🎨 FigJam vs Mural: Which Collaborative Whiteboard is Right for Your Team?

Choosing the right collaborative whiteboard tool can transform how your team brainstorms, plans, and collaborates remotely. FigJam and Mural are two leading platforms that empower design teams, product managers, and remote teams to visualize ideas and work together in real-time. But which one is the best fit for your specific needs? This comparison breaks down the key differences in features, pricing, and ideal use cases to help you make an informed decision.

🌐 What is Collaborative Whiteboarding Software?

Collaborative whiteboarding software provides digital canvases where teams can brainstorm, diagram, plan, and organize ideas together in real-time. These platforms replace traditional physical whiteboards with infinite digital spaces that support sticky notes, drawings, templates, voting, and seamless integration with design and project management tools.

Key Capabilities:

• Real-time collaboration with unlimited participants
• Pre-built templates for workshops, retrospectives, and brainstorming
• Interactive elements like sticky notes, shapes, and connectors
• Voting and timer features for structured facilitation
• Integration with design and productivity tools

📊 FigJam vs Mural: Head-to-Head Comparison

🎯 FigJam - The Designer's Collaborative Whiteboard

FigJam is Figma's collaborative whiteboard tool, purpose-built for design teams and product development workflows. Launched in 2021, it seamlessly integrates with Figma's design platform, making it the natural choice for teams already using Figma.

Key Features:

• Native integration with Figma design files
• AI-powered diagramming and auto-organization
• Audio chat built directly into the whiteboard
• Unlimited free collaborators on any plan
• Widget ecosystem with Asana, Jira, and Notion integrations

Pricing: Free plan available; Professional plan starts at $3/editor/month (billed annually)

Best For: Design teams, product managers, and organizations already using Figma who want seamless workflow integration.

🖼️ Mural - The Enterprise Visual Collaboration Platform

Mural is a mature visual collaboration platform trusted by over 2,000 enterprise organizations including IBM, Microsoft, and Atlassian. Founded in 2011, Mural offers extensive facilitation features and enterprise-grade security for large-scale collaboration.

Key Features:

• 300+ professional templates for workshops and frameworks
• Advanced facilitation tools including private mode and summon participants
• SCIM provisioning and SSO for enterprise security
• Extensive integrations with Microsoft Teams, Slack, and Azure
• Outline view for structured navigation of complex boards

Pricing: Free plan for up to 3 editable boards; Team+ plan starts at $9.99/member/month (billed annually)

Best For: Enterprise organizations, professional facilitators, and teams running structured workshops and design thinking sessions.

🔍 Key Differences: FigJam vs Mural

Integration Ecosystem:

FigJam excels if you're embedded in the Figma design ecosystem, offering one-click transitions between whiteboarding and design work. Mural provides broader enterprise integrations with Microsoft 365, Azure AD, and extensive API capabilities for custom workflows.

Collaboration Model:

FigJam allows unlimited free viewers and collaborators on any paid plan, making it cost-effective for organizations with many stakeholders. Mural charges per member for full editing capabilities, which can become expensive for larger teams.

Template Library:

Mural offers 300+ professionally designed templates covering design thinking, agile methodologies, and strategic planning frameworks. FigJam's template library is smaller but growing rapidly, with strong focus on product design workflows.

Facilitation Features:

Mural's advanced facilitation tools like private mode, summon participants, and voting make it superior for running structured workshops. FigJam's built-in audio chat and simpler interface make it easier for quick collaborative sessions.

🎯 Which Tool Should You Choose?

For design-centric teams: Choose FigJam if your team already uses Figma for design work. The seamless integration between whiteboarding and design creation eliminates context switching and accelerates product development.

For enterprise organizations: Choose Mural if you need advanced security features like SCIM provisioning, SSO, and compliance certifications. Mural's enterprise focus ensures scalability and governance.

For budget-conscious teams: Choose FigJam for its unlimited free collaborators and lower per-editor pricing. Teams can invite unlimited stakeholders without additional costs.

For professional facilitators: Choose Mural if you regularly run structured workshops, design sprints, or training sessions. The advanced facilitation features justify the higher investment.

For hybrid teams: Consider using both tools—FigJam for product design collaboration and Mural for strategic planning and cross-functional workshops.

🚀 Conclusion

Both FigJam and Mural are excellent collaborative whiteboarding platforms, but they serve different organizational needs. FigJam delivers exceptional value for design-focused teams seeking tight integration with their design workflow, offering unlimited collaboration at an affordable price point. Mural provides enterprise-grade features and extensive template libraries that make it ideal for professional facilitators and large organizations requiring advanced security.

Your choice ultimately depends on your team's primary use case, existing tool ecosystem, and budget constraints. If you're deeply invested in Figma's design platform, FigJam is the obvious choice. If you need robust facilitation capabilities and enterprise features, Mural's additional investment pays dividends in workshop effectiveness and organizational scalability.

Start with the free plans of both platforms to experience their interfaces firsthand. Many successful teams use both tools strategically—leveraging each platform's unique strengths for different collaboration scenarios.