The collaboration between your employees and you is essential in our digital age. The tides have turned around, and we are all using online meeting software.
There is a way of achieving such collaboration – it is called a digital whiteboard. Let’s see what it is all about.
What is a Virtual Digital Whiteboard?
A virtual whiteboard is, essentially, a whiteboard used to convey ideas and work on specific topics; just make it digital. Then, a virtual digital whiteboard is what you just presume. This way, you will have no problem with collaborating with other workers and have unlimited space. A virtual whiteboard is just an upgrade on what is traditional about a whiteboard.
Why should you use an online whiteboard?
There are a couple of reasons why you should use an online whiteboard. These can be listed as;
- Easy to collaborate for the people who are working remotely
- Visualize everything a team works on
- Makes online meetings more efficient
- Makes teams more creative while working digitally
These four reasons are why you should get an online whiteboard from the perspective of a business. However, virtual whiteboards are also used in online teaching. But, these four reasons are also valid for online teaching. Students can easily collaborate on an assignment, visualize their ideas, etc.
6 Virtual Whiteboard Tools
There are a number of contexts where you can use an online whiteboard. I will list them here and clearly state in which contexts the given whiteboard is useful.
1- Miro
Let’s start the list with a well-known whiteboard. Miro Board offers you more than you might need. The Miro marketplace is full of plugins and apps you can easily integrate. Also, this app can be of use for every type of group. It presents you with endless possibilities.
Best for: Brainstorming, Large Groups, Small Groups
Pricing: Free version is available, starts from $8 for every individual in team plans.
Pros: Has lots of features
Cons: Can be hard to use and to navigate sometimes.
2- Canva
The Online Whiteboard from Canva is an essential visual communication tool that will make it easier for teams to work together and inspire better workplace collaboration and productivity. You have all the space you need to let your best thoughts run wild. Making your whiteboard work for you by having all the visuals you require at your fingertips will allow you to brainstorm with your team, develop flow charts, and create a mood board.
Best for: Brainstorming, Large Groups, Small Groups
Pricing: Free
Pros: Has lots of features (Collaborative: Easy collaboration in real-time. Extensive library: hundreds of templates with popular use cases. Infinite canvas for unlimited space)
Cons: Drawing (coming soon)
Only 50 collaborators at the same time
3- Limnu
Limnu is here to change the way of teaching online. It is regarded as one of the closest experiences to a real whiteboard. You can invite your students without breaking a sweat. You can also limit the permissions of your students just to a viewing mode. You can easily start your class thanks to its ease of use.
Best for: Teaching
Pricing: Free plan – $5/month Pro Plan – Monthly $8/user for Team Plan
Pros: Easy to join to whiteboards and a well-done interface.
Cons: Video calls are a problem.
4- Conceptboard
With Conceptboard, you can create whiteboards that are designed for teaching without any tutor. The integration of video and audio material is a huge part of Conceptboard. And you can make your whiteboards interactive thanks to these integrations. Also, it offers you screen sharing and video chat.
Best for: Tutorless Teaching
Pricing: Free Plan, Premium Plan – $6/month, Business Plan – $9.5/month
Pros: Integration of visual and audio material is convenient
Cons: Laggy if you have lots of content on your whiteboard.
5- Mural
Mural is your option to go if you are managing more than one group. Mural can supply multiple whiteboard areas, and you can create different rooms for each one of the groups working. Maybe one of the most striking features of Mural is the voting system. Sometimes disagreements occur, and to solve them; you can use the anonymous voting system Mural offers you.
Best for: Enterprises and Large Groups
Pricing: Free Plan, Team+ Plan – $9.99/user, Business Plan – $17.99/user, Enterprise Plan – Please contact Mural’s sales team.
Pros: Highly functional. Great customer service. Helps clients to learn how to use it effectively.
Cons: No free plan available. Might be a bit expensive.
6- Explain Everything
Explain Everything, at its core, offers you a generic online whiteboard experience. However, what makes it stand out is the video recording capabilities. For example, you are teaching a subject to your students, with Explain Everything, you can record the class and prepare it for those who have missed the class. It can also be used for training your employees on a topic.
Best for: Video Presentations
Pricing: Free Plan, Solo Teacher – $34.99/year, Class Plan – $129/year, School Plan – Please contact Explain Everything’s sales team.
Pros: You can edit and segment your recordings.
Cons: It needs some time to get used to it.
7- Witeboard
Finally, there is Witeboard. This web-based whiteboard is easy to use. If you are a small team, you can make the most of it. You can invite your coworkers to work on a whiteboard via a link. You can use it for the temporary notes or concepts that you will never return.
Best for: Small teams
Pricing: Free
Pros: Free and easy to use
Cons: Does not have lots of features, pretty basic. Boards can only be saved as images.
These 6 are the pinnacle of the online whiteboards. Each one of them offers you something that will come in handy according to your purpose of use, number of individuals in your team, etc. So, doing a little bit more research on them regarding what we have described is now up to you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Google have a whiteboard app?
Yes, Google does have a whiteboard app. It is called Google Jamboard, and it can be integrated into Google Meet – Google’s video conferencing app.
Is there a free whiteboard online?
There are free whiteboards online. Witeboard is one of the free whiteboards you can use in our list. Also, there are plenty of whiteboards that offer free plans.
Which whiteboard is best for online teaching?
Limnu and Conceptboard are the ones best for online teaching in this list. However, Explain Everything and Miro can also be used for online teaching since they offer high functionality to be used in an online classroom setting.
