Compare Openmeetings and Drawpile on pricing, features, platforms, and ratings — both Collaboration tools, Open Source vs Free / Open Source pricing to decide…
At a Glance
Openmeetings
Drawpile
Primary category
Collaboration
Collaboration
Rating
Not documented
Not documented
Pricing model
Open Source
Free / Open Source
Starting price
Free
Free
Free plan
Not documented
Yes
Free trial
Not documented
Not documented
Platforms
Web
Web, Android, Mac, Windows
Team collaboration
Not documented
Not documented
AI features
Not documented
Not documented
Public API
Not documented
Not documented
Pricing Compared
Starting price reflects the lowest paid tier, not the full cost for every team size or usage level.
Openmeetings
Open Source (Self-Hosted) — Free N/A
Drawpile
Free (Open Source) — Free N/A
Pros & Cons
Openmeetings
Pros
Completely free and open source under the Apache License
Self-hostable for full control over meeting data and privacy
No per-user licensing fees regardless of meeting size
HTML5-based with no plugin requirements
Integrates with enterprise identity systems via LDAP and OAuth2
Cons
User interface is dated compared to modern tools like Zoom or Google Meet
Self-hosting requires server and media infrastructure expertise (Kurento setup)
Smaller community and slower release cadence than commercial competitors
Mobile experience is more limited than native mobile conferencing apps
Documentation can be sparse for advanced configuration scenarios
Drawpile
Pros
Completely free and open source under the GPLv3 license
Genuine real-time multi-user drawing with no per-seat cost or account requirement
Available on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and via a browser-based version
Governed by a non-profit structure explicitly designed to keep the software public and free permanently
Cons
Development is driven by a small team, so feature velocity can be slower than well-funded commercial tools
Lacks some advanced digital-painting features found in dedicated commercial apps like Photoshop or Clip Studio Paint
Real-time collaboration performance depends on the server used, whether self-hosted or a community server
Animation tools are described as rudimentary rather than a full animation production suite
Use Cases
Openmeetings
Online education and training — Educational institutions host online classes and training sessions using Openmeetings' whiteboard and recording features.
Self-hosted enterprise conferencing — Enterprises that require full data control deploy Openmeetings on their own infrastructure instead of using SaaS conferencing tools.
Embedded white-label conferencing — Developers use Openmeetings' REST and SOAP APIs to embed video conferencing into their own websites or products.
Drawpile
Real-time collaborative illustration — A group of artists works together on a single piece of art in real time, seeing each other's brushstrokes live.
Teaching digital painting — An instructor demonstrates brush techniques live while students draw alongside them in the same session.
Livestreamed art sessions and battles — Streamers host live, multi-artist drawing sessions or friendly art battles that viewers can watch unfold in real time.