Prime 6 Google Recommended Jamboard Options & Extra – Uplaza

Google introduced final yr that assist for Jamboard gadgets and apps will finish as of Oct. 1, 2024. Google Jamboard delivers easy-to-use collaborative drawing capabilities to individuals who use Google Workspace by means of a mixture of Jamboard apps and a Jamboard gadget. The Jamboard apps can be utilized with out shopping for a Jamboard gadget and work on the internet, iOS, iPadOS, and Android gadgets and in Google Meet.

Individuals who use Jamboard gadgets or apps might want to search alternate options. For {hardware} choices, Google’s announcement really useful both the Sequence One Board 65 (priced round $9,000) or the Sequence One Desk 27 (priced round $2,000), each by Avocor.

Three software program options — FigJam by Figma, Lucidspark by Lucid Software program, and Miro — have been built-in to work with Sequence One gadgets, and import choices for Jamboard content material can be found.

Prime Jamboard opponents and alternate options: Comparability desk

Individuals who use the Jamboard apps, impartial of the Jamboard gadget, might take into account a variety of software program alternate options. The next six choices all assist visible collaboration and may function appropriate replacements for Jamboard.

FigJam by Figma: Greatest for pleasant design

Picture: FigJam

Figma, a collaborative interface design utility firm, launched FigJam (Determine A) in 2021. FigJam helps drawing instruments, shapes, stickers, notes, textual content, connectors, and stamps, together with part and desk administration options. You might also import photos or insert hyperlinks to internet assets, together with shared Google Drive information. Cursor chat allows an ephemeral dialog with collaborators that disappears whenever you exit the mode, whereas the remark system permits standard feedback on content material wherever on the board. FigJam presents just a few extra options than Jamboard, delivered with a cleanly designed consumer interface, as you may anticipate. Included with these is FigJam AI, a brand new collaboration software that helps groups brainstorm with AI-generated strategies, text-to-image capabilities, and automations.

Determine A

Determine A: Screenshot exhibiting the interface of a brand new, clean FigJam board on a Chromebook. Picture: Andy Wolber/TechRepublic

Figma’s possession deserves point out since Adobe, a artistic content material large, introduced an settlement to amass Figma in September 2022; nonetheless, the deal was terminated in December 2023. Whereas possession doesn’t straight have an effect on product options, the truth that Figma as soon as sought to merge with a bigger firm might sign a long run potential for acquisition.

Execs Cons
FigJam app is obtainable on the internet (and Google
Workspace Market) and iPad.
No devoted FigJam iPhone or Android app.
Clear design. No offline mode.
Extra options than Google Jamboard.
Free version is obtainable to college students and educators.

Pricing

Figma presents 4 FigJam pricing plans: Starter, Skilled, Group, and Enterprise.

  • Starter, which is free and allows you to create as much as three Figma and three FigJam information, with limitless private information and limitless collaborators, amongst different options.
  • Skilled, $5 per full seat per thirty days. Consists of all Starter options and provides limitless FigJam information, open periods, password protections, voting, and extra. College students and educators might entry this version at no cost.
  • Group, $5 per full seat per thirty days. Consists of all Profesional options plus customized colours and templates, centralized administration, centralized content material administration, and extra.
  • Enterprise, $5 per full seat per thirty days. Consists of all Group options, plus devoted workspaces, visitor entry controls, together with many different consumer administration and security measures.

Miro: Greatest for enterprise integrations

Picture: Miro

Miro (Determine B), previously often known as RealtimeBoard, supplies a sturdy set of options all centered round visible collaboration. Commonplace drawing instruments can be found to attract, add shapes (together with flowchart and Unified Modeling Language symbols), sticky notes, and textual content, together with many templates. Miro additionally allows you to add an enormous number of content material varieties, together with photos, spreadsheets, tables, kanban, code blocks, charts, diagrams, and extra. Timer, voting, chat, video chat, and notes allow you to collaborate with others in varied methods in your board content material, whereas the brand new “Create with AI” function generates concepts from a immediate or gadgets on a board.

Determine B

Determine B: Screenshot exhibiting the interface of a brand new, clean Miro board on a Chromebook. Picture: Andy Wolber/TechRepublic

Miro allows you to current your board to different individuals in a number of methods. The Talktrack function allows you to file a video together with your webcam (inset in a circle on the display) as you navigate and focus on the board. The ensuing video is saved and could also be shared. Alternatively, you could current both the complete board, which hides many menus to emphasise your content material; or current frames, which lets you outline and navigate chosen sections of content material so as. Enterprise and Enterprise editions provide entry to facilitation instruments to assist actions equivalent to voting and including sticky notes or reactions.

Execs Cons
Miro app is obtainable on the internet (and
Google Workspace Market), macOS,
Home windows, iPhone, iPad and Android.
No offline mode.
Very full-featured.
Numerous sorts of content material will be added.
Helpful number of presentation choices.

Pricing

Miro presents 4 pricing plans for skilled use: Free, Starter, Enterprise, and Enterprise.

  • Free, which incorporates one workspace with three editable boards, 5 Talktracks, entry to templates, and assist for integrations.
  • Starter, $8 per member per thirty days, paid yearly. This plan provides limitless boards, high-resolution exports, collaboration with limitless guests on public boards, limitless Talktracks, limitless venture folders, Personal Mode sticky notes, model historical past, assembly options (e.g., timers, voting, and video chat), and personal boards.
  • Enterprise, $16 per member per thirty days paid yearly. This plan contains all Starter options, plus limitless boards for each crew and consumer, safe collaboration with limitless company on personal and crew boards, superior form entry, enhanced assembly options (e.g., breakouts and voting), and extra.
  • Enterprise, which requires contacting gross sales for pricing. This plan contains all Enterprise options plus added safety, compliance, administration, and reporting capabilities, together with premium assist.

College students, educators, and non-profits might entry completely different Miro pricing plans.

  • Educator plans are designed for employees members and college students of instructional institutes. For educators, the plan is legitimate indefinitely, however for college kids they’re legitimate for 2 years. They arrive with limitless lively boards, board viewers, and commenters, coaching and discussion board assets, and extra.
  • Nonprofits can get a 30% low cost on paid Miros plans.

SEE: Find out how to use Miro as your whiteboard in a digital assembly

Lucidspark by Lucid Software program: Greatest for experimental AI

Picture: Lucidspark

Lucidspark (Determine C) supplies a board on which you’ll draw and add photos, shapes, sticky notes, textual content, and contours. The feedback and process system lets board collaborators not solely touch upon particular board content material but additionally assign work to a colleague. To help rationalization, you could outline body areas and designate paths in order to point out sections of the board in sequence. Visible actions templates assist varied sorts of sorting, score, and board engagement, together with further timer and voting instruments.

Determine C

Determine C: Screenshot exhibiting the interface of a brand new, clean Lucidspark board on a Chromebook. Picture: Andy Wolber/TechRepublic

Lucidspark additionally presents menu customization and an experimental AI function. Customise the left-side on-screen menu with a Instrument pinning function to point out solely the choices you choose. For instance, in case you hardly ever want Jira integration, you could unpin that possibility and it’ll not show on-screen, though you should still entry it from the Extra menu. And a Collaborative AI possibility generates concepts from an entered immediate. For instance, a immediate of “Best features of Lucidspark” created a 3×3 set of sticky notes, every stuffed with two or three phrases describing options equivalent to “Integrated Video Chat,” “Seamless Integrations,” and “Presentation mode.”

Execs Cons
Lucidspark app is obtainable on the internet (and Google Workspace Market) and Android. Workforce or Enterprise version accounts are required to make use of cellular app on iOS or iPadOS.
Customizable menu for quick entry to most-used choices. No offline mode.
Collaborative AI to generate concepts.
Vital variety of supported app integrations.

Pricing

There are 4 Lucidspark plans: Free, Particular person, Workforce, and Enterprise.

  • Free, which incorporates three editable boards, limitless shapes, drawing, emoji reactions, commenting, presentation mode, fundamental visible actions to collect suggestions and combination outcomes, fundamental collaborative AI, and different options.
  • Particular person, $7.95 per consumer per thirty days billed yearly ($95.40/yearly per consumer). This plan provides limitless editable boards, 1 GB of storage, premium visible actions to collect suggestions, and combination outcomes, and extra.
  • Workforce, three crew consumer licenses for $27 per thirty days billed yearly ($324/yearly for the three licenses, which is $108/consumer per yr). This plan provides superior controls for visible actions, chat, revision historical past and versioning, voting, a timer and facilitator instruments, contact display whiteboards, developer platform, and extra.
  • Enterprise licenses require contacting gross sales. This plan presents entry to Lucidchart for diagramming and provides Workforce folders, Common Canvas, many app integrations, and entry to varied consumer administration and security measures.

Educators might entry a variant of the Workforce plan at no cost; this supplies lecturers and college students entry to the cellular app and lots of Workforce options at no cost. An non-compulsory improve to a paid crew plan for schooling provides centralized account administration, audit logs, and entry to precedence assist.

Picture: Microsoft Whiteboard

Microsoft Whiteboard: Greatest at no cost use

Microsoft Whiteboard (Determine D) is free, but it surely does require a Microsoft account to view, create, or collaborate on boards; due to this fact, this feature might take advantage of sense for people or organizations who already use different Microsoft companies, equivalent to Microsoft 365.

Determine D

Determine D: Screenshot exhibiting the interface of a brand new, clean Microsoft Whiteboard board on a Chromebook. Picture: Andy Wolber/TechRepublic

Microsoft Whiteboard presents a normal set of instruments that features a pen, highlighter, ruler, notes, emoji-style reactions, textual content and shapes. You might also add photos to a board. Plus, Microsoft Whiteboard presents numerous templates for all kinds of brainstorming, planning, assembly, and studying actions. You might customise the board background colour and choose from a set of 9 background grid designs. And there’s an included timer. Share the hyperlink to provide collaborators entry to all of those instruments, too.

Execs Cons
Microsoft Whiteboard is obtainable on the internet,
iPhone, iPad and Android, in addition to for
Microsoft Floor Hub and Microsoft Groups Rooms gadgets.
Not out there within the Google Workspace Market.
Free. Should check in with a Microsoft account.
Vital number of templates for enterprise makes use of,
equivalent to brainstorming, venture planning and assembly actions.
No offline mode.
Targeted set of instruments.

Pricing

Microsoft Whiteboard is free, though it’s essential to check in with a Microsoft account to make use of it. A Microsoft account could also be obtained at no cost.

Zoom Whiteboard: Greatest for Zoom conferences

Picture: Zoom Whiteboard

The Zoom conferencing platform presents Zoom Whiteboard (Determine E), which can be used both with an online assembly or individually. For anybody with an current Zoom account, Zoom Whiteboard deserves consideration.

Determine E

Determine E: Screenshot exhibiting the interface of a brand new, clean Zoom Whiteboard board on a Chromebook. Picture: Andy Wolber/TechRepublic

Zoom Whiteboard presents numerous templates for brainstorming, diagramming, assembly, schooling, or leisure; or you could merely create a brand new clean board. The system contains instruments equivalent to pens, shapes, traces, textual content, sticky notes, and feedback. You might add photos and PDFs to your board or add a thoughts map, desk, kanban board, or playing cards. Particularly, playing cards allow you to assign duties and observe each dates and process standing. Zoom boards additionally allow you to create a number of pages. As a presentation assist, you could add frames round your board content material, then manage and current the frames in sequence. The timer and laser pointer could also be helpful throughout displays or collaborations as nicely.

Execs Cons
Out there as a part of Zoom on the internet (and Google Workspace Market), macOS, Home windows, Linux, iPhone, iPad and Android. Zoom Whiteboard presents secondary performance to internet conferences.
Massive variety of templates for enterprise makes use of, equivalent to brainstorming and diagramming. No offline mode
Help for a number of pages inside a board.
Frames to order presentation sequence.

Pricing

Three Zoom Whiteboard editions can be found: Whiteboard Primary, Whiteboard, and Whiteboard Plus.

  • Whiteboard Primary, which is included with Zoom Office Primary and Zoom Office Professional, contains three concurrent editable boards owned and 25 MB of storage, together with all core drawing, annotation, picture, and collaboration options.
  • Whiteboard, $24.90 per consumer per yr, and could also be added to both the Zoom Office Primary or Zoom Office Professional plan. This plan provides limitless concurrent editable boards, customary options, and superior doc management. Additionally it is included in Zoom Office Enterprise, Zoom Office Enterprise Plus, and Zoom Office Enterprise.
  • Whiteboard Plus, $70 per consumer per yr and could also be added to both Zoom Office Primary or Zoom Office Professional plans, provides superior whiteboard options and assist for customized and organizational templates. Additionally, Zoom Whiteboard Plus is included as a part of Zoom Rooms plans and Zoom Office Enterprise Plus.

SEE: Find out how to use the brand new Zoom Whiteboard for hybrid conferences

Apple Freeform: Greatest for Apple gadget customers

Picture: Apple Freeform

Freeform (Determine F), a visible collaboration software by Apple, is included with present gadgets that run iOS, iPadOS, and macOS. The app is free, though solely individuals who use Apple gadgets might use it. For instance, Freeform could be a superb possibility for a classroom the place a trainer and college students all use iPadOS or macOS gadgets, however wouldn’t be appropriate for a scenario the place collaborators may use Home windows, ChromeOS, or Android gadgets.

Determine F

Determine F: Screenshot exhibiting the interface of a brand new, clean Freeform board on iPad. Picture: Andy Wolber/TechRepublic

Freeform presents quite a few writing and drawing kinds, together with a pen, pencil, highlighter, crayon, ink, and watercolor choices. On gadgets that assist an Apple pencil, you could leverage the system’s built-in handwriting recognition system, Scribble, to transform pencil strokes into textual content. Freeform allows you to add notes, hyperlinks, shapes, and typed textual content. You might use a digital camera to seize a photograph or add a picture, video, audio file, or PDF to a board. Freeform works offline, so you should use it to seize concepts virtually wherever. Freeform permits as much as 100 individuals to collaborate on a board, and it could be used with Messages or FaceTime.

Execs Cons
Out there on present iPhone, iPad and macOS gadgets. Out there solely on Apple gadgets.
Can create and work offline.
Works nicely with Apple Pencil, Messages and FaceTime.
Wider vary of drawing software kinds (e.g., watercolor, ink
and crayon) in comparison with lots of the different alternate options on this article.

Pricing

Freeform is obtainable as one of many default apps on all fashionable Apple gadgets, together with iPhone, iPad, and macOS programs.

Extra Jamboard alternate options to contemplate

Past the six companies lined above, many different collaborative drawing choices exist. Google suggests Google Drawings or Google Slides may meet some wants. Different companies that will benefit consideration embody Canva Whiteboard, Conceptboard, Excalidraw, Clarify Every little thing, Inko, Pear Deck, Pencil Areas, Sketchboard, or Whiteboard.chat.

Jamboard phase-out timeline: What it’s essential to do

  • Sept. 30, 2024: By this date, it’s essential to have backed up any Jamboard gadget occasion logs that you just wish to maintain from the Admin console, as you’ll not be capable of do that afterwards and occasion log knowledge will likely be deleted.
  • Oct. 1, 2024: In the event you haven’t already, it’s essential to begin backing up the Jam information you wish to retain and migrating them to different functions. It’s also possible to save them as PDFs or PNG information.
    Additionally, you will not be capable of create new or edit current Jam information on any platform, together with the net, iOS, and Android, whereas the 55-inch Jamboard gadget will not be a part of Meet conferences or save to the cloud.
  • Dec. 31, 2024: The Jamboard utility will likely be wound down, so you’ll not be capable of entry your Jam information, and they are going to be completely deleted.

Methodology

The primary three companies — FigJam by Figma, Miro, and Lucidspark by Lucid Software program — are included as a result of Google particularly recommends these as alternate options to Google Jamboard. All three will provide some sort of import software to will let you protect current Jamboard content material.

The remaining three choices have been chosen due to the widespread use of Microsoft, Zoom, and Apple instruments within the schooling group — a big consumer of Jamboard apps. In the event you and your collaborators use Apple {hardware}, Freeform is sensible as an alternative choice to Jamboard. In the event you and your collaborators have current Microsoft or Zoom accounts, then both of these respective companies may serve you nicely.

The writer signed and actively examined every of the companies for testing functions, and has actively used and lined Google Jamboard since its inception. Every of the screenshots was taken throughout this experimentation. We depend on vendor web sites for pricing.

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