Groupboard

Groupboard is a browser-based shared whiteboard with chat and a message board. It suits tutors, schools, and teams that need guests to join from a link or embedded page, especially when work must remain available between sessions. Its hosted tiers add room for larger classes and remove advertising, while the free tier is best for small groups willing to accept strict quotas.

Overview

Groupboard combines real-time drawing, chat, and a message board in one persistent workspace. Whiteboard content remains after everyone logs off, so recurring lessons or projects can continue from the same canvas instead of starting over. An infinite canvas and guest collaboration support open-ended activities with participants who do not need downloads.

People can open a supplied link or use a board embedded in a web page. HTML5-capable browsers, including iOS and Android browsers, are supported without plugins. The maker positions it for distance learning and online collaboration, naming tutors, schools, and universities as users. TutorCruncher and Acuity Scheduling integrations address payment and session scheduling. Groupboard says its servers are in Quebec, Canada, and that personal data is not transmitted outside Canada.

Key features

• Persistent real-time workspace: Drawing, chat, and message-board posts happen together, while the canvas survives sign-out. That is useful for lessons and projects spread across multiple meetings; buyers needing documented version history should not assume persistence includes it.
• Browser access and embedding: Link-based entry works on desktop and mobile browsers without installation. Paid hosted plans add embedding on your own pages and a JavaScript API for controlling and customizing the applet, making those tiers more suitable for a branded teaching or customer portal.
• Open-ended drawing: The infinite canvas and support for Wacom and Huion graphics tablets favor handwriting, annotation, and diagram work over fixed slide-style collaboration.
• Language coverage: The interface is translated into Dutch, French, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Finnish, Korean, Chinese, Japanese, Hebrew, and Arabic, which can reduce friction for multilingual groups.
• Hosting choices and support: Customers can install self-hosted versions on their own servers. Hosted subscribers receive technical support throughout the subscription, with the maker aiming to answer emails within 24 hours; the free plan has limited support.

Pricing

Groupboard uses a freemium model. The free plan costs nothing and permits five users per whiteboard, 20 saved pictures, and 10 background images. It includes ads and limited support. That combination works for a small tutoring session or occasional test board, but the five-person ceiling and low asset quotas quickly constrain classes and ongoing projects.

The 15-user Hosted Groupboard plan costs $9.99 a month, or 99 USD per year, and raises capacity to 15 users per whiteboard, 250 saved pictures, and 100 background images. It is ad-free and includes unlimited technical support, making it the sensible entry tier for a small paid class or team that needs a cleaner embedded experience. The 50-user Hosted Groupboard plan costs $19.99 a month, or 199 USD per year, and raises limits to 50 users, 500 saved pictures, and 200 background images, with the same ad-free service and unlimited support. Choose it when a workshop or class regularly exceeds 15 simultaneous users.

A 7-day trial is offered for paid service. Self-hosted versions are available, but pricing is custom rather than stated.

Platforms

Groupboard is offered for Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, Windows, and the web, with API access and self-hosted deployment. Browser support is particularly important: participants can join from HTML5-capable mobile browsers without installing an app or plugin.

Who it's for

Tutors and educational institutions are the clearest fit, especially those running repeat sessions that benefit from a retained canvas and guest access. Small collaborative groups can use the free plan if five users and its storage quotas are sufficient. Organizations embedding a board into their own site, needing API control, or requiring more than five participants should budget for a hosted tier. Self-hosting suits customers that want installation on their own server. It is a weaker choice for groups seeking a broad meeting suite rather than a focused whiteboard, or for classes whose size exceeds the 50-user hosted limit.

Pros and cons

Pros

• Persistent canvas, chat, and message board keep work available between sessions.
• Link access, guest collaboration, and mobile-browser support avoid download requirements.
• Paid hosting adds embedding and JavaScript API control, useful for integrated portals.
• Hosted plans provide larger user and image quotas, remove ads, and include unlimited technical support.
• Self-hosted deployment and Canadian data residency offer hosting flexibility and a clear regional privacy position.

Cons

• The free plan allows only five users per whiteboard and includes ads, limited support, and modest picture and background quotas.
• Paid plans are capped at 15 or 50 users per whiteboard, so larger events need another approach.
• Custom self-hosted pricing makes total cost harder to predict.

Alternatives

For a free self-hosted option with no stated usage limits, choose Apache OpenMeetings. Boardmix is a freemium alternative with a free workspace, three editable boards, and 1 GB of storage. Pick Webex App instead when meetings, rather than a persistent whiteboard, are the priority; its free plan allows meetings of up to 40 minutes and 100 attendees. Miro offers three editable free boards plus more than 7,000 templates and 250-plus integrations. MURAL provides unlimited murals with three editable at a time and unlimited members and view-only visitors. Ziteboard gives free users three owned boards and unlimited shared boards with real-time collaborators. Canva Whiteboards is part of Canva’s broader design subscription, while Creately offers unlimited free canvases and collaborators with 45 items per canvas.

Browse the Collaborative Whiteboard Software and Online Whiteboard Tools lists for more choices.

Verdict

Choose Groupboard for browser-first teaching or collaboration that needs a persistent canvas, guest entry, and optional embedding or self-hosting. The 15-user and 50-user plans are straightforward upgrades when the free tier’s cap and ads get in the way. Look elsewhere if you need a larger audience, extensive board-management limits, or a full video-meeting platform rather than a focused shared whiteboard.