Freedom251 › Online whiteboards
Spacedeck Open

What Spacedeck Open is
Spacedeck Open is a free, open-source web whiteboard for real-time collaboration on large virtual canvases called Spaces. Users can add images, video, and audio from a computer or the web, then arrange them with formatted text, drawings, annotations, and highlighting shapes. Multiple people can work on a Space together and share it on the web or by email. A Space can be converted into a zooming presentation. Listed uses include education, creative mood boards, brainstorming, design thinking, visual note taking, and planning. The project supports local or self-hosted deployment and provides Docker instructions. By default, media is stored in a storage folder and data in database.sqlite; AWS S3 configuration is documented as well. Requirements include Node.js 18.x and Graphicsmagick, with ffmpeg, audiowaveform, and Ghostscript optional. The source is released under the GNU Affero General Public License version 3. PDF and ZIP export are described, although export is currently being fixed.
Who it suits
Spacedeck Open fits educators, creative teams, planners, and organizations wanting a self-hosted collaborative whiteboard. It supports media-rich canvases, real-time participation, and presentation use.
What it does well
- Free and open source under AGPLv3
- Supports virtually unlimited-size Spaces
- Collaborates in real time
- Accepts image, video, and audio media
- Offers local or self-hosted deployment
What to know first
- Export functionality is currently being fixed
- Requires Node.js 18.x and Graphicsmagick
- Optional media tools may be needed
- GitHub lists no releases
Plans
| Plan | Billed and limits | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Spacedeck Open | Free and open source · self-hosted or local version | Free |
As github.com lists them, read 11 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.
Verdict
Spacedeck Open provides a self-hosted, media-friendly collaborative canvas with presentation capabilities. Its open-source deployment model suits users comfortable managing the listed software requirements.
Facts from Spacedeck Open's own pages
- Collaboration
- Spaces support real-time collaboration and can be shared on the web or by email. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
- Deployment
- The README describes self-hosted or local use and includes Docker instructions. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
- Downloads
- The GitHub releases page says there are no releases listed. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
- Editing
- The app supports formatted text and drawing, annotation, and highlighting with graphical shapes. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
- Export
- The README lists printable PDF and ZIP export, and notes that export is currently being fixed. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
- Founded
- 2011 · github.com, 28 Sept 2026
- Free plan
- No · github.com, 19 Sept 2026
- Headquarters
- Berlin, Germany · github.com, 28 Sept 2026
- License
- The source code is released under the GNU Affero General Public License version 3. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
- Media
- Users can drag and drop images, videos, and audio from their computer or the web. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
- Platforms
- The project describes a web application that can run locally or self-hosted; the opened project pages do not state support for specific desktop or mobile operating systems. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
- Presentations
- A Space can be turned into a zooming presentation. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- Spacedeck Open is a web-based, real-time collaborative whiteboard with rich media support. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
- Requirements
- The listed requirements include Node.js 18.x and Graphicsmagick, with ffmpeg, audiowaveform, and Ghostscript described as optional dependencies. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
- Spaces
- Users can create virtually unlimited-size virtual whiteboards called Spaces. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
- Storage
- By default, media is stored in a storage folder and the database in database.sqlite; the README also documents AWS S3 configuration. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
- Use cases
- The project lists education, creative mood boards, brainstorming, design thinking, visual note taking, and planning as use cases. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
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