Comparison
Freero vs Mural
Mural is a hosted visual workspace built around facilitated teamwork, with LUMA methods, Microsoft 365 ties and per-member plans. Freero is an open-source whiteboard for teams of people and AI agents: no paid plans, every feature included, and you can run it on your own servers.
Last checked from public sources, listed at the end of this page.
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 | Mural | Freero |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Partly · the 3 most recent murals stay editable, older ones become view-only; no Mural AI [1][5] | Yes · every feature; default fair-use limits instead of plan limits [docs] |
| Paid plans | Paid plans · Team+ $9.99 per member a month billed annually ($12 monthly), Business $17.99 billed annually, Enterprise by quote [1] | No · no licence fees; self-hosting costs your own servers [docs] |
| Open source, on your own servers | No · proprietary; hosted on Microsoft Azure [4] | Yes · MIT licence; Docker, in any region [docs] |
| MCP server for AI agents | Partly · public preview; open to Free workspaces since 2026-10-13 [3][5] | Yes · on every server, with OAuth sign-in for Claude, ChatGPT and other clients [docs] |
| Agent edits reviewed by people | No · agents edit the canvas directly; no review step described [3] | Yes · agents start with read and suggest; direct writes are opt-in [docs] |
| Built-in AI | Paid plans · Mural AI on Team+ and up [1][2] | Partly · off until you connect a model; no chat assistant or AI workflows [docs] |
| Bring your own AI model | No · no provider or own-model option named [2] | Yes · Anthropic or any OpenAI-compatible endpoint, local models included [docs] |
| Jira sync | Yes · two-way, Jira Cloud and Data Center; the upgraded integration is on Business and Enterprise [5][8] | Yes · two-way, Jira Cloud and Data Center [docs] |
| Linear sync | Yes · two-way, since 2026-09-08 [5][9] | Yes · two-way [docs] |
| GitHub | Partly · pull-request links become live cards; create issues from stickies [9] | Yes · two-way issue sync, GitHub and GitHub Enterprise Server [docs] |
| Other work trackers | Yes · Azure DevOps, Rally, Salesforce, Asana and Microsoft Planner [5] | No · Jira, Linear and GitHub only [docs] |
| REST API | Partly · labelled beta; on every plan within its limits [6] | Yes · with an OpenAPI description, and signed webhooks [docs] |
| SAML single sign-on | Paid plans · Business and up [1] | Yes · SAML 2.0 or OpenID Connect per workspace [docs] |
| SCIM provisioning | Paid plans · Enterprise [1] | Yes [docs] |
| Audit log | Paid plans · Enterprise [1] | Yes · per workspace, exportable; no SIEM streaming yet [docs] |
| Choice of data region | Paid plans · Enterprise, with your own encryption key [4] | Yes · wherever you host it; no hosted regions or customer-managed keys [docs] |
| Security certifications | Yes · SOC 2 Type 2, ISO 27001, ISO 42001 and others [4] | No [docs] |
| Native desktop and mobile apps | Yes · plus Surface Hub and other interactive displays [7] | No · installable web app; phones view and comment [docs] |
| Templates | Yes · “hundreds”, plus LUMA methods [10][1] | Partly · 584 originals [docs] |
| Visitors without an account | Partly · free on every plan; view-only on Free, editing from Team+ [1] | Yes · named guests on a shared link view and comment; editing needs an account [docs] |
Where each one is stronger
Choose Mural if
- Can: You run facilitated workshops at scale and want a methods library: LUMA frameworks, AI guidance for its methods, and training from the same company.
- Can: Your organization is built on Microsoft: a Microsoft 365 Copilot agent, Azure hosting and apps for Surface Hub.
- Can: You sync boards with Azure DevOps, Rally, Salesforce, Asana or Microsoft Planner, which Freero doesn’t support.
- Can: Your security review needs certifications such as SOC 2 Type 2 and ISO 27001, your own encryption key or a hosted data region.
- Can: You want native desktop and mobile apps, or visitors who can edit without an account.
- Can: You want a hosted service with standard, priority and premier support tiers, and nothing to run.
Choose Freero if
- Can: You want every board editable and every feature on, without a per-member plan.
- Can: You want to run the whiteboard on your own servers, under the MIT licence, in the region you choose.
- Can: You want AI agents to propose changes that people accept or reject, on an MCP server that ships with every Freero server.
- Can: You want SSO, SCIM and an audit log without an Enterprise contract.
- Can: You need two-way GitHub issue sync, or roadmap timelines whose bars write their dates back to Jira or Linear.
- Can: You want AI on a model provider you choose, including models you run yourself.
Moving from Mural
Freero can’t import murals today. It brings in CSV rows as sticky notes or cards, draw.io and Excalidraw files as editable shapes, and images and PDFs placed on a board. Facilitation tools are built in for the workshops you move over: voting, a shared timer, private mode, polls, word clouds, Q&A and planning poker, all free, with guests answering through a link.
For agents, read how agents work on Freero boards or connect Claude or ChatGPT. For SSO, SCIM and the audit log, see security; to run it yourself, see self-hosting Freero.
Keep reading
More about Freero
Sources and dates
- Mural: Pricing, checked
- Mural: Mural AI, checked
- Mural: Mural MCP, checked
- Mural: Trust and security, checked
- Mural: Product release notes, checked
- Mural developer hub: Public API and Enterprise API, checked
- Mural: Apps, checked
- Mural: Jira integration, checked
- Mural blog: Integrations (2026-09-30), checked
- Mural Learning: Browse the template library, 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 Freero a free Mural alternative?
Yes. Freero has no paid plans, so there is no limit on editable boards and no feature held back for a higher tier. If you host it yourself, you pay for your own servers and their upkeep.
Is there an open-source, self-hosted Mural alternative?
Freero is MIT licensed and runs on your own servers with Docker and PostgreSQL. Mural is proprietary and hosted on Microsoft Azure.
How do Freero’s and Mural’s MCP servers compare?
Both let AI clients such as Claude and ChatGPT read and change boards. Mural’s was in public preview on 28 October 2026 and describes direct edits. Freero’s is part of every Freero server, and by default an agent proposes changes that people accept or reject before the board changes.
Can I import my murals into Freero?
Not today. Freero has no Mural importer; it imports CSV, draw.io and Excalidraw files, and places images and PDFs on a board.
Bring your team and your agents to one board
Free to use, open source, and yours to host. No credit card, no seat count.