Comparison
Freero vs Jamboard
Jamboard was Google’s simple whiteboard: a free app for Google accounts and a 55-inch touch display, both shut down in 2024. Freero is a free, open-source whiteboard for classrooms, teams and AI agents that runs in the browser and that you can host yourself.
Last checked from public sources, listed at the end of this page.
What happened to Jamboard
Google wound Jamboard down over 2023 and 2024. The dates, and what is left of your jams:
- Google announced the end of Jamboard and pointed whiteboard users to FigJam, Lucidspark and Miro. [1][2]
- Licences for the Jamboard display ended, and with them management and software updates. [4][1]
- The app became view-only: no new or edited jams on any platform. [1][4]
- The app shut down on the web, iOS, Android and Meet devices. This was also the deadline Google gave for exporting jams. [1]
- 2025
- Google’s help page now says jams were converted to PDFs in 2025 and are in Google Drive. Its original 2023 notice said jams would be permanently deleted after 31 December 2024. [3][1]
Looking for your jams? Google’s help page says to search Google Drive for type:Jam and download them as PDF, or as PNG for a single frame. [3] A Jamboard display can still be used offline as a basic whiteboard or as an HDMI screen, but it can’t save to Drive or join Meet. [4]
At a glance
Each cell links to where the fact comes from: a numbered public source for the other product, Freero’s documentation for Freero.
| Capability | Jamboard (until 2024) | Freero |
|---|---|---|
| Available today | No · the app shut down on 2024-12-31 [1] | Yes · in any current browser, installable as a web app [docs] |
| Free to use | Yes · the app had no separate charge; the 55-inch board cost $4,999 plus $600 a year [6][5] | Yes · no paid plans and no hardware to buy; self-hosting costs your own servers [docs] |
| Dedicated hardware | Yes · a 55-inch 4K touch display with camera, microphones and stylus [6] | No · software only; touch and pen work on tablets [docs] |
| Infinite canvas | No · a jam was a short deck of frames [6] | Yes · with frames you can present or export as PDF pages [docs] |
| Pens, sticky notes, images and shapes | Yes · plus a laser pointer [6] | Yes · plus connectors, mind maps, tables, cards and a laser pointer [docs] |
| Voting, timer and polls | No · pens, notes, images and frames [6] | Yes · plus word clouds, Q&A and private mode; students answer through a link [docs] |
| Google Drive and Meet | Yes · jams saved to Drive, opened from Meet [6] | No · Google sign-in, but no Drive or Classroom integration [docs] |
| Mobile apps | Yes · iOS and Android, until the shutdown [6][1] | No · installable web app; phones view and comment [docs] |
| Open source, on your own servers | No · a Google cloud service [4] | Yes · MIT licence; Docker, on a school’s or company’s own servers [docs] |
Where each one is stronger
What Jamboard did that Freero doesn’t
- Can: You need your old jams as editable sticky notes: FigJam lists Jamboard as an import source, while Freero can only place a jam’s PDF on a board.
- Can: You want a purpose-built board for the classroom wall, with a camera, microphones and a stylus.
- Can: You want everything inside Google Workspace: boards saved in Drive and opened from Meet.
- Can: You teach young students who need the smallest possible toolset: Freero does much more, which can be more to learn.
- Can: You want native phone apps for editing.
Choose Freero if
- Can: You want a whiteboard that is free, still developed, and open source, so no vendor can switch it off.
- Can: You run lessons or workshops with voting, a shared timer, polls, word clouds and Q&A.
- Can: You want an infinite canvas, frames you can present, and templates to start from.
- Can: You want visitors to join a shared board with just a name, without an account.
- Can: You need more than a board: AI agents through MCP, Jira, Linear and GitHub sync, SSO and SCIM.
Bringing jams into Freero
Freero has no Jamboard importer. What it can do is take the PDF of a jam: upload it to a board and it becomes a document you can page through, or place all its pages as images in a grid, one per frame. Then draw, add sticky notes and comment on top. The old content stays a picture; it doesn’t become editable notes again.
If you need editable notes back, FigJam lists Jamboard as an import source. [7]
For a school or team, Freero is free with no paid plans, and it can run on your own servers: see self-hosting Freero and security. To bring AI into lessons or planning, see how agents work on Freero boards, or connect Claude or ChatGPT.
Keep reading
More about Freero
Sources and dates
- Google Workspace Updates: The next phase of digital whiteboarding (2023-09-28), checked
- Google Workspace blog: The next phase of digital whiteboarding, checked
- Jamboard Help Center: jams as PDFs in Google Drive, checked
- Jamboard Help Center: end of life for Jamboard devices, checked
- VentureBeat: Google starts selling Jamboard for $4,999 (2017), checked
- Wikipedia: Jamboard, checked
- Figma Help Center: importing into FigJam (lists Jamboard), checked
Facts about Freero come from its documentation and code. Prices and plans change: check the vendor’s own page before you decide. Spotted a mistake? Tell us and we will correct it.
Frequently asked questions
Is Jamboard still available?
No. Google made the Jamboard app view-only on 1 October 2024 and shut it down on 31 December 2024, on the web, iOS, Android and Meet devices. Licences for the Jamboard display ended on 30 September 2024.
Where are my Jamboard files now?
Google’s help page says jams were converted to PDFs in 2025 and are in Google Drive: search Drive for type:Jam and download them as PDF, or as PNG for a single frame. Google’s original 2023 notice said jams would be deleted after 31 December 2024, so check Drive rather than assume either way.
Can I import my jams into Freero?
Not as editable content: Freero has no Jamboard importer. You can upload a jam’s PDF to a Freero board and place its pages as images, then work on top of them.
Is Freero a free Jamboard alternative for teachers?
Freero is free, with no paid plans, and works in any current browser. Students can join a shared board with just a name, and lessons can use voting, a timer, polls, word clouds and Q&A. It has no Google Classroom or Drive integration, and on phones it is view-and-comment.
Bring your team and your agents to one board
Free to use, open source, and yours to host. No credit card, no seat count.