Brandwave

Creately vs Excalidraw:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Excalidraw had more branded searches than Creately among diagramming software worldwide. Excalidraw had about 823,000 branded searches, while Creately had 18,300. Excalidraw made up 13.5% of all diagramming software searches we track, and Creately accounted for 0.3%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about diagramming software, Excalidraw appeared in three of the five answers and Creately in none.

Among diagramming software worldwide in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Excalidraw, about 45 searches for every 1 for Creately

Excalidraw 823K searchesCreately 18.3K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Excalidraw, mentioned in 3 of 5 answers, Creately in 0

Excalidraw in 3 of 5Creately in 0 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Excalidraw, the only one of the two named

Excalidraw first in 3Creately never named

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Top diagramming software in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Excalidraw was mentioned in three out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Creately did not appear in any of the five answers.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. draw.io1st
  2. Lucidchart2nd
  3. Miro3rd
  4. Mermaid4th
  5. Whimsical5th
  6. Excalidraw6th
  7. Microsoft Visio7th
  8. SmartDraw8th
  9. Creately–
  10. Gliffy–

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • draw.io5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Miro5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Lucidchart5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Excalidraw3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Mermaid3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Whimsical3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Microsoft Visio2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • SmartDraw1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Creately0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Gliffy0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about diagramming software

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 20, 2026.

Is Creately or Excalidraw more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Creately and Excalidraw by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all ten diagramming software we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.

Creately and Excalidraw among diagramming software worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for Excalidraw, Creately. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
Monthdraw.ioMiroExcalidrawLucidchartMicrosoft VisioSmartDrawMermaidCreatelyGliffyWhimsical
Oct 202534.1%33.3%8.2%12.4%8%1.7%1.6%0.61%0.17%0.01%
Nov 202537.3%29.8%9%11.2%8.2%1.8%1.9%0.67%0.15%0.01%
Dec 202537.3%30.1%11%9.2%8.3%1.5%1.9%0.55%0.16%0.01%
Jan 202636.5%29.3%10.7%9%9.9%1.8%2.2%0.44%0.19%0.01%
Feb 202635.6%28.5%10.5%10.7%9.7%2.1%2.1%0.53%0.18%0.02%
Mar 202636.7%29.3%10.8%11.1%8.1%1.8%1.4%0.54%0.16%0.01%
Apr 202636.9%29.5%10.8%11.1%8.1%1.5%1.5%0.44%0.13%0.01%
May 202640.5%26.6%12%10.2%7.3%1.3%1.5%0.4%0.12%0.01%
Jun 202636.6%29.5%13.2%9.4%8.1%1.2%1.6%0.3%0.11%0.02%
Jul 202635.3%28.2%15.6%9.4%8.3%1.4%1.4%0.28%0.13%0.02%
Aug 202635.5%28.2%15.6%9.5%7.9%1.8%1.3%0.28%0.13%0.01%
Sep 202637.6%30%13.5%9.3%6.8%1.5%0.91%0.3%0.09%<0.01%

How has the Creately and Excalidraw comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • Excalidraw was ahead of Creately in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Creately’s share of searches among diagramming software worldwide moved from 0.61% to 0.3%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 40.8K to 18.3K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Excalidraw’s share of searches among diagramming software worldwide moved from 8.2% to 13.5%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 550K to 823K.

How did search popularity change for diagramming software worldwide in September 2026?

2 changes

  1. In September 2026, Excalidraw lost share of searches among diagramming software worldwide, from 15.6% to 13.5%.

  2. Estimated monthly branded searches for Creately worldwide fell 55.1% over 12 measured months, from 40.8K to 18.3K in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted?

4 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Creately’s and Excalidraw’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.

Creately

3 branded search terms

  • creately
  • creately app
  • creately diagrams

Excalidraw

1 branded search term

  • excalidraw

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among diagramming software

Creator with pink hair and a pink jacket

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