Hey, it's Cindy 馃尡 You commented cancel, so here are all five from the reel with the real links, plus exactly what each free tier includes.
btw the waitlist for AI System Club is now open! If you're keen on using AI to automate your content, video editing, job search, business or build AI agents, feel free to sign up (only if you want to hehe). Ps. the waitlist gets first dibs:)
the five from the reel
The five, and what free really means
Free tiers are where this kind of list usually lies, so each one below says precisely what you get without paying and what the paid tier is for. All five pricing pages were opened on 2 October 2026.
1 路 Excalidraw, replaces Miro Hand-drawn style whiteboard. Free forever, and you do not need an account at all to start drawing. excalidraw.com Paid tier is US$6 per user per month and is only for team features. Solo use costs nothing, ever.
2 路 Penpot, replaces Figma Open source design and prototyping. The free plan is fully featured with no editor cap. penpot.app Penpot's own pricing page calls the free plan "free and fully featured, no limits, no missing tools". The paid Unlimited tier is US$7 per editor per month, capped at US$175 a month.
3 路 Cap, replaces Loom Screen recording with instant sharing. Free for personal use. cap.so US$29 per licence per year buys commercial usage rights, not extra features. There is also a US$58 lifetime option.
4 路 Plane, replaces Linear Project management with cycles, modules and issue tracking. Free cloud plan up to 12 people. plane.so You can also self-host it for nothing if you have somewhere to put it.
5 路 Voicebox, replaces ElevenLabs and Wispr Flow Voice cloning and dictation that runs on your own laptop, so nothing is uploaded. voicebox.sh MIT licensed with no paid tier at all. Its own README calls it a free alternative to both.
before you cancel anything
Where each one is genuinely worse
These are real replacements, not identical ones. Knowing the gap before you switch is the difference between saving money and losing a week.
Excalidraw vs Miro No infinite template library and no built-in video calls. For diagrams and quick thinking it is faster. try it with no account
Penpot vs Figma Smaller plugin ecosystem and fewer community files. The file format is open, which Figma's is not. penpot.app
Cap vs Loom Loom's viewer analytics are more mature. Cap's local-first recording is better if you care where the file lives. cap.so
Plane vs Linear Linear is faster and more opinionated. Plane is the one you can self-host and own. plane.so
Voicebox vs ElevenLabs ElevenLabs has more voices and better quality at the top end. Voicebox never sends your voice anywhere. voicebox.sh
All five Open source means the project can slow down. Check the last commit date before you build a workflow on one. how to check
the honest bit
Do not cancel everything on day one
1 路 Run both for two weeks Keep the paid one until the free one has survived a real deadline. Switching tools mid-project is how you lose work. start with the easiest one
2 路 Export first Get your existing files out before you cancel, not after. Most of these import from the tool they replace. Penpot imports Figma files
the waitlist is now open
AI System Club is launching soon
Build AI systems with me through recorded lessons you can follow at your own pace. Join the waitlist for first access and the founding price.
btw this list gets first dibs the moment doors open :)