FigJam currently does not support dark mode”. To switch, copy your content in FigJam and paste it onto a Whimsical board, or import a FigJam .jam file.
Every fact on this page comes from Whimsical's and FigJam's own pages, last checked on . One exception: that FigJam's import of Miro and Lucid boards is lossy comes from our own tests. Prices are in US dollars.
Choose Whimsical if
- You want a focused tool for product work: flowcharts, wireframes, mind maps, sequence diagrams, sticky notes, tables and docs in one interface optimized for speed.
- You sketch low-fidelity wireframes next to your flows. Frames and components have built-in states, and Whimsical Agent or an AI tool connected through MCP can generate and rework them.
- You write specs where your diagrams are. Nest boards in docs, paste part of a board into a doc as an embed that stays in sync, and keep boards and docs as pages of one multi-page file. In Figma, specs and slides are separate products, Figma Specs (in beta) and Figma Slides.
- You work with AI assistants. Whimsical's MCP server lets Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor and other tools search, read, create, organize and edit boards and docs, with up to 3,600 requests per hour per connection. Figma's MCP server allows its read tools up to 20 calls a month on a Collab seat and up to 200 a day with a Full or Dev seat on Professional.
- You work in dark mode. Whimsical has it on the web and desktop apps, across boards (including the canvas), docs and navigation, and it changes only your own view. Figma's plugin documentation says “FigJam currently does not support dark mode”.
- You want to replay how a file came together. Time machine records every change and plays it back on every plan, starting with 7 days on Free. Figma saves a checkpoint of a file every 30 minutes.
- You are moving from FigJam. Copy a selection or a section and paste it onto a Whimsical board, or import a .jam file, and it arrives as editable objects, kept as close to the original as the differences between the tools allow.
- You are bringing boards from Miro or Lucidchart. In Whimsical you copy and paste, and the content arrives as editable objects. FigJam imports those boards from a PDF that you export from the other tool first, and in our own tests that import was lossy.
Choose FigJam if
- Your team already designs in Figma. FigJam is included with all seats on every Figma plan, and components from Figma Design libraries can be used on a board.
- You want an app on your iPad. The Figma iPad app views and edits FigJam boards; Whimsical has no mobile app, and on an iPad you edit boards in the browser.
- You are on a free plan and add a lot of content. Figma Starter limits the number of files, to 3 FigJam files in the team's folder plus unlimited drafts; Whimsical Free limits new content to 50 board objects per month.
Boards, wireframes and docs
| Compared on | Whimsical | FigJam |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | The whiteboard for product builders: diagrams to design and document implementation, wireframes to shape UI, and docs, in an interface optimized for speed | “FigJam empowers teams to build better products, together. Define ideas, align on decisions, and move work forward—all in one place.” FigJam is included with all seats on every Figma plan |
| Dark mode | Dark mode on the web and desktop apps, across boards, docs, navigation and settings. It is a per-account preference that follows your device's setting by default | No dark mode. Figma's plugin documentation says “FigJam currently does not support dark mode” |
| Wireframes | Low-fidelity wireframes on the same board as flowcharts and sticky notes. Frames and components have built-in options, such as button states, menu options and tabs, and a phone frame's status bar and keyboard | Components created in Figma Design can be used on a board: components from shared libraries, or a wireframe kit from the Figma Community |
| Docs | Docs that hold boards: nest a board in a doc, or copy part of a board and paste it into a doc as an embed that stays in sync with the board | Specs are a separate Figma product, Figma Specs, in beta on all seats. A spec can stand alone or sit on the canvas |
| Tables | Tables on boards, drawn or pasted from Google Sheets, Excel, Markdown or CSV. Formulas are not supported | Tables on boards, pasted from a spreadsheet such as Google Sheets or imported from a CSV file, and exported as images, PDFs or CSV files |
| Presenting | Presentation mode: each section or wireframe frame is a slide, and a presentation can be embedded | Slides are a separate Figma product, Figma Slides. AI generates a slide deck outline from a FigJam board |
| Time machine | Time machine records every change to a file. Play the history back, then restore or fork an earlier state. 7 days on Free, 90 days on Pro, unlimited on Business | A checkpoint every 30 minutes, which you can view, name, restore, duplicate and share. 30 days on Starter, the full history on paid plans |
| Voting and timer | Voting and timer on every plan, including Free | Timer on every plan. Voting from Professional |
| Technical diagrams | Paste Mermaid code onto a board to get an editable flowchart or sequence diagram | Diagramming tools and code blocks on every plan |
| Cloud architecture icons | AWS, Google Cloud, Azure and Kubernetes architecture icons in the icon picker on a board | Advanced shapes for AWS, Google Cloud Platform, Azure and Kubernetes from Professional |
| Exports | PNG, PDF (through print), SVG and Mermaid. Free exports carry a watermark | PNG, JPG and PDF; sticky notes and tables as CSV. SVG export from FigJam is not supported |
Sources: Whimsical home page, Dark mode in Whimsical, Getting started with wireframes, Getting started with docs, Using tables in Whimsical, Presenting in Whimsical, Time machine: file version history, Whimsical pricing, Importing to Whimsical, Cloud architecture icons in Whimsical, Exporting from Whimsical, FigJam, Figma plugin documentation: CSS variables and theming, Explore FigJam files, Figma pricing, Tables in FigJam, View a file's version history in Figma, Export your FigJam board
AI and MCP
| Compared on | Whimsical | FigJam |
|---|---|---|
| Built-in AI | Whimsical Agent creates and edits flowcharts, wireframes, mind maps, sequence diagrams, sticky notes and docs from a chat in the file | FigJam AI generates boards, diagrams, flow charts, timelines and Gantt charts from a text prompt, and sorts and summarizes sticky notes |
| MCP for AI tools | MCP server for Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, Codex and other AI tools: search, read, create, organize and edit boards and docs, and read and reply to comments | Figma MCP server: creates FigJam files, generates FigJam diagrams from a description or Mermaid syntax, reads FigJam diagrams as XML, and writes stickies, sections, connectors, shapes, tables and code blocks |
| MCP limits | Up to 300 requests per minute and 3,600 per hour per connection | Tools that read from Figma: up to 20 calls a month on Starter and on View and Collab seats. With a Full or Dev seat, up to 200 a day on Professional and Organization and 600 a day on Enterprise. Tools that write to files are exempt |
Sources: Whimsical Agent, Whimsical MCP supported tools, Use AI tools in FigJam, Figma MCP server tools, Figma MCP server rate limits and access
Integrations and import
| Compared on | Whimsical | FigJam |
|---|---|---|
| Importing from other tools | High-fidelity copy and paste: copy in the other tool and paste onto a board, and content from Miro, FigJam, Lucidchart, Lucidspark, Mural, Microsoft Whiteboard, Canva, Excalidraw, tldraw and draw.io arrives as editable objects, kept as close to the original as the differences between the tools allow. Visio .vsdx and FigJam .jam files can be dropped onto a board | Imports boards from Miro, Mural, Lucid and Google Jamboard, and PDF, CSV and image files |
| Bringing in a Miro board | Copy in Miro and paste onto a board, with no export. Shapes, sticky notes, text, frames, connectors, tables, mind maps and wireframe elements are rebuilt as editable Whimsical objects that keep their position, size, rotation, nesting and stacking order. Comments, tags and votes do not paste | Export the board from Miro as a vector PDF, then import the PDF. Sticky notes, text, shapes and connection lines keep their type. A table arrives as marker doodles and text; templates, embeds, emojis and third-party widgets arrive as images. Comments are not imported. In our own tests the import was lossy |
| Bringing in a Lucidchart document | Copy in Lucidchart and paste onto a board, with nothing to install or export. Flowchart shapes, sticky notes, connectors, swimlanes, tables, mind maps, org charts, cloud icons and images arrive as editable Whimsical objects. Shapes without a Whimsical match become rectangles that keep their text | Export the document from Lucid as a PDF, then import the PDF. Text, shapes and images keep their type. A sticky note arrives as a shape with text, a table as text and shapes, and connectors with text as images and text. Comments and uploaded files are not supported. In our own tests the import was lossy |
| Integrations | Jira, Confluence, Notion, GitHub, Slack, Linear, Asana, ClickUp, Trello, Monday, Zendesk, Google Docs, Canva and others, most of them embeds | Asana, Jira and GitHub integrations, plus widgets and plugins |
| API | API in beta: read-only, with access on request | REST APIs on every plan. Rate limits vary by seat, plan and API endpoint |
Sources: Importing to Whimsical, Moving from Miro to Whimsical, Moving from Lucidchart to Whimsical, Whimsical integrations, Whimsical API, Import and export with FigJam, Import Miro boards to FigJam, Import Lucid documents to FigJam, FigJam, Figma pricing
Apps
| Compared on | Whimsical | FigJam |
|---|---|---|
| Desktop app | macOS, Windows and Linux | macOS and Windows |
| Mobile app | No mobile app. On a phone, boards can be viewed and commented on in the browser | Figma app for iOS and Android: view and comment on boards |
| On a tablet | Boards can be edited in the browser on a tablet such as an iPad. On an iPad, Whimsical can be added to the home screen from Safari | The Figma iPad app views and edits FigJam boards |
Sources: Whimsical desktop app, Using Whimsical on mobile, Does Whimsical work on iPad?, Figma downloads, Guide to the Figma mobile app
Security and admin
| Compared on | Whimsical | FigJam |
|---|---|---|
| SAML single sign-on | SAML SSO on Business | On Organization and Enterprise |
| SCIM provisioning | SCIM on Business | Provisioning via SCIM on Organization and Enterprise. Role assignment via SCIM on Enterprise |
| Password protection | Password-protected files on Pro and Business | Password-protected files from Professional |
| Compliance | SOC 2 Type 2; supports GDPR and CCPA compliance | SOC 2 Type 2 and SOC 3 reports; certified against ISO/IEC 27001:2022 and ISO/IEC 27018:2019 |
Sources: Whimsical pricing, Figma pricing, Figma security
Free plan limits
| Compared on | Whimsical | FigJam |
|---|---|---|
| Boards and content | Unlimited boards and docs, with 50 new board objects and 50 new doc blocks per month. At the limit, content is view-only until the 1st of the next month | 3 FigJam files in the team's folder, plus unlimited drafts |
| Sharing | Public share links can allow viewing, commenting and editing | The team's folder is open to all members of the plan. Collaborators can be invited to drafts with view access only |
| Voting and timer | Voting and timer included | Timer included. Voting starts on Professional |
| Time machine | 7 days of Time machine history | 30 days of version history |
| Exports | Exports carry a “Made with Whimsical” watermark | PNG, JPG, PDF and CSV exports on any plan |
Sources: Whimsical Free plan limits, Whimsical pricing, Exporting from Whimsical, Figma Starter plan overview, Figma pricing, Export your FigJam board
Plans and prices
| Compared on | Whimsical | FigJam |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Free: $0 | Starter: Free |
| First paid plan | Pro: $10 per editor per month billed annually, or $12 billed monthly | Professional, billed annually: a Collab seat, which includes FigJam, is $3 per month; a Full seat is $16 per month |
| Business plan | Business: $20 per editor per month billed annually, or $24 billed monthly | Organization, billed annually: Collab seat $5 per month; Full seat $55 per month |
| Enterprise plan | No separate Enterprise plan. Business includes SAML SSO and SCIM, and custom terms are arranged with sales | Enterprise, billed annually: Collab seat $5 per month; Full seat $90 per month |
| Who needs a paid seat | Editors only. Viewers and guests are free and unlimited on every plan | Full access to FigJam comes with a Collab, Dev or Full seat. On a paid plan, others can view and comment without a paid seat |
| Education | Free for students and teachers for a year; 20% off for non-profits | Free for verified students and educators |
Sources: Whimsical pricing, Whimsical pricing and discounts, Figma pricing, Figma for Education
Switching from FigJam to Whimsical
You do not have to rebuild your boards. Select what you want in FigJam, copy it, and paste it onto a Whimsical board. Shapes, sticky notes, text, sections, connectors, tables, code blocks and mind maps arrive as editable Whimsical objects. To bring a whole file across with its images, save a local copy in FigJam and drop the .jam file onto a board. See Moving from FigJam to Whimsical for what comes across and what does not.
Whimsical's plans are on the pricing page. Also compare: Whimsical vs Miro, Whimsical vs Lucidchart
Frequently asked questions
- Both are online whiteboards for teams that build products. Whimsical is the whiteboard for product builders: flowcharts, wireframes, mind maps, sequence diagrams, sticky notes, tables and docs in one interface optimized for speed. FigJam is Figma's whiteboard. It is included with all seats on every Figma plan, components made in Figma Design can be used on a board, and specs and slides are separate Figma products, Figma Specs (in beta) and Figma Slides.
- Yes, in both. Whimsical boards have a wireframe mode: frames and components have built-in options such as button states, menu options and tabs, and Whimsical Agent or an AI tool connected through MCP can generate wireframes and rework existing ones. In FigJam you can use components created in Figma Design on a board, from your shared libraries or from a wireframe kit in the Figma Community.
- Both have an MCP server. Whimsical's lets Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, Codex and other AI tools search, read, create, organize and edit boards and docs, create and reflow wireframes, and read and reply to comments, with up to 300 requests per minute and 3,600 per hour per connection. Figma's MCP server creates FigJam files, generates FigJam diagrams from a description or Mermaid syntax, reads FigJam diagrams as XML, and writes stickies, sections, connectors, shapes, tables and code blocks. Its tools that read from Figma are limited to 20 calls a month on Starter and on View and Collab seats, and with a Full or Dev seat to 200 a day on Professional and Organization and 600 a day on Enterprise; tools that write to files are exempt.
- Whimsical has docs that can hold boards, tables on boards that you can paste from a spreadsheet, and a presentation mode in which each section or wireframe frame is a slide. Boards and docs can also be pages of one multi-page file. FigJam has tables on boards. In Figma, specs and slides are separate products: Figma Specs, in beta on all seats, and Figma Slides, where AI can generate a slide deck outline from a FigJam board.
- Yes. Copy a selection or a section in FigJam, in the browser or the desktop app, and paste it onto a Whimsical board. Shapes, sticky notes, text, sections, connectors, tables, code blocks and mind maps arrive as editable Whimsical objects. Images do not come across with copy and paste; to bring a whole file with its images, choose Save local copy in FigJam and drop the .jam file onto a Whimsical board.
- In Whimsical you copy the content in Miro or Lucidchart and paste it onto a board, with nothing to export. It arrives as editable Whimsical objects, kept as close to the original as the differences between the tools allow; from Miro, objects keep their position, size, rotation, nesting and stacking order. FigJam imports Miro and Lucid boards from a PDF that you export from the other tool. Figma's help center lists how objects arrive: from Miro, a table becomes marker doodles and text, and templates, embeds and emojis become images; from Lucid, a sticky note becomes a shape with text. In our own tests the import was lossy. FigJam does not import comments from Miro or Lucid, and comments do not paste from Miro into Whimsical.
- Whimsical's Time machine records every change to a file. You can play the history back and restore or fork an earlier state. It covers 7 days on Free, 90 days on Pro and is unlimited on Business. Figma saves a checkpoint of a file every 30 minutes, which you can view, name, restore, duplicate and share; the Starter plan keeps 30 days and paid plans keep the full history.
- Whimsical has dark mode on the web and desktop apps. It covers boards, including the canvas, as well as docs, navigation and settings. It follows your device's setting by default and changes only your own view, not your teammates'. FigJam has no dark mode: Figma's plugin documentation says “FigJam currently does not support dark mode”.
- Whimsical has desktop apps for macOS, Windows and Linux and no mobile app. On a tablet such as an iPad you can edit boards in the browser, and on a phone you can view boards and add comments in the browser. Figma has an app for iOS and Android in which you can view and comment on boards, and on an iPad edit FigJam boards. Its desktop app is for macOS and Windows.
- Whimsical Free has unlimited boards and docs but allows 50 new board objects and 50 new doc blocks per month; at the limit, content is view-only until the 1st of the next month. It includes voting, a timer and 7 days of Time machine history. Figma's free Starter plan has 3 FigJam files in the team's folder plus unlimited drafts, which can be shared with view access only. It includes the timer and 30 days of version history; voting starts on Professional.
- Whimsical Pro is $10 per editor per month billed annually, or $12 billed monthly, and Business is $20 per editor per month billed annually. FigJam is included with all seats on every Figma plan. On Figma's Professional plan, billed annually, a Collab seat, which includes FigJam, is $3 per month and a Full seat, which adds Figma Design, is $16 per month; on Organization they are $5 and $55. In Whimsical only editors need a paid seat, and viewers and guests are free and unlimited on every plan. On a paid Figma plan, others can view and comment without a paid seat.