Remote collaboration has evolved far beyond video calls. In 2025, visual whiteboarding tools like Miro, Mural, and Butter are critical for brainstorming, design sprints, team alignment, and workshops — especially for async and hybrid teams.
In this comparison, we break down the strengths and tradeoffs of the top whiteboard platforms to help you decide which one fits your team’s needs.
Quick Comparison Table
| Feature | Miro | Mural | Butter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best For | Product & UX teams | Enterprise facilitation | Live workshops + sessions |
| Templates & Toolkits | ✅ 200+ | ✅ 300+ | ⚠️ Limited templates |
| Collaboration | ✅ Real-time + async | ✅ Real-time + async | ✅ Live-only |
| Whiteboarding UX | ✅ Best-in-class | ✅ Advanced | ⚠️ Basic |
| Presentation Mode | ✅ Frames & follow | ✅ Facilitator tools | ✅ Agenda timer, polls |
| Integrations | ✅ Slack, Figma, Jira | ✅ Microsoft, Zoom | ✅ Google Calendar, Miro |
| Pricing Starts At | Free / $10/user/month | Free / $12/user/month | Free / $15/host/month |
1. Miro
Overview:
Miro is a visual collaboration powerhouse used by product teams, designers, agile squads, and remote-first orgs.
Best For:
Remote teams who want infinite canvas, real-time collaboration, async workflows, and deep integrations.
Key Features:
- Infinite whiteboard canvas
- 200+ built-in templates
- Frames, sticky notes, reactions
- Async comments + video chat
- App ecosystem (Slack, Jira, Zapier)
Pros:
✔ Excellent UX and speed
✔ Great for product design + agile workflows
✔ Powerful templates and integrations
✔ Works well async or live
Cons:
✖ Can be overwhelming for new users
✖ Paid plans needed for full team collaboration
✖ Slight learning curve
Pricing:
Free for 3 boards
Paid starts at $10/user/month
2. Mural
Overview:
Mural is a whiteboarding and visual facilitation platform trusted by large teams for design thinking, strategy, and collaboration.
Best For:
Enterprises, consultants, and design teams who need structured brainstorming.
Key Features:
- Visual thinking + diagram tools
- 300+ templates and toolkits
- Voting, timers, facilitator mode
- Comments, chat, and content library
- Integrations with Teams, Zoom, GitHub
Pros:
✔ Intuitive workshop tools
✔ Great for structured team sessions
✔ Enterprise-grade security
✔ Real-time and async capabilities
Cons:
✖ UI less polished than Miro
✖ Limited drawing tools
✖ Pricing steeper for startups
Pricing:
Free trial available
Paid starts at $12/user/month
3. Butter
Overview:
Butter is an all-in-one platform for live workshops, combining whiteboarding, polls, breakout rooms, and agendas in a single interface.
Best For:
Facilitators, educators, and coaches running live interactive workshops or training sessions.
Key Features:
- Live whiteboard + Miro embed
- Timer, polls, Q&A, chat
- Agenda and co-facilitator tools
- Breakout rooms with templates
- Playback and session recaps
Pros:
✔ Fun, engaging UI
✔ Easy to manage live sessions
✔ Works great with Miro, Google Slides
✔ Built for interaction, not just drawing
Cons:
✖ No infinite whiteboard
✖ Not ideal for async or static use
✖ Limited offline content editing
Pricing:
Free for small teams
Paid starts at $15/host/month
Use Case Recommendations
| Goal | Best Tool |
|---|---|
| Design sprints & product roadmaps | Miro |
| Enterprise workshops & facilitation | Mural |
| Live workshops & breakout sessions | Butter |
| Async brainstorming | Miro |
| Team retrospectives & ideation | Mural |
| Coaching & interactive sessions | Butter |
Final Verdict
- Choose Miro if you want a modern, full-featured visual workspace for both async and real-time collaboration.
- Choose Mural if you’re in consulting or enterprise teams that run structured workshops regularly.
- Choose Butter if you lead live workshops or trainings and need one tool to handle it all.
